It will be the gathering of who-is-who on November 1 in Imo State when the late president of Ohaneze Ndigbo Worldwide, elder statesman, industrialist and media mogul, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, will be laid to rest.
According to the burial committee, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan will be among eminent Nigerians expected at the burial in Owerri, the Imo State capital.
Members of the Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, Afenifere, and Pan Niger Delta Development Forum (PANDEF), among other cultural organisations and associations, are also expected at the ceremony.
Addressing reporters in Owerri on Wednesday, the Chairman of the Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the burial, Mr. Charles Amadi, said the programme would begin with a provincial service of songs on October 29 at Iwuanyanwu’s hometown of Atta.
Listing the scheduled events of the burial, Amadi said: “Our committee is poised to accord the late President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide a deserved and befitting burial, one that would be imprinted in the annals of history.
“I can confirm that some former Presidents, including Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and Dr. Goodluck Ebere Jonathan, will attend the burial. I will also tell you that from the information we have got, we are 70 per cent sure that Mr. President will also be here in Imo for the burial.”
The committee also assured guests of tight security and free flow of traffic during the burial.
It announced that the committee was working with all stakeholders, including security agencies, to ensure a hitch-free burial.
Amadi said: “The body will be received by Governor Hope Uzodimma at the Government House in Owerri on Wednesday, October 30 and will depart to his (Iwuanyanwu’s) residence at New Owerri.
“A commendation service will be held at CATOL, Owerri, on Friday, November 1. Afterwards, the body will move to his hometown where it will lie in state before interment in his compound, following a funeral service at the Cathedral of St. Matthew, Atta.”
