… Sympathises with Aba market fire victims

Member of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Presidential Council, Prof Gregory Ibe, has bemoaned the death of Nigeria’s legal luminary and foremost insurance guru, Prof Joe Irukwu.

Speaking through a press statement released on Sunday, Ibe described the passage of the renowned intellectual giant who once served as President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide as a great loss to Item Okpi Kingdom, Abia state and the Ohanaeze Ndigbo family.

Part of the press statement reads: “Having been informed of the death of, the passage of our father and leader, Prof Joe Irukwu, I sincerely wish to commiserate with the immediate family, Item Okpi Kingdom, Abia State Government and Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, who must be devasted by the loss of this great rare intellectual giant.”

Recalling the contributions of Irukwu during and after his tenure as President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Prof Ibe extolled the sterling qualities of the deceased, who, in his words, “bequeathed lasting legacies to the apex socio-cultural organization”.

According to Ibe, “I recall with nostalgia the colourful years of Prof Irukwu’s reign as President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, between 2003 and 2007, a tenure that bequeathed many lasting legacies to the apex socio-cultural organization, and which among many other inspirations was instrumental to the establishment of Igbo Uturu Cultural Carnival and World Igbo Summit.”

He said he benefitted immensely from a privileged close relationship he enjoyed with the legal and academic colossus. Ibe enjoined the Abia State Government to preserve the memories and legacies of the late illustrious insurance bigwig by naming a befitting structure after him.

Similarly, Ibe has sympathized with traders of the popular Power Line Market, Aba who recently lost goods and property worth millions of Naira during an unfortunate fire inferno.

Describing the fire incident as one disaster too many, Ibe tasked the State Government to partner traders and market unions in finding lasting solutions to escalating cases of destructive infernos in the marketplace.