By Ife Osemedua
365Daily – The Anambra state government has declared Tuesday, November 16, 2021, a work-free day in the state, in honour of Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, Nigeria’s first president who was born on November 16, 1904.
The late prominent politician, popularly known as Zik, was from Anambra State.
According to a statement issued in Awka, the state capital, on Monday, November 15, 2021, by C. Don Adinuba, Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment,
this is the third consecutive year Anambra State would be “observing the birthday anniversary of the man who led Nigeria to independence on October 1, 1960, and is popularly known as The Great Zik of Africa because of his extraordinary Pan-African vision and commitment.”
“It was the Great Zik of Africa who inspired such outstanding Pan-African leaders as Dr Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana who led his country to freedom from colonial rule on March 6, 1957,” Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State declared in a statement signed on his behalf by the State Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, C. Don Adinuba.
He added: “Zik, who was born in Zungeru in Niger State and grew up in Calabar and Lagos, studied various disciplines in the United States and remains the most urbane, cosmopolitan and intellectually engaging of all Nigerian leaders.
“He remains an unrivalled trailblazer, having established Nigeria’s first indigenous bank, African Continental Bank and Nigeria’s first indigenous university, University of Nigeria at Nsukka, among other monumental and farsighted achievements”.
Governor Obiano reiterated his call on the Federal Government to declare November 16 a national holiday in memory of The Great Zik of Africa.
After all, argued Chief Obiano, the Ghanaians observe the birthday of Dr. Nkrumah as a national holiday, just the way Tanzanians observe President Julius Nyerere’s birthday as a national holiday.
“It is a huge national embarrassment”, observed the Anambra leader, “that Nigeria has yet to declare November 16 a national holiday.”