My one and only direct contact with Chief Sam Amuka-Pemu, popularly known as Uncle Sam, left me with the impression that he founded a newspaper group with a clear philosophy that depicted the name of the group. The dictionary meaning of the word Vanguard is "a group of people leading the way in new development or ideas; A position at the forefront of new developments or ideas".
Over the years, Nigeria. that you hear the title of Professor, doctor, engineer, High chief XYZ. Everyone in Nigeria has a title and if you are not given one, you could as well become Honourable Chief XYZ.
The issue of merit award caught up with our political class and soon became a competition as characterises our election. A do or die match as to who would outshine each other by getting more merit award. We hear of all sorts of awards given to questionable characters in Nigeria.
When the list of awardees was announced by the Vanguard Newspaper Group, it became obvious that newspaper is leading the way in new development and ideas. They Vanguard group have moved away from the norm and seek to honour outstanding personalities in Nigeria. They have not selected people on the basis of their political position so as to leverage such position for future business. They have not selected people who have paid them to become awardees so that such person can nurse their ego. They selected people on the basis of their contribution to the society.
His Excellency Dr Alex Ekwueme GCON was selected by the Vanguard Newspaper Group for a life time achievement award. He had been honoured by various other institutions in Nigeria. The Vanguard award is however special because it is an award based on a lifetime of commitment to the common good of our country given by a detribalised newspaper group at a time our country is going through a change.

ACADEMIC LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT

Dr Ekwueme was born on 21 October 1932. He started his primary education at St. John's Anglican Central School Ekwulobia, from where he proceeded to the prestigious King's College, Lagos ON A Government Scholarship. He passed the Cambridge School Certificate Examination with Grade 1 in December 1949, scoring the first (1) position in seven out of the nine subjects he offered; English Literature, Latin. History, Mathematics, Additional Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry.
In 1952, Dr Ekwueme taught at Hussey College Warri before going to the United States on Fulbright Scholarship financed by the US State Department. He is one of the first four Nigerians to be awarded the Scholarship. Dr Ekwueme attended the University of Washington for the degree B.Arch in Architecture and City Planning which he earned in June 1956. While pirsuing his undergraduate degree in Architecture, he also earned a B.A in Sociology in August 1955 with grade of A in all sociology courses. Concurrently in June 1955, he sat for the BA degree examination of the University of London as an external candidate in History, Philosophy and Constitutional Law and passed in the Second Division. In September 1956, he sat for and passed the University of London Intermediate LL.B examination. He received his Masters degree in Urban Planning in March 1957.
He later proceeded to obtain a Ph.D. from the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Scotland in October 1978. Concurrently with his Ph.D research work, Dr Ekwueme registered for and received the LL.B (Honours) degree of the University of London in June 1978. In October 1990, he enrolled at the Nigeria Law School and passed the Final Bar Examination with Second Class Honours (Upper Division) winning the Sofolahan prize for the best student in General Paper(Professional Ethics, Solicitor's Accounts and Office Management. He was called to the Nigerian Bar in December 1991). In October 2002, Dr Ekwueme authored two books namely 'From State House to Kirikiri'and 'Wither Nigeria'

POLITICAL LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT

Before Dr. Ekwueme gained national and international limelight as the Vice President of Nigeria in 1979, he has been active making various contributions to the political development of the country. In 1970, Ekwueme was a member of the housing sub-committee of the Adebo Salaries and Wages Review Commission. He also served for many years on the board of the Anambra State Housing Development Authority as well as East Central State Committee on the exercise of the Prerogative of Mercy.
In 1979, Dr Ekwueme was elected the first Executive Vice President of Nigeria. Following the coup d'état that toppled the Shagari/Ekwueme government, he was tried by a military tribunal which came to a conclusion that Dr Ekwueme was impoverished by his involvement in government. Paraphrased, Dr Ekwueme was poorer after leaving government than he was before serving as Vice President of Nigeria. This is a moral lesson for our country at this time of our political development, given the depth of corruption and embezzlement of public funds that have characterised past governments in Nigeria. The panel summarised that to ask more of Ekwueme was to set a standard which even saints could not meet.
Dr Ekwueme participated in most of the post independence National Constitutional Conferences in Nigeria.
Dr Ekwueme can be described as the political conscience of our nation. In the1995 National Constitutional Conference (NCC) in Abuja, Dr Ekwueme served on the "Committee on the Structure and Framework of the Constitution". His famous proposals at the National Constitutional Conference for a just and equitable power sharing in Nigeria based on the six geopolitical zones have now come to be accepted as necessary for maintaining a stable Nigerian polity. In April 1998, Dr Ekwueme led a group of eminent Nigerians now popularly referred to as "G-34". The G-34 transformed into the People's Democratic Party (PDP) and Dr Ekwueme served as the first Chairman of the party's Board of Trustees.
Dr Ekwueme is on the Board of Directors of Canada based Forum of Federations. He was the leader of the pre-election monitoring team for the parliamentary election in Zimbabwe in 2000. He was also the leader of the Organisation for African Unity (OAU) Observer Team to the Tanzanian Presidential and Parliamentary elections in 2000. Leader of the National Democratic Institute/Carter Centre sponsored Observer Team to the Liberian Presidential run-off election in 2005. He is a member of ECOWAS Council of Elders.

BUSINESS LIFETIME ACHIEVENMENT

Dr Ekwueme started his professional career as an Assistant Architect with a Seattle based firm, Leo A. Daly and Associates. In 1957 he left US for London where he worked as an Assistant Architect with the firm of Nickson and Partners. On his return to Nigeria in June 1957, he joined ESSO West Africa, Lagos, overseeing the Construction and Maintenance department.
In 1958, Dr Ekwueme registered the firm - Ekwueme Associates Architects and Town Planners, the first indigenous architectural firm in Nigeria. His practice flourished with 16 branch offices spread all over Nigeria, before the company folded up in preparation for his foray into politics.
Dr Ekwueme was a prolific entrepreneur with interests in banking, insurance, hospitality industry, building/construction, food and beverages industry. He is a major player in the real estate business in Nigeria. This is just to mention but a few as he had interests in major quoted companies and well as start-ups and blue chips companies in Nigeria. Dr Ekwueme is currently the Vice Chairman of the Board of Orient Petroleum, Anambra State.

PHILANTHROPIC LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT

Dr. Ekwueme established the Ekwueme Memorial Educational Trust Fund in the 1965. This Trust Fund was responsible for sponsoring the education of several hundred youths to universities in Nigeria and abroad. He founded the College of Arts and Science, Oko which has metamorphosed to the present day Federal Polytechnic Oko. He was the brain behind the setting up of Oko Community Hospital, Community Secondary School, Oko. In line with the axiom that charity begins at home, Dr Ekwueme torched the life of every family in his home town, Oko through his philanthropic gestures which has continued to date. He was honoured with the title Ide(pillar)Oko. The old Aguata Zone comprising of Orumba North Local Government Area, Orumba South Local Government Area and Aguata Local Government Area honoured him for his philanthropic contribution to the zone with the title of Ide Aguata and Orumba
Dr Ekwueme worked assiduously to achieve accreditation for the St Paul's University, Awka. He endowed a building for the School of Entrepreneurial Studies at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University. He donated generously to various faith groups including Roman Catholics, Anglican, Pentecostal and African Churches. He supports various community groups and youth organisations. He is the benefactor of the Alex Ekwueme Foundation, an NGO that promotes his values and ideals, to which he is the patron.
As Dr Ekwueme advances towards his 84rd birthday, it fair to state that he has continued to live a life of service to humanity as his contribution to the poor and the down-trodden is still unrivalled.

CONCLUSION

Dr. Ekwueme was selected by his alma mater, the University of Washington (Seattle) as one of a hundred alumni/alumnae that made significant impact on world events in the twentieth century. He has been honoured with the Order of the Republic of Guinea and Nigeria's second highest national honours of Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON). Dr Ekwueme has been awarded with honorary doctorate degree by many Universities and Polytechnics in Nigeria, including the Nigeria Defence Academy (the first civilian to be so honoured).

Source: http://nigeriaworld.com/articles/2016/jul/113.html

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He died at old age no regret cos he fulfilled his dream and dream of many as well.rip dr.

You're absolutely right

Over book dey worry the man, he was an erudite scholar.

Where are the pictures

A rare breed of man. He is one only 3 Igbo leaders I respect