The late Chief Dr. Alexander Obi Young Nwankwor has been laid to rest.
Chief Nwankwor died on March 24 and was buried on August 29, 2024.
He was aged 68 years old. He is survived by his children, grandchildren, and wife.
Dr. Nwankwor was born on December 24, 1955, in Akpu, Orumba South Local Government Area, Anambra State.
He was the Onowu of Akpu, the Traditional Prime Minister, and in that capacity served two Igwes of Akpu: Ezeukwu I, who appointed him, and Ezeukwu II, whom he crowned.
In the half-decade between the two reigns, he was the Regent of Akpu.
He and his first wife, Late Lolo Ogechukwu Angela Obi Young, were 36 and 24 years old, respectively, when they became the youngest Chief and Lolo in Akpu history. By the time of his passing this year, he was the ranking high chief in the town.
He held three major chieftaincy titles: Enyi Chukwu Chiri I (“The Elephant Crowned by God”) of Akpu, Onapuru Agu Ihe Okpu n’Onu (“He Who Took Food from the Leopard’s Mouth”), and Ugwu na Odere I (“Hill and Valley”) of Ufuma.
Dr Nwankwor was a wise and skilled negotiator, only 37 years old when he ended a century-long conflict and brokered peace between Akpu and Ajalli in 1993.
He was one of Akpu’s greatest cultural and financial benefactors, a builder who gave the town its only secondary school Father Tansi Secondary School and one of its two major market squares in Nkwo Market Square.
He was a renowned philanthropist in Akpu, Aba, the Catholic Church, and Christ Holy Church.
He was the founder and CEO of Alexoy Centre, a group that fed the homeless and less privileged on the streets of Aba.
His contribution to the Catholic Church in Akpu is noted in F.C. Okoli’s 1998 history book Church and Politics: The History and Development of the Catholic Church in Akpu, Akpu Deanery, Awka Diocese, Nigeria.
In their separate tributes, friends, associates, family members, and mentees eulogised the Onowu of Akpu.
Rt. Hon. Ben Nwankwo, PhD, Member of the House of Representatives, 5th, 7th, and 8th National Assembly said: “Chief Obi-Young was a towering figure in our community, a paramount philanthropist, and a remarkable leader whose unwavering dedication to the peace, progress, and development of Akpu and the greater Orumba region was unparalleled. As the Onowu of Akpujiogu, he was a beacon of hope, a pillar of strength, and a voice of reason.
“He navigated the complexities of community leadership with a keen intellect, a steadfast moral compass, and a profound understanding of the needs and aspirations of his people.
“His tireless efforts to uplift the lives of the less privileged, champion the cause of education, and foster unity and harmony have earned him the admiration and respect of all who crossed his path.
“We take solace in the knowledge that his legacy will live on, inspiring generations to come to strive for the same level of selflessness, integrity, and community service.”
HRH Igwe M.N. Okoli, Ezeukwu II of Akpu said: “Late Onowu had a very humble beginning as a young talented man raised by farming parents. He had an early economic breakthrough through sheer hard work when most of his mates were still struggling in life.
“As a result, he was conferred with the chieftaincy title of Enyi Chukwu Chiri I of Akpu by the late Igwe P.O. Nwafor, Ezeukwu I of Akpu at a young age. Late Onowu set the enviable record of being the youngest-ever recipient of a chieftaincy title in Akpu history.
“He played a very prominent role in the selection and installation of the present Igwe-in-Council as well as boldly holding, in brief, the Akpu chieftaincy stool after the demise of the late Igwe Akpu. His philanthropy had no rival within and outside Akpu.”
Anambra State Council of Traditional Prime Ministers described him as: “an example of honesty and integrity. He made useful contributions to our meetings without being loquacious. A great achiever, yet unassuming. He substantially contributed to the peace now existing between the peoples of Akpu and Ajalli in Orumba South L.G.A.”
Otosirieze Obi-Young, writer, journalist, and media entrepreneur said: “My father taught us – the many people who called him father – strength, courage, kindness, and generosity, but I think that his great legacy is in how he surmounted obstacles: the poor son of a palm wine tapper who worked his way out of abject poverty and became the youngest chief in our history, then Onowu and Regent, and, for decades, the community’s guiding hand in political choices and custodian of its traditions.
“He was not the most professionally accomplished or the most politically powerful indigene of Akpu, but he was easily the most influential, guiding two Igwes, and settling more disputes between factions, families, and friends than could be counted.
“I don’t think that, in the last forty years, there was anyone else who made more consequential decisions that guaranteed the safety and future of Akpu.
“People looked at him and did not understand how he was only 68, but he was, only that he had lived a full life well ahead of his peers.”
