The country home of the late former Vice President, Dr Alex Ekwueme, Oko, in Orumba North Local Government of Anambra State, was today shut down as commercial and social activities were paralysed in the town in his honour.

Apart from commercial activities, the only tertiary institution in the community, Federal Polytechnic Oko, wore a gloomy posture as lectures were called off in honour of the man that brought the institution to the community.

Earlier in the day, the community elders, women youths, married daughters of the community had gathered at the Oko Civic Centre for sober reflections, speeches, tributes and prayers after which they moved to Ekwueme’s house where they signed the condolence register.

Addressing journalists after the event, the President General of Oko Town Union, Chief CY Nwamuo, said: “The atmosphere depicts the mood we are in, we lost our most illustrious son, our father, our mentor, what we have as a community, we lost him, His Excellency, Dr. Alex Ekwueme, the former Vice President of the federation, so we are in a sober mood and we are devastated.

“Today we closed shops, every shop in this community and those in Diaspora owned by and indigene of Oko, every son and daughter of Oko in any branch had to close shop today to remember him. Though we have not yet started the burial ceremony, we have to show that he was our father.”

While describing Dr. Ekwueme as a very important personality in Nigeria who contributed a lot to Nigerian development as well as the peaceful coexistence of the country, he recalled that he also formed the six geo-political zones, the PDP, as well as the Oko Peoples Union.

Nwamuo said: “When he was alive he founded many foundations, Ekwueme Memorial Trust through which many people were educationally uplifted, so we remember him for all those things he did. Even this Oko Polytechnic, he founded it and nurtured it to this level of being a federal polytechnic.

“We are appealing to the Federal Government to upgrade that school to an university and name it after him, as a way of immortalising him, that is our appeal because most of his contemporaries were equally elevated and immortalised.”