The untold story of Chief Dr.Akanu Ibiam ,the greatest man from Ebonyi State

The untold story of Chief Dr.Akanu Ibiam ,the greatest man from Ebonyi State 👇

The First Governor of the Eastern Region And how he denounced his English name & British knighthood because of Biafra

Chief Dr Akanu Ibiam (Ezeogo of Unwana) (1929-1995)
Ibiam was born on 29th November 1906 in Unwana, a town situated about 15 kilometers southeast of Afikpo in Ebonyi state in Nigeria. He was the second son of Chief Ibiam Aka, a well known and highly respected traditional ruler in the village clan of Unwana. When the war began, Dr. Ibiam lost his position as governor of the eastern region. He was however engaged in speaking tours both in Biafra and abroad. Dr. Ibiam condemned the civil w@r in its entirety. He had great sympathy for the Biafran cause and the Biafran tr@gedy, that is, the enormous number of the dy!ng and dead, and the hungry men, women and children vict!mized by the w@r.

In the wake of all this, Dr. Ibiam, as a former President of the World Council of Churches, travelled to Geneva and other parts of the world to appeal for food and medical aid for the embattled and battered people of Biafra. In view of the British government’s open hostility to Biafra, Dr. Ibiam dropped his English name Francis and returned the insignia of his knighthood as a Knight of the British Empire (KBE),
with these words:
“I consider it illogical and immoral to wear the insignia of your knighthood in view of the most dangerous we@pons you give to the Federal troops to elimin@te me and my people. Henceforth I wish to be known and addressed as Dr. Akanu Ibiam.” Dr. Ibiam conveyed his message to the Queen of England in 1967 through the British High Commissioner in Enugu, capital of Eastern Nigeria.

Dr. Ibiam was in Germany, when the war ended. He was there to appeal for relief support for Biafra. When he heard that the war was over, he hurried back to Nigeria and had an audience with the head of the military government General Yakubu Gowon, who assured him of his safety and gave him safe conduct to his home in Unwana, in eastern Nigeria.

With the cessation of host!lities, Dr. Ibiam laboured with his fellow Biafrans to resettle themselves in their places of abode. He continued to be bold and fearless in his advocacy for justice and the equitable distribution of Nigerian resources. He served as a special advisor to the military governors in the eastern states of Nigeria.