Nnewi, a city of honest billionaires

Before his demise, the late Ikemba-1 of Nnewi, Chief Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, was one of the few personalities I aspired to meet after reading about him, his life and his military career. Others include the late former director of the Institute of African Studies, Carleton University, Ottawa in Canada, Professor Pius Adesanmi; the late first post-apartheid South African president Nelson Mandela, and German sociologist and philosopher, Karl Marx.

While I rated my chances of meeting the last two very lowly, due to the fact of our differences in nationality and generational gap, I felt that Ojukwu and Adesanmi, being compatriots, would be easier to meet than them. As I was busy contemplating how and when it would happen, death struck! While Karl Marx died even before my father was born, the lack of geographical propinquity between Nigeria and South Africa made a mess of my dream of meeting the great Madiba! I could not meet Adesanmi before his untimely death because of a tight schedule at work. The only time I had the opportunity on a platter – he visited Kwara State University, Malete, on an annual basis. He was the deputy director of KWASU’s Abiola Irele School of Theory and Criticism, which runs every summer on the KWASU campus. He mobilised and taught KWASU junior to middle-level senior staff, and postgraduate students at KWASU, until his death on March 10, 2019, Ethiopian Airlines plane crash in Addis Ababa.

In Ojukwu’s case, his untimely death on November 26, 2011, before I could find my bearing in life, career-wise, put paid to that dream. That notwithstanding, I am solaced in the fact that he left behind a wife and an intellectual soul mate in Bianca Ojukwu who I hope will, one day, release his memoirs of the Nigerian civil war as he once promised – that if he was unable to release it before he died, it would be released after his death. I therefore believe Mrs. Ojukwu, or whoever has the right to, will one day make it a subject of public consumption. While waiting for the release that seems to be taking “forever”, opportunities presented themselves for me to visit Nnewi, the hometown of the “intellectual soldier”, as I fondly referred to him and I grabbed them. Meeting his town’s people, I take it as having met a part of him. Solace.

Nnewi kingdom, comprising four clans –Otolo, Uruagu, Umudim and Nnewichi– has existed since around the 15th century, according to my findings through interactions with some prominent people from the community. Each of the four clans has her own Obi (traditional ruler), with Otolo assuming paramountcy over the remaining three even though he doesn’t rule with that approach of monarchical absolutism over the kingdom. Although each of the three others has a healthy dose of autonomy over their individual jurisdictions, they defer to the “Igwe Nnewi” who is usually from the Otolo ruling house, according to one of the members of the Igwe-in-Council with whom interacted.

I had visited Nnewi a couple of times before now and on each of those occasions, my experiences were nothing less than memorable but this latest one stood out. It was an occasion celebrating many things (landmarks) at once – the Afiaolu/Iriji (new yam) festival, along with the 60th anniversary of the Igwe on the throne of his ancestors as a sort of prelude to his 98th birthday celebration later in the year.

As a member of the Office of Nigeria’s Pillar of Sports (ONPS), I was deeply involved in the organisation of a football completion ‘Igwe Orizu Diamond Under-20 Football Championship’, powered by a son of the soil and Nigeria’s Pillar of Sports, Chief Donatus Agu-Ejidike (JP), to commemorate the 60th year of the Igwe Nnewi, Kenneth Onyeneke Orizu lll, on the throne. The Igwe, who will clock 98 later in the year, was coronated in 1963 following the demise of his father, Igwe Josiah Nnaji – Igwe Orizu ll. All these formed part of the activities marking the double celebrations of the Igwe’s 60 years on the throne ahead of his 98th birthday later in the year.

We breezed into town on Wednesday, August 23, 2023, in the evening after about a 13-hour drive from Ilorin. We were so exhausted after the very tortuous journey that we just could not do more than retire to our hotel and catch as much rest as we could in readiness for the following day’s planned engagements. So as early as 8am, we were up and about in search of where to take our breakfasts. MTN rice – white rice served with Ofe Akwu, otherwise known as Banga soup, was unanimously agreed on. We settled for a roadside “Mama Put” along Amichi Road, not far from Ifeanyi Uba Stadium, where we got confused as to which of the items on her menu list to settle for – rice and plantain with “green”; plantain porridge, among other sumptuous local cuisines. The reason is not far-fetched – they were all too inviting. Nevertheless, we tried as much as we could not to disappoint ourselves as we made the best use of the opportunity to indulge ourselves.

Later in the evening, in line with our itineraries, led by the Nigeria Pillar of Sports, Chief Donatus Agu-Ejidike, we headed to the Igwe’s palace to pay our traditional homage to the royal father and the celebrant. Kids were on the streets having fun with masquerades of different ages, shapes, and sizes dancing. A sizeable number of young (teenage) girls were also seen showing their dancing skills at the entrance of the palace with a DJ supplying various genres of music, while boys of the same age grades were also inside the palace whipping themselves with canes in what looks like an endurance test. After receiving us on behalf of the Igwe, the palace secretary, Maazi Chukwuemezie Solomon, conducted us around the magnificent palace like a tour guide, showing us some historical sites, artefacts and underlying histories. According to Maazi Solomon, the Igwe’s father, Igwe Josiah Orizu ll (whose father was Eze Ugbonyamba, Igwe Orizu I) was the first Nigerian to own and drive a car in the entire southeastern Nigeria. He also showed us some very important artefacts like the steering of the said car, owned, and driven, by Igwe Orizu ll. The steering (a scrap from the car) has now been converted to a handle for the door at the main entrance to the Igwe’s “Obi” (chamber).

Maazi Solomon made us understand that the famed Igbo apprenticeship scheme and business mentorship were pioneered by the Nnewi people. He also emphasised how key the concept of Aka Ikenga as an ideology is to the successes of Nnewi indigenes in whatever human endeavour they find themselves. Aka Ikenga is a philosophy that underlines honesty, industry, and forthrightness, among other good virtues. It is the equivalent of Omoluabi in the Yoruba mores.

After we had been conducted around the palace, the Igwe emerged from his inner chamber. The briskness in his strides does not look like that of someone who will celebrate his 98th birthday later this year. The man I saw looks, and feels, about 30 years younger. He is in full control of his strides and faculties, even though he might not be able to take them (strides) like he might have once done. He was brimming with a welcoming smile as he tried to remember if he had met any one of us before. Then, the chant of “Igweeeee……!” rented the air in the chamber as he made to take his seat. As a sign of someone who is still very much in control of his faculties, he did so many things that some people with his kind of eminence, who are decades younger than he is, would have called on any of his cabinet members present, or aides, to assist.

He felt the room was not well-lit and instead of calling on anyone around, he decided to walk the distance of up to five meters to open the window by himself. That amazes me to no end and it tells a lot about the man’s humility. He gave us a whiff of his large-heartedness when after we were served the traditional kola nut, they brought out drinks. As I am not a “Science Student” (in the voice of the popular Nigerian rapper Olamide Gbenga). They had to go the extra mile to get me the stuff for teetotalers. I was moved. I felt flattered. But as it later turned out, the day’s hospitality was just the tip of the iceberg.

That the man is celebrating his 60th anniversary on the throne of his forefathers in Nigeria, a country where the life expectancy ratio is put at about 55 years, I am convinced, is not unconnected with the kind of positive vibes he exudes at all times. That is a sign that the author of life and the grand architect of the universe has a special place for the people of Nnewi, the city of honest billionaires, in his scheme of things.

Yes, that is no exaggeration. Look around, and point at any Nnewi billionaire or millionaire and you won’t have to dig too deep before finding out what he or she, legitimately, does for a living. At least, the ones that I have encountered starting with the likes of Chief Donatus Agu-Ejidike, who is the owner and Chairman, of Agu-Ejidike Group Limited, with one of the subsidiaries, Ndu Bros Overseas Agency Limited being the sole agent of AE Bearings in Nigeria; Chief Innocent Chukwuma of Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing Co. Limited; Chief Cosmas Maduka of Coscharis Group; Chief Cletus Ibeto, of the Ibeto Group; Gabriel Chukwuma, chairman of the then Gabros international football club of Nnewi are all successful people with verifiable sources of income.

Others include Alexander Chika Okafor, founder of Chicason Industries; Augustine Illodibe of Ekenedili Chukwu fame; Senator Ifeanyi Ubah, founder of the Capital Oil and Gas Limited, and also Ifeanyi Uba football club, and so on and so forth. I am not going to mention Sir Louis Odumegwu Ojukwu, the father of the late Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, who was reputed to be the first black billionaire in Africa. Those who are not businessmen but are professionals in different fields of human endeavour, who I have also come across, have unimpeachable characters. The likes of Engr. Joe Igbokwe, former publicity secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos state, is a role model in the business of pen-pushing. Azuka Onwuka is another, whom I have had a dealing with and was impressed by personally. I won’t forget my good friend Ejike Okeke, a timber merchant with whom I shared a bed for years back in my hometown, Ayetoro-Gbede. He is honesty personified, doing well for himself. I never knew he was from Nnewi until this week, even though I had known him for close to two decades. He saw the picture in which the Igwe and I had a selfie on my Facebook page and jocularly queried: “What dealing did you have with our Igwe that you even snapped pictures with him?” I countered and questioned him: ”Are you from Nnewi”? And responded in the affirmative, and we both laughed excitedly. So, if I refer to Nnewi as the “city of honest billionaires/millionaires” based on my anecdotal experiences with her indigenes, I should not be accused of exaggerating, let alone be guilty of it.

Back to my Nnewi odyssey. Not done with us yet, Igwe Orizu III later invited us to a royal dinner in his palace on Friday (the following day). At the dinner, we were treated to the best of Igbo cuisines, with assorted drinks of choice. But I opted for Akpu and Ofe Onugbu with my usual brands, a malt drink and water, while the “Science Students” among us got busy with their “chemicals”. The king serenaded us with so much hospitality that we couldn’t eat anything again until the following morning. For that, I say; “Igwe Nnewi, you fed me, and fed me, until I was fed up. Any time God answers your prayers over me, I will retaliate”.

Apologies to the Ugandan High Commission in Nigeria!

Another thing about Nnewi that fascinates me is the traffic on its streets and major roads. It is not like that of an average Nigerian city where the only law that operates is lawlessness. You see ladies on their motorcycles, conscious of the traffic rules. Motorists are not always in a hurry (to nowhere) like you have in other Nigerian cities and major towns. Where the road is a bit narrower than normal, they wait for one another. And, who waits for whom is not as contentious as it usually is elsewhere. It is a matter of an unwritten code that every road user in the city has internalised and uses as a guide. The sight of their beautiful ladies, riding motorcycles, summarises the whole story about the orderliness on their streets.

If the southeast is the Japan of Africa, Nnewi is the Tokyo (Nagoya area). Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing Company Limited based in the city of Nnewi, for instance, is a “continental success story”, as far as the business of automobile manufacturing is concerned in Africa. It remains one of the few indigenous car manufacturing companies on the continent today. Likewise, Ndu Bros Overseas Agency Limited; they are the sole Nigerian agent of “AE Bearings”, which most vehicles and heavy-duty equipment use across Africa. In short, Nnewi is home to many automotive firms. That is why there are hardly any motor or equipment spare parts you won’t find in Nnewi if you can’t find them elsewhere in Nigeria, be it for trucks, cars, buses, tricycles or motorcycles, or heavy industrial machines.

To underscore the kind of grace God has given Igwe Orizu III, on Friday, August 25, the grand finale of the Diamond Under-20 tournament also attracted the “who’s who’s” in Nnewi and beyond at the Ifeanyi Uba Stadium. It was another spectacle to behold as we, members of the Office of the Nigeria’s Pillar of Sports, including Prince Ajide Olayioye who is our chairman (of the ONPS); ace sportscaster and publisher of Sportspro News Bayour Issah; the chairman of the Igbo Traders Football Association in Kwara state, Nze Igiri Joseph; and yours sincerely moved our mobile office into the Ifeanyi Uba Stadium, the venue of the grand finale. Our movement was in the company of the new president of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), Benjamin Isaiah, and some members of his executive team.

The final match was between Hopeland FC of Nnewi and Rangel FC of Achina. The match, after regulation time, ended in a goalless stalemate and had to be decided via a penalty shootout. Hopeland FC won 6-5. The winner of the competition went home with ₦500,000 while the runners-up got ₦300,000, and the third-placed team also got ₦200,000.

Also in attendance was a representative of the executive governor of Anambra state, Professor Charles Soludo; the Igwe and his cabinet members, the Nigeria Pillar of Sports, Chief Donatus Agu-Ejidike JP, the SWAN president, a representative of Senator Ifeanyi Uba, the Anambra Football Association Chairman and former Super Eagles defender Chikelue Iloenyosi, former Super Falcons player Maureen Mmadu who is also the founder of Maureen Mmadu Football Academy, a Lagos-based business tycoon, Chief Moses Udeze from Ukpor, among other dignitaries who are too numerous to mention.

As I round up my visit to the beautiful industrial city of Nnewi, it is not “Good Bye”, but “See you again”. To the Igwe and his cabinet members, I say: “Ekene kwa’m Unnu. Daalunu ooooo“! God bless the Igwe-in-council. God bless the Igwe Orizu III. God bless the kingdom of Nnewi. God bless Anambra state. God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria!

Abubakar writes from Ilorin, Kwara state. He can be reached via 08051388285 or [email protected]