By Emeka Nwosu, PhD.

The late Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu was one leader with impressive nationalist credentials who till death still stood firmly for his people at the grassroots. He never allowed his activities and exploits at the national and international levels to stand between him and his commitment to promote and defend the cause of Ndigbo in Nigeria. Throughout his illustrious career as a business magnate, entrepreneur, politician and statesman, he did not for once shy away from making himself, his resources and time available in the service of the Igbo nation. He had always been resolute in matters concerning his people.

At quite early in his life, he knew the odds and challenges which his Igbo kinsmen face in Nigeria where official and unofficial policies are targeted at stunting their economic and political growth. He saw and experienced Igbo marginalization and persecution in a country the Igbo played a leading role in liberating from British political domination.

Iwuanyanwu as a student of Engineering at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) enlisted in the Biafran army at the outbreak of the Civil War in 1967 to fight in defence of his people who were being besieged by Federal forces from all fronts. As a young Captain, he fought to protect his people from total annihilation by federal forces that were backed by major military powers in the world. That was a highly patriotic duty to Ndigbo at their greatest hour of need.

It is also on record that young Engineer Iwuanyanwu was part and parcel of the Biafran Research and Production Unit that produced the deadly “Ogbunigwe rocket”- a weapon of mass destruction which Biafra deployed during the war to fight off the federal invasion. There is no doubt that those efforts went a long way in halting the advance of the more and better equipped federal troops and preventing them from overrunning the entire enclave of Biafra early in the war.

Shortly after the war, Iwuanyanwu was again on duty for the Igbo nation. His engineering construction company, Hardel and Enic, was involved in the reconstruction of war-damaged infrastructure in the former enclave of Biafra. The company won several contracts in the old Imo and Anambra States led by Chiefs Sam Onunaka Mbakwe and Jim Ifeanyichukwu Nwobodo, respectively.

The company built new roads and bridges and also reconstructed several road infrastructure that were destroyed during hostilities. The company provided employment for thousands of Nigerians, especially those emerging from the war zone.

He established the Iwuanyanwu Foundation through which countless scholarships and grants were awarded to many Igbo students and others from indigent homes. So, across Igboland and many parts of Nigeria, many families owe their sustenance to the benevolence of the late icon.

Iwuanyanwu was part of the formation of Ohaneze Ndigbo-the umbrella socio-cultural organization which was put together in the aftermath of the war for the advancement of the interests of the Igbo in the Nigerian Federation. For a very long time, he served as the Chair, Political Committee of Ohaneze. That position gave him the opportunity to champion the political development of the Igbo nation.

Given his valued contributions to the socio-political and economic development of Ala Igbo, he was made the Chair, Elders` Council of Ohaneze. In that capacity, he was able to engage all the key stakeholders in Igbo land, including the elected Governors and provided advisory services on the way forward for the Igbo ethnic nationality. He was also at different times the Chairman of the Ohaneze Committee on Strategy and Planning; and Ohaneze Committee on State Creation.

The icing on the cake was his election as the Presidential General of Ohaneze on 20th April, 2023 to replace the former incumbent, Professor George Obiozor, following his demise in December 2022. As the President General of Ohaneze Ndigbo Worldwide, he was very vocal on issues concerning the progress of the Igbo in Nigeria. He was uncompromising in his relentless demand for equity and fair deal for the Igbo in the Nigerian Federation. He was resolute in his campaign for a Nigerian President of Igbo extraction and parity of States in the geo-political zones of Nigeria.

Iwuanyanwu was one of the Igbo leaders that led Igbo delegates to the 2005 National Political Reforms Conference instituted by the then President Olusegun Obasanjo to give Nigeria a new federal constitution. He along with the former Secretary General of the Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, provided leadership and direction to the Igbo delegation to the conference. He was very vocal in the demand for an additional State in the South East to bring the zone at par with other geo-political zones in the country. That demand was granted. But for the tenure elongation plot of the Obasanjo administration which led to the jettisoning of the entire confab report by the National Assembly, the 6th State in South East would have been a reality.

Iwuanyanwu played his roles for Ndigbo very well. He cannot be forgotten in a hurry. As he translates to a higher realm, we pray God to grant his soul eternal repose.

Dr. Nwosu is a Member of the Media Sub-Committee for the Burial of Chief Iwuanyanwu.
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