Igbo Nation Has Lost Illustrious Son, Says Ugwuanyi, others • As Bode George, Daniel, Mbadinuju mourn

The demise of Chief Ojo Maduekwe has been described as sad by Governor Ifeanyi Ug¬wuanyi of Enugu State. Ugwuanyi said it was un¬fortunate that his demise would happen at this time. His Chief Press Secre¬tary, Uwakwe Abugu, who spoke on his behalf, said the Igbo nation has lost one of her fine leaders.

“It is unfortunate that this happened at this dif¬ficult time. Nigeria has lost a great leader and the government and people of Enugu State certainly mourn his demise. We con¬dole with his family, the people of Abia State and Nigeria as a whole, he said. Former Peoples Demo¬cratic Party (PDP) deputy national chairman, Chief Bode George described Ma-duekwe’s death as a great loss to the party. George also bemoaned the loss of an intellectual whose contributions to the PDP would be greatly missed. “Oh my God! It is a great loss. “The PDP has lost a great contributor to the develop¬ment of the party. He was an intellectual giant, who has contributed greatly to the development of our na¬tion. It is, indeed, a great loss and he’ll be sorely missed.” On his part, former gov¬ernor of Ogun State, Chief Gbenga Daniel described the late Ojo as “a suave dip¬lomat. Daniel’s initial reaction was one of shock and sur¬prise. He later said: “Ojo was a versatile, intelligent and detribalised Nigerian. Our country has lost a most diligent, upright and suave diplomat.” Former Anambra gover¬nor, Chinwoke Mbadinuju remembered Maduekwe “as a man of the people. In his days as the PDP secre¬tary, he was a friend to so many people. He served in different capacities at the federal level and he went on to represent Nigeria as an ambassador. “This is a terrible thing for him to die at a time like this. He carried him¬self well. His death, at this time, should be mourned because it is sad that a situ¬ation like this should even occur. He was like a moving train. “Those who worked with him, particularly, at the party level, will know that someone great has been lost. It is a loss so great, not only to the South East, but the entire country.” Source: The Sun.