My professional colleague and friend, Emma Agu, two years ago wrote a compelling tribute to Chief Dr Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu on the event of his 80th anniversary.
I can’t, therefore think of a better starting point for my obituary to this giant of our time than to quote Mr Agu’s tribute. He wrote: “As you read this piece, Owerri, the Imo state capital, would be bristling with activities. Not only Owerri. Indeed, the reason for this celebratory mood is a man of many parts, a man for all seasons, a national icon who has left indelible footprints on the sands of time. Thus, as the Muslim faithful gather for the traditional Jumaat this Friday, just as their Christian counterparts had done last Sunday, prayers will be offered to God, in thanksgiving for the life of a man whose 80 years on earth rings like a fairy tale.”
I first met Chief Iwuanyanwu in 1987 when I arrived Enugu to be the Editor of the New Outlook Newspapers. We flew in the same aircraft from Lagos to Enugu. On arriving our destination, I introduced myself to him. He welcomed me, as we exchanged telephone contacts. He revealed to me that he is a family friend of my Publisher, Dr Arthur Nwankwo, and was a course mate of Nwamko’s younger brother, Victor Nwankwo. Dr Nwankwo was the publisher of the Fourth Dimension Publishers, once arguably the largest publishing company in Nigeria.
Our paths continued to cross, especially during the transition programme of the General Ibrahim Babangida regime. When he was to set up the Champion Newspapers, we shared ideas regularly, especially on the logic of locating the paper in Lagos.
Chief Iwuanyanwu was an advocate of the potency of the North-East political alliance, as a stable peg for Nigeria’s democracy. As a political associate of Dr Alex Ekwueme, vice president to Alhaji Shehu Shagari, he believed that the road to the Igbo presidency passes through the North. Iwuanyanwu was not alone in this belief. Most Ndigbo political leaders and thinkers at some time believed in that maxim.
Chief Iwuanyanwu came to the leadership of Ohaneze Ndigbo at one of the most difficult times in Igbo history. The absence of leadership hegemony and consensus, coupled with the Nnamdi Kalu/Biafran issue has made it difficult for any leader of the Socio-cultural association to succeed. Yet he did his best to navigate the complex issues in the relationship between the Igbos in Lagos and the Lagos State government, especially following the 2023 general elections.
He also had to navigate the complex and challenging dynamics of the Obedient Movement and the role of Peter Obi in the politics of the country.
Iwuanyanwu’s legacy as an igbo leader will remain cherished in the history of Nigerian politics. He was a political leader who was selfless and patriotic. He was a major Nigerian industrialist, publisher and community leader who loved his country and dedicated his life to salvaging it. He believed in the unity of the country and the desire for the people of the Eastern region to realize their manifest destiny within the Nigerian family.
Chief Nwanyanwu’s diplomacy, political sagacity and coolheadedness that had for years enriched national leadership in Nigeria may have gone with his demise at the ripe age of 82. But his legacy will live on forever. May his soul rest in peace, amen.
Abdullahi Yelwa is a veteran journalist and media entrepreneur. He writes from Abuja.
