How Ekwueme treated his children – Former VP’s daughter, Alexandria

Mrs Alexandria Onyemelukwu, eldest daughter of a former Vice-President, Dr Alex Ekwueme on Friday night described the deceased politician as a caring but disciplined father.

Onyemelukwu said that Ekwueme gave all the normal things a comfortable father would give the children, but not luxuries.

“My father was a very disciplined father who never tolerated our excesses as children and who never pampered us.

“He taught us never to see life as a bed of roses in spite of our privileged background.

“He would only provide us our needs, not our wants. He just wanted us contented with whatever we had.

“While others were carrying “tush bags” to school, he would buy us ‘Nnewi-Must-Go’. Somehow, our mother would find a way, without him knowing, to get us those bags we wanted.

“As children, we used to grumble, wondering how a comfortable man would not want to grant our wants, but as we grew older, we realised that he was actually preparing us an independent life”, she told NAN.

She said the way the deceased handled his children had made them well-moulded and they had him to thank for their accomplishments.

According to her, one of the greatest things they learnt from the late VP is modesty and hard work.

Onyemelukwu, who was the People’s Democratic Party’s deputy-governorship candidate in the last Anambra election, described her father as a great politician and lover of the people.

She said that her father’s accomplishments in politics gave her the inspiration to foray into politics.