The widow of the late elder statesman Anthony Enahoro has died at the age of 79 in Lagos. Princess Helen Enahoro died on Saturday, January 28 after a brief illness.
In a statement signed by Olawale Okunniyi on behalf of the ProNational Conference Organisation, PRONACO and the Enahoro Political Caucus, “Helen Enahoro was more than a wife to the political icon.”
The statement also described Princess Helen as a “rock of Gibraltar, who always stood astutely behind the Nigerian democratic movement as well as the various travails of his husband from Action Group of the 1950’s to PRONACO in the 2000’s.”
“We are shocked to learn of the demise of Princess Helen Enahoro, a great Amazon of the democratic movement in Nigeria, who passed on precisely a year after papa Enahoro, our leader and her husband was committed to mother earth. The vacuum being created by the sudden loss of mama will definitely be difficult to fill in the struggle of our movement to restructure Nigeria for political stability and economic prosperity.
“Mama was a positive influence to the democratic movement when Chief Enahoro was imprisoned by the Abacha military junta in Calabar in the 1990’s. She was also a pillar when she subsequently moved with her husband into exile in the United States following several attempts at Chief Enahoro’s life by Abacha. Her support was also remarkable throughout the PRONACO struggles which yielded a draft peoples constitution for Nigeria in 2007,” the statement said.
Mr Okunniyi said details of Princess Helen’s burial will be announced later by the Enahoro family.
Meanwhile, President Goodluck Jonathan has condoled with the family of late Enahoro over the demise of Princess Helen.
In a statement by his Adviser on Media and Publicity, Reuben Abati, the President mourned the death of the woman and prayed for God to grant the family the fortitude to bear the loss.