Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP),
\nChief Tony Anenih, has called on the Federal Government to do the best it
\ncan to immortalize the first national chairman of the party, Chief Solomon
\nLar, who died in October this year.
\nSpeaking at the Night of Tributes in honour of Lar on Monday, Anenih
\ndescribed the late politician as an exemplary man who lived for others.
\nAccording to him, \u201cLar demonstrated commitment and discipline in
\nleadership; he led the way while his loyalists steadfastly followed him.
\n\u201cIn all the moments of tension and crises that manifested in our Party,
\nLar did not jump ship; rather he played important roles in resolving them.
\nHe did not waver in the face of challenges. He remained a father figure
\nto all.\u201d
\nAnenih stated further: \u201cLar deserves the best we can do to immortalize
\nhim; his family members deserve the best we can do to assist them.\u00a0\u00a0 I
\nlike to take advantage of this opportunity to advise that the Federal
\nGovernment should try to recognize prominent Nigerians who have
\ncontributed to the development of this nation in their chosen fields of
\nendeavour, especially while they are alive.
\n\u201cThe families of such prominent citizens should not be abandoned after
\ntheir death.\u00a0 The family of Lar should therefore not be abandoned.\u00a0 We owe
\nhis family an unfailing love as a Government and as a Party.\u201d
\nAnenih, who thanked guests at the event for their presence, said he agreed
\nwith them on the true portrait of Lar that they painted in their tributes.
\nHe said, \u201cYou have all painted the true portrait of Lar in your tributes;
\nand, I concur with your accolades: Lar was a political titan, an iconic
\ndemocrat, a consistent pacifist, a solid bridge builder and a unique
\nemancipator, who committed his life and times to the promotion of peace
\nand stability in our polity as state governor, minister, party chairman,
\nmember and chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees at different times in the
\npast.
\n\u201cHe was, indeed, a loyal party man; and, as the first national chairman of
\nthe PDP, he spared no effort to work for the upliftment of our Party in
\nwhich he played a frontline role in its formation.\u00a0 It was under his
\nchairmanship that our Party produced Chief Olusegun Obasanjo as President
\nin the 1999 presidential election.
\n\u201cIn the same general elections, our Party, under Lar\u2019s watch, produced 21
\nstate governors; 67 members of the Senate; 215 members of the House of
\nRepresentatives; 464 Local Government Chairmen and 4840 Councilors.
\n\u201cThese were, indeed, no mean feats.\u00a0 They were the building blocks upon
\nwhich our Party\u2019s successes in the subsequent elections, so far, were
\nerected.\u201d
\nAnenih rounded off his remarks: \u201cI join all of you, who have paid tributes
\nto Chief Lar, in celebrating his worthy life of solid political legacy;
\nand, my epitaph for him as he goes home in a blaze of glory is: \u201cHere
\ngoeth Solomon Daushep Lar; when cometh another?\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 May the soul of this
\ngreat compatriot rest in peace in the bosom of the Lord! Amen.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Tony Anenih, has called on the Federal Government to do the best it can to immortalize the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":20678,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20677","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n