By Dapo Olaosebikan
On Tuesday, November 20, 2018, His Excellency, Okwadike (Dr) Pius Chukwuemeka Ezeife was 80!Of course, 80 years is a milestone for any man (or woman) born of a woman anywhere on God’s Planet Earth. But, for Okwadike Ezeife, it was more than a milestone. The reason for this assertion being his impactful existential odysseys as man, a leader of unparalleled all-round ideas, ideals, father of one, progressive Nigeria and quintessential Pan-Africanist.
As his close associate for a quarter of a century, it was almost impossible for this author to put up a short treatise of less than two thousand words on Okwadike Ezeife, the enigma and often misunderstood hero of one indivisible-super-power Nigeria, as he journeys back to his creator. Notwithstanding, no space or words are too short to edify or even deify this Octogenarian, an unusual politician and national leader always standing unbendable, on the part of truth, oneness of Nigerians and Africans of all creeds, colours and geographical habitations.
A man of incredible humility in spite of the heights he has achieved in life and strides in Nigeria’s socio-political space, this author’s first physical encounter with him was immediately after the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election in his old office at Number 134, Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, Lagos. I was in his office as a staffer of Vanguard newspaper to talk to him on the controversial annulment of the election. And, before we could even end the media interview during which he taught me the power in being patient in handling life’s challenges, I had become his ‘son’ and remained till he died.
I will like to stress that since my historic encounter, Okwadike Ezeife had put me under his spell because of his sterling qualities. A man of character, no one comes in contact with Dr. Ezeife without being infested with his patent attributes of high-level intellectualism, uncommon uprightness, ingenious mental alertness, loathsomeness for inequalities of all genres, passionate fervour for a super-power and indivisible Nigeria and an undying zeal to see Africa regain its eroded, corroded and almost lost glory as mother and cradle of all creations as well as the civilizer of humanity!
A newsmen’s delight, Okwadike Ezeife was the quintessential newsmaker any day, anywhere – he’s undeniably a working and moving encyclopedia of socio-political cum economic developments in Nigeria, Africa and globally. How he did this largely remained a puzzle though he maintained that he read all kinds of books including those on different religious faiths, fiction, history and autobiographies. Though a Christian, he even read the Qur’an about four times!
To the workaholic Okwadike Ezeife, knowledge denominated all things. Little wonder, he was always eager to acquire and share it with passion. Sometime ago, I was in his Asokoro office in Abuja and I had hardly settled down to exchange pleasantries with the Icon when he asked his secretary to bring me some sheets of paper and he began to dictate his thoughts on the black-man’s burden, which he had expressed over the years, particularly in his book, Remaking Nigeria With Progressivism.
“The black world is a disgrace to humanity because of its complacency at accepting its status as the foot-mat of the world and inability to rediscover its prime place in creation because everyone created by God was black until the time of Noah,” he dictated.
And he continued: “In today’s world our continent is regarded as the Third World and we have criminally accepted this ungodly categorization in a world which has been unjustly created by Euro-American racial bigotry. Sadly, too, the Chinese are currently doing worse than Europe and America in colonial prejudice, virtually re-colonising black men in their own continent under the guise of bilateral or multilateral trade agreements, technology transfer and foreign aids. Zambia, etc. typify this fact.”
His conclusion after the long dictation was that it was high time we got every black man thinking about his capability and capacity as first creature, and, special specie of God’s creation to reclaim his lost paradise and move to his ordained destiny of leading the world and re-civilize humanity.
In a similar breath, Okwadike Ezeife never got tired of proselytizing the potential super-power status of his dear Nigeria in the world affairs. His undying fevour in this regard was effectuated by the fact that one in every four black men on earth is a Nigerian. This reality is further catalyzed by the obviously limitless abundance of human and material resources favourably crated by God and deposited in the Nigerian geographical and social space.
An ardent believer in God Almighty and freedom of religion and one of the most detribalized Nigerian leaders of all time, Okwadike Ezeife was also a proud Igbo leader. He abhorred any form of injustice to the Igbo just as he did to other groups or ethnic constellations in Nigeria, Africa and in the world.
Okwadike Ezeife was born at Igbo-Ukwu, Anambra State, on November 20, 1939. He did not have formal secondary education but taught himself through correspondence courses and qualified for university admission. He bagged a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics at the University College, Ibadan (now University of Ibadan). He later attended Harvard University on a Rockefeller Foundation scholarship where he obtained a Masters and then PhD degree in 1972.
Subsequently, he became a school headmaster, a lecturer at Makerere University College, Kampala, Uganda, a Teaching Fellow at Harvard University, and a Consultant with Arthur D. Little in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Dr. Ezeife joined the Nigerian Civil Service as an Administrative Officer and rose to the position of Permanent Secretary.
He was elected first Governor of Anambra State on the Social Democratic Party (SDP) platform and was in office from January 2, 1992 to November 17, 1993 when General Sani Abacha took power from the Interim Government of Chief Ernest Shonekan.
As governor of old Anambra State, he transferred the Nnamdi Azikiwe University and Federal Polytechnic, Oko to the Federal Government which helped ensure that they survived in the ensuing military regime. He was appointed Presidential Adviser on Political Matters to Chief Olusegun Obasanjo during his tenure as Nigeria’s president.
In appreciation of his immense contribution to Nigeria and humanity generally on his 80th birthday, President Muhammadu Buhari joined family, friends and political associates of the renowned politician in celebrating the milestone, which he said had been lined with many notable achievements, both at state and national levels.
President Buhari also stated that he believed the former governor’s investments in human capital and laying of a foundation for a vibrant economy in Anambra State, will be remembered and cherished by posterity.
Above all, Okwadike Ezeife, the Garkuwan Fika and Akintolugboye of Egbaland, loved to enjoy life generally. To him, life should be lived permanently in pursuant of knowledge, perfection and happiness of the greatest number.
May his great soul rest in peace.
Olaosebikan (dapolash@yahoo.com), veteran journalist and associate of Okwadike (Dr) Chukwuemeka Ezeife for a quarter of a century, wrote from Abuja.