Long Live, Eze Richard Akanihu OBIOHA: A great man of extraordinary wisdom!
By Chido Nwangwu
He lived a man of extraordinary wisdom and discretion. He was a good man; yes, a very good man. His transition ceremonies concludes April 8, 2021 in his Okwuabala kingdom in Orlu, Imo State.
The king lived a purposeful life,and blessed me as his son-in-law.
He was very kind, happy and gracious in blessing my marriage to his first and beloved daughter Chinwe, attorney at law and mathematician….
My late father-in-law possessed this sunny disposition; he had a quick instinct for good humor and a smile. The man had the organic quality of jocosity!
HRH Eze (Engr.) Richard Akanihu Obioha, from Umuegere – Umuezikeodu – Okwuabala autonomous community in Orlu Local Government area of Imo State, Nigeria, was born on the 4th of September, 1927 at Ugwuaga – Okwuabala – Ihioma in the then Okigwe District of the Eastern Region of Nigeria. He married recently late Ugoeze Bernadette Akuagwu Obioha (nee Olumba) on the 28th of April, 1963, and they have 7 children.
He combined the fundamentals of traditionalism with the dynamic demands of contemporary matters with ease and a sense of fairness.
In his community, this king Will always be remembered for his deep and compassionate sense of generosity. He intervened countless times to make the lives of hundreds of persons better through scholarships, mentoring and job placemaent.
He had the soothing medicine of his laughter and good cheer especially when someone took a matter too seriously.
Both the young and the old, beyond and within his domain, also came around him to drink from his fountain of knowledge. Many who were dejected and dispirited came to seek his counsel left with vigour and vim and refreshed spirit ready to embrace the path towards empowerment and their overall well-being.
Without any doubts, those qualities made very good combination for leading any community.
In terms of the king’s social outlook and development of the individual, he believed in and proved his commitment to the instrumental value of education as a catalyst for a better person and community! Evidently, the king agreed with the great Nelson Mandela that: “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
Therefore, I conclude that a king with such dedication and vision is a blessing to his community! Long live the king!! Long Live, Eze Richard Akanihu Obioha!!
— Dr. Chido Nwangwu, Founder & Publisher of the first US~based, African~owned newspaper published on the Internet USAfricaonline.com and USAfrica magazine, is the author of this summer 2021 book, MLK, Mandela & Achebe: Power, Leadership and Identity.
