President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday congratulated a former vice president and elder statesman, Dr Alex Ifeanyichukwu Ekwueme, on his 85th birthday. In a statement by his spokesman, Mr Femi Adesina, he joined former leaders of Nigeria, professional colleagues and friends of the Ekwueme family in celebrating the octogenarian.
The statement said the president extolled Ekwueme’s love for knowledge and search for wisdom from an early age, which led him into obtaining many degrees in various fields of study, including a doctorate in Architecture, and being one of the first Nigerians to gain the Fulbright Scholarship to study in the United States.
He commended the former vice president’s entrepreneurial spirit in setting up the first indigenous architectural firm in Nigeria, spreading its tentacles to more than 16 cities, until he accepted the national call to serve his father land in 1979 after a long commitment in building his community.
