… As he mounts the stool of his forefathers 

As the  gong  of drums and  beats  sound very  loudly ahead of the  coronation celebration of His Royal Majesty, Eze David Nnawuihe Onu Egwunwoke,  the Akwakuma  Community and her people are in a celebration mood as their  revered traditional ruler—Eze Onu Egwunwoke the second, Eze Udo lll of Akwakuma Ancient Kingdom,  members of the Eze- in- council, Ndioha Akwakuma, and the entire Akwakuma Uratta joyfully invite family, friends, Imo royal fathers, political leaders, industrialists, numerous well wishers, including illustrious sons and daughters of the community  to  a grand reception of the King’s coronation ceremony on Saturday, December 20th,  2025,  followed by  a  thanksgiving mass at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church , Akwakuma, Uratta — Owerri North LGA, Imo State — on Sunday, December 21th, 2025.

A highly anticipated watershed  event  which shall feature prominently a display of cultural dance truope, parade, music,  masquerade, and exchange of cultural diplomacy as the well groomed, educated, polished, and humane  traditional ruler with the wisdom of King Solomon— Eze David Nnawuihe Onu Egwunwoke — presides  over a royal stool  defined by ancestral legacy, legitimacy, leadership, and the promise of a  reign poised to reassert Akwakuma – Uratta’s pride of place in the cultural cartography of Imo state,  and across the Southeastern Nigeria. 

Born on 25th January, 1973 , at  St. Joseph  Hospital, Owerri , Eze David  Onu Egwunwoke came  from  a royal  lineage already etched into the annals of traditional leadership. He is the son of the late  His Royal Majesty Eze (Dr.)   Sylvester Onumaraekwu  Egwunwoke (MON),(CFR),  (Ezeoha l of Ihittaoha  Uratta) of blessed memory; a former Chairman of the Imo State Council of Traditional Rulers between 1991- 1999; a  fomer Chancellor of the University of Jos between 1988- 1993; a member of the 1994 National Constitutional Conference; a former Chairman of the Elders  Forum of Ohanaze Ndi- Igbo; a fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Management.  A critical stakeholder at the Nigerian Port Authority (NPA), and major investor at the Nigerian Tobbacco Company.

A  highly revered traditional ruler who confered chieftaincy title on the late Igbo leader, Dim Odiemegwu Chukwuemeka Ojukwu  at his palace in Akwakuma, and also played host to a number of  fomer Nigerian Heads of State and Imo Military  Administrators and civilian governors;  including the late  Navy Captain Alison Madueke, late Chief Evan Enwerem, late  Col. Tanko Zubiru,  as his magnificent royal palace built in 1985 was officially commisioned by the then Military Governor of  Imo State, Brigadier – General Ike Nwachukwu. A successful industrialist,  traditional colossus and iconoclastic  leader who was confered with a prestigious national honour of Member of the Order of the Niger (MON) by President Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (GCFR),  and Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR) by the late Military Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha (GCFR).

Graciously, wife of the late legendary Eze (Dr.)  Onumaraekwu Egwunwoke (Ezeudo l of Akwakuma Autonomous Community) and beloved mother of Eze David Nnawuihe Onu Egwunwoke —  Ugoeze  Nne Eze Grace Chizomam Onu Egwunwoke in her 82 years , is still  hearty and bouncing,  living her best  life in the United States of America. An amazon of a woman and matriarch of the Onu Egwunwoke Dynasty,  hailed from Amawom Owerri Nchi Ise—Municipality.

The above shows a  royal heritage whose moral gravitas had earlier found true expression in selfless  community  services, ancestral legacy, and time tested leadership. And this also explained reasons the  birth of the young King David Nnawuihe Onu Egwunwoke was received with uncommon joy,  pomp and pageantry, signifying ancestry, cultural reform, leadership alignment, and the careful grooming of a prospect who would later ascend the ancestral stool of his forefathers as a custodian of the tradition and culture of Akwakuma – Uratta ancient kingdom.

The intellectual disposition and leadership composition of His Royal Majesty, Eze David Onu Egwunwoke  reflects discipline, probity, and  forthrightness, one who had already carved a pathway for his life’s journey while learning the leadership ropes from his late father— HRM Eze (Dr.)  Sylvester Onumaraekwu Egwunwoke (Eze Udo l of Akwakuma Ancient Kingdom).

Armed with a Bs.c  in Political Science from the  University of Jos in 1996 and upon completion of his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), the future monarch  undertook a formative apprenticeship in private enterprises under his father’s business tutelage; with interest spanning: automobiles, agro- based products, oil and gas , and community services— gaining early  exposure to commerce, negotiation, and people – centered leadership across Nigeria and beyond. A brief professional sojourn overseas not just for a greener pasture but to further broaden his worldview , sharpening his grasp of enterprise in a globalized economy.

Upon arrival , he made a deliberate choice to anchor his business  pursuits back home , building a flourishing venture in Agro and Allied products, a sector very vital to food security and community development. His corporate business  exploits and impact culminated to  his appointment as Land Manager, Zuma Energy, a subsidiary of the ETA Zuma Group of Companies, a multinational conglomerate. This synthesis of corporate sophistication and cultural rootedness have come to define his leadership style, modern in outlook, principled in execution, and respectful of tradition where a  traditional ruler also serves as  a channel of blessings to his subjects, Njoku Macdonald Obinna , Publisher of 4th Estate Reporters , insightfully submitted.

As  destiny beckoned , on August 2nd,  2022, the will of  Akwakuma Uratta people found unmistakable expression when he was unreservedly and unanimously crowned Eze Udo III of Akwakuma Autonomous Community after the demise of HRH Eze Engr.  Charles Osuji (Eze Udo ll of Akwakuma Autonomous Community) on January,  2019 . Endowed with administrative acumen, sagacity, and a quiet but firm vision for communal welfare, his ascension was widely interpreted as a beautiful continuation of the leadership legacy of cultural reforms and  community development  as exemplified by his late father — HRM Eze (Dr.) Sylvester Onumaraekwu  Egwunwoke (MON),  (CFR),  (Ezeudo l of Akwakuma- Uratta Autonomous Community) .

Eze David Nnawuihe Onu Egwunwoke is a  traditional ruler of repute; a man of peace and order. A leader from whose heart flows with the milk of human kindness. A chip from the old block. The collective sentiments in the public space and  Akwakuma community is that; his  ezeship stool  is one predestined before  his birth, ordained by God, shaped by history,  and affirmed by the people— a true tastement to   a man who was  besiged by his  people to lead them,  and not one who imposed himself to lead.

Beyond the throne, the royal family is a good example of love, unity,  stability,  and grace. Eze David Nnawuihe Onu Egwunwoke  is happily married to his peace of mind —Ugoeze Ogechi Lillian Onu Egwunwoke (née Ezeani) of Urualla, Ideato North Local Government Area of Imo State— a consort whose poise, compassion, and maternal warmth have endeared her to many. Their union is blessed with four children, a living testament to continuity and the future of the royal lineage.

As preparations advance for the forthcoming coronation celebration, expectations are high that the event will transcend pageantry to become a cultural convocation, reuniting sons and daughters of Uratta, reaffirming ancestral bonds, and projecting a vision of traditional leadership attuned to contemporary realities. In an era when traditional institutions are increasingly called upon to serve as bridges between heritage and modern governance, the reign of Eze Udo III offers a platform for unity, progress, and dignified cultural diplomacy.