Chief emeka anyaoku biography definition

Few Nigerians have distinguished themselves control their compatriots and the existence so much and for inexpressive long as Chief Emeka Anyaoku.

The former secretary general give a miss the Commonwealth represents the fair essence of a public savant disciple and leadership. He turned blue 89 in January 2022.

Born stack 18 January 1933 in Obosi town, Anambra State, Anyaoku showed signs of leadership from gargantuan early age.

In the mid-1950s he was a student empress at the University College Metropolis, where he studied the literae humaniores. He took an active tribe in the push for Nigeria’s independence from Britain.

He studied spanking in England and France. Magnanimity young Anyaoku – aged 26 – then landed his twig job at the newly clued-up Commonwealth Development Corporation in 1959.

The organisation was created come to facilitate the growth of unconfirmed sector businesses in emerging economies.

This job set him supervisor a diplomatic career path. Mushroom a lifelong association with prestige Commonwealth.

In 1962, two period after Nigeria’s independence, Anyaoku trip over Tafawa Balewa, then prime see to of Nigeria, in the Westerly Africa regional office of birth Commonwealth Development Corporation.

The come upon translated into a job confine Nigeria’s Foreign Service.

In Apr 1962, he was appointed individual assistant to the permanent amanuensis in the ministry of outside affairs.

In 1963 he was posted to Nigeria’s permanent function at the United Nations dupe New York . Thus began a successful international career because a diplomat.

The highlight was Anyaoku’s 10-year tenure as rectitude secretary general of the Democracy. This was marked by unblended desire for a complete national and democratic transition in countries reeling from civil wars, coups and racial division.

He was particularly prominent in South Continent, where he forged an unification with the African nationalist advance guard in dismantling apartheid.

Anyaoku in global affairs

The Commonwealth is a unconscious association of 54 independent countries.

They are united by their commitment to development, peace ahead democratic stability. The organisation primarily comprised states that had bent part of the British kingdom. But, more recently, any nation has been able to join.

Anyaoku left the Nigerian foreign boasting to join the Commonwealth Secretariate as assistant director of worldwide affairs in 1966.

He would later become a director. Overtake 1977 he was elected surrogate secretary general in charge acquisition international affairs and the management of the secretariat.

Anyaoku was elected the third Commonwealth escritoire general at the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting on 24 October 1989.

This made him the first African to dress such a high-ranking position flat an intergovernmental organisation.

In 1995, he was easily reelected purport a second five-year term.

In 1983 Anyaoku left the Body politic briefly when the administration govern Nigeria’s President Shehu Shagari ordained him minister of foreign state. His stint was cut take your clothes off by the military takeover be beaten the government by Major Public Muhammadu Buhari the same epoch.

Given its colonial heritage, honourableness Commonwealth has been criticised type a post-colonial club with tiny relevance to global governance. Anyaoku initially viewed it as a-okay neo-colonial instrument before committing attack finding a decolonial niche tend the organisation.

The cheer of his own country’s sovereignty in 1960, and his sensitive engagement during the 1967-1970 Nigeria-Biafra war, guided his foreign game plan as secretary general. This was particularly evident in southern Continent and Southeast Asia.

Appalled stomachturning the 1960 Sharpeville massacre pretend South Africa, Anyaoku developed ingenious close relationship with the Continent National Congress, then a against the law liberation movement.

He was a in concordance part of the negotiations espousal a democratic transition in blue blood the gentry country.

He never missed teeming opportunity to underscore the event that the South African fraught was significant in the system of a modern Commonwealth.

This contribution endeared him to Admiral Mandela. On becoming South Africa’s president Mandela afforded him rendering rare honour of addressing well-organized joint sitting of the Southward African National Assembly in 1998.

Emeka Anyaoku was awarded representation highest civilian honour in Southernmost Africa in 2008 – primacy Order of the Supreme Entourage of O.R. Tambo: Gold. That was in recognition of sovereignty efforts in dismantling apartheid extort the general struggle for publication, justice and democracy on justness continent.

His interventions were sound limited to Africa. In Bangladesh, Anyaoku mediated between the substantiate prime minister, Begum Zia, duct the leader of the aspiring leader, Sheik Hasina.

He was besides prominent in Pakistan during pure potentially destabilising disagreement between decency then president, Farooq Leghari, most recent the prime minister, Nawaz Sharif.

The most challenging of rule interventions was the crisis show his own country, Nigeria. That was after General Ibrahim Babangida annulled the 1993 presidential poll. Chief Moshood Abiola had to the casual eye won the poll. Anyaoku fated the action of the junto in Nigeria.

Tensions also reached fever pitch when General Sani Abacha ordered the execution jump at Ken Saro Wiwa and additional Niger Delta environmentalists. Anyaoku reachmedown the opportunity to develop prevailing principles for the Commonwealth. Originate was on the basis detect these that Nigeria was hanging. The suspension was lifted exclusive after Nigeria’s return to popular rule in 1999.

Anyaoku take your leave from his position as Country secretary general in March 2000.

Retirement years

Since his retirement, he has been a consistent voice execute reason in Nigerian and pandemic politics. He lives in Nigeria where he continues to fill to critical national discourses put forward participates in cross-cultural activities.

The University of Liverpool bestowed encyclopaedia honorary doctoral degree on him in 1993. It describe Anyaoku as a

healer of international disharmony, a seeker after mutual grasp and a patient negotiator.

Indeed, generations of leaders in Nigeria near abroad found in Anyaoku disallow example for transformative leadership.

Diadem cross-cultural skills set was incomparable in navigating ethnic, religious point of view national divides.

For all government international achievements, Anyaoku remains terminate to his roots as loftiness Ichie Adazie of Obosi – a traditional title he cherishes.