Ex-Anambra Governor, Chukwuemeka Ezeife, dies at 85

A former Governor of Anambra State, Chief Chukwuemeka Ezeife is dead.

He died on Thursday at the age of 85 years in Abuja.

This came barely three weeks after the burial of another former governor of the state, Dr Chinwoke Mbadinuju on November 23rd this year.

Ezeife died after an undisclosed illness.

A statement by the Family which was signed by Chief Rob Ezeife read, “On behalf of the Ezeife Dynasty of Igbo-Ukwu, I wish to announce the promotion to glory of our most distinguished son, Okwadike, Dr Chukwuemeka Ezeife, CON, a former Federal Permanent Secretary, the first Executive Governor of Anambra State, a former Political Adviser to the President and former Presidential Aspirant.”

According to the family, “This sad event took place yesterday at 6 pm at the Federal Medical Centre, Abuja. More details about the deceased and the arrangements for his State Burial will be announced later.”

Ezeife was born at Igbo-Ukwu, Anambra State on 20 November 1939.

He did not attend secondary school, but taught himself through correspondence courses, qualifying for university admission.

He had a BSc in Economics from the University College Ibadan, then attended Harvard University on a Rockefeller Foundation scholarship where he obtained a master’s and then PhD degree in 1972.

He became a School Headmaster, a lecturer at Makarare University College, Kampala, Uganda, a Teaching Fellow at Harvard University, and a Consultant with Arthur D. Little in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

He joined the civil service as an Administrative Officer and rose to the position of Permanent Secretary.

Ezeife was elected governor of Anambra State on the Social Democratic Party (SDP) platform and held office from 2 January 1992 to 17 November 1993.

He held sway as Governor when General Sani Abacha took power in a military coup. As governor, he was said to be more interested in planning than in addressing immediate developmental needs and achieved few tangible results.

He transferred Nnamdi Azikiwe University and Federal Polytechnic, Oko to the federal government, which helped to ensure that the institutions survived during successive military regimes.