Former governor of Anambra state Chukwuemeka Ezeife is dead.
He was aged 84.
Ezeife’s death came some weeks after the demise of another former governor of the state, Chinweoke Mbadinuju’s burial in his Uli, Ihiala local government area of the state.
The renowned economist, was said to have died in Abuja on Thursday, December 14, after battling an undisclosed illness.
The announcement was contained in a statement released by the family, through his younger brother, Chief Rob Ezeife.
The statement: “On behalf of the Ezeife Dynasty of Igbo-Ukwu, I wish to announce the promotion to glory of our most distinguished son, Okwadike, Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife, CON, a former Federal Permanent Secretary, the first Executive Governor of Anambra State, a former Political Adviser to the President and former Presidential Aspirant.”
“This sad event took place yesterday at 6pm at the Federal Medical Centre, Abuja. More details about the deceased and the arrangements for his State Burial will be announced later.”
The former governor was born at Igbo-Ukwu, Anambra State on 20 November 1939.
He did not attend secondary school but taught himself through correspondence courses, qualifying for university admission.
He gained a BSc in Economics from the University College Ibadan, then attended Harvard University on a Rockefeller Foundation scholarship where he obtain a masters and then PhD degree in 1972.
He became a School Headmaster, a lecturer at Makarare University College, Kampala, Uganda, a Teaching Fellow at Harvard University, and a Consultant with Arthur D. Little in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Ezeife joined the civil service as an Administrative Officer and rose to the position of Permanent Secretary.
In 1992, he contested for the governorship of Anambra state on the platform of Social Democratic Party SDP and won
His tenure under the Military regime of late Military dictator, General Ibrahim Babangida lasted between 2 January 1992 to 17 November 1993.
It was when General Sani Abacha took power after a military coup.
He was famous as governor for planning than in addressing immediate developmental needs, and achieved few tangible results while saving money in the state.
He transferred Nnamdi Azikiwe University and Federal Polytechnic, Oko to the federal government, which helped ensure that they survived in the ensuing military regime.
During the Nigerian Fourth Republic Ezeife, who describes himself as a social democrat, was appointed presidential Adviser on Political Matters to President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Ezeife was appointed a member of the board of the Center for Development & Empowerment of Commercial Motorcyclists.In February 2006 the Federal Capital development Authority bulldozed his house in Abuja on the grounds that the plot of land and those of adjacent houses had been acquired improperly.
In January 2010 he was among thousands who demonstrated in Awka calling for credible and violence-free governorship elections on February In April 2010.