By Sam Eyoboka
THE umbrella body of Christians in Nigeria, the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, has joined millions of Nigerians to mourn the sudden demise  of elder statesmen, foremost nationalist, journalist and respected democracy activist, Pa  Anthony Enahoro, who died recently in Benin, Edo State, at the age of 87.

CAN also urged  the Federal Government to name the National Assembly after Pa Enahoro as a mark of respect to the fallen nationalist.

In a statement  by the National President of CAN, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, the association said that  Pa Enahoro’s death a few days after the untimely passage of the wife of Edo State Governor, Mrs. Clara Oshiomhole,was another big loss to the people of Edo State in particular and Nigeria in general.

CAN also recalled how Pa  Enahoro’s patriotic effort towards the nation’s self government, even at a very young age,  contributed towards the political independence we enjoy today.

Pointing out that little was known about his immediate family, CAN noted sadly, that those who do not appreciate his selfless efforts towards our nationhood have found their way into leadership positions and are enriching themselves to the detriment of the country’s masses.

“CAN believes that late Pa Enahoro was a great Nigerian hero, an untiring democrat, a politician of unquestionable integrity, a man of total honesty and a role model for Nigerian youths,” the statement said.

Pa Anthony Enahoro was a democratic icon who believed and fought for the unity and peace of Nigeria and died in the struggle for a true democratic Nigeria.

Pa Enahoro’s death at this time of the nation’s political evolution, also marks the departure of the only remaining true nationalist who fought for Nigeria as we know it today, the statement added.

CAN therefore used the occasion of national grief to demand that the Federal Government should immortalize this great icon of our time by naming the National Assembly in Abuja after him as a way of saying that the labours of our heroes past shall not be in vain.