Special to USAfrica magazine (Houston) and USAfricaonline.com, the first Africa-owned, US-based newspaper published on the Internet.
Kenneth C. Orji is an economist and banker.
Getting myself composed to write a tribute to my brother, Chris, has been a most difficult undertaking. How would I write about him in the past tense? How could I reduce to a few lines of tribute a long, captivating and intimate story that can fill more than one book.
It was a little after midnight on May 9, 2025. My phone rang and it was a call from Nneka’s number. I did not think of anything untoward as we had had some late calls as a result of the network challenges at the hospital. It was Somachi on the line and she spoke calmly. Her words were “Uncle, Daddy has gone to be with The Lord”.
Those words have continued to ring in my head as I have struggled to deal with the conflicting emotions of grief and thankfulness. I have learned to heed St Paul’s injunction that, as Christians, we must not grieve like those who have no hope. I am thankful for having been part of Chris’ journey over many years.
It had been a journey of 55 years. I met Chris in March/April 1970 when I entered
Government Secondary School, Owerri. He was my senior by one year. He was one of the few benevolent seniors who did not derive pleasure from subjecting junior students to unwarranted harsh punishments. We related well while maintaining a respectful distance as expected by school norms. We were both members of the Debating Society and he also, despite his small size, was an active member of the Boxing Club. The school, of which he was so proud, laid the building blocks for his gift of oratory, lifelong passion for debate and intellectual engagement, and love for boxing.
Chris left school in June 1973 after his WASC examinations. Our school was affected by that year’s widespread cancellation of results by WAEC and most of his classmates came back to join my class for the 1974 examinations. Chris, in an uncommon assertion of independence at such a young age, took the courageous decision to move to Lagos where he secured a job with the Nigerian Ports Authority while embarking on private studies.
True to the qualities that stood him in good stead throughout his life, he kept his focus and shunned the distractions of Lagos life for a young boy earning good money. So, armed with solid London O’ and A’ Levels and decent savings, he came to university as a comfortable student in 1976.
We reunited in September 1976 at University of Ibadan. We became classmates in the Faculty of Social Sciences, he in Political Science and I in Economics. Our relationship that began in high school was cemented in UI. We took a number of common courses in the first year, and we often studied together. He excelled in Political Science and Economics courses. I tried to persuade him to change to Economics but he wouldn’t have traded Political Science for any other course.
Chris’ time in UI was a defining phase in shaping his adult life. It was in UI that his personal and leadership traits found ample space to bloom. He immediately immersed himself fully in the life of the university and his talent was spotted soon after. I recall that, within just a few months of arriving on campus, he was selected as a member of the team that travelled to Ghana to represent the university in the annual debate with University of Ghana, Legon.
Ever the rallying point, his room was an active meeting place for discussions on every subject by people from diverse disciplines. Regular visitors included the late Dr. Chiedu Osakwe, former Deputy Director-General of the World Trade Organisation; Mr. Godwin Obaseki, former Governor of Edo State; and my humble self.
Chris’ long experience in politics began in UI when in our second year he was elected Chairman of Mellanby Hall (the university’s premier hall). In addition, he was elected by all Hall Chairmen as the Chairman of the Committee of Hall Chairmen. In this capacity he attended meetings with the senior leadership of the university and contributed to decisions that affected the life of the university.
Remarkably, and an early manifestation of the rare quality that marked his life, his high-profile offices and interactions in the university did not affect his consciousness of, and commitment to, his roots. So he was at different times the President of Government Secondary School, Owerri Old Boys Association and President of Owerri Students Union, at the University of Ibadan.
So, was it all books and politics on campus? No, being Chris he made sure that he soaked in all the vibes and flavours of campus life. Though not the campus party freak, he enjoyed going to parties. I recall our numerous adventures navigating the labyrinthine streets across the vast city of Ibadan, trying to locate party venues. We also had some stories to tell.
When it came to time to say goodbye to UI in June 1979, Chris did so in grand style, graduating as one of the best ever produced in the history of the department. I can disclose that he very narrowly missed a first class. UI never left him, though. He kept going back and engaging in different activities, climaxing in his registration in the doctoral programme and earning the PhD degree in Policy Design and Implementation in 2012, thirty three years after receiving his first degree in the same department. He later received the Distinguished Alumnus Award.
We both settled in Lagos, after NYSC in 1980, to pursue our respective careers and resume our journey together. We lived a short distance apart in Aguda, the new extension of SuruLere that was a haven for young professionals. It did not take long before he joined the ranks of the big boys.
If Government Secondary School, Owerri provided the building blocks and University of Ibadan the space to unfurl his wings, Lagos offered him the freedom and resources to soar, it was like standing on a giant pedestal overlooking a vast horizon of possibilities. And he embraced it with confidence and enthusiasm.
His home in Aguda and later Mogaji Street, Suru Lere quickly became a meeting place for intellectual discussions and social interactions with a circle of friends that grew wider and richer. The setting and content of the discourse were so elevated. The late Chiedu Osakwe likened it to the legendary King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. Of course, there were the parties and Chris was someone who danced with passion.
When Nneka came into Chris’ life she not only complemented his openness, welcoming and generous personality, she extended it with her own caring and convivial spirit. She welcomed and catered to his many friends who continued to gather in their home. She remained a strong pillar of support for maintaining Chris’ relationships and encouraging him in his many endeavours. And the children came in quick succession, Somachi, Jamachi and Lemachi. My relationship with Chris, which had extended to our siblings and my parents, then took a new meaning. He graciously asked me to be the godfather of his daughter, Somachi, and he, in turn, accepted to be the godfather of my daughter, Chisomaga.
Chris continued to broaden the base for his civic engagements, the demands of work and family notwithstanding. He never forgot his roots. Here, his leadership prowess came to the fore. He played pioneering roles in the formation of Mezie Owerri, the association of Owerri intelligentsia and professionals and Aka Ikenga, the Igbo think-tank and association of professionals. He was the first President of Mezie Owerri and I succeeded him. He later served as President of Aka Ikenga and also as Deputy President of Ohaneze Ndigbo, the apex Igbo organisation.
In furtherance of his life-long quest for knowledge, Chris combined his work and social engagements with part-time studies at the University of Lagos where he obtained a Master’s degree in International Economic Relations. He subsequently enrolled in the law programme of the University of London as an external student and obtained an LLB (London) degree. Not done yet, he later left for the UK where he studied and obtained the MSc in Shipping Economics and Finance from City University, London.
Upon return to Nigeria at the turn of the 1990’s, armed with an uncommon span of knowledge, ranging from politics and policy making, law to shipping and finance, he began his over three-decade-long career as a consultant to the maritime industry. This was punctuated briefly in 1992 by his election into the Federal House of Representatives, representing Owerri Federal Constituency and later when he served as Commissioner for Finance, Imo State. Again, Chris’ leadership ability was recognised by his colleagues in the National Assembly, where he quickly became a rallying voice, and as Commissioner for Finance in Imo State, he emerged as the spokesman of the forum of all State Commissioners for Finance.
Back from State duties Chris embarked on building his nascent maritime consultancy business and, over the decades, he consistently made his impact as a thought leader and major contributor to the development of the nation’s maritime industry. When it was time for politics in 1999, he stepped forward and contested in subsequent elections. I joined him on the campaign trail on a number of occasions but he had to step back due to the intrigues and betrayals he experienced, and his desire not to compromise his cherished personal values. He, however, remained a sought-after adviser and consultant on legislative processes and policies to the National Assembly and State Assemblies in different geo-political zones.
The many tributes dedicated to him aptly capture his numerous achievements and contributions to diverse sectors, constituencies and communities. I was a witness.
I count myself privileged to have been offered a ringside seat by Chris (if I may use imagery from his favourite sport) and to have been a companion for much of the way on his remarkable journey of life. We spent so much time together, including many long nights in his favourite part of the house, the library. The memory will last forever. I remain eternally thankful.
How do I sum up my experience of Chris over that long journey?
It is remarkable that we never had a personal disagreement in all those many years. We occasionally took different positions on intellectual issues in some of our discussions, arising mainly from the subtle difference in ideological leanings between us. Sometimes, he leaned slightly to the left of centre and I slightly to the right. Those differences never reached the personal level. We, in fact, developed what he referred to as non-verbal communication.
Over time, I found that beneath his gentle mien lay a very strong spirit that coped with even the most painful adversities and an iron will to move on and excel.
When I met Chris in 1970, I had no idea of what he had gone through during the bloody war that ended a few weeks earlier, and he did not betray anything by his countenance, disposition and relationship with people. Chris was born into the prosperous family of Nnanyi Zander Asoluka, and he grew up in Enugu as a favoured (you may say spoilt) child. His father was the owner of a successful construction company and a member of the Board of Directors of the Nigerian Ports Authority in the early 1960s. His mother was the daughter of the legendary Okoroji family of Ujari, Arochukwu, one of the major custodians of the heritage of the Arochukwu Kingdom. All was going well until the 1967-70 war.
He was in his preteens when war broke out. In the course of the war, his older brother BB, his idol and a Higher School student of Government Secondary School Owerri on his way to medical school, was killed at the war front; his mother, to whom he was so attached, was gruesomely killed; the family house was razed; he was separated from his father until the end of the war. He was alone and wandered for days through forests and strange villages until he found his mother’s relatives at Isuochi in present-day Abia
State, where he stayed until the end of the war. The family lost almost all its possessions and his father died a few years after.
Chris’ wartime harrowing experience of untold trauma, devastation, desolation and abandonment could have damaged for life any person, more so such a young boy. He could have ended up angry and broken, but instead, he refused to be held down by his tragic experience. He embraced life anew and spent his entire life bringing sunshine to people’s lives, radiating love, building bridges, using his God-given talents to serve humanity and making himself the best he could be. He also restored the Asoluka family name and took it much farther than he met it.
One intriguing trait I found in him was his uncommon ability to balance ordinarily conflicting qualities. He was stoic and enthusiastic; he was in his elements while exploring the marketplace of ideas and at the same time had his feet firmly planted in the soil of reality; he was self-assured without being haughty; he was a public and private person; he was a man of logic and emotion, courage and discretion; he knew when to fight and when to pull back; he was principled but pragmatic, firm but fair and gentle; he remained at ease with the young and the old; he was at home with the ancient and the modern.
Above all, he possessed a generous dose of the finest human qualities. He was very kind and generous; he gave trust, loyalty and commitment. He was genuine in relationships; he was patient and compassionate; he was authentic and unpretentious (proud of his Owerri dialect and heritage); he was very forgiving (genuinely so) and he harboured no guile; he met people at their level; he maintained a dignified carriage and a reassuring presence; he had his style and keen sense of sartorial elegance (you could spot him from a mile away); he possessed an insatiable appetite for acquiring and sharing knowledge; he was an embodiment of wisdom way beyond his age.
We are all better off because he was here. Dr. Chris Chigoziri Asoluka, Okwuruoha, in deed, was the quintessential renaissance man.
