63 Hearty Cheers To Sen. Anyim Pius Anyim: A Courageous Nationalist And Political Stabilizer.
Anyim Pius Anyim was born in Ishiagu Community, Ivo LGA of Ebonyi State on 19th February, 1961. His story of grass to grace began in 1970 at Obioha Primary School, Ishiagu. He equally attended Ishiagu High School; the Federal School of Arts and Science, Aba; and later, Imo State University, Uturu where he studied Law between 1983 and 1987. He was called to the Bar upon graduation from Nigerian Law School. The NYSC programme took him to the old Sokoto State in 1988. Anyim Pius Anyim served as the Co-ordinator, Youth Mobilisation Programme, Sokoto Directorate of the defunct Mass Mobilization for Economic Recovery, MAMSER; and he won awards for excellent service. Between 1992 and 1998, young Anyim worked in the National Commission for Refugees, providing legal services to refugees. The job took him to all the Commonwealth member-countries.
Buoyed up by his service experience and wide and reliable social network, Anyim Pius Anyim resigned his job at the presidency and answered the call of destiny by contesting Ebonyi South senatorial election on the platform of UNCP in 1998. The passing of the Nigerian Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha, nullified both the transition programme and Anyim's victory in the election. In 1999 Anyim Pius Anyim won the election under the banner of PDP at the age of 39 to represent Ebonyi South district in the Nigerian Senate.
Between 1999 and 2000, the Nigerian Senate wobbled under the vagaries of the executive arm of the government; and had two presidents of the senate. Desirous of a stable leadership, Nigerian senators shunned extraneous influences and elected Anyim Pius Anyim as the first organic President of the Senate and chairman of the Nigerian National Assembly in August, 2000 at the young age of 40! Anyim Pius Anyim, a courageous nationalist, staved off all extraneous influences and imbued the Nigerian Senate, nay the National Assembly, with the long-craved legislative independence. This feat came at great costs as external forces did everything to impeach Senate President Anyim. With the unwavering support of fellow senators, Senator Anyim served out his term as President of the most independent and stable session of the Nigerian Senate which held the executive arm of government to account. Anyim Pius Anyim's records in the National Assembly are yet unbroken in the history of both the Nigerian Senate and the entire National Assembly.
After his tenure in the Nigerian Senate, Anyim Pius Anyim became a resource person and played utility roles for the nation. He rallied well-meaning Nigerian patriots and, together, they called for proper transmission of power as Acting President to the Vice President by former President Yar'Adua who was on medical trip outside the country. He equally encouraged the 6th session of the National Assembly to pass the Doctrine of Necessity resolution in order to solve the power vacuum which threatened the unity of the country. That the doctrine of necessity has been captured in the Nigerian constitution is a heartwarming pointer to the courage, vision and patriotism of the former President of the Nigerian Senate. Senator Anyim contested the PDP National Chairmanship position in 2008 but was opposed by the controllers of the political party who dreaded his courage and political will. Anyim Pius Anyim was appointed Secretary to the Government of the Federation by former President Goodluck Jonathan in 2011. Here again, Anyim excelled in patriotic, visionary and scandal-free service to the Nigerian nation. Ahead of the 2023 general elections, this courageous patriot contested the skewed PDP presidential primaries but lost.
Through Sen. Anyim Pius Anyim Library Service Ltd/GTE, the former Senate President caps his other investments in Nigerian youths with a mentorship scheme aptly tagged, "Mentorship for Greatness in Difficult Times". This scheme has raised a corps of wave-making youthful professionals, entrepreneurs and game-changers for whom the resilient crave for greatness and a better world has become a lifestyle. In fact, one of Senator Anyim Pius Anyim's proteges holds the record of the highest individual scholarship donation in Ebonyi State.
Sen. Anyim who holds the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger, G.C.O.N., national honour; the title of Oshimiri 1 of Ishiagu Community in Ebonyi State and the 2021 Zik's Prize for Leadership is happily married with Lady Chioma Pius Anyim; and the union is blessed with children.
As former President of the Nigerian Senate, Anyim Pius Anyim, a courageous nationalist and political stabilizer marks his birthday today, we, the teeming constituency of his mentees, join his admirers, well-wishers and the rest of the world to give him 63 hearty cheers.
Comrade O.O. Daniel is the director, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim Mentorship Programme