The Acting President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Damian Okeke Ogene, has described the late former governor of Anambra State, Dr. Chinwoke Mbadinuju, as good man who “played his own role in the socioeconomic development” of Anambra State.
Ogene, in a press statement, said, “Well, death is a due everybody must pay and you don’t know when. It is sad that Mbadinuju is dead, but I must say that he was a good man and he did a lot for the socio-economic development of Anambra State. We pray God to give him eternal rest and we console his family members to bear the loss with fortitude.”
Dr. Mbadinuju, who was governor of Anambra State between 1999 and 2003, died on Tuesday at the National Hospital Abuja after a brief illness. He was aged 78.
His son, Cheta Mbadinuju, a lawyer, in a statement announcing his father’s death, said the former governor died surrounded by his family and loved ones.
“With heavy hearts but utmost gratitude to God for a life well spent, we announce the passing of our father, grandfather, uncle, friend and associate, Dr. Chinwoke Mbadinuju, a former governor of Anambra State and elder statesman,” Cheta Mbadinuju said in the statement signed by him on behalf of the family.
“Odera, as he was fondly called, passed peacefully at the age of 78 years on the morning of the 11th of April 2023 at the National Hospital Abuja after a brief illness, surrounded by his family and loved ones.
“At this trying time, we pray for God’s grace and mercy upon him and those left behind to mourn him. His funeral arrangements will be announced in due course by the family,” he said.
Reacting to the news of Mbadinuju’s death, Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari said the late former governor’s legacy of bringing peace and development to Anambra State, including ending the long years of violent conflict in Umuleri and Aguleri during his administration as governor from 1999 to 2003, would forever remain an important part of the state’s history.
“He will also be remembered for his vision for the people of the state and beyond on quality education and entrepreneurship, leading to the establishment of the Anambra State University, now Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University,” Buhari said in a press release issued by his media adviser, Femi Adesina.
He also paid tribute to the dogged determination of the seasoned academic, journalist and lawyer in inspiring and empowering many young people to believe in the power of their dreams and achieve their potential.
The President urged family, friends, colleagues and well-wishers to reflect on the contributions of the former governor in building lives and communities, even as he prayed for the memory of the departed to be a blessing and inspiration to all that mourn.
In his tribute to the late former governor, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar described Mbadinuju as a seasoned intellectual of the Ekwueme School of Politics, a quiet politician of note, who saw no need for unnecessary bickering and crisis-ridden politics in Anambra State when he lost the 2003 election.
“It was glaring Mbadinuju had learnt the politics of compromise from the great political leader and late former Vice President Alex Ekwueme under whom he received political tutelage,” Atiku said in a statement.
Immediate past governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano, said he was saddened to learn of the passing of Mbadinuju, whose “reign as Anambra governor from 1999 to 2003 was a challenging period”.
“He did his best to grapple with insecurity, perpetrated mostly by ruthless, unconscionable robbers, who were armed to the teeth. He curbed the menace, though his method was unorthodox,” Obiano wrote in a tribute to Dr Mbadinuju published on Wednesday.
Recall that as Anambra State governor, Mbadinuju had passed a law that created the Anambra Vigilante Services, which legally enshrined the Bakassi Boys, a popular but feared vigilante group credited with reducing crime in the state.
Obiano pointed out two outstanding things for which Mbadinuju must be remembered: “the determination to succeed despite all odds and the love of education, which saw him establish the state university, now known as Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, with campuses in Uli, Ihiala Local Government Area, and Igbariam in Anambra East LGA”.
Who was Chinwoke Mbadinuju?
Dr Clement Chinwoke Mbadinuju was born on 14 June 1945. An excellent student who was always ahead of his peers in primary school, he passed the General Certificate of Education papers in flying colours at the Ordinary and Advanced levels in just one sitting each without having attended a secondary school.
Mbadinuju obtained a BA degree in Political Science from the State University of New York, where he studied on a scholarship, and PhD from Cornell University in New York, USA. Later, he took a degree in Law from the University of Southampton, England, and also studied Music as a private student at a leading British institution.
As a journalist, he was the founding editor of the Times International in Lagos, served as the general manager of the Anambra State-owned Star Printing and Publishing Company.
Dr. Mbadinuju was personal assistant to Dr. Jim Chris Nwobodo, a former governor of the old Enugu State, between 1979 and 1980, and served as personal assistant to President Shehu Shagari between 1980 and 1983.
He ran for and won the governorship seat of Anambra State in 1999 on the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) platform. However, he could not contest the 2023 governorship election because of then President Olusegun Obasanjo’s opposition to his candidacy. Dr. Chris Nwabueze Ngige was picked instead to fly the PDP flag.
