Mrs. Alexandria Onyemelukwu, the eldest daughter of Second Republic Vice-President, Dr. Alex Ekwueme, says the deceased was a caring but disciplined father.
Onyemelukwu gave the description in Lagos at the “Night of Tributes and Music,” organised as part of funeral programmes of Ekwueme. Dr. Ekwueme died on November17, 2017, aged 85.
Onyemelukwu said that Ekwueme gave all the normal things a comfortable father would give the children, but not luxuries. She said their father never pampered them as he would provide only their needs.
“My father was a very disciplined father who never tolerated our excesses as children and who never pampered us.
“He taught us never to see life as a bed of roses in spite of our privileged background.
“He would only provide us our needs, not our wants. He just wanted us contented with whatever we had.
“While others were carrying “tush bags” to school, he would buy us “Nnewi-Must-Go”. Somehow, our mother would find a way, without him knowing, to get us those bags we wanted. “As children, we used to grumble, wondering how a comfortable man would not want to grant our wants, but as we grew older, we realised that he was actually preparing us an independent life”, she said.
She said the way the deceased handled his children had made them well-moulded and they had him to thank for their accomplishments today.
According to her, one of the greatest things they learnt from him is modesty and hard work. Onyemelukwu, who was the People’s Democratic Party’s deputy-governorship candidate in the last Anambra elections, described her father as a great politician and lover of the people.
She said that her father’s accomplishments in politics gave her the inspiration to foray into politics.
She thanked all those present at the event, saying the family was honoured by their show of love to the deceased.