President Muhammadu Buhari and his predecessor, Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday, showered encomiums on former Senate President, Anyim Pius Anyim, describing him as “a man loaded with immense patriotism and leadership skills.”
They said Anyim, who was Secretary to the Government of the Federation during Jonathan’s administration, could be entrusted with higher responsibilities in the future.President Buhari, represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, at an event, to mark Anyim’s 61st birthday, in Abuja, noted that at various times, while serving in different capacities, Anyim had risen to the challenge of leadership by putting the nation first.
He said: “Senator Pius Anyim is a patriotic Nigerian, who always puts his nation first. He is one of the stabilising voices we have today in our country. This, he has demonstrated in a number of times. But, the one that stands out and still echoes with me was his insistence that elected officers should always stay a single-term and he kept to his word by not seeking for re-election to the Senate, after the expiration of his first term as Senator and Senate President in 2003, ” Buhari said.
Also, Jonathan described Anyim as a unique leader who was never intoxicated by the privileges of the offices he occupied. Speaking on a personal note, Mustapha said: “Let me say on a personal note, as the current and 19th SGF that I have drawn a lot from the wealth of wisdom that has been the source of strength and the endowment that Senator Anyim has brought to the fore of governance in this country.”
We don’t often meet ,but whenever we meet, we share knowledge about the responsibilities of the office and the enormity of the act of balancing contending forces and interests, that is always vested on any occupant of that office.
Jonathan said one of the factors that made Anyim’s appointment as Secretary to the Government of the Federation imperative was the commitment of the PDP to the Federal character principle.
The PDP philosophy then was that the President will come from one geo-political zone, the Vice President from one geo-political zone, Secretary to Government from one-geo political zone, the Chairman of the party from one geo-political, the Senate President from one geo-political zone and the Speaker from one geo-political zone but that was when PDP had a lot of spread across the country.
And so we zoned the Secretary to the Government to the South-East. We looked at our brothers and sisters, the characters, and they were very nice people. They had many competent people but let me say that it’s like a lot it fell on Anyim Pius Anyim and we made him the Secretary to the Government. And I don’t regret committing him. He is a very hard working young man, committed to serving this nation and I believe if he has the opportunity to serve more, he can do better,” Jonathan said. “Now it is difficult to package that because even the All Progressives Congress, APC don’t have that kind of spread. So, it is difficult to get that package. That was very unique and it was a good way of accommodating every sections of the country. Still On Anyim’s leadership qualities, Jonathan said: “Today, we are celebrating a young man but you are getting old now. At 61 years, you are no longer very young but you are willing to serve and as somebody who has served at the parliament as a Senate President, at the executive level as the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, it is quite tasking.
“Having served in that position (SGF) for the period, I know he is fully baked and I didn’t received too many complaints. You know as a President, everyday you receive complaints from those who work for you- the ministers, your aides, advisers, assistants and so on. I didn’t receive too many complains about Anyim Pius Anyim,” he added. Also speaking on Anyim’s capacities and competences, former Vice President, Namadi Sambo, also took to the podium to pour encomiums on the celebrant, saying, “his leadership stabilized the Senate and we must be grateful for that. He was a team player who worked towards a prosperous nation. He can be trusteed with higher political responsibility in the future.”
Former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Bello Adoke, in his good will message described Anyim as ‘a team player, humble leader that is always ready yo take on any task for the good of his country.”
Also speaking, former governor of Abia state, Sen. Theodore Orji said at 61, Anyim has a lot still to give to his fatherland. “If you look at the age he started, you will know that God has not finished with him,” he stated.
The event was attended by many personalities including former Senate President Adolphus Wabara, Venatius Ikem, Col. Bala Mande, Sen. Sanusi Dagash, Senator Dino Melaye, Attahiru Bafarawa, among others.