Ohanaeze Ndigbo has announced that its late President General, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, would be buried on September 25, 2024.
The organisation made the announcement on Tuesday after a meeting at its National Headquarters in Enugu where it opened a condolence register for him.
The Secretary General of Ohanaeze, Ambassador Okey Emuchay, who presided over the meeting, led other members of the executive committee to sign the condolence register.
Signing the register, Emuchay expressed sadness over the sudden death of Iwuanyanwu.
He described Iwuanyanwu as “an exceptional diplomat and a tenacious patriot, leader per excellent, politician and erudite Engineer”.
He assured that the Ohanaeze Ndigbo worldwide would continue where Iwuanyanwu stopped, adding that consultation of Imeobi is ongoing.
“We just had an emergency NEC meeting. We are here now to sign a condolence register in honour of Dr. E. C. Iwuanyanyu, President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo who passed on last week Thursday, 25th of July, 2024.
“Indeed a huge Iroko has fallen. This is coming to us less than two years after we lost Ambassador Professor George Obiozor, our former President General. We had tributes from all over, from the President of the federal republic, former president, Olusegun Obasanjo, Emeka Anyaoku, governors of the South East and our partners in the southern and middle belt forum, EK Clark, Bayo Adebanjo, and others. Nigerians, from all over the world have been calling to commiserate with us.
“So our prayers are with his wife and children. The governor of Imo State, Senator, Hope Uzodimma, the government and people of Imo State, and all others who knew him. We are in touch with the family. A central burial committee will be established very soon.”
“All activities especially the Igbo Day Celebration of 2024 scheduled to be held on the 29th of September 2024, that was to be hosted by Imo State, we will skip in respect and honour of our departed president General.
“It is not easy for us, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the Igbo nation, and Nigeria. Appropriate consultations began with our governors, with the structures of Ohanaeze the elders and stakeholders of Ohanaeze, and several other bodies and organizations that the PG was affiliated with. He was a rare human being. He has a large heart, is a philanthropist, an engineer of repute, a sportsman, and a media man. He contested for the presidency of this nation three times. But he is gone and gone to rest.
“We want to assure that the ship of Ohanaeze is in safe hands. Nothing will happen to Ohanaeze. He had wonderful ideas and visions for the Igbo nation and Nigeria. Collectively as NEC, we want to give assurance that we shall match on from where he stopped. In this respect.
“Consultations also will start in earnest for us to meet Ime Obi: our governors, our leaders, our stakeholders. We’ve been here before, we overcame and we shall overcome. It’s not easy for us as I said before but we cannot question God. He has done his bit, he has gone to rest.
“ He has passed on the baton, leaving us to continue from there he stopped. I therefore have the honor and the privilege to sign this condolence register at the national secretariat. We are asking all state secretariats of Ohanaeze Ndigbo and the chapters we have in Nigeria and in the diaspora to do the same.
"Open condolence books so that people could come and write and convey whatever thoughts and prayers they have for our departed president General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Doctor EC Iwuanyanyu.”
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