About 39 years after the demise of former premier of the defunct Eastern Region, Dr. Michael Iheonukara Okpara, the Dr. Michael Okpara Foundation has announced plans to build a befitting mausoleum in his honour.
The Dr. Michael Okpara Foundation was established in honour of the late politician, who was born on December 25, 1920 and died on December 17, 1984 at the age of 64.
Dr. Okpara, who ruled Eastern Region from 1959 to 1966, is widely remembered and celebrated for the massive impact he made in agriculture and industrialisation of theregion now split into Abia, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Cross River, Enugu, Ebonyi, Imo and Rivers states.
At the remembrance prayer session for the former Eastern region’s leader, the late premier’s son, Chief Uzodinma Okpara, who recalled late Dr Pius Okigbo’s remark that his father lived ahead of his time, but his successors have not sustained his accomplishments many years after his death.
Okpara said the reasons for failing to match these accomplishments should be probed and addressed for the states of the region to move forward.
He indicated that the Foundation, which has r Christian Igodo, the author of late Dr Okpara’s biography, as executive secretary and Project Coordinator, will engage experts to “promote research and knowledge in agriculture and industrial development towards replicating the developmental revolution associated with the late premier’s era. He noted that a ‘Harvard Review’ made Eastern Region of Nigeria the fastest growing economy in the world at a time.
“This Foundation is a very crucial, critical and timely platform to ponder deeply to appreciate the magnitude of Dr Micheal Okpara’s accomplishments in job creation, eradication of poverty and misery through massive industrial and agricultural revolution and replicate these now to halt the impending social economic stagnation and state of doldrum facing Nigeria.
“The Foundation is therefore instituting two endowments in Agricultural Research and Industrial Development and seeking collaboration with Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Abia State and one other university, to re-orientate the young generation and posterity to enable them know how these legacies positively impacted the region with the view to finding when, where and what went wrong.”
According to Okpara, the research results would show why succeeding governments have failed or found it difficult to continue with those policies and vision and what could be done to revive them.
To mark late Dr Okpara’s death, his family and kinsmen held a prayer session on Sunday, December 17, 2023 in his mausoleum located in his country home at Umuegwu Okpuala Ohuhu, Umuahia North Council, Abia State.
During the session, Methodist Church Bishop, Umuahia East, Dr. Ikechukwu Emezi Nkulo, who was represented by Rev. Chukwuemeka Emesie, prayed God to give the region and Nigeria more leaders in the mould of late Dr Okpara.
“May the wishes and prayers of late Dr. Okpara, who served humanity devotedly and selflessly, continue to live with and work for us. May his tomb be for freedom and salvation, hisFoundation and the things supposed to be done for its success be well done by all.”
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