By Izunna Okafor, Awka
An appointee of the Anambra State Governor and former Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Hon. Anayo Nnebe has passed on.
This is coming barely one and half years after the demise of another appointee of the Governor, Mr. Joe Anatune, who died just in May 2022, just two weeks after his appointment as the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Anambra State Signage and Advertising Agency (ANSAA).
Hon. Nnebe, who died on Wednesday January 24, 2024 after a brief illness, was, until his death, the Special Adviser to Governor Chukwuma Soludo on Legislative and State Assembly Matters.
Confirming the incident in a press statement issued to newsmen on Wednesday, the Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Christian Aburime, also conveyed the Governor’s condolences to the Nnebe Family.
According to the Press Secretary, the Governor described Nnebe as a distinguished son of Anambra State, a patriotic Nigerian, who served the state with honour, integrity and excellence.
“He was a visionary leader, a brilliant legislator, and a passionate advocate for the welfare and development of his people and Anambra State,” the statement partly reads.
Aburime, while lauding the deceased as a man of peace, wisdom, and compassion, added that the Governor had lost a trusted ally, a dependable colleague, and a dear brother in the former Speaker.
“His death is also a huge blow to the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), and to the entire people of Anambra State. He will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved him.
“On behalf of the government and the good people of Anambra State, Governor Soludo extends his heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, associates, and constituents.
“May God grant them the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss and grant his soul eternal rest,” the statement read.
Born in 1963, Hon. Nnebe, who died at 61 was said to have passed on at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Teaching Hospital, Nnewi, where he was receiving treatments.
The Awka-born politician, popularly known as Ichele Awka, served as the Speaker of the Anambra State Assembly from 2007 to 2011. In 2015, he was elected under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to represent the Awka North and South Federal Constituency; while in April 2018, he defected to the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).
May his soul rest in peace!
