‘We’ve lost a well-fulfilled man’ — Ohanaeze Ndigbo mourns ex-president Irukwu

 Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, the Igbo socio-cultural organisation, says Joe Irukwu, former president-general of the group, died when his wise counsels were needed most.

TheCable reported that Irukwu, whose death was announced on Saturday by Harrison Eze Okorie, president of Amaokwe Item Welfare Union, was 89 years old when he died.

In a statement on Sunday, Chiedozie Ogbonnia, national publicity secretary of the organisation, said Ohanaeze Ndigbo has lost a “well-fulfilled man with amazing public relations, courage and character”.

“The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has received with rude shock, the sad news on the passing of one of our brightest, an accomplished legal luminary, moral edifice, insurance and risk management wizard, erudite scholar of world renown, Igbo leader and former president general of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, professor Joe Ogbonna Irukwu, SAN, CFR,” the statement reads.

“Irukwu was elected the president-general of Ohanaeze Ndigbo in 2003 and he served meritoriously and bowed out in 2007. During his incumbency, Irukwu added colour, glamour, zest, robust intellect and panache to the Igbo umbrella socio-cultural organisation.

“One of his works — Nation Building and Ethnic Organisation: A Case Study of Ohanaeze in Nigeria, published by Spectrum, is an intellectual Magnus opus that fascinated the scholarly community in 2007 as one of the best sellers.

“In the same year, before the expiration of his tenure, Irukwu led other Igbo leaders to commission a multi-million naira complex comprising of a 1,500-seater auditorium, library and conference room which he built single-handedly as part of his own legacies to the Igbo man’s quest for equitable recognition and accommodation in the Nigerian polity.

“One recalls with nostalgia and immense delight, the social skill, wisdom and organisational acumen that Irukwu displayed in the face of the turbulence which was occasioned by the political intrigues that confronted his tenure as the president-general of Ohanaeze Ndigbo.

“Professor Joe Ogbonna Irukwu was called to the English Bar in 1962 and enrolled as a solicitor and advocate of the supreme court of Nigeria in the same year. He has held many top positions in both the private and public sectors of the Nigerian economy.

“Irukwu resisted the lure by Dr M. I Okpara, the then Premier of the Eastern Region, to join partisan politics; instead, he chose to pursue his dream of applying his knowledge in Law to build an enviable insurance industry in Nigeria.

“Irukwu painstakingly achieved his set goals and became a foremost risk management expert, professor of insurance, educationist, award-winning author and holder of many distinguished fellowships and academic awards. Above all, Irukwu showed remarkable patriotism as a delegate at the national political reform conference in 2005.

“We have lost a well-fulfilled man with a large heart; unassailable friendly finesse and amazing public relations. A quintessence of courage and character whose legacies in Ohanaeze Ndigbo will always be remembered with deep emotional attachments. He left when his wise counsel was most needed.

“On behalf of the national executive committee (NEC) and indeed all the structures of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, we send our condolences to the immediate family, the government and the good people of Abia state. While we ask the Almighty to grant the soul of professor Joe Ogbonna Irukwu an eternal rest in his bosom, we urge the immediate family to bear the irreparable loss with fortitude and serenity.”