Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, the Igbo socio-cultural organisation, has commended President Bola Tinubu for posthumously honouring the late Humphrey Nwosu, former chairman of the defunct National Electoral Commission (NEC).
Nwosu, who conducted the annulled June 12, 1993, presidential election, died in a US hospital on October 24, 2024.
On March 27, senate rejected a motion to immortalise Nwosu by naming the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) headquarters in Abuja after him.
This prompted senators under the aegis of south-east caucus to walk out of the senate chamber during the plenary session.
However, on Thursday Tinubu conferred the Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON) on Nwosu during his Democracy Day speech at the national assembly.
Reacting to the development, Ezechi Chukwu, national publicity secretary of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, said the “recognition was long overdue”.
Chukwu urged the president to take it a step further by naming the INEC headquarters after Nwosu in recognition of his contribution to Nigeria’s democratic journey.
“The idea of honouring him is welcomed. Though it is late, we appreciate the fact that he has finally been honoured,” Chukwu said in a statement.
“It is also our desire that INEC Headquarters be named after Prof. Humphrey Nwosu for the virtue of his role in Nigeria’s democracy during the military.”
Chukwu said the current reforms by Tinubu have yet to reflect a “human face”, noting that inflation and exchange rates remain high, with the cost of living is reaching unprecedented levels.
He emphasised the need for devolution of power, fiscal federalism, and resource control, adding that economic recovery would be difficult without restructuring.
“Ohanaeze is of the view that Nigeria’s economic policy must be extensively revisited to address these challenges,” he said.
“With the current system, governors are not in charge of security. Commissioners of police report directly to the inspector-general.
“A federal system that operates like a unitary government cannot place Nigeria on the path of sustainable growth.”
