The President General of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Professor George Achulike Obiozor, died on December 26, 2022, at the age of 80. His death has marked the end of the glorious career of the astute administrator, diplomat and accomplished Nigerian intellectual.
Obiozor, a renowned academic and statesman, passed on after a brief illness, according to an announcement by the Imo State governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma. The late diplomat was born in August 1942 in Imo State. He attended Awo-Omamma Comprehensive Secondary School in the present Oru-East Local Government Area of Imo State, after which he moved to Switzerland to study at the Institute of African Studies in Geneva, and Albert Schweitzer College in Vaud. He bagged a degree in Political Science from the University of Puget Sound in 1969.
Obiozor also attended Columbia University where he earned his Ph.D. He remained in New York City after completing his Ph.D., teaching at City University of New York before eventually returning to Nigeria in 1979.
He was Director-General of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Nigeria’s apex Foreign Policy think-tank, from 1991-1999. He subsequently became Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to the State of Israel, with concurrent accreditation to the Republic of Cyprus (1999-2003), and Ambassador to the United States of America (2004-2008).
Obiozor was elected the President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo on January 9, 2021, and held the position till his death during which he consistently advocated for equity and unity in the country. A prolific writer on International Relations, Prof. Obiozor had several eminent works to his credit, including Nigeria and the World: Managing the Politics of Diplomatic Ambivalence in a Changing World; The Politics of Precarious Balancing: Analysis of Contending Issues in Nigeria’s Domestic and Foreign Policy; and The United States and the Nigerian Civil War.
For his commitment to duty at the NIIA and his stamp of authority on International Relations, the current Director-General of the Agency, Professor Eghosa E. Osaghae, eulogised Obiozor for leaving an indelible mark on the diplomatic turf. “As an astute administrator and visioner, Professor Obiozor led the NIIA along the paths of excellence as a world institute in Africa, and contributed greatly to the blossoming of the golden era of Nigeria’s foreign policy as a global leader,” Osaghae stated.
As Ohanaeze President, Obiozor never shied away from the plight of South East people in the Nigerian federal structure. While making a strong case for a just and equitable system in which the Igbo people would be accorded their rights as full citizens of the country, Obiozor abhorred the use violence or any other unconstitutional means to achieve the goal. At a particular time, he spoke against the rising spate of insecurity in the South East region and called for immediate cessation of violence in the region. Particularly, he condemned the wanton destruction of life and property in the zone by armed gangs.
Obiozor pointedly described the violence in the South East as a systematic destruction of the geo-political zone. He also drew the attention of the secessionist groups in the region to the danger violence has posed in Igbo land and asked them to end the carnage. According to him, “today, what we are seeing in Igbo land is not liberation but Igbo destruction and devastation. It is a national tragedy for the Igbo. The liberty and freedom of Ndigbo are threatened internally and externally.”
For his principled stand on the issue, his country home was torched by arsonists, yet to be apprehended. That notwithstanding, he never wavered in condemning violence as a means of addressing the challenges of the region.
Many Nigerians have described the late Ohanaeze President as an inspirational leader, who gave the country his best. In a statement mourning his passage, the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) said Obiozor gave Nigeria his best, and died on his feet in the search for solutions to its multiple contemporary challenges. “He was a great Nigerian whose life captured the truism that most of us can serve the nation and our cultural identities with distinction and honour,” the NEF further stated.
In his tribute, President Muhammadu Buhari observed that the departed administrator exemplified leadership skills and values as a thoroughbred diplomat, stressing that the contributions of the unique leader and strong proponent of peace and a stable polity, who also held other strategic public positions, should not be forgotten.
Obiozor was a role model, a great leader and Nigerian patriot, who made immense contributions to the development of the country. He died at a time his advice will be mostly needed.
While commiserating with the Obiozor family and friends over the great loss, we urge Imo State and Federal Government to immortalise him for his dedicated service to the state and the country.
