By Cosmas Omegoh
Last Wednesday, the news filtered out that frontline businessman, Chief Dr Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, has emerged the new President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide.
Chief Iwuanyanwu will take over the reins of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation following the demise of Prof George Obiozor, who died on December 26, last year while in office as Ohanaeze PG.
Prof Obiozor was an academic, humanist cultural aficionado, and a doyen of the diplomatic community. While he reigned, he steered the Ohanaeze Ndigbo ship with such dexterity and sagacity. But with his exit, an obvious chasm formed in the ranks of the Ohanaeze.
Nearly four months after, Ohanaeze Ndigbo called for a replacement of Prof Obiozor from Imo State to provide the right leadership, wisdom and mentorship it needed.
Ohanaeze Ndigbo is an umbrella body of seven Igbo-speaking states in Nigeria: Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, Delta, Imo and Rivers.
The leadership of the group rotates among the aforementioned states. Each one takes its turn before passing on the baton.
The late Prof Obiozor mounted the saddle on January 10, 2021, when it became the turn of Imo State to lead.
For Prof Obiozor, the road to the top was not an easy one. And it came with a huge challenge, which he faced squarely.
But those who squared off against him later offered him the right support he needed to succeed. He then went on to acquaint himself well on the job. But death did not allow him to run the race to the end.
Lately, getting a new man to replace Prof Obiozor became fitting. It was gathered that since the late Obiozor did not finish his term, Imo State had to ensure that its remaining days at the peak of the pack was completed.
Earlier, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo had reminded the Imo State chapter that as a doctrine of necessity, it had to put forward a worthy replacement for Obiozor. That was how Chief Iwuanyanwu came into the mix.
It was in the light of the foregoing that some elders under the umbrella of Imo Council of Elders, led by Eze Cletus Ilomuanya gathered to project Chief Iwuanyanwu. The decision, according to a source, was consensual. Thereafter, those who came together celebrated with gratuitous backslapping and clicking of glasses. Such was the air of comradeship and conviviality that heralded the emergence of Chief Iwuanyanwu.
After the exercise, the said elders, it was learnt, proceeded on a courtesy visit to Imo Government House to present their choice of Chief Iwuanynwu to the state governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma. They appealed to him to grant their choice, describing Chief Iwuanyanwu as a “versatile, dynamic and broad-minded personality.”
Afterwards, the elders will present Chief Iwuanyanwu to the Ime-Obi, the general assembly of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, where he would be accepted and subsequently handed the reins of office.
However, it was also gathered that the group that adopted Chief Iwuanyanwu appeared to have been some men short of Imo elders of Ohanaeze Ndigbo. Not every one of the said elders was aware of the choice of Chief Iwuanyanwu, let alone his adoption, even though a source hailed his candidature, suggesting that he is a quality material.
He, however, feared that he might be slowed down by age and ill health, contending that a younger and more energetic fellow would have been preferable.
In another development, a group within Ohanaeze on Thursday, faulted the emergence of Chief Iwuanyanwu, saying it did not follow due process.
The group led by Prince Richard Ozobu said the process of Chief Iwuanyanwu’s emergence was contrary to Ohanaeze’s 2004 Constitution.
“The premise for the assumption of office is clearly written in Article 11, 12, and 13 of the Ohanaeze Constitution,” the group said in a statement, maintaining that “anything that falls short of the stipulation should be disregarded by the general public.”
The group warned that Ime-Obi would not approve of what it described as a “sham that can never stand the test of time.”
Meanwhile, an inside source sees the silhouette of Governor Uzodinmma in the Chief Iwuanyanwu’s adoption saga.
He reasoned that the move was a clear sleight of hand, adding that it represented a part of the governor’s ongoing deft move to tighten his grip on the politics of the state as he doubled down on his re-election drive later in the year.
Whichever direction the pendulum might swing, Chief Iwuanyanwu’s adoption represents a fresh feather to his already crowded cap. It adds to the many honours he had garnered before now in his long illustrious years as a politician, businessman, community leader and more.
According to a commentator, Chief Iwuanyanwu’s latest appointment comes through as a “call to duty.”
He believes when Chief Iwuanyanwu’s adoption is ratified, he would carry on his shoulders, the wishes and aspirations of a greater majority of his people who will be looking up to him to untie for them, some knots in the Nigerian social-political space.
Chief Iwuanyanwu will stand tall like a father to many Igbo who call Mother Earth either ala, ana or ali in their respective dialects. They are his constituents of some sort, who will be approaching him from time to time to share his cultural wisdom and wise cracks. Therefore, he has to ensure that he is available at all times to all that might indeed, be in need of him.
Many may reason that the late Obiozor left a big shoe for his successor to wear. But there is no forgetting that Chief Iwuanyanwu has been around for a long time, building strategic alliances across the divides. All that had seen him constructing his huge business and political empires over time.
At the right time, Chief Iwuanyanwu should strengthen the bridges he had built across lands and climes to ensure that his people leverage on them.
In a country like Nigeria, where tension and tempers easily flare following elections, electioneering, and allied matters, Chief Iwuanyanwu already has his work cut out. He has to work hard to ensure that his people and other ethnic nationalities better understand and appreciate themselves with a view to building harmony and mutual co-existence.
Born on September 4, 1942, Chief Iwuanyanwu, an engineer, 80 years old, hails from Atta, Ikeduru in Imo State.
He is fondly called Ahaejiejemba (the reliable name on a sojourn). He is also a philanthropist, publisher and big employer of labour.
