President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday called for an end to ethnic politics in the country.
He spoke at the reception held at the International Conference Centre (ICC) in honour of Chief Tony Anenih, who marked his 80th birthday.
Faulting inflammatory comments by certain individuals, he said Nigeria needs more nationalistic politicians.
According to him, Anenih, who is the chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Board of Trustees (BoT), is respected because of his broad-based national politics.
He said: “We can learn from him because he has always been a nationalist.
“From him, let’s learn to sing the song of unity and use our cleavages for good and not to promote disunity. Some provocative statements have come from elder statesmen who witnessed civil war. But Tony Anenih has never made such statements, this explains why the hall is filled to capacity today,” the President said.
Anenih, giving the vote of thanks, urged the past and current leaders to learn to forgive one another.
He said: “The leaders are gathered here today and this is why we ask ourselves why can’t we forget the past and move forward. I must confess that I was thrilled that President Obasanjo came to the church.
“This is the kind of forgiveness leaders have to show for the country to move forward”. He said and called for support for the Jonathan administration.
“(Gen). Abdulsalami Abubakar and (Gen Ibrahim Babangida), (both former leaders), IBB are here, They can give us peace. I believe that if all of us here put our hands behind him (President Jonathan) and genuinely advise him, even our worst enemy – Boko Haram – will be afraid”.
Many politicians, businessman and highly placed government officials attended the ceremony.
The President, First Lady Dame Patience and Obasanjo were among the dignitaries that attended the thanksgiving Mass.
In a sermon, Catholic Arch Bishop of Abuja, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, maintained that human being, irrespective of positions, status, wealth and affluence, must see themselves as mortals.
The successes and achievements on earth, he said, are ephemeral and vanity and that men should gravitate towards holiness and eternity.
Condemning greed, he said it is foolishness for a mortal being to store all treasure to himself.
He advised politicians to see political power and wealth as temporal as he urged them to use wealth to the benefits of the masses.
He extolled the celebrator’s virtues of philantrophy and quality leadership and prayed God to grant him more years in good health.
Archbishop of Benin Diocese, Augustine Akubueze, said Anenih had touched lives of many Nigerians in the Diocese and in Edo State.
Anenih was born in Uzenema-Arue in Uromi, Edo State on August 4, 1933 and attended the Police College in Ikeja.
He was selected for further training in the Bramshill Police College, Basingstoke, England in 1966 and the International Police Academy, Washington DC in 1970.
He served as a police orderly to the first Governor General of Nigeria, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe.
Anenih worked as an instructor in various police colleges, and in 1975 he was assigned to the Administrative Staff College (ASCON), Lagos.
He retired from the police as a Commissioner and joined politics.
Anenih was Edo State Chairman of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) between 1981 and 1983, and National Chairman of the Social Democratic Party from 1992 and 1993.
He was also a member of the Constitutional Conference in 1994
Anenih was one of the founding members of People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and Deputy National Coordinator of Olusegun Obasanjo’s campaign Organisation in the 1999 and 2003 elections.
He was appointed Minister of Works and Housing in 1999.
Also in attendance at the service held at Our Lady Queen Catholic Cathedral, Garki were the Senate President David Mark, Chief Edwin Clark, Gen. T. Y. Danjuma and his wife, Senator Daisy, former Chief Justice Muhammadu Uwais.
Governors Seriake Dickson (Bayelsa), Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom), Emmanuel Uduaghan (Delta), Peter Obi (Anambra) and Liyel Imoke (Cross Rivers) also attended.
Also at the service were former Governors Adebayo Alao-Akala and Segun Oni, ministers, traditional rulers and members of Diplomatic Corps.
Christians Association of Nigeria President Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, the Executive Secretary of the Christians Pilgrims Board, John Kennedy-Okpara also attended.
Source: The Nation
