- Ugwuanyi, Deputy, Speaker, others, pay condolence visit
Enugu State government on Friday expressed its sadness over the death of the Commissioner for Transport, Rt. Hon. Mathias Ekweremadu Jnr, who died on Thursday, February 4, 2021, while in active service.
In a statement issued by the Commissioner for Information, Nnanyelugo Chidi Aroh, the state government commiserates with the late Ekweremadu family, the people of Aninri Local Government Area and Enugu State.
Earlier, taccording to The Nation, the state Governor, Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi led a state government delegation to the family of the late Commissioner on a condolence visit, at his Enugu residence.
Accompanied by his Deputy, Hon. Mrs. Cecilia Ezeilo, the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Edward Ubosi, other members of the House and State Executive Council (EXCO), Ugwuanyi consoled the wife of the late Commissioner, Mrs. Stella Ekweremadu, his children and other family members.
Describing late Ekweremadu as “an astute politician and Community leader”, the Information Commissioner, Aroh, added that he “served at various times as Chairman Aninri Local Government Area and member Enugu State House of Assembly, before his appointment as Commissioner for Transport”.
“We pray that the Almighty God grants us all the fortitude to bear this painful loss and grant his soul eternal rest”, Aroh said.
During the condolence visit, Ugwunayi and his entourage were also received by the Archbishop of Enugu Ecclesiastical Province (Anglican Communion), Most Rev. Dr. Emmanuel Chukwuma, who offered prayers for the repose of the soul of the late Ekweremadu, and for God to grant his family and the state government the fortitude to bear the loss.
The late Ekweremadu was ex-Chairman of Aninri Local Government Area and former Chief Whip of the State House of Assembly who represented Aninri Constituency, between 2013 and 2019.
The deceased Ekweremadu reportedly slumped and died on Thursday.
He was a cousin to Nigeria’s immediate past Deputy Senate President and ranking Senator, Dr. Ike Ekweremadu.
He was until his death the Enugu State Commissioner for Transport.
According to Enugu Metro, the late Commissioner was at the State House of Assembly to defend his Ministry’s 2021 budget when he fainted.
Eye witnesses said he was immediately rushed to the nearby Niger Foundation Hospital where doctors battled for over an hour to resuscitate him.
The witnesses said that, medically speaking, he was brought in dead, but doctors did all they could to salvage the situation, to no avail.
The cause of death has not been ascertained.
A medical expert said this will only be known if the family requests an autopsy.
“It’s highly unlikely that this will be done since Africans generally take certain types of deaths as the Will of God,” he said.
Following in the footsteps of his more famous relation, late Mathias Ekweremadu also served as chairman of Aninri Local Government Council.
He was subsequently elected into the Enugu State House of Assembly in 2015 and served for one term.
Hon. Ekweremadu is a recipient of the national honour, Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON).
He had been trying to cope with the sudden loss of his final year engineering undergraduate son two years ago.
