Goodwill Message by His Royal Majesty, Nnaemeka Alfred Achebe, Obi of Onitsha, Agbogidi, at the Formal Public Presentation of Zik Foundation

Goodwill Message by His Royal Majesty, Nnaemeka Alfred Achebe, Obi of Onitsha, Agbogidi, at the Formal Public Presentation of Zik Foundation on Tuesday, 02 December 2003.

It is with the greatest honour and pride that I stand before this august assembly of distinguished men and women to deliver a goodwill message from Onitsha on the occasion of the formal public presentation of Zik Foundation, and the colloquium. As is well known, Onitsha is the ancestral home of Owelle Nnamdi Azikiwe, the Great Zik of Africa.

Zik, who would have been 99 years old last month has been described as “a colossus, the dreamer, the schemer, the theoretician, indeed the Field Marshall that led the historic crusade for the emancipation of Africa from colonialism and apartheid slavery. He inspired all the key actors in the African Revolution: Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, Nelson Mandela, Jomo Kenyatta, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Julius Nyerere, Kennethe Kaaunda, Robert Mugabe, just to mention a few”.
Although born in Zungeru in the present day Niger State, Zik identified with his home town very early in life, a fact that brings immense pride to my people of Onitsha. As soon as he was of school age, his parents sent his back to Onitsha to attend primary school. He stayed there until he was ready to attend secondary school, when he went off to Calabar and, thereafter, Lagos. My own father, who was four years younger, always remembered him in those early days with great awe – “He was a very clever person, but he was always making trouble”. There was no doubt that Zik was destined to bring about change and to lead.
Notwithstanding his nationalistic and African outlook, and his towering international stature, Zik was always anxious to be identified as a full-fledged Onitsha man. It is this commitment that informed his initiation into the prestigious Agbalaanze Society as early as 1947. Not satisfied with that, Zik sought fuller identity at a higher level. First, he accepted from His Majesty, Obi James Okosi II the offer of a second-class chieftaincy title of Oziziani-Obi until 1973, when His Majesty, Obi Ofala Okagbue elevated him to the first-class title position of Owelle-Osowa.

Zik bore his chieftaincy titles with great pride and fulfilled the duties of those positions with the same commitment and diligence that he applied to national and international affairs. He was faithful and loyal to his monarch and happily and humbly maintained his hierarchy in the council of chiefs. However, he was also not afraid to express his independent views on matters of traditional governance.

In that regard, two of his books: Onitsha Market Crisis and Let Us Forgive Our Children have become excellent source materials for Onitsha people. Zik thus became a model for people who, following an accomplished career, returned to the place of their origin and helped to develop it. I am proud to say that Owelle Nnamdi Azikiwe was my singular inspiration two years ago, when I returned from a long sojourn in the United Kingdom to become the 21st Obi of Onitsha. I feel fulfilled.

For all his contributions to humanity, it is a thing of great joy that finally it has become possible to form this Foundation to immortalise the great name of Zik. My people have been much perplexed and saddened that up till now nothing had been done to appropriately immortalise this great son of Africa. Onitsha people have asked me to express their gratitude in no small measure to everyone who has worked so hard to make the Zik Foundation a reality. In particular, I salute Nwanonaku Dr. (Mrs.) Uche Azikiwe and the entire family of Owelle Nnamdi Azikiwe.

I also thank the Federal Government, which has always recognised the greatness of Zik in diverse ways. I thank the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo GCFR, for his presence at this presentation of Zik Foundation. The people of Onitsha especially thank you for honouring their illustrious son and the son of Nigeria and Africa.

I would like to take this opportunity to appeal to the Federal Government to complete the splendid work that it started at the Inosi Onira Mausoleum for Zik. It has taken so long and we in Onitsha hope that, in no distant future, work will be completed on this final resting place of the Great Zik of Africa.
Once again, I thank you all for honouring Zik of Africa, Owelle-Osowa of Onitsha.