A group of prominent Igbo business leaders and influential personalities under the auspices of the Umunna Lekki Association has described as painful the death of Prof. George Obiozor whose news of passing was received with great shock. It will be recalled that the death of the president-general of the apex pan Igbo social-cultural organization, Ohaneze Ndigbo, ambassador professor George Obiozor was made public on Wednesday 28 December 2022.

Prof Obiozor was the 10th President-general of Ohaneze Ndigbo

In a statement released by the president of the Umunna Lekki Association, Ikem Ume-Ezeoke, the group described Prof. Obiozor as the epitome of hard work and a worthy ambassador and protector of Igbo collective interest who did his best as president-general of Ohaneze. It noted that the demise of such a great man at this time is a huge loss to Ndigbo seeing how committed Prof. Obiozor was in the quest to promote the interest and propagate the well-being of Ndigbo.

It noted also that the death of Professor Obiozor is a huge and painful loss to Nigeria as a whole having such a man of great value to Nigeria’s quest for unity pass on at this crucial point in our nation’s history.

The group said the late Prof. Obiozor was a bridge builder, a trailblazer, an astute diplomat, and an undeniable patriot who loved Nigeria exceedingly and who was not absent from the overall dialogue regarding the needed progress of the nation, even as he was committed to the promotion of the Igbo worldview in matters of national concern.

It reads in part “we commiserate with the family of Prof Obiozor and the Igbo nation on his demise. We also call on Ohaneze to rally around to elect a good leader to continue to build bridges once again and bring Ndigbo together in one united and indivisible platform for a better Nigeria.

“Ndigbo remains the foremost group who unites and invests in every part of this country and we don’t intend to stop. We will continue to preach peace and encourage our brothers from every other ethnic group to invest in every part of Nigeria too. This will help in binding and heal all parts of Nigeria faster.

“Cohesiveness is what we need in every fiber of our being as Nigerians to build a great nation and a new leadership of Ohaneze Ndigbo would channel its energy in building this but first and foremost they should unite stronger under a new leadership they may elect to continue on the vision for which the group was created which is to unite Ndigbo,” it said.

The group also commended strongly the Afenifere and Arewa group for being upright in speaking out when the need arises. It stated that ethnic groups are not meant to be ethnic alone but frontal in promoting peace and a sense of inclusiveness across all group’s ethnic or regional interests.

The statement assured that Umunna Lekki will continue to preserve the memory of Prof. Obiozor in its quest to actualize the much-needed peace and progress desirable in the southeast as much as across the six geopolitical regions of Nigeria.

Prof. Obiozor was the former director general of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs. He was also High Commissioner to Cyprus, Nigerian Ambassador to Israel, and later ambassador to the United States.

He was elected president general of Ohaneze Ndigbo on 9 January 2021.