By Vincent Ujumadu

AWKA- AFTER months of preparations, everything appears set for Friday’s interment of the late second republic Vice-President, Dr. Alex Ekwueme. Ekwueme died in a London hospital last year and programmes for his burial started on January 19, 2018. When South-East Voice visited Oko weekend, most of the preparations were in advanced stages of completion.

*Ngige interacting with Oko Chiefs who were planning for the burial of Dr. Alex Ekwueme

For instance, all the driveways inside the former vice-president’s compound were being asphalted by the Anambra State Government, which is also rehabilitating most of the internal roads in Oko and its environs to ensure free flow of traffic. Mounting of the gigantic tent where dignitaries would be entertained had also reached advanced stage and hotels and guest houses in Oko have been fully booked. Parking lots had been created on the outskirts of Oko from where shuttle buses would be stationed to ferry visitors to the venue of the burial.

The major road that passes through Oko is already wearing a new look with posters of the late Ekwueme mounted on the electric poles, with banners adorning all the entry points into the town.

At the palace of the traditional ruler of Oko, Igwe Laz Ekwueme, community leaders were seen putting finishing touches to their programmes.  Igwe Ekwueme said during the visit that Oko people were taxing themselves physically, financially and labour-wise to give Ide Aguata a befitting burial. He, however, said that his community still needed assistance in many areas, suggesting that instead of relying sorely on the contractor appointed by the Federal Government to construct Ekwueme’s Mausoleum,    government could give the community the fund to fast track it, knowing how important it is to the people. “If we wait for the government’s red tape, we might wait forever and time is no longer on our side,” he said.

*Alex Ekwueme’s compound

Also weekend, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige visited Oko to inspect projects under construction for the burial ceremony. Among the places visited by the minister, who is a member of the Ekwueme national burial committee include the tomb under construction inside his compound, ongoing road rehabilitation in the area and the entire Ekwueme compound.

After the tour, Ngige said: “I am reasonably satisfied with the preparations. I was here last week for inspection and today, work has progressed. The contractors have assured us that all the roads leading into Oko which are Amansea-Amawbia; Nise–Agulu; Umunze-Ajali; Nnewi-Igboukwu-Ekwulobia; and Akokwa–Uga will be very motorable before the burial ceremonies start on February 1 at Oko.

“The tomb, which is being financed by the Federal Government, is okay and the contractors have assured us that it will be handed over to us on Tuesday. The helipad, which the vice-president will use, has also been identified.

“Anambra State Government is also cooperating because it is constructing some internal roads in Oko and its environs to facilitate movement. The leader of the medical team, Professor Igwegbe of Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi is already on ground with his men and I believe that in the next 48 hours, everything will be in place.”

Recall that the Federal Government set up a national burial committee headed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, with members drawn from diverse areas.

Tent for the dignitaries under construction

In addition to the national burial committee, the South- East governors, the Anambra State Government and Oko community also have their own burial committees. Ngige said these other committees were working in cooperation with the national burial committee. “They have told us that they have programmes for Wednesday in Enugu and Thursday in Awka and we accommodated them because the intentions were good,” he said, adding that the national committee would not go into the details of the individual plans and programmes.

Ngige said apart from the vice-president, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, top Federal Government officials were also expected to attend the burial.

While giving details of the amount being spent by the Federal Government on the burial, the Minister further said: “I know how much the road rehabilitation is costing us; I know how much we are committing in the construction of the tomb; I know how much we spent to bring the body back from the United Kingdom and  taking the body to Enugu in a chartered flight. Government also took Ekwueme to the UK in an Air Ambulance when he was sick and that cost a lot of money.

“So the insinuation in some quarters that government has not done much is not true. What we have committed into the burial is not for public consumption and I will not say it. The family can also not say that it is not carried along because they are represented in all the burial committees.

“The first son of the late vice- president, Pastor Obi Ekwueme is a member of the national burial committee and the committee permitted him to send a member in all the sub-committees we have.

“We are all happy and as an Ekwueme product, I am also very happy. President Buhari has done for Ekwueme what he had not done for other military vice-presidents because Ekwueme was a democratically elected vice-president.

Buhari has done some unusual things for this burial and has given it a human face and I am quite happy. And if I am happy, I expect Igbo people to be happy.