No individual did more for the Igbo after the genocidal Civil War than Ajie Ukpabi Asika, a First Class Economist produced by the University of Ibadan, who was appointed Administrator of East Central State in 1967. Strangely, those who should praise him only remember that he did not support Biafra.

Asika and his wife, Chinyere, returned from the United States with chains of University of California Los Angeles degrees and settled down to work at the University of Ibadan. By 1966, they had moved to Tanzania and later Zambia.

It took another Economist, Dr. Adebayo Adedeji, to recommend Ajie to Gowon through Col. Olu Obasanjo. He was the only civilian among the twelve new governors. Had Gowon appointed a Federal officer to administer the East, perhaps everything Biafra would have been completely destroyed.

Asika behaved like a statesman. He welcomed and rehabilitated all those that were on the Biafran side and put their ingenuity to good use. Those who fuelled inventions through Research And Production (RAP) got a new agency, PRODA, headed by one of the brains behind Ogbunigwe, Gordian Ezekwe.

The ECS cabinet had an array of achievers, carefully selected. There was Ukwu I. Ukwu, with PhD, Cantab. Samuel Ikoku, Economist, politician and University lecturer, Charles Abangwu, former Deputy Speaker, Eastern Region House of Assembly, Magnus Adiele, another University teacher and Dan Ibekwe, lawyer, former Federal minister, also made it.

Flora Nwapa, novelist and University administrator, joined Philip Nnaemeka Agu, a lawyer, Martin Elechi a former District Officer (DO), Dan Njemanze, another lawyer, Osita Okeke, Zackhaeus   Dibiaezue, and Anthony Ofo – Mogboh, to move the new state to greater heights. They were supported by Chu Okongwu, Vincent Aniago and Innocent Nwoga, among others.

What many did not know was that before the war ended, Asika moved swiftly to secure Igbo investments across the nation. He was successful in the West, in Kano, in Ilorin but Port Harcourt gave him so much headache. Rivers State governor, Alfred Diette – Spiff, hardened his heart and supported what became known as ,’Abandoned Property’.

It was sad that Spiff who attended St. Joseph’s College, Sasse Buea, Western Cameroon, did not consider men like Prof.Theodore Okeahialam and his brother Heron, who also passed out from the same school, before him.

Heron was the Engineer behind Radio Biafra who made the world believe that the studio was in Enugu all through the war. Fact is, he moved the station round. At a time, signals came from a palm tree in Otulu, Ahiara, Mbaise. Prof. Okeahialam did not only head the Biafran Hospital and Rehabilitation Centre in Libreviile, Gabon, he also pioneered inventions.

Biafran doctors produced Kwashiorkor Mixture for malnourished children, a formula later adopted by the World Health Organisation. F. Udekwu and David Nwafor used fresh coconut as intravenous fluids to treat wounded soldiers. Nelly Obiayo separated Siamese twins. Humphrey Anyanwu did well with surgery.

In 1974, Anyanwu and Nwafor had jobs at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH) Enugu. They performed two major heart surgeries with Egyptian turned Briton, Bagdi Yacoub.

Asika did not like the unforgiving spirit of Spiff. The Amanyanabo of Bonny, William Dappa Pepple, was exiled for following Gen. Emeka Ojukwu to one of the Peace Meetings in Addis Ababa, in 1968. The king lived in Enugu. Ojukwu was worried but relief came when Asika found a place for Pepple in Aba, nearer home. He died there in 1972. Today, his son, Asimini Dappa People III, sits on the throne as Perekule XI, Amanyanabo of Bonny.

Asika had the most efficient Civil Service in the country, that applied IBM computers through the Eastern Data Processing Centre, manned by Dr. Ofia Nwali and supervised by Ukwu I. Ukwu. Scholarships to Europe, America and other parts of Nigeria were awarded and handled perfectly.  

In Sports, Asika was excellent. Enugu Rangers remain the first Nigerian team to become double champions. This was achieved in 1974. That foundation also makes the Flying Antelopes the only club to have won the Challenge Cup, three times consecutively.

East Central State Academicals lifted the Manuwa/ Adebajo Cup in 1971. East Central State Spartans, grabbed soccer gold at the First National Sports Festival, Lagos 1973 and retained it in 1975. Rangers had won the first Nigerian league, although informally, the Amachree Cup, in 1971.

All the players and administrators of these teams were Biafran combatants. Coach Dan Anyiam was Brigade Major of the 60 Brigade that fought gallantly in Oguta. Godwin Achebe was at the Infantry School. Godwin Ogbueze was a young commando, just like Dominic Nwobodo. Patrick Ekeji moved from the Air Force to Army Signals. Emma Okala and Christian Chukwu fought as well. Nwabueze Nwankwo was tough in the Mid – West.

Today’s leaders would have distanced themselves from Biafrans who painted Asika in bad light. Ajie welcomed them with open arms and was the one who coined the phrase, No Victor, No Vanquished. He visited fellow governors, to be sure that harm did not befall returnee Ndigbo.

I got chatting recently with Obi Asika, Ajie’s son, who has continued from where his dad stopped. He said : “No Victor, No Vanquished was actually a book written by Ajie. He also negotiated General Amnesty for Biafran soldiers and kept almost everyone out of prison. There is a road named after him in Kano and another in Ilorin, for his work of rehabilitating Ndigbo, securing their property and giving them a way back. I celebrate him everyday.”

Prof. Ken Post who once taught at the University of Ibadan, told Kanayo Esinulo, one of Ojukwu’s aides, that Asika was, “one of the most brilliant students I ever taught in all my teaching career.” Ajie founded the ECS Writers Workshop and loved Arts and Entertainment. At the first National Festival of Arts and Culture his state emerged tops. Nkpokiti dancers were also spectacular globally.

Born in Barkin Ladi and moulded at St. Patrick’s College Calabar and Edo College, Benin, the Umuezearoli, Onitsha man explored the world and brought his experience home. Asika married Chinyere,whose dad was the great Public Servant, Nathan Ejiogu of Egbu,   Owerri ( her sister, Kema Chikwe, became Federal minister). South – East governors need to be schooled about what Ajie Anthony Ukpabi Asika did for the Region