By Celestine Okafor (Editor-in-Chief)
Frontline Presidential aspirant in 2023 and a former President of the Senate, Senator, Anyim Pius Anyim, on Friday, joined other eminent Nigerian leaders and statesmen to express great shock and sadness at the passage of his predecessor, Dr. Joseph Wayas.
The second republic Senate President reportedly passed on in London on Tuesday, November 30, 2021, at the age of 80. Wayan's death was officially announced on Thursday, December 2, 2021.
Senator Anyim in a statement on Friday, December 3, 2021, expressed regrets and sadness on receiving the tragic news. He described Senator Wayas as an "outstanding leader who served Nigeria in the high office of President of the Senate at a very young age and remained a committed statesman, patriot, and bridge-builder".
Senator Anyim also said in the condolence statement that: “Dr. Joseph Wayas was a strong and a charismatic leader, a strong and moderating influence on the Second Republic. Despite his youthful age, Senator Wayas led, with distinction and decorum, a Senate that had very influential personalities and foremost professionals from the First Republic and during the period of military interregnum.
"His maturity, candour, and panache, gave the Senate of the Second Republic character and sense of direction. Nigeria will sorely miss his wise counsel and deep perspectives on issues of national importance.”
The late elder statesman and former parliamentarian were born in Basang, Obudu, Cross River State on May 21, 1941, and attended the Dennis Memorial Grammar School, Onitsha. He went to the United Kingdom where he studied at the Higher Tottenham Technical College, London, the West Bromwich College of Commerce, Science and Technology, Birmingham, and Aston University, Birmingham.
When he returned to Nigeria, he took up appointments with several companies in Nigeria and rose to the position of manager and controller from 1960-1969. Wayas was a member of the Society of International Affairs at Lincoln University, United States.
He joined the Federal Government in 1969-72. He was commissioner for Transport, South-Eastern State, now broken into Akwa Ibom and Cross River states from 1972-74. He was a member of the constituent Assembly in 1977-78.
When General Olusegun Obasanjo terminated military rule in 1979, Joseph Wayas was elected to the Senate on the platform of the ruling National Party of Nigeria (NPN) and appointed Senate President. He represented the Ogoja senatorial district alongside senator Joseph Oqua Ansa who represented Calabar senatorial district. Wayas had an excellent relationship with President Shehu Shagari, ensuring that bills were generally discussed and agreed upon before being introduced.
Under Wayas’ leadership of the National Assembly, the Senate summoned late Prince Tony Momoh, a former editor of the Daily Times, for contempt. This caused a major legal battle in which Momoh successfully argued that as a journalist he was empowered by the constitution to hold the government accountable at all times.
But the then-Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chief Edwin Umezoke, thoroughly dressed down Tony Momoh and warned on the floor of the House that the then National Assembly would not tolerate any member of the press or the public who criticizes the National Assembly in such a manner as to attract local and international odium to the parliament.
Wayas and Umezoke not only took serious exceptions to the way the Daily Times Newspapers condemned the outrageous salary increase the then lawmakers fixed for themselves but also the opinion article by the then Group Features Editor of the Daily Times at the time, late Mr Dele Giwa, who described the leadership of the National Assembly as "being too excessive". Giwa had admonished the House Speaker, Umezoke, in particular, to promise "never to be excessive in the future".
The late Senator Joseph Wayas while visiting the United States in September 1981, was entertained by boxer Muhammad Ali, who threw a spectacular party in his honor. Ali had previously visited Nigeria and received red-carpet treatment.
In the lead-up to the 1983 elections, Wayas was the leader of the NPN party’s “Lagos Group” that supported a change of governor in Cross River State, in opposition to the “Home Front” led by Dr. Clement Isong. Wayas was also embroiled in severe political conflict at the home front in Calabar with late Chief M.T Mbu.
The political dispute between both influential leaders in the area in 1982/83 was so volatile, such that the then President Shehu Shagari had to personally step in to call a truce between them when he met with the warring politicians at the State House in Marina, lagos.
The December 31th, 1983 military coup that brought then Major General Muhammadu Buhari to power, forced Senator Wayas and other leaders in government out of office. He promptly went into exile. He eventually returned in 1987 and was held in political detention, 1987-1988.
Wayas was Deputy Chairman of the 1994/1995 National Constitutional Conference that organized and midwifed the National Conference itself. In 1998 Wayas was a founding member of the All People’s Party. He later joined the Peoples Democratic Party in 2001 at the urging of Cross River governor Donald Duke.
He was a strong believer in true Federalism as the only solution to Nigeria’s democratic problems, which had been manifested in the Nigerian Civil War.
In October 2003 he spoke out against the ongoing local council reforms by the Federal Government, describing them as “unconstitutional”.
Wayas was appointed Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the South-South Peoples Assembly (SSPA). In January 2009 he described post-election petitions to electoral tribunals as senseless, reckless, and time-wasting.
In January 2010, Wayas advocated that Vice President Goodluck Jonathan be authorized to act as President pending the return of President Umaru Yar’Adua, who had been incapacitated by illness for some time.
Late Senator Wayas was particularly noted for his imposing and audacious disposition and propensity to crack jokes. He was not a man to speak tongue-in-cheek on any matter. He spoke his mind in a firm, clear and decisive manner. Wayas was equally noted for offering very candid and sincere advice to Nigerian leaders after his era, be they fellow leaders of the parliament, governors, etc.
And aside from speaking his native dialect, Senator Joseph Wayas was very fluent in the Igbo language. This made him to be so close to most Igbos and to be at home with the Igbo-speaking part of Nigeria. NNL.
