Anyim Pius Anyim
Encyclopedia
Anyim Pius Anyim is a Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...

n politician and currently the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF). He was elected as national Senator on the People's Democratic Party
People's Democratic Party (Nigeria)
The People's Democratic Party is a political party in Nigeria. Its policies generally lie towards the right wing of the political spectrum. It has won every single Presidential elections since 1999, namely: 1999, 2003, 2007, and 2011, and is the dominant party in the Fourth Republic.-History:In...

 (PDP) platform in 1999 for the Ebonyi South constituency of Ebonyi State
Ebonyi State
Ebonyi State is a mainland south-eastern state of Nigeria, inhabited and populated primarily by Igbo of south eastern Nigeria. Its capital and largest city is Abakaliki. Afikpo is the second largest city. Other major towns are EDDA, Mgbo, Onueke, Ezzamgbo, Nkalagu, Uburu, Onicha, Ishiagu , Ukawu,...

. He was appointed Senate President in August 2000.

Background

Anyim was born on 19 February 1961 in Ishiagu
Ishiagu
Ishiagu is a town in the Ivo Local Government Area in Ebonyi State, Nigeria, located on the plains of the south-eastern savannah belt.It is the location of the Federal College of Agriculture, Ishiagu....

, a dominantly Catholic community in the Ivo
Ivo, Nigeria
Ivo is a Local Government Area in Ebonyi State, Nigeria.Towns include Ishiagu, home of the Federal College of Agriculture, Ishiagu.Oil pipelines passing through the area have been attacked by armed vandals who broke the pipes and scooped up the oil....

 Local Government Area of Ebonyi State. He attended Ishiagu High School (St. John Bosco), the Federal School of Arts and Science, Aba and later, Imo State University
Imo State University
The Imo State University in Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria was established in 1981 through law No. 4 passed by the Imo State House of Assembly.The university admitted the first intake of 392 pioneer students on October 23, 1981....

, Uturu (1983–1987). For his Youth Service he served as the Co-ordinator, Youth Mobilisation Programme in Sokoto State
Sokoto State
Sokoto State is located in the extreme northwest of Nigeria, near to the confluence of the Sokoto River and the Rima River. As of 2005 it has an estimated population of more than 4.2 million...

. In 1992, Anyim became the Head of Protection Department at the National Commission for Refugees, Abuja
Abuja
Abuja is the capital city of Nigeria. It is located in the centre of Nigeria, within the Federal Capital Territory . Abuja is a planned city, and was built mainly in the 1980s. It officially became Nigeria's capital on 12 December 1991, replacing Lagos...

, a job that included provision of legal services and political protection for refugees. In this capacity he traveled to various parts of the world.

In 1998 he joined the United Nigeria Congress Party
United Nigeria Congress Party
The United Nigeria Congress Party was a Nigerian political party that was one of the five state-sanctioned political parties allowed by the government of General Sani Abacha to participate in state assembly elections held in December 1997, in which it won many elections, and in parliamentary...

 (UNCP), winning a Senate election. However the death of General Sani Abacha
Sani Abacha
General Sani Abacha was a Nigerian military leader and politician. A Kanuri from Borno by tribe, he was born and brought up in Kano, Nigeria. He was the de facto President of Nigeria from 1993 to 1998....

 on 8 June 1998 nullified the result. During the transitional regime of General Abdulsalami Abubakar
Abdulsalami Abubakar
General Abdulsalami Alhaji Abubakar is a Nigerian general who was President of Nigeria from June 9, 1998 until May 29, 1999. He succeeded Sani Abacha upon Abacha's death. It was during Abubakar's leadership that Nigeria adopted its new constitution on May 5, 1999, which provided for multiparty...

 he joined the People's Democratic Party
People's Democratic Party (Nigeria)
The People's Democratic Party is a political party in Nigeria. Its policies generally lie towards the right wing of the political spectrum. It has won every single Presidential elections since 1999, namely: 1999, 2003, 2007, and 2011, and is the dominant party in the Fourth Republic.-History:In...

 (PDP), and again ran successfully for election to the Senate in 1999.

Senate career

Anyim took office in the Senate in May 1999, and was appointed President of the Senate in August 2000, after Chuba Okadigbo
Chuba Okadigbo
Dr. Chuba Wilberforce Okadigbo , was President of the Nigeria Senate. He was sometimes referred to as Oyi of Oyi in reference to his local government council area ; he also held numerous political positions in the Nigeria government...

 had been impeached, holding office until May 2003.

In May 2001, Anyim declared that the upper legislative house was justified in probing the activities of the Mines and Power Ministry during the tenure of Chief Bola Ige
Bola Ige
James Ajibola Idowu Ige simply known as Bola Ige was a Nigerian lawyer and politician. He became Federal Minister of Justice for Nigeria...

.
In June 2002, an attempt led by Anyim to impeach President Olusegun Obasanjo collapsed.
Speaking a year later, Anyim said President Olusegun Obasanjo misunderstood him on certain issues but there was no conflict between them.
In August 2002 he said he was opposed to all the present office holders - including himself - going for a second term.

In November 2002 Anyim indefinitely suspended Senator Arthur Nzeribe of Imo State
Imo State
Imo State is one of the 36 states of Nigeria and lies to the south of Nigeria with Owerri as its capital and largest city.-History:Imo State came into existence in 1976 along with other new states created under the leadership of the late military ruler of Nigeria, Murtala Muhammad, having been...

 due to an allegation of a N22 million fraud. Nzeribe was said to be planning an impeachment motion against Anyim.
The same month, after Anyim had complained about the Independent Corruption Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), the Senate set up a committee to examine the continued relevance of the commission.
In May 2003, Anyim warned an Abuja High Court judge, Justice Egbo Egbo, that the parliament had the power to order his arrest over his opposition to the passage of the anti-graft ICPC law by the Senate.

Later career

Anyim did not seek reelection in 2003. Some time after leaving office, his private house in Abuja
Abuja
Abuja is the capital city of Nigeria. It is located in the centre of Nigeria, within the Federal Capital Territory . Abuja is a planned city, and was built mainly in the 1980s. It officially became Nigeria's capital on 12 December 1991, replacing Lagos...

 was partially pulled down for violating the Abuja master plan.

Anyim was a candidate in the elections for Chairmanship of the PDP in January 2008.
In November 2007 the chairman of the Kaduna State chapter of the PDP said he would receive the votes of the entire Kaduna State delegation to the convention.
In January 2008 the League of Patriotic Lawyers supported his candidature.
He also gained support from the Peoples Democratic Party Youth Forum.
However, in the end Prince Vincent Ogbulafor was appointed PDP chairman.

In January 2010 he led a delegation of 41 eminent Nigerians that called on President Umaru Yar'Adua to urgently transmit a letter of his incapacitation to the National Assembly to salvage the nation's democracy from danger.
He praised the Senate when they passed a resolution on 9 February 2010 to make Vice President Goodluck Jonathan
Goodluck Jonathan
Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan, GCFR, BNER, GCON is the 14th Head of State and current President of Nigeria.He was Governor of Bayelsa State from 9 December 2005 to 28 May 2007, and was sworn in as Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on 29 May 2007. Jonathan is a member of the...

Acting President.
In May 2011, Pius Anyim was appointed as Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF).
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