The remains of the late Senate President, Dr. Joseph Wayas, has arrived Nigeria for interment.
This was exactly two years and nine months after the announcement of his demise.
Wayas, who was Nigeria’s Senate President between October 1,1979 and December 31,1983, died in a London hospital on November 30, 2021, at the age of 80. His wife, Abiola, died 12 days after.
Though his wife has been buried, the politician’s remains had remained in a morgue in London.
His body was received at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport,at 4:30am, Wednesday, by his family, friends and some prominent sons and daughters of Cross River North Senatorial District, among who were Senator Jarigbe Agom, Hon. Peter Akpanke, Johnny Agom (SAN), and Dr. Dom Cklaimz Enamhe.
The body was driven straight from the airport to the National Hospital, Abuja, where it was deposited in the morgue.
Speaking variously to newsmen after the body was received, Senator Agom, representing Cross River North; and Hon Peter Akpanke, representing Obudu, Bekwara Obanlikwu Federal Constituency at the National Assembly, expressed happiness that the body had finally been brought home.
Also, his late wife’s family, though grieving, expressed relief at the development and appreciated all those who had facilitated the return of his remains.
As reported by the Vanguard Newspapers, when the politician and his wife died, the then governor of Cross River State, Ben Ayade, immediately set up a committee headed by former Minister of Justice, Kanu Agabi, to oversee the burial activities.
To facilitate the committee’s work, Ayade was said to have approved and immediately released N200m to the committee with a promise to release another tranche of N50m.
It was gathered that the committee released N100m to a sub-committee vested with the task of repatriating the remains of Wayas and his wife and headed by the former Director General, Nigeria Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Dave Ashang, to liaise with the family to achieve the purpose.
However, all these efforts were fruitless, compelling some sons and daughters of Cross River North Senatorial district to set up a volunteer group under the aegis of ‘Who is Who in Northern Cross River’ to take up the task of ensuring not only the return of his remains but also according it a befitting burial.
Wednesday’s arrival of the body was the handwork of the volunteer group which had coordinated donations from concerned indigenes of the zone.
