By Adadainfo
Ohanaeze Ndigbo will Saturday, September 3, 2022, organise a lecture on ‘the Igbo Quest for Nigeria’s Unity’ in honour of Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, who turns 80 on Sept 4.
Ohanaeze’s national publicity secretary, Dr Alex Ogbonnia, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday. According to him, former president general of Ohanaeze, Chief Nnia Nwodo jnr, will deliver the lecture at the event billed for Concorde Hotel, Owerri. He added that it will be chaired by Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, former president of Nigeria.
Meanwhile, Ohanaeze has described Chief Iwuanyanwu as ‘one of the finest amongst the Igbo’.
Ohanaeze, in the release by Dr Ogbonnia, said Chief Iwuanyanwu ‘is a philanthropist par excellence, massive employer of labour, robust creative thinker, brave soldier, accomplished engineer, astute business mogul, industrialist and sagacious politician’.
Ohanaeze recalled when Chief Iwuanyanwu ‘was the highest employer of labour’, adding that the Iwuanyanwu Foundation ‘has offered scholarships to over ten thousand indigent students across the country, and donated to universities to create conducive environments for learning; built churches and other community facilities’, including his donation of two million dollars for the construction of an international cargo airport in Owerri.
According to the release, “Ohanaeze Ndigbo takes a bearing from a famous admonition to the present-day selfish and mundane leaders that legacy is not leaving enormous wealth behind for one’s offspring; it’s about laying invaluable foundation amongst the populace, especially for younger generations.
“Iwuanyanwu’s mission transcends self, rather he is devoted to charity, humanity and service to God. Ohanaeze Ndigbo notes with immense delight the various courageous successful adventures he has made in diverse fields of endeavour.
“We are thus celebrating a man who used his ingenuity and talent to found over twenty limited liability companies that employed thousands of Nigerians.
“Iwuanyanwu held many public offices. In spite of his amazing height in society and busy schedules, he devotes quality time in service to Ndigbo. He has served as chairman of Ohanaeze committees on state creation, planning and strategy, polititics, and constitution drafting.”
Ohanaeze added, “The Iwuanyanwu trajectory is a veritable and inspiring tribute to virtues of hard work, ingenuity, philanthropy and mentorship to the people. When his people needed his services most, he volunteered to serve as a Biafran soldier, rising to the rank of a captain at a very young age.
“Apart from his gallantry and exploits in the theatre of war, he was among the engineers that invented the multi-purpose Biafran bomb, called the Ogbunigwe.”
The president general of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Ambassador Professor George Obiozor, in the statement, expressed gratitude to God for the ‘gift of a Titan such as Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu’, describing him as ‘a man of enviable qualities and one of the few men that command both respect and influence across Africa and beyond’.
According to the statement, “It is in recognition of the invaluable contributions of this exceptional Igbo prodigy that on Sunday, August 28, 2022, all the state presidents, women and youth leaders of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the clergy and indeed all sons and daughters of Igbo land, both at home and in the diaspora, are enjoined to commit the Igbo in Nigerian project in the hands of God while also thanking providence for the gift of illustrious sons and daughters such as Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu.”
