The Untold Story of Chief Daniel Ubajiaka
Epulepu 1 of Nnewi Okaka Anaedo (1926-2014)
Founder Izuchukwu Transport Co LTD

The Untold Story of Chief Daniel Ubajiaka
Epulepu 1 of Nnewi Okaka Anaedo (1926-2014)
Founder Izuchukwu Transport Co LTD

Chief Dan Okaka Ubajiaka was the founder of Izu-Chukwu Motors Limited. He
was born in 1926 at Otolo, Nnewi in Anambra State. After his primary school education at Nnewi, he took the London Matriculation Examination and taught for some years in Nnewi before venturing into motor spare-parts in Onitsha. He started the transport business in Onitsha in 1955 with one Austin Lorry, which he purchased from SCOA Motors Nigerian Limited. From 1955, the company flourished till the outbreak of the Nigerian and Biafran War in 1967. During the war, the transport company was adversely affected. At the end of the war in 1970, the company was revived and the fleet was incorporated as a limited liability
company with the name Izu-Chukwu Motors Limited in 1975. Chief Ubajiaka was a contemporary of Augustine Ilodibe. He
was a dealer in motor-spare parts in Onitsha before venturing into transportation business. In 1978, he used the capital he realized from the spare parts business to purchase his first vehicle, Austin lorry. In subsequent years, he ventured fully into commercial road transport with Mercedez-Benz vehicles, Peugeot cars, trailers and Luxury buses which transverse
various parts of the country. The company had four different brands of luxury buses such as Bussca, Bussca Volvo, 0400 Concord, 0371R Buses, 0400 RSD and 0500 RSD. Izu-Chukwu
Transport has a fleet of thirty trailers for haulage services and exotic buses. The corporate headquarters of the company was at 107 Upper Iweka Road, Onitsha and it has branches nationwide Izu-Chukwu Motors was one of the earliest luxury buses transport services that commenced operation from Onitsha to Kano and other northern cities. Between 1999 and 2000, he had about one hundred and fifty vehicles and staff strength of about three thousand.Okaka Anaedo later diversified into other businesses. He was a director of many business concerns in manufacturing, importation of vehicular spare parts, and manufacturing sector such as Skyrite detergent products courier services. He also had huge investments in major insurance and banking firms. Izu- Chukwu Motors operates insurance schemes such as Goods in
Transit Policy which insures passengers’ goods and Workmen Compensation Policy (W.C.P) for its workers against accidents.
He contributed substantially to the funds of the defunct Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF). He made both financial and material donations to churches, motherless babies’
homes and destitute in Nnewi and other communities. Dan Ubajiaka received numerous local, national and international awards in recognition of his enviable contributions
to the growth of motor transport sub-sector. They included: 1994 XV Africa Award for Excellence in Paris, France; 2001
Golden Europe Award for Quality, New Millennium Award by the Trader Leader’s Club, Paris. He was conferred with the chieftaincy title of Ide Nnewi, meaning the pillar of Nnewi He was a devout catholic and a member of the Knight of St. Mulumba (K.S.M). He was married with one wife and had nine children. With the exponential growth of his fleet within one year, he registered the company with the name “Izu-Chukwu Motor Transport Service” in 1979. Izu Chukwu Transport was one of the largest company with the name “Izu-Chukwu Motor
Transport Service” in 1979. Izu Chukwu Transport was one of the largest transport companies in Nigeria from 1980s to 1990s.
At the turn of the Twenty-first century, it withdrew its fleet from northern routes and concentrated only on the southern routes.
He withdrew the aging and ailing buses and rescheduled their operations and routes to southern Nigerian cities. This practice
Was predicated on the need to use the buses for short distance travels in the south which was less tasking on the vehicles. The withdrawal of buses by Izu-Chukwu Transport Service and other older transport companies created opportunities for the bourgeoning lgbo transport companies such as Ifeanyi Transport, G.U.O. Okeke Transport, Gobison Transport and so on to take over the operation of northern routes. from transport and spare-parts businesses He diversified into manufacturing, banking and insurance concerns. He died in 2014 aged 88

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