Iwuanyanwu: Life and times of remarkable statesman

It was Williams Shakespeare, the foremost British author and poet who in one of his works stated as follows: “Some are born great; some achieve greatness; and some have greatness thrust upon them”. The late immediate past President General of Ohaneze Ndigbo World Wide, Engr. Chief Dr. Emmanuel Chukwuemeka Iwuanyanwu was not born with any proverbial silver spoon in his mouth. Rather, he has through the dint of hard work, diligence and perseverance achieved enormous greatness in his life.

Iwuanyanwu was born in the rural village of Atta in the present Ikeduru Local Government Area of Imo State on 4th September, 1942 to the humble family of Pa Bernard Iwuanyanwu and Madam Hulder Iwuanyanwu, both of blessed memory. Though from a modest home, Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu emerged as a statesman, politician, business tycoon and public philanthropist to be reckoned with in Nigeria and beyond.

He had his early education in Port Harcourt, Rivers State and Onitsha in Anambra State.

In 1960, Iwuanyanwu along with a select brilliant few, were offered admission into the then Federal School of Science, Lagos, where he studied Pure and Applied Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry. In 1963, he gained admission into the University of Nigeria, Nsukka where he studied Civil Engineering. As a result of his sheer brilliance and notable academic feats while in his early years in the University, he was awarded the prestigious German Academic Exchange Scholarship covering fees, boarding, holiday tickets and feeding promptly facilitated by the Federal Republic of Germany. It is instructive to note that this award was for a few talented students of African descent.

His education at the University was disrupted by the Nigeria-Biafra civil war of 1967-1970. He returned to Nsukka after the hostilities to complete his studies. Emerging as a graduate fresh from the ivory tower in 1971, he got engaged with the Nigerian Construction and Furniture Company Limited, Enugu where he served as a Pupil Engineer. In 1976, Iwuanyanwu began to work with two Americans, Messrs Harper and Delano. The trio started a construction company whose name, Hardel, was coined from the names of the two foreigners.

Iwuanyanwu later acquired the company from them and renamed it Hardel and Enic Construction Company.

His business grew into a conglomerate of over 20 companies, including Enic Advertising Ltd; Magil Industries Ltd; National Post Newspapers; Sunrise Insurers Broker; Oriental Shipping Lines Ltd; Paradise City Hotel, Calabar; Champion Newspapers Ltd; and Oriental Airlines.

Ever since, Iwuanyanwu has not looked back. He continued to conquer and dominate the political and economic space of Nigeria through his innumerable contributions to the development of the nation.

He invested in many sectors of the economy, including sports where he made a name through his football club, Iwuanyanwu Nationale. The club, for many years, dominated the soccer scene in Nigeria and Africa, and brought home many laurels in the process.

In politics, he was very versatile. He helped in building many bridges of political understanding and unity across ethnic and religious divides. Following the massive economic successes he recorded in business and enterprise, he launched into national politics in the Third Republic when the then Military President, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida lifted the ban on partisan politics. He participated in the formation of many political associations on whose platforms he sought severally to become the President of Nigeria.

Some of those political associations included the Nigerian National Congress (NNC), National Congress of Nigeria (NCN), United Nigeria Congress (UNC), United Nigeria Congress Party (UNCP), National Congress (NC), United Nigerian Peoples Party (UNPP), All Peoples Party (APP), and All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP). When the political associations were denied registration under Babangida, he along with his associates, including Adamu Ciroma, Umaru Shinkafi, Ogbonnaya Onu joined the National Republican Convention (NRC) which was one of the two parties set up and funded by the government.

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In the Fourth Republic, Iwuanyanwu and his group formed the APP which later metamorphosed into ANPP. Having lost the presidential ticket of the party as a result of intrigues, he later left the party and joined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) where he remained the oldest Member of the Board of Trustees until his death in July this year.

In the course of his political career, he was able to forge close ties with all sections of Nigeria. He continued to champion national unity based on equity and fairness to every section of the country, particularly the politically marginalised Southeast zone. Until his death, he was a voice of reason and moderation in the polity.

He held many federal positions too numerous to mention. They include the pioneer Chairman of both Raw Material Research and Development Council (RMRDC) and Nigerian Investments Promotion Council (NIPC); Chairman of Federal Roads Emergency Agency (FERMA); founding Chairman, Nigerian National Lottery; Chairman, National Productivity Merit Award; Chairman, National Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi, Lagos; Chairman, National Sports Development Fund.

Iwuanyanwu, until his death, was a well-respected statesman who used his God-given resources to serve the nation. His voice was a stabilising influence in the country especially in the South East where he held sway as the President General of Ohaneze Ndigbo until he breathed his last. He would be sorely missed by the nation.

Ogundele, a Public Affairs Analyst, writes from Akure, Ondo State.