Commercial and civil service activities were yesterday drawn to a halt in Anambra state, following the declaration of Monday as a public holiday by the state government in honour of Nigeria’s first president and Owelle of Onitsha, Dr. Nnamdsi Azikiwe.
All markets, including the Onitsha main market, offices, ministries, schools, banks and other institutions were not opened for activities all through the day in commemoration of the public holiday.
Government while declaring November 16 every year as public holiday to mark the birthday of Nigeria’s only indigenous Governor-General and pioneer President, noted that the public holiday should have held on his actual birthday which was Saturday, November 16, but due to the fact that it fell on a weekend, the holiday had to be observed on yesterday, Monday November 18.
Meantime, the University of Nigeria Alumni Association, UNAA has commended Governor Willie Obiano for declaring November 16, every year a public holiday in honour of Zik of Africa.
President of the Association, Chris Ajugwe Esq., who made the commendation in a press statement issued yesterday in Onitsha, described Azikiwe as the foremost and greatest African in living memory that has ever lived, adding that it was the great Zik that founded University of Nigeria, Nsukka, UNN, the first indigenous university in country, apart from being the4 first President and Governor-General of Nigeria.
According to Ajugwe, “Nnamdi Azikiwe was not only the person who spear-headed the struggle for independence of Nigeria and succeeded but also was the arrow-head for the decolonization of Africa, including South Africa’s apartheid and the black race world over”.
