Wayas burial: Senate assures full participation
By Uket Oka, Calabar
The Nigerian Senate has assured that it would fully participate in the burial of Second Republic Senate President, late Dr. Joseph Wayas.
The Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, gave assurance when he received a delegation of leaders from Cross River State led by the former Minister of Justice, Chief Kanu Agabi (SAN), who came to formally invite the Senate to be part of the burial.
Senator Akpabio said the Senate would be part of the burial ceremonies, describing it as “a celebration of life. We will be very delighted, as the 10th Senate, to be part of it.
Akpabio said the Senate planned to be part of the burial ceremony and to hold a valedictory session for him on the 28th of November, 2024 and thereafter go to Calabar for the Night of Tributes.
The Senate President applauded his guests for the all-important visit and invitation, stressing that, the visit was a demonstration of respect to the National Assembly.
“Even if you did not come, we will still have come to you, but your coming has further added impetus because when you are invited to a function, your legs are strengthened.
“We are going to do everything possible to collaborate and work with you to own this event,” Akpabio said.
He described Wayas, who was the first Senate President of Nigeria’s South-South extraction as “a trail blazer and a man of style and candour.”
Earlier, Chief Agabi appealed to the federal government to take over the burial of Wayas.
“Let the government bury Joseph Wayas. The state government has been struggling with it. Let the federal government step in, that is why we are here,” Agabi said.
The former Minister said, because of the delay in burying Joseph Wayas who died on 30 November, 2021, “it looked to some people as if he had died several times.”
Agabi added that those who are familiar with history would know how long it took great men like Jamaican artist Marcus Garvey, former President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mobutu Sese Seko and even Joseph in the Bible to be buried.
“It has taken some time with Wayas and it is beginning to look as if it is embarrassing. It is the way of great men,” Agabi said.
