Governor Willie Obiano has declared today, November 16, 2021, as work free day in Anambra state, in honour of Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, Nigeria’s first president who was born on November 16, 1904, because of his extraordinary Pan-African vision and commitment.
The governor, in a statement signed on his behalf by the state Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, C. Don Adinuba, recalls that this is the third consecutive year Anambra State is observing the birthday anniversary of the man who led Nigeria to independence on October 1, 1960.
The statement noted that Dr Azikiwe remains an unrivalled trailblazer, having established Nigeria’s first indigenous bank, African Continental Bank and Nigeria’s first indigenous university, University of Nigeria at Nsukka, among other monumental and farsighted achievements.
According to the statement Governor Obiano reiterated his call on the Federal Government to declare November 16 a national holiday in memory of The Great Zik of Africa and
pointed out that the Ghanaians observe the birthday of Dr Nkrumah as a national holiday, just the way Tanzanians observe President Julius Nyerere’s birthday as a national holiday.
It regretted that it is a huge national embarrassment that Nigeria has yet to declare November 16 a national holiday.
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