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L-R: Managing Director/CEO Diamond Bank
Plc, Mr. Alex Otti; Lagos State Head of Service, Mrs. Oluseyi Josephine
Williams; Celebrant, Rear Admiral Godwin Ndubuisi Kanu; his wife Mrs. Gladys;
Managing Director/CEO Fidelity Bank Plc,
Mr. Reginald Ihejiahi and Chairman of the occasion, Elder (Dr.) Uma
Eleazu, during a lecture and a book presentation to mark Rear Admiral Godwin Ndubuisi Kanu 70th
birthday in Lagos on Monday. Photo:
Bankole Damilare.
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ADA DIKE
Due to
the love he has for his country, at 70, which is regarded as the age for
retirement, Rear Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu (rtd) unveiled a
book which contains his thoughts on a new Nigeria.
Titled: “Nigeria: The Unfinished Business”
Selected speeches of Rear Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu, the book presentation took
place on Monday at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA),
Victoria Island, Lagos.
In his speech, Chairman of the occasion,
Dr. Uma Eleazu, expressed gratitude for being the chairman of the occasion and
spoke extensively on issues affecting Nigeria. He noted that he’s a Nigerian
“because Ohafia where I come from was included as part of Nigeria by the British.”
While
reviewing the 260-page book which contained about 21 selected speeches of
Admiral Kanu, former Deputy Managing Director of ThisDay Newspapers, Rev. Okey
Ifionu, said the book under review was in the words of
the editors "an encapsulation of Admiral Kanu's thoughts on a new Nigeria
and the Igbo nation; his vision and roles as a stakeholder, having at different
times served as the military governor of the old Imo state and Lagos state, and
more recently as the chairman of Ohan'eze Transition/Caretaker Committee."
The
member of the Editorial board of The Union eulogised his speech and added that:
“In speech after speech, Admiral Kanu's candour,
nationalistic fervour and versatility stand out like an electric lamp in pitch
darkness. The consistency and continuing relevance of his views despite the
passage of time are remarkable. Some of the views he expressed decades ago
remain as pertinent today as they were when he first expressed them. You may or
may not agree with his thoughts on what is wrong with Nigeria and his
prescriptions for fixing them but his persuasiveness is endearing,” said Ifionu.
He however
stressed that: “You will certainly find some controversial but highly
thoughtful and original positions by Admiral Kanu on a number of national
questions. He pulls no punches and can be brutally frank on some of the issues
that some would consider too prickly. Not every reader would accept his
position on June 12 or the Ohan'eze crisis. His speech at the 2004 edition of
the Wole Soyinka Annual Lecture, from which the title of this book is taken, is
exceptionally thought-provoking. So are his submissions on the clamour for a
sovereign national conference. No less imaginative are his prescriptions for a
more functional federalism.”
The
Vicar of Emmanuel Anglican Church, Anglican Communion,
Railway Compound, Ebute Metta, Lagos, noted that restructuring Nigeria through the
convocation of a sovereign national conference is one of Admiral Kanu’s
concerns. He eulogised authors -Messrs Ogbonna
Oleka, Ndubuisi Ofondu and Kalu Onuma for selecting the right title for the
book.
He recommended the book to everyone who
needs to know more about Admiral Kanu, Nigeria and the forces that shape it.
In his remarks, Kanu thanked the guests who honoured him by
their presence. He thanked his colleagues in Nigerian Navy, especially, those
that “are also
still in this struggle for a better Nigeria, where justice and egalitarianism
will hold supreme.
“I will
not make too much statement today because I have a lot to do, using The National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), to make this country better.
As 2014, when Nigeria would attain 100 years of the
amalgamation of the Northern and Southern protectorates and 2015 general
elections are around the corner, we are at the crossroad.
“Nigeria
is just a coin with two faces. It is on its edge. One face will be peaceful through
dialogue, reconciliations, talking
to ourselves and telling ourselves the truth among other tools of working to
live as one. The
other face is non-peaceful but we pray to God we will not get there. But if by
chance that we get the non-peaceful face, it will be bad, but we must get back
to the other face because there is still much holding
us together, except that we cannot just stay together without making the right
type of progress,” he
said.
The first governor Imo State and former
governor of Lagos State (1977 to July 1978) called for restructuring and true
federalism. He stressed the need to fashion out a nation-state that everyone
should be proud off.
Nigerians from all walks of life attended the occasion and they among
others included: former Vice President, Dr. Alex Ekwueme, former Minister of Information,
Dr. Walter Ofonagoro, Chairman of the occasion, Dr. Uma
Eleazu, former Attorney-General of old Imo State, Chief (Barr) K.K. Ogba, former
Minister of Finance, Dr. Kalu Idika Kalu, NADECO
Chieftain and Afenifere leader, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, and
Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa.
Others were: Ejike Onyia, Chief Emma Nnadi,
Dr. John Abelu, Emeka Etiaba, Guy Ikokwu, Barr Fred Agbeyegbe, Rear Admiral
Ojoja, Ikechukwu Emenike, Fidelity Bank Plc, Mr. Reginald Ihejiah, Managing
Director/CEO, Diamond Bank Plc, Mr. Alex Otti, Mrs. Ngozi Omerua, Senator Annie
Okonkwo, Hon. Oseleka
Obase and Chief Ikechi Emenike.
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