Buhari storms Onitsha Dec. 28, commissions Zik’s mausoleum

Geoffrey Anyanwu, Awka

President Mohammadu Buhari, is expected in Onitsha Anambra State on December 28, to commission the mausoleum of the first President of Nigeria, late Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, which was recently completed by his administration.

Disclosing this in Awka, the state capital, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige said the completion of the mausoleum was a fulfillment of the president’s promise when he visited the facility before his election in 2015.

The minister who was addressing over 3, 000 NDE trainees at the Awka South Local Government headquarters in Amawbia, noted that Buhari’s achievements was not only completing Zik’s mausoleum, but working on abandoned federal projects in the South-East and training and empowering over 5,000 graduates with loans ranging from N1 million to N10 million.

Meanwhile, the Senatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for Anambra Central, Chief Sylvester Okonkwo and a chieftain of the party in the state, Nze Modestus Umenzekwe, have eulogised President Buhari for remembering the South-East.

Okonkwo, said the president had shown enough love to Igbo, predicting that he (Buhari) would rake in enough votes in the state and South-East in general during the 2019 election. He added that the people would surely reciprocate his good gestures.

On his part, Nze Umenzekwe, stated that completion of the mausoleum was the promise Buhari made to Azikiwe’s son, Chukwuma before he died in 2014, adding: “It   was   there   that   Mr.   President   in   discussion   with Chuma Azikiwe, lamented the ugly state of Zik’s Mausoleum, his last resting place.

“Buhari is one who is very humorous but highly reserved. Without mincing words, he lacks talking from both sides of the mouth. Today that abandoned mausoleum has been completed. The workaholic Minister of Works, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN), who works like Mr. President, through his energetic effort, had made it happen.

“Today, the promise of Mr. President has come to pass. (Work on) the 2nd Niger Bridge so abandoned like Zik’s mausoleum is in progress as deadline for its completion has been announced by the Buhari administration and mobilisation for the job paid.”

“Both the Onitsha ports and dredging of the River Niger are in the process. I   want to   recall   the   intervention   of   Anambra   State   governor   Chief   Willie Maduaburochukwu   Obiano. His   wonderful   and remarkable   intervention   in   seeing   that   Inosi   Onira   compound   of  Owelle Nnamdi Azikiwe that contains his remains and mausoleum are kept in good shape.”