What Anenih told me before he died – Jonathan

Nigeria’s immediate past President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan Tuesday lauded former Minister of Works, late Chief Tony Anenih, saying he was one of the few Nigerian that played politics of ideologies and commitment.The former President said despite a couple of unpleasant things done to him as a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP , he served the party with his all till his last day.

The former President stated this in Abuja Tuesday night in Abuja at a church service as part of activities marking the commencement of Anenih’s funeral rites.

Jonathan stressed, “When I looked at the few activities of Thony Anenih politically, I feel he’s one of the few Nigerian politicians that you can say he played politics of either ideology or politics of commitment.

“From the time of former President Olusegun Obasanjo in 1999, to late Umaru Musa Yar’dua, to my time, there were a few things that were done to Tony Anenih that were not too good. I can say if it were some other kind of people, they would have left PDP, maybe go into another party.

“But no matter the political ups and downs, he remained steady, he remained committed to PDP. He stayed and served the party until his last day. It’s difficult to have that kind of character, yet there are still others like that in the party but Tony Anenih was one of the foremost leaders of PDP.”

The former President also revealed that the day he was told that Anenih was admitted in the hospital, he went there to check on him and see how he was doing.

He added, “When I got go the hospital, he was lying in the bed, he struggled to explain to me what happened and in fact he summoned the doctor to explain to me.

“The doctor had to show me the scan of the brain and told me of the injury he sustained when he fell and that he was bleeding in the brain, but he gave me hope that the bleeding appears to be stopping and if that happened, there is hope that he would be sustained and the next step was taking him out of the country for a follow up,

“I was hopeful. The next day, I travelled back to Bayelsa state, but after few days when I made enquiry, I was told that he had been moved to an Intensive Care Unit. For five minutes I couldn’t say anything because the condition I saw him was critical and if he has been moved to ICU that means things were getting bad.

“Of course, before I returned to Abuja, one of the saddest story that came was that he had left us. It was a terrible story for people like us.He mentored me as his son until he left us.”

Saraki said for over forty years Anenih worked tirelessly for the country and for the PDP.

The Senate President added that, “If we have many more like him, this country will be a great country.”

On his part, Oshiomole said despite their political difference, he always referred to him as his son, adding that he is always proud to call him father.

Anenih who died on October 28, 2008 would be buried on December 1, 2018 in his Edo state country home of Uromi.

Eminent personalities at the church service include, Senate President, Bukola Saraki, Chairman, PDP Board of Trustees, BoT, Senator Jibril Walid, the National Chairman of All Progressive Congress, APC, Adams Oshiomole, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim, Speaker of House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, former PDP chairman, Chief Bode George, National Chairman of PDP, Prince Uche Secondus, Governor of Edo state, Godwin Obaseki among others.

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