My father was a man of many parts – iwuanyanwu’s son

Jide Iwuanyanwu, the first son of the late Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, who passed on Thursday morning, has described his father as a man of many parts.

Jide disclosed this in a statement containing a brief biography of the President-General of the Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide.

In the statement made available to reporters in Owerri, he described the deceased as “a renowned Nigerian businessman, politician, and traditional leader”.

He stated: “Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu was born on 4 September 1942, in Umunakanu, Ehime Mbano Local Government Area of Imo State.

“He hails from a humble background and is the first child of his parents.

“He attended St. Patrick’s Primary School, Umunakanu, and later proceeded to St. Peter’s Secondary School, Umuguma.

“He furthered his education at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, where he graduated with a degree in Economics.”

Jide further stated that the late Igbo leader started his business career as a trader in the 1960s.

According to him, Iwuanyanwu ventured into various sectors, including construction, manufacturing and publishing.

“He is the founder and chairman of Champion Newspapers Limited, publishers of Champion newspapers.

“He also owns other businesses, including construction companies, manufacturing firms and real estate investments,” Jide added.

He explained that Iwuanyanwu joined active politics in the 1980s and was a member of the defunct National Party of Nigeria and later joined the Peoples Democratic Party.

“He has held various political positions, including being a member of the state House of Assembly (1983-1985), Commissioner for Works and Housing (1985-1987),” he stated.

He further stated that Iwuanyanwu contested for the Imo East Senatorial District in 1992.

Jide also described his father as “a respected traditional leader in Igboland,” who was conferred with several chieftaincy titles, including Eze Udo 1 of Umunakanu and Ochiagha Ndigbo, amongst others.

He said he received numerous awards and honours for “his contributions to business, politics, and traditional leadership”.

He listed some of his awards, including Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic and Honorary Doctorate Degree in Business Administration from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Honorary Doctorate Degree in Law from the Imo State University.

He added that the deceased was a devout Catholic who engaged in philanthropic activities.

Jide said that Iwuanyanwu died at 82, following a “brief illness”, and is survived by his wife, Frances, and grandchildren.

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He said the family would announce the date of his burial after consultation.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Iwuanyanwu indicated his aspiration to vie for the president of Nigeria on the platform of the United Nigeria Congress Party in 1997.

He succeeded the late President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, George Obiozor, who died in December 2022.

(NAN)