ADINO PHIZO LAID TO REST; BROTHER RECALLS HER RESOLVE TO CONTINUE AS NNC PRESIDENT

KOHIMA, October 10 (NEPS): The funeral ceremony of late Adino Phizo, president of the Naga National Council (NNC), was held at the ABCC Mission Compound Ground, Kohima, on Saturday, with Naga leaders paying tribute to her lifelong commitment to the Naga cause.

Adino, daughter of legendary Naga leader and former NNC president A. Z. Phizo, passed away on October 8 at Bethel Hospital, Kohima. She was 94. She became NNC president following her father’s death in London in 1990 and led the organisation for 36 years until her demise.

Speaking on behalf of the family, her younger brother, Jasazzo Phizo, recalled that Adino had refused to step down as NNC president despite his advice to relinquish the position due to her advancing age.

“I am not holding the post of president of the Naga National Council because I want to. I am holding the post because I have to,” Jasazzo quoted his sister as saying.

He said Adino had continued in the position out of a sense of duty, fearing that the younger generation might give away Naga rights if she stepped aside. He expressed the hope that whoever succeeded her would uphold her legacy and continue her position on the Naga political issue.

Jasazzo also recalled an interaction with former Nagaland Governor B. P. Acharya, who had reportedly asked him to persuade Adino to join the Naga National Political Groups (NNPGs), believing that her participation could help resolve the Naga political issue. Jasazzo said he had declined to intervene, adding that Adino had expressed reservations about the understanding of international politics among those making such suggestions.

Beyond politics, Jasazzo described his sister as a mother figure who had cared for him during their childhood, including the period when their family was imprisoned in Nagaon. The siblings were subsequently separated for nearly 50 years before reuniting following their brother’s death, when Adino returned to Nagaland.

He thanked relatives, well-wishers, medical personnel and others who supported the family during her final days and funeral. He also appealed for forgiveness from anyone who might have been hurt by his sister’s words or behaviour in her later years.

Earlier, speaking on the theme “National Reflection,” Takuyaba Longkumer of the Ao Region, NNC, expressed gratitude to Adino for dedicating her life to the Naga cause.

Recalling her political journey, Longkumer said she had joined her father in London in 1964 and assisted him in his work before succeeding him as NNC president in 1990. He described the father-daughter duo as having led the Naga movement for nearly eight decades and expressed the hope that someone from their family would carry the movement forward.

Longkumer also described the 1951 plebiscite conducted under A. Z. Phizo’s leadership as a defining chapter in Naga political history. He said the plebiscite had been a crucial foundation of the Naga movement and remained a significant reference point for subsequent generations.

The presidents of the Angami Public Organization (APO) and Chakhesang Public Organization (CPO), representatives of the Naga Students’ Federation (NSF), and leaders of the Sumi Region, Federal Government of Nagaland (FGN) and NNC also spoke at the funeral.

NNC and FGN leaders, senior functionaries of the Naga Army, representatives of Naga civil society organisations and members of the public attended the ceremony.

Following the funeral, Adino Phizo’s mortal remains were taken to her native village, Khonoma, for the last rites.