By Itam Offor
The Cross River State House of Assembly has called for the immortalization of the late High Chief Dr. Emmanuel Nsan, late Senator Dr. Joseph Wayas as well as late Ambassador M. T. Mbu in recognition of their invaluable contributions to the development and growth of the state and the country.
During plenary recently, lawmakers paid glowing tributes to the departed statesmen describing them as examplelary leaders whose legacies deserve permanent honour.
The lawmakers, specifically want the State Government to impress upon
the National Museum to present their histories in galleries in Calabar, Enugu, Kaduna and Lagos.
The House also wants the State Government to name public infrastructure, like roads, institutions and buildings after these departed statesmen and also officially unveil their histories to enable the public access their achievements and contributions.
The motion was
sponsored by the Member representing Boki 1 State Constituency, Hon. Bette Philip Obi who argued that, the late statesmen played major roles in the socio- economic and political growth of Cross River State and Nigeria at large.He noted that their contributions made Cross River one of the best states in Nigeria.
Going down memory lane, Obi recalled that late Dr. Nsan was a former Minister of Works, as well as Health, whose contributions included the construction of the Federal Highway from Atimbo, Akpabuyo to Bakassi as well as the construction of Akpabuyo Bridge amongst many other achievements.
Similarly, Obi hailed late Senator Wayas, the Senate President during Nigeria’s Second Republic as being instrumental to the building of the foundation of Nigeria’s Parliamentary Democracy adding that he represented the country in global parliamentary associations.
He stressed that, “Wayas served as a Federal Commissioner for Transportation in South Eastern State, contributing to the expansion and development of the transportation sector in Nigeria.”
For M.T. Mbu, the lawmaker applauded his immense contributions to nation building thus;
“Ambassador, Dr M. T. Mbu, was Nigeria’s first High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Nigeria’s first representative to the United States of America and representative in the United Nation. He was
a key figure in the establishment of Nigeria diplomatic presence in Europe and founding member of National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons, (NCNC) alongside, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe and Herbert Macualay, amongst many other developmental legacies”.
Obi further stressed that immortalizing their legacies through permanent exhibition at the National Museum, will support historical research, cultural education, intergenerational knowledge transfer, as well as enhance the internally generated revenue of the State.
In their seperate contributions to the motion, both Co-sponsors and other legislators unanimously supported the immortalization of the late statesmen adding that their contributions to the development of the state and nation cannot be overemphasized.
On his part, the Speaker of the Assembly, Rt Hon Elvert Ayambem expressed happiness at the motion. He reiterated that, lasting honours should be bestowed upon the late statesmen for their unwavering dedication to the progress of the State and the country
