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Igwe of Onitsha: The most revered monarch in Igboland

The Igwe of Onitsha aka Obi of Onitsha is His Majesty Igwe Nnaemeka Alfred Ugochukwu Achebe (Agbogidi). He represents the people of Onitsha both at the state and federal levels. He assumed this position on the third of June, 2002.

Biography

He was born on May 14, 1941 to the family of Akunne Anthony Chinweuba and Chukwuebuka Winifred Ogbenyeanu Achebe of Ezearoli in Chimedia lineage, Onitsha, Anambra state of Nigeria. He is the first child of the family and his mother is from Umu Olisa in Odoje.

Education

His Majesty Igwe Nnaemeka Alfred Ugochukwu Achebe, had his primary school in the eastern part of Nigeria and secondary education in Government Secondary School, Owerri before he gained admission in 1963 to study Chemistry at Stanford University, California, United States of America. He proceeded to Columbia University New York in the United States for his Master’s Degree in Business Administration.

Support for igbo

His Majesty Igwe Nnaemeka Alfred Ugochukwu Achebe is such that supports and have the interest of his people – Igbo. He encouraged the Igbos to return home and develop their own instead of building mansions in another man’s land.

He had urged south easterners to embrace freedom and clamouring for a 50-year development plan to create ample opportunities for our youths to rise.

He had called on the federal government to ensure that Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), which is the second federal university in the east after the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN), keeps on excelling in character, research, and learning.

In diverse ways, he has demonstrated his love and support for the Igbo people and is still doing so.

Family

He is married to Chinwe Ngozi (maiden name, Ononye) and the union is blessed with six (6) children; four daughters and two sons. His children are Ezennia Odiakosa, Chinedu, Eziamaka, lfunanya, Uchenna and Chinwe. His wife hails from Umu Osodi, Inosi Onira of Ogbeabu.

Profession

He worked a bit in the United States and 1972 he came down to Nigeria and picked a job with Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria. For a good 30 years, he worked in different cadres and occupied positions like Human Resources, External Relations, General Manager, Operations, and international Representation/Reputation Management.

He was later nominated among the first set of Senior Executive Course of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies. This program was geared at developing high-level leadership in the public and private sectors in Nigeria in 1979.

At retirement in 1996, when he turned 55 years old, Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria refused to let him go and had a special agreement with him to be servicing them with his expertise in the industry. He was eventually transferred to Shell International, London as Senior Corporate Adviser, for Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria. He continued in this stead until he emerged as the Obi of Onitsha.

Igwe of Onitsha served as the Chairman of the following organizations:

  • Diamond Bank Plc.
  • Board of Directors of Unilever Nigeria
  • International Breweries, Nigeria