Sir Odumegwu Ojukwu, (1909 -1966) was a Nigerian businessman from Ojukwu’s family, Obiuno Umudim Nnewi. Ojukwu was the first and founding President of The Nigerian Stock Exchange as well as Chairman of The African Continental Bank. He was also Chairman and member of the board of directors of some of Nigeria’s most profitable companies such as Shell Oil Nigeria Limited, Guinness Nig. Ltd, Nigerian National Shipping Lines, Nigerian Cement Factory, Nigerian Coal Corporation, Costain West Africa Ltd, John Holt, and Nigeria Marketing Board amongst others.
He attended a primary school in Asaba and the Hope Waddell Institute, Calabar. He won a parliamentary seat in the first republic. In 1936 he met Bishop John Cross Anyogu – then a parish priest at Nnewi. Ojukwu was born a Roman Catholic. He started his life at the Agricultural department before leaving to join John Holt as a tyre sales clerk.
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He also incorporated a textile company in Onitsha to supplement his income during this period, already exhibiting a little bit of his entrepreneurial spirit. While at John Holt, he noticed the severe strain a lack of adequate transportation had on Eastern textile traders.
He later left John Holt to create a transport company to improve the trading environment for Nigerian traders. As a transporter he was a tireless worker and meticulous to detail; he was usually the first to inspect his transport vehicles for oil and leakages. Apart from his work ethic, his success was also oiled by the economic boom after World War II, working with the West African Railway Company and the newly inaugurated produce boards; he provided his fleet for commodity transportation and for other traders’ use.
As a transporter he had his own transport company (Ojukwu Transport Limited) which was the first major transport company to move the easterners to Lagos from the Asaba side of the Niger river after they might have crossed over from Onitsha on a boat. During the 1950s, he diversified his interest, bought some industries, invested heavily in the real estate sector and became a director in numerous major corporations including the state-owned Nigerian National Shipping Line. He was a member of the board of Nigerian Coal Corporation, Shell D’Arcy and African Continental Bank.
On May 1, 1953, he was appointed head of an NCNC peace committee and given power to choose most of the committees members. The committee was charged with the responsibility of restoring peace in the regional House of Assembly. He was a humane capitalist.
During the period of pre-independence and in the First Republic, Ojukwu was an active member and one of the financiers of the NCNC. He was a one time member of the House of Representative. In 1958, he was chairman of the Eastern Region Development Corporation and the Eastern Regional Marketing Board.
He was a co-author of a report on the Economic Mission to Europe and North America with Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe. The report recommended the investment of extra funds from the produce marketing board in a regional bank and public corporations to stimulate economic development.
Ojukwu died on September 13, 1966, just a year before the Nigerian Civil War. Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, the leader of the defunct Biafra Republic was one of his sons. Fifty years after Sir Odumegwu Ojukwu’s death, members of his family, friends and well-wishers are remembering him on Tuesday, September 13, 2016.
In this chat with Weekend Vanguard , a grandson, Dr. Ike Ojukwu, speaks about the 50th Anniversary of his death and other issues.
What are you celebrating?
We are observing the 50th anniversary of the death of Sir Odumegwu Ojukwu. He died 13th September 1966 at Nkalagu after a heart attack.
What are the programmes lined up?
Memorial Mass and the proposed unveiling of statue/bust at his Nnewi hometown which will take place much later in the year and not on the 18th of September 2016 as some charlatans have insinuated or announced. There will also be a lecture, charity visits and donations. The memorial hospital building shall commence within a year. We also intend to award annual prizes for the best graduating student in Business Administration and Estate Management at the University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, UNEC. We have had to scale things down because of the current state of the economy and security.
Who are the ‘We’?
Family, friends and well-wishers.
What do you remember your grandfather most for?
Personally? I Remember I was about six when he died, but remember the deep pain his sudden death caused. Earlier in 1966 he had insisted that I accompany him on a trip to the East including Nkalagu. Special excuse was obtained from my school at the time, St Saviour’s Ikoyi, Lagos and extra lessons arranged.
He had enormous stamina, a first class brain almost always on turbo drive, full of life, jokes but when angry, seriously angry. He was extremely generous and strict, upright and transparent. He believed a lot in family and friends. He respected education, honesty and hard work a lot. He was a proud Igbo man but not a tribalist.
How did you know all these?
‘LION-in his own words’, a book of his letters, coming out soon captured this and many who were close to him can attest to these sterling qualities. Again, being a member of the family for over 50 years, listening to family members and friends who knew him well and reading a lot of his personal letters, I learnt a lot about his life.
A book about him was released recently…
Yes I read it ‘Quest for something— I don’t remember what!’ written by some disgruntled, so-called family members.
You have issues with it?
The family does. I have personally made known to the perpetrators my own objections and there are many issues with it. There are factual misrepresentations capable of compromising our cases in court, pathological anger/jealousy towards Sir Odumegwu Ojukwu’s children and immediate family-repeatedly, even grandchildren were attacked, tarnishing Sir Odumegwu and his family with a lot of sleazy, false personal stuff.
Ifeanyi, the author and Lotanna who collaborated with him failed to include in the book facts about themselves. They even praised Bianca with whom we are in court over our property.
You are involved in many court cases?
Yes. The family, estate, company etc., there may be up to 20. Obviously one has to have respect for the courts especially with on-going cases but the majority of our cases involve jobless individuals with debatable legitimacy attempting to reap where they did not sow. In my opinion, they have no valid claim. Unfortunately justice could be faster and less expensive. One really feels for the dependants. Mind you Sir Odumegwu Ojukwu never hesitated to take legal action when he felt the justification.
What one thing would you like Sir Odumegwu Ojukwu remembered for?
Sir Odumegwu was a loving, generous, kind, hardworking, honest, decent, intelligent and great Igbo man.
Which Ojukwu was greater, Emeka the General or Sir Odumegwu?
Both of them.
People feel that the great wealth of your grandfather was not well managed, do you agree to that? If yes what went wrong?
Which people? Great wealth managers or ‘supporter’s club’ people? I disagree. There was a civil war, a failed/foiled attempt to sell off, then a struggle to secure release from Government followed by a protracted, expensive legal war with bandits. I give God thanks and some people a lot of credit for making sure there is anything left to talk about. You cannot mismanage what you do not have.
Was the late Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu more famous than Sir Odumegwu Ojukwu?
Famous or infamous? My uncle the Late General is more popular, especially with his generation and onwards. Sir Odumegwu Ojukwu was a phenomenon in business and a very hardworking, disciplined, strict, honest, kind man of impeccable integrity.
A man who loaned the Nigerian government his car for the use of Queen Elizabeth II when she visited the country in the 60s, do you feel he was appreciated by the government?
I have heard that tale of his Silver Wraith Rolls Royce being lent to the Government. It really means nothing to me. Appreciated by Government? Of course he was Chairman or director of numerous companies/boards at the same time. He was Order of the British Empire,OBE, Knight of the British Empire, KBE, Honorary Doctor of Law, LLD, University of Nigeria, UNN for a reason.
People feel some of you are not hard working hence the Ojukwu family has been fighting for property of their grandfather, is this true?
Which ‘people? I have heard that before, usually from jobless buffoons. I personally have worked for 38 years, 34 of them as a doctor – I am retired. You can lecture me when you have clocked the same. It is only a castrated nincompoop that would sit on their filthy bottom, cross hands and watch vermin (both within and without the family) attempt to seize what a man (Sir Odumegwu Ojukwu) toiled so hard and sacrificed so much to achieve. If armed robbers enter your house and you tackle them, if some loafers describe you as ‘fighting for property’ you’ll be justified to give that individual a dirty slap.
You may be right in a way though, whilst the eldest son Prof Joseph Ojukwu worked tirelessly as a surgeon for over 60 years, another son has not held a job in over 30yrs.
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