President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday mourned the late Owerri monarch, Eze Emmanuel Njemanze, saying he was “a monarch of candour and character, qualities that are rare today.”
In a condolence message made available to journalists by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, the President described Njemanze as an outspoken traditional ruler who was not afraid of telling the truth despite the risks involved, especially when it concerned matters of public interests and the well-being of ordinary people.
The President wrote, “As an outstanding pharmacist with a public service career that flourished till he ascended the throne of his ancestors in 1989, Eze Njemanze knew the appropriate use of power and the meaning of public office.
“This was why he did not hesitate to condemn the abuse of public trust and highhandedness by political office holders whether during the military or the civilian administration whenever it occurred.
“The Nigerian nation knew the contributions of the late royal father to the peace that is common in the city of Owerri and the support and cooperation that were mutual between Eze Njemanze and his people of Owerri in particular and Imo State in general.
“That enabled them to restore the dignity of Owerri as a land of decency and character when fraudsters violated it and attempted to turn it into a land of ritual killers and dubious men in the mid 1990’s.”
While praying God to receive the soul of the departed monarch, the President urged the family he left behind and the people of Owerri and Imo State to mourn their late king with dignity and solemnity, as he was a man of peace whom it pleased God to reward with a long and fruitful life.
Buhari urged the Imo State government and the royal family to ensure peace in the kingdom and to work for a peaceful, orderly funeral and succession of the traditional ruler.
