Chukwumerije Dies at 75

The sun set on Sunday for one of Nigeria’s most cerebral legislators, Senator Uche Chukwumerije. A former Minister of Information and later Chairman, Senate Committee on Education, Chukwumerije died at the Turkish hospital in Abuja. He was 75. Family sources put the cause of his death as lung cancer. Chukwumerije was Minister of Information in the dying days of former military President, General Ibrahim Babangida. The death was confirmed in a statement issued last night by his son, Chidi, on behalf of the family.
The late Chukwumerije was elected a Senator in April 2003 on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), representing Abia North Senatorial District of Abia State. He however decamped from the PDP to the Progressives Peoples Alliance (PPA) in 2006 and was re-elected to the Senate on April 28, 2007. Chukwumerije studied Economics at the University of Ibadan. In its condolence message, the PDP described Senator Chukuwumerije as a patriotic Nigerian and a brilliant lawmaker who gave his all and discharged his responsibilities with unequaled forthrightness, loyalty and commitment to the service of the nation.
In a statement by its National Chairman, Alhaji Adamu Muazu, on behalf of its National Executive Committee, the PDP said it mourned the death of Senator Chukwumerije “who passed on this evening (yesterday). Muazu’s statement read further:, “We are indeed deeply saddened by the loss of this great Nigerian, a highly respected statesman who has made immense contributions to the development of our dear nation. “Senator Chukuwumerije lived a patriotic Nigerian and a brilliant lawmaker who gave his all and discharged his responsibilities with unequaled forthrightness, loyalty and commitment to the service of our dear fatherland.
“He was a democratic icon and an outstanding party-man who remained committed to the ideology of the PDP and the visions of the founding fathers. “We will greatly miss him. Our hearts and thoughts go out to his family as we pray God to give them the fortitude to bear this great loss”, he said. The Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu also described the death of Chukwumerije as shocking.