By Anthony Ochela, Abuja
The Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission(NHRC), Dr. Tony Ojukwu, SAN, has called on the Federal Government to bestow the late Chairman of the National Electoral Commission (NEC), Prof. Humphrey Nwosu a National Honour.
Speaking at an event in Abuja organised by family and friends to honour the departure of Prof. Nwosu, Dr. Ojukwu suggested he should be given the Honour of the Commander of the Federal Republic of Nigeria or Commander of the Order of the Niger.
Dr. Ojukwu said, in addition, a national building of the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) should be named after him for his effort in conducting, under the exigencies of a military rule, an election lauded as the best in the history of the country.
He also suggested that the late academic could also have the building of a university named after him for his contributions to educational sector which was what had in the first place stood him out and resulted in his been given the national assignment of strengthening the nation’s electoral stystem which he attended to creditably despite the fact that the powers that be at the time scuttled its outcome.
Prof. Nwosu died in Virginia, United States on 20 October, 2024 at the age of 83 and the event was part of his burial arrangement.
Also speaking at the event, Buhari Bello, a former Executive Secretary of NHRC described what happened before June 12 annulment.
Bello said “the election, a modified open ballot, was the most fair election ever.”
Contributing virtually, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, a former Minister of Finance, described Prof. Nwosu as, “a quintessential academic” who taught and imparted knowledge and character to generations of students.
Okonjo-Iweala further noted that “Prof. Nwosu was not a politician, but his craft was to teach the art and science of politics.
“He devoted his career to the pursuit of knowledge and reached the pinnacle of his chosen profession as professor of political science at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
“Prof Nwosu was a public servant by excellence, one that took the interest of the people he served above his own personal interest and even saved.
“He served in the old Anambra state government where he was credited with working closely with traditional rulers to strengthen their power.
“He worked in the local government offices and put them in good stead to become more effective in the service of their communities, including settling communal disputes.
“Professor Nwosu was however best known for his role as chairman of the National Electoral Commission.
“Having been appointed in 1989, he presided over the conduct of the June 12, 1993 election that some still regard as the most open and transparent in Nigeria’s history.
“He did not apply for the job, but applied himself fully to the task once he mounted the saddle of leadership.
“Although the results were not allowed to stand, June 12 became a major reference point in Nigeria’s electoral history and political discourse.
“The family and friends of Professor Nwosu can take some comfort from the well-documented courage and sincerity with which he served,” she added.
On his part, Prof. Attahiru Jega, the immediate past Chairman of INEC said he was most impressed by Pro. Nwosu’s contributions in the ways and manners in which he presented the activities of the Commission under his watch in published papers and in books.
“But I came to know him better, not just through his work in the NEC under the Babangida regime, but also subsequently when I was at INEC and I had the privilege of meeting with him and having long ties with him.
“I was very happy to have this time of discussion and receiving advice from him.”
“I must say that at the time Professor Nwosu became the chairman of NEC, many of us in the universities, in the academia, were already becoming apprehensive about the role that senior colleagues of ours were playing.
“We have seen evidence of loss of intellectual integrity, loss of courage of conviction, and indeed evidence of a lot of pandering to the wishes of the military rulers at that time.
“There were some, I must admit, some of us were skeptical that another professor under a transition program of the military regime, piloting elections, which are key aspects of that transition process, was again likely to bring us the disrespect, the dishonor, and the shame that we felt for some of those professors that were involved in work at that time.
“But I must say, and I think everybody will attest to that, that Nwosu did his job with the seriousness that he deserved, with the focus, with the passion, and the interest of the nation at heart,” Prof. Jega noted.
