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Peter Egwuatu
Nigeria's vice president, Professor Yemi Osimbajo, of other African leaders and academics, congratulated Professor Adebayo Adedeji on Saturday for his pan-Africanist ideals and economic development for the country. Unit of Africa
Among the personalities who attended the memorial symposium in the honor of Prof. Adedeji, yesterday in Lagos after being buried Friday in his hometown Ijebu Ode, Ogun State, are: Hage Geingo, President of Liberia, General Yakubu Gowon, Amos Sawyer, former President of Liberia, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, former Minister of External Affairs and Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the United Nations, Eloho, Otobo, former United Nations staff member and many others.
The memorial symposium held in honor of Professor Adedeji in Lagos, Osinbajo, stated that Professor Adedeji was an imposing figure of the immediate postcolonial period of Africa. the thought and the contributions continue to frame the political discourse in Nigeria, in Africa and even in the world.
He said: "He has acted in such roles and positions to advance his pan-Africanist ideals, and he is committed to improving the conditions of the African people and, by extension, to improving governance and the situation. of their countries. "
Represented by Dr.Iemi Dipeolu, Special Adviser on the Economy to President Muhammadu Buhari, he said:" Many One will not fail to say more about these things during this symposium, but we can not talk about the legacy of Professor Adedeji without mentioning regional integration in Africa.He was in many ways the father of African integration "
He also revealed that under the leadership of General Gowon and the late President Eyadema, Professor Adedeji did a lot of work to create the Economic Community of West African States, the ECOWAS, experience that he then used to help establish read the Preferential Free Trade Area of Eastern and Southern Africa, which became COMESA
He said: "The role he played as Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa" In Africa, ECA articulated the Lagos Plan of Action and the Lagos Final Act, which provided the intellectual and official basis for subsequent decisions to establish the African Economic Community. African Union and the African Continental Free Trade Area. "
In his own remark, the former head of state of Nigeria, General Yakubu Gowon, described Professor Adedeji as an excellent choice as economic development commissioner of Nigeria who had j emerged from the ravages of a 30-month conflict in the 1970s.
According to him: "He had a vision; he knew how to enter into the vision of others and he was fortunate to be able to implement plans that concretized dreams.
I never knew him personally before appointing him Commissioner in my cabinet. But he came highly recommended. When I met him, he lived until every word that was spoken about him. When he was working with me, I saw an immensely brilliant patriot who perfectly fulfilled the role of director of the engine room of our national mission of Reconstruction, Rehabilitation (3-R).
He stated that Prof Adedeji's imprint was daring. 3rd ambitious national development plan of the government (1975-1980). "He led the team of experts who came up with the plan to bring Nigeria to a new age, but unfortunately this plan was rejected by our successors for political reasons. nor forget his key role in the birth of ECOWAS. "
In his welcome address, Dr. Vera Songwe, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, in his speech, titled" Africa Development Program: Lessons from the Adebayo Adedeji years and political options for the 21st century "said:" Celebration of Life "- a clear message delivered during the service yesterday (Friday) in the Cathedral of Our Lady -Sauveur Ita-Olowajoda, Ijebu Ode. Professor Adebayo Adedeji has left us with an unforgettable legacy of life, commitment and service to the continent, personally, socially and professionally. As President Geingob said yesterday, Professor Adedeji was fully engaged in the economic independence of Africa, making him his career flag. "
She said, during the 16 years that he served the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, structural transformation was his mantra for Africa, a" good fight " which still guides the economic thinking of the institution she currently directs.
"Adebayo Adedeji remembers all those who had the privilege of working with him as an intellectual. giant, a bold thinker and a pbadionate believer in African regional integration, in the context of advocacy for the continent's development. It is impressive to see how the fingerprints of the Lagos Action Plan echo the work of Professor Adedeji on the establishment of the Abuja Treaty. The fact that he was able to experience the historic moment of signing the African Continental Free Trade Agreement in late March, the same year that he left us, is a sign that we, as him, are on the way to fighting "" Of course, Professor Peter Anyang's "Nyong", Governor of Kisumu County Government, said: "This icon, this indomitable son of Nigeria who was raised to the economic independence of Africa.Be being a teacher at the age of 36, to introduce himself as an economist at home with his peers, ended up eradicating from this life the April 25 in Lagos at the age of 87. But I realized how lucky I was at pioneering work on the Lagos Action Plan 1980-2000 , LPA, arguably the first truly grbadroots collective effort to develop a comprehensive and unified approach to Africa's lagging behind in economic development. that "
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