From Magnus Eze, Enugu
Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide will confer former Anambra State governor, Chukwuemeka Ezeife, who will be buried tomorrow, with a posthumous award of hero of Igboland.
The decision was taken at a plenary of the National Executive Committee (NEC) presided over by the President General, Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, on Tuesday.
Presenting the proposal to the NEC, Iwuanyanwu recalled the various roles played by Ezeife, who held the title of Okwadike Igbo Ukwu, in promoting the cause of not only the Igbo but Nigeria at large.
The Igbo leader cited the commitment of Okwadike in his assignment as the Ohanaeze representative in the court matters related to the incarceration of Nnamdi Kanu.
In addition, Ezeife was the chairman, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Elders Council for Abuja and Northern Nigeria as well as a member of the Presidential Advisory Council of Ohanaeze Ndigbo.
Iwuanyanwu said Ezeife stood with the Igbo when it mattered most and that he never equivocated on issues affecting them. He, therefore, directed all the organs and structures of Ohanaeze Ndigbo to participate fully at the various stages of the burial and funeral ceremony for Ezeife.
A communique from the meeting made available to Daily Sun by the National Publicity Secretary, Alex Ogbonnia, said the NEC also accorded a minute silence to another illustrious son of Igboland, Ogbonnaya Onu, former governor of Old Abia State whose death occurred on April 11.