By: Emma Arubi; Warri
The eldest son of Nigeria’s first Minister of Finance, Prince John Edema Okotie-Eboh has appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to graciously immortalize his father, Chief Festus Samuel Okotie-Eboh by engraving his portrait in any denomination of the Nigerian Currency.
Prince John Okotie-Eboh made the appeal in Warri, Delta State in commemoration of the death of the late finance minister in the first coup d’etat of 15 January, 1966 saying that his late father “was the one who changed the colonial currency, which was jointly operated by the British Colonies of West Africa in 1958 and also effected the new currency and coins bearing the title “Federation of Nigeria” into circulation in 1959″.
According to him, he spearheaded the establishment of the Central Bank of the country in 1958.
Speaking to newsmen at his residence he said ” I believe that being the first indigenous Finance Minister of this country, he is eminently qualified to be engraved on the Nigerian currency he created.
“He initiated the Bill for the establishment of the Central Bank of Nigeria and announced the appointment of Mr. H.. Penton as the Governor of the apex bank, he emphasized”.
He expressed concern that “except perhaps there is a grand conspiracy to deprive him of his previllage because he happens to have come from a minority ethnic group, there is no reason under the sun why he should not be immortalized like his contemporaries.
“Suffice it to say that it was he who established the Nigeria Stock Exchange and worked for the admission of Nigeria as a full fledged member of the International Financial institutions, namely, the International Monetary Fund ( IMF), The International Finance Corporation and International Bank for Reconstruction and Development ( IBRD) amongst others and appealed to President Tinubu to take the bull by the horn by immortalizing Chief Festus Samuel Okotie-Eboh in the annals of Nigeria’s history.
“It is tragic that despite all his achievements in the finance industry of Nigeria, not a single of these institution/buildings is named after him or his photograph engraved in any of the denominations of Nigeria’s currency, noting that many of his contemporaries have been immortalized severally”.
He stated some of Okotie-Eboh’s contemporaries have their portraits engraved on the national currency while others have an institution named after them and a key player like his father has yet to be acknowledged.
The eldest son of Nigeria’s first Minister of Finance, Prince John Edema Okotie-Eboh has appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to graciously immortalize his father, Chief Festus Samuel Okotie-Eboh by engraving his portrait in any denomination of the Nigerian Currency.
Prince John Okotie-Eboh made the appeal in Warri, Delta State in commemoration of the death of the late finance minister in the first coup d’etat of 15 January, 1966 saying that his late father “was the one who changed the colonial currency, which was jointly operated by the British Colonies of West Africa in 1958 and also effected the new currency and coins bearing the title “Federation of Nigeria” into circulation in 1959″.
According to him, he spearheaded the establishment of the Central Bank of the country in 1958.
Speaking to newsmen at his residence he said ” I believe that being the first indigenous Finance Minister of this country, he is eminently qualified to be engraved on the Nigerian currency he created.
“He initiated the Bill for the establishment of the Central Bank of Nigeria and announced the appointment of Mr. H.. Penton as the Governor of the apex bank, he emphasized”.
He expressed concern that “except perhaps there is a grand conspiracy to deprive him of his previllage because he happens to have come from a minority ethnic group, there is no reason under the sun why he should not be immortalized like his contemporaries.
“Suffice it to say that it was he who established the Nigeria Stock Exchange and worked for the admission of Nigeria as a full fledged member of the International Financial institutions, namely, the International Monetary Fund ( IMF), The International Finance Corporation and International Bank for Reconstruction and Development ( IBRD) amongst others and appealed to President Tinubu to take the bull by the horn by immortalizing Chief Festus Samuel Okotie-Eboh in the annals of Nigeria’s history.
“It is tragic that despite all his achievements in the finance industry of Nigeria, not a single of these institution/buildings is named after him or his photograph engraved in any of the denominations of Nigeria’s currency, noting that many of his contemporaries have been immortalized severally”.
He stated some of Okotie-Eboh’s contemporaries have their portraits engraved on the national currency while others have an institution named after them and a key player like his father has yet to be acknowledged.
