Akume, Otti mourn Chukwumerije

Former Benue State governor and the present Senate Minority Leader, Sen. George Akume, and the immediate past Group Managing Director of Diamond Bank Dr. Alex Otti, have praised the late chairman, Senate committee on Education, Senator Uche Chukwumerije in separate condolence messages on the lawmaker who died Sunday.
Akume told newsmen in Abuja that he received the news of the passage of the late Senator with shock and disbelief, saying the late Senator was a very vibrant legislator who brought to bear his wealth of experience in the media, the civil society and government to debates in the Senate.
He said the late Sen. Chukwumerije made useful contributions while he led his constituency in the upper house.

“As the Senate Committee Chairman on Education, he made useful contributions at the committee level and during plenary to the educational advancement of Nigeria. His contributions on other issues were also very valuable because he possessed all round knowledge on various issues,’’ Akume said.
On his part, the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) gubernatorial candidate in Abia State, Dr. Alex Otti, commended “the public service and dedication of the late Senator Chukwumerije as exemplary and reflective of the legacy of a progressive combatant for equity and justice.”
In his message, Dr. Otti fondly “remembers Comrade Chukwumerije as a man who had the worthy courage to take a stand and speak and write against human rights violations and historical wrongs in the difficult passages of Nigeria’s history.”
“His capacity to document and present relevant facts of history and contemporary times was legendary. This was evident in his work as a journalist, a writer and as a senior government official.
For him, effective communication was vital to serving the entire citizenry.”
On issues of law and order, “we also remain proud of Comrade Uche Chukwumerije as someone who respected the stipulations of Nigeria’s constitution, and he stood up to those who sought the peculiar privileges of an unlawful 3rd term.”
“With his death, Abia State has lost a political strategist and champion of equal rights. Our prayers are with his family in this time of sorrow and transition.”
Chukwumerije, a former Minister of Information, died at 75.
He was elected Senator in April 2003 where he represented the Abia North Senatorial zone. He was chairman of the Senate Committee on Education.