Cross River State Government has assured that it would take full responsibility for the Obsequies of the late former Nigeria Senate President, Dr. Joseph Wayas.
The Deputy Governor, Rt Hon Peter Odey gave the assurance while receiving a delegation of The Who Is Who Forum of Northern Cross River State, a pan regional forum of the nuclear old Ogoja area comprising Obanliku, Obudu, Bekwarra, Ogoja and Yala local government areas.
Odey, himself an aborigine of the area, expressed happiness and satisfaction with the forum and its effort to ensure that our late Elder statesman, Dr Joseph Wayas be laid to rest.
He informed the delegation of the State Governor’s willingness to partner with the pan Cross River North Forum to give the late Former Senate President a befitting burial. He however, admonished the Forum to also reciprocate the state government’s goodwill by ensuring that all gray areas be it from the family or otherwise, are clear to forestall a reoccurrence of the previous failed attempt by the former Governor to accord the deceased a befitting rite of passage.
Speaking earlier during introduction, Elder Agba Ebenezer Agba, a member of the delegation, described the delegation as an emissary from the Village Square of Cross River North, with a Community message of great importance and urgent attention. He however stated that the delegation is not a parallel body to the existing state government burial committee for the same purpose, but a community based body representing the interest of the good people of Cross River North. Elder Agba concluded by calling on the Chairman of the WWCRN burial committee to present the report of the committee’s findings.
The Chairman of the WWCRN Burial Committee of late Dr Joseph Wayas, His Lordship, Rtd Chief Justice of Cross River State, an Eminent Jurist, Justice Maurice Eneji, briefed the Deputy Governor of the findings of the Community based Committee on the Burial that, the Committee’s delegation has verified and confirmed that the Corpse of our dear Elder Statesman, Dr Joseph Wayas GCON, is still preserved in a private Morgue in UK. Also that one of the major reasons for the failed attempt to conduct the burial was family feud and assured the Deputy Governor that the Committee has been able to allay the fears of marginalization by some key family members.
Justice Maurice Eneji also informed the Deputy Governor that sum financing will be needed to repatriate the corpse back to Nigeria for Burial.
The Committee Chairman presented the hard copy of the report to the Deputy Governor.
In a vote of thanks, Prof. Joseph Akawau Ushie, another front line member of the Forum, extolled the virtues of the Deputy Governor which he said is founded on his humble disposition. He charged him to remain steadfast in such a worthy Frame of mind so that everybody from Cross River North will see a rallying point in him just as it is with the case of the late Senate President Dr Joseph Wayas whose name became synonymous with the Ogoja people. He assured the Deputy Governor of the unalloyed cooperation and loyalty of the delegation towards the actualization of the immediate project of the region and even any other one in the future.
Other Members of the Burial Committee resident in Calabar who were part of the delegation to the Deputy Governor include; Chief Dr Dorn Cklaimz Enamhe, Convener of the Forum, Chief Dr Peter Ojie, Mrs Catherine Agba-Ajibike, Sir Jude Ogar, Mr Emmanuel Adarikwu, Dr Oshie Okang, Ms Dorathy Igbodor, Comrade Ben Ogrinya and Mrs Alice Achi.
As a prelude to the courtesy call on the Deputy Governor, a meeting of the WWCRN members resident in Calabar held on Tuesday, 5th of March, 2024 at Rtd Justice Maurice Eneji’s residence to appraise the Committee’s work so far and restrategize for optimal success.
It would be recalled that the late former Senate President died on November 30, 2021 in a London medical facility. He was aged 80 years.
