Dr. Alex Ifeanyichukwu Ekwueme, GCON, who was born on October 21, 1932 (and who died on November 19, 2017) was the first elected Vice-President of Nigeria, from 1979 to 1983.
He was the Ide of the Oko kingdom, in Orumba-North Local Government Area of Anambra State, where his younger brother, Prof. Lazarus Ekwueme, reigns as the traditional ruler. He was also honoured by the Council of Traditional Rulers in the old Aguata Division as the Ide of Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State comprising of forty-four towns. He died at 10.00pm on Sunday 19 November 2017 at a London clinic. He had to be flown there after his relapse to a coma which resulted from his fall in his Enugu residence.
He started primary school at the St. John’s Anglican Central School, at Ekwulobia, before proceeding to King’s College, Lagos. As a receiver of the Fulbright Scholarship in the United States of America (being one of the first Nigerians to gain the award), Alex attended the University of Washington where he earned bachelor’s degree in Architecture and City Planning. He obtained his Master’s degree in Urban Planning. The young Ekwueme also earned degrees in Sociology, History, Philosophy and Law from the University of London. He later proceeded to obtain a Ph.D. in Architecture from the University of Strathclyde, before gaining the B.L. (Honours) degree from the Nigerian Law School, Lagos.
Alex distinguished himself in architecture. He started his professional career as an Assistant Architect with a Seattle-based firm, Leo A. Daly and Associates, and also with the London-based firm Nickson and Partners. On his return to Nigeria, he joined ESSO West Africa, Lagos, overseeing the Construction and Maintenance Department.
Alex then went on to create a successful private business with his firm – Ekwueme Associates, Architects and Town Planners, the first indigenous architectural firm in Nigeria. His practice flourished with 16 offices spread all over Nigeria until he assumed office as the first executive Vice President of Nigeria. Dr. Ekwueme had presided over the Nigerian Institute of Architects and the Architects Registration Council of Nigeria.
He also served as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Nigerian Institute of Architects. Before Dr. Ekwueme gained national and international limelight as the Vice President of Nigeria in 1979, he was actively involved in the socio-economic development of his community. In addition to his many public service roles within his community, Dr. Ekwueme had an active Educational Trust Fund that had been responsible for sponsoring the education of hundreds of youths to universities in Nigeria and abroad.
Dr. Ekwueme was a member of the Housing Sub-Committee of the Adebo Salaries and Wages Review Commission. He also served for many years on the Board of the Anambra State Housing Development Authority. On the national front, Dr. Ekwueme participated in the Nigeria National Constitutional Conference (NCC) in Abuja, where he served on the Committee on the Structure and Framework of the Constitution.
His famous proposals at the NCC for a just and equitable power sharing in Nigeria based on the six geopolitical zones was accepted as necessary for maintaining a stable Nigerian polity. Dr. Ekwueme mobilized the group of 34 eminent Nigerians who risked their lives to stand up against the dictatorship of the late General Sani Abacha during the era of military rule in Nigeria. He was the founding Chairman of the ruling party in Nigeria and was the first Chairman of the party’s Board of Trustees. Dr. Ekwueme was a prolific philanthropist, public servant, and a man of peace.
He was a member of the Board of Directors of Canada-based Forum of Federations. The late former Vice President was also a member of the Council of Elders of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Dr. Ekwueme was leader of the team assembled by the National Democratic Institute (NDI) for pre-election monitoring for the parliamentary election in Zimbabwe and Tanzania in 2000 and to the Liberian Presidential run-off election in 2005.
In 2015, Dr. Ekwueme was called upon by President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration to head the Reconciliation Committee in the wake of intra-party discord after the presidential election. He has been honoured with the Order of the Republic of Guinea. When he was the Vice President of Nigeria, he received the nation’s second highest honour of Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON). Dr. Ekwueme, who served as the benefactor and Patron of Alex Ekwueme Foundation, was happily married with children.
