Chuks Okocha in Abuja

Political associates of a former Minister of Information and Presidential aspirant of the National Republican Convention (NRC), Dr. Joseph Nwodo, lavished encomiums on him during his funeral rites in Abuja.

A Former Minister of External Affairs and Chairman of defunct NRC, Chief Tom Ikimi during his evening of tribute on Sunday described Nwodo as a political icon that was denied opportunity of becoming the country’s president and pioneer governor of Enugu State.

Ikimi said that “Nnia Nwodo was an epitome of excellence, during his presidential campaign in Port Hacourt, but they muddle up the microphone so that people will not hear what he was saying. If he had been allowed to marshal his point, he would have won that presidential election,” Ikimi stated.

The National Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party, Mr. Uche Secondus, in his speech recounted that he met Nwodo as state publicity Secretary of the NRC and lamented that Joe would have been declared the presidential candidate of NRC and the whole Nigeria would have voted for him.

He said: “Joe’s rhetoric was next to none. He can convince everyone in one minute. His speech held us spell bound and all of us were convinced that he was the next president of this country. Joe was a manager of people per excellence. He knows the right word to put across at every moment and he will catch your attention. He was a great manager of human beings.”

Also in his tribute, Senator Ibrahim Mantu, who was also the chairman of the occasion, described Nwodo as a great man with so many caps, an excellent administrator and a political icon.

Mantu said that his brief encounter with the deceased was a confirmation of his humility despite his great wealth of experience and political sagacity.

Minister of Science and Technology and pioneer governor of Abia State, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, said that there is no honour that could be given to Nwodo that would be enough because he was a unique personality.

“Joe Nwodo was a man of great ambition and his command of English language was excellent, his ideas were unique. He was interested in finding expatriates to reactivate the coal mine in Enugu which at that period was going into extinction,” Onu said.

The President General of Ohaneze Ndigbo, Professor Georage Obiozor, added that Nwodo was a man full of life that enjoyed great thing, loved the world and made friendship across board.

“His life was charity to all, enemy to none. He was a great academician and a genius, he was a great soul,” he said.

In his welcome address, Joe’s younger brother, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo said that the last seven days of his brother’s life was full of health challenges but pointed out that his rate of recovery after each crises was beyond medical explanation. He said he was a companion to his family and a leader in his political circle.