By Prince MacDonald Enwere
According to the 14th-century French writer and the father of the modern scepticism, Michael DeMontaig ” the greatest and glorious masterpiece of man is to know how to live to purpose”. Dr Joseph Goziem Nwaorgu is no doubt a man of purpose who has always kept his eyes at the tip of the spear.
Born in Zaria into the noble family of Nwaorgu of Umuota Umuhu Ngor Okpala LGA, Imo state 74 years ago, Dr Joe Nwaorgu had a middle-class parentage. With unprecedented valour and vigour, he braced the odds, surmounted the insurmountable and confronted the enormous challenges of conquering his environment and background which has today metamorphosed into greatness. He lost his father at the early age of 8, where his mother Mama Mbelugbo Nwaorgu nee Okereke, a woman of elegance and paragon of charming beauty took the responsibility of nurturing him with the support of his elder sister Mrs Rose Eze Ogueri, who all firmly stood behind him and saw him through the University.
He had his junior primary school at St. Patrick’s Catholic School Zaria in 1951and got his west African school Certificate in 1963 from the famous St. John’s ( now Rimi) College Kaduna and Cambridge higher School Certificate in1966 at Holy Ghost College Owerri. From 1967 – 1970 he taught at St Ephraim’s College Owerrenta. Later he proceeded to the prestigious University of Nigeria Nsukka through UAC scholarship where he got his Bachelor’s of science in Estate management (second class upper division) in 1973 where he emerged as the best graduating student in Estate Management which made the university to retain him as a lecturer. He later got his Doctor of philosophy ( Estate Management) from the prestigious Cambridge University London in 1979 under the scholarship of Inter University Council London in conjunction with University of Nigeria Nsukka.
As a man of intellectual prowess and a renowned estate guru, Dr Joe Nwaorgu was made the Director of Estate and Quartering Federal Capital Development Authority Abuja in 1984 where he served in different capacities including; Chairman FCT committee for International year of shelter for the homeless, Member Resettlement committee Abuja, Member Allocation committee Abuja, Member Committee for the movement of Federal Ministries from Lagos to Abuja, Member Taskforce for provision of utilities in Abuja, Chairman Taskforce for movement of industries from Lagos to Abuja, Member Committee for Street naming in Abuja, Member Committee for hosting of ECOWAS in 1986 and 1987, Member House facilitation Committee FCT Abuja, Member Committee for Economic Commission of Africa in 1987, chairman Taskforce for the completion of Imo Airport -a flagship project which he completed and commissioned in 1994, Member Presidential Taskforce on Port Decongestion in 2001, Chairman Nigeria Institute of Estate Surveyors and Valuers Enugu state branch, Chairman property Rates Tribunal Enugu and Anambra State (1981-1984), Chairman and Secretary University of Nigeria Alumni Association Enugu, Chairman Nigeria Institute of Estate Surveyors and Valuers Abuja branch (1986-1988), Secretary ASUU University of Nigeria Enugu Campus, Member Governing Council Federal University of Technology Owerri 2000-2004, Board member Imo Newspaper.
Dr Joe Nwaorgu is a man of nobility by all standard. The University of Nigeria Alumni association in their citation during the conferment of a Merit Award on him on 10th December 1998 described him as ” brutally honest, fearless, self-confident usually confused for arrogance, contented, articulate, clear headed and fair minded, kind to a fault, very compassionate as he can forgo anything just to please someone else in need. He doesn’t accept injustice in any shape, he is very entertaining, one would say “never a dull moment”. No wonder he was meritoriously appointed as the Honourable Commissioner for Works, Housing and Transport Imo state 1994-1996. As a Commissioner, he used his position to attract many projects for his people including the reconstruction of the dilapidated General Hospital Umuneke. He also midwifed the creation of many autonomous communities in Ngor Okpala which brought development down to the peoples doorstep. No wonder in 1994 all the traditional Rulers in Ngor Okpala unanimously conferred on him the prestigious High chieftaincy title of UGWUMBA KE NGOR OKPALA while in 1990 the traditional Rulers of Ihitte Uboma also conferred on him the AKU-IGWE OF OKATA.
Dr Joe Nwaorgu is a leader with dispositional comportment, very simple, cultured, polite, fashionably handsome with intimidating height, elegantly quiet, infinitely refined, effervescent, unassuming and mild but forceful, courageous and fearless signposting the “Nwaorgu” gallantry and supreme generalissimo. He is a confounding titan, formidable force and a fearless heavyweight warlord in any battlefield he found himself. He served in the Biafran Army ending the war as Adjutant in Biafran Army training school.
In all the leadership positions Dr Joe Nwaorgu has held, he displayed exceptional effulgence. In 2001-2004, he was elected as the Deputy Secretary General of Ohaneze Ndigbo and later the Secretary General from 2000 – 2004, a position he used to champion and advanced Igbo interest in the Nation’s socio-political firmament. His clear thought process , high intellectual capacity and the novelty and profundity of his ideas as the Secretary General of Ohaneze Ndigbo generated deep reflection, introspection, warmth enthusiasm and posetive motivation to the apex Igbo sociocultural organization. He is exceptionally articulate and coherent. As the Secretary General, whenever his expressed thought are taken together with his style of delivery, one could be comparing him favourably with the British Prime Minister during the question time in London. Dr Joe Nwaorgu was also the Secretary of Ohaneze Ndigbo planning and Strategy Committee, Chairman National organizing committee Igbo day 2003, 2005, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2016. He was also the co-founder of Nzuko Imo( now Imo, Abia and part of Ebonyi state), he is a statutory member of IMEOBI OHANEZE since 2002. Also he was a member of the 2005 and 2014 Constitutional conference where he formulated Igbo interest and defended Igbo position through his sound contributions. He equally participated in the formulation of Igbo petition with late Senator Uchechukwu Merije in Oputa Panel of Justice.
Dr Joe Nwaorgu is a leader of earnest sincerity and straightforward enthusiasm, a core Igbo breed who perfectly understands the leadership dynamics of Ohaneze Ndigbo. He is a man of solid Igboness who has been in the forefront midwifing the restoration of Ohaneze Ndigbo supreme status. He is happily married to his heartthrob Prof. Emeritus, Obioma Nwaorgu, a professor of parasitology and epidemiology from the prestigious Cambridge University London, who is also a fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Science, FAS. Her inner feminine qualities play an archetypal role in Dr Joe Nwaorgu’s subconscious.
Indeed, Dr Joe Nwaorgu has remained a rare bird in the corpus of life. He has the rocker gult, the sublime audacity and the burning desire to defend the real Igbo cause no matter whose ox is gored. His clean-slate pedigree, technical know-how, proven track record of unparalleled distinction, solid and unmatched record of experience in the Leadership of Ohaneze Ndigbo has today distinguished him as the EZI NWA- AFO IGBO KPOM KWEM.
