President Muhammadu Buhari, his Vice, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Dogara, are top on the list of the very important dignitaries expected in Alor, Idemili Local Government Area of Anambra State, for the burial, this coming weekend, of late Pa Pius Ngige, father of the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige. Pa Ngige died last month at the ripe old age of 105 years.

Speaking with journalists yesterday at his country home in Alor, Ngige said that the Federal Government delegation to the ceremony would be led by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Babachir David Lawal while the State Governor, Chief Willie Obiano, would be the major host.

Others expected at the ceremony include the governors of the five eastern states and some of their colleagues from other parts of the country as well as ministers and members of the national and state assembly.

Already, the palatial home of the minister has become a beehive of activities while work on the renovation of the areas for the landing of presidential aircraft and car parks are in top gear.

Reminiscing about his late father, Ngige said: “Though my father was not a politician, he supported and hailed good governance and would do everything within his power to encourage those who serve the society well.

“My father admired the late Obafemi Awolowo because of his free education policy. When I was governor of the state, he supported all my political battles because of his belief that a coward dies before his death.

“He was my friend because we did things together and though he was not highly educated, he was a disciplinarian and ensured that all his children acquired western education.

“He gave scholarship and bursary to the less privileged to enable them acquire education. To us his children, he was like some volumes in which lessons were learnt. In fact, there was no day I would encounter him without learning a new lesson and he was a great fighter for the defenseless and the downtrodden without asking for reward.

“He was a disciplinarian who never believed in pampering a child. When we were all growing up, we feared him because of cane but today, we know that his strictness made us responsible children. He will be missed.”

•Photo shows late Pa Pius Ngige.

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