Special to USAfrica magazine (Houston) and USAfricaonline.com, the first Africa-owned, US-based newspaper published on the Internet
By Chris Agbedo, Professor of Linguistics at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Fellow at the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study in Amsterdam, and contributing analyst to USAfrica.
In the chronicles of human dispersal, there are always stories of kindred separated by geography yet held together by the invisible ligaments of blood. Rivers, colonial boundaries, and state lines may divide, but consanguinity endures, whispering across generations that kin remain kin. Such is the story of Igbanke, an Igbo ethnic group in Edo State — a community geographically apart from the Igbo heartland but culturally and linguistically bound to it.
Birthdays are often private affairs. They serve as moments for personal reflection, celebration with family, and thanksgiving for the gift of life. Yet, for some leaders, birthdays become public testimonies – occasions to reaffirm values, reassert convictions, and deepen their bond with the communities they serve. The Regent belongs to this category. Dr. Nwachukwu Anthony Anakwenze, the Regent of the Igbo town of Abagana, who, on the recent occasion of his 73rd birthday, chose not the solitude of private festivity but the solemnity of reconnecting with his kith and kin in Igbanke.
Anakwenze’s journey, aptly styled “The Visit of Brotherhood”, was more than a ceremonial courtesy; it was a symbolic bridge across time, geography, and contested narratives of identity. It also illuminated the larger story of his life’s mission. Whether as a physician healing the sick, a farmer feeding the land, an industrialist and entrepreneur creating opportunities, a philanthropist empowering the vulnerable, or a regent upholding ancestral traditions, one operative word runs like a golden thread through his legacies: service. At 73, Dr. Anakwenze has demonstrated that true leadership is not measured by titles amassed but by lives uplifted- and that birthdays, when consecrated to such causes, become living testaments of a legacy in motion.
The Bridge to Igbanke
When the Regent of Abagana arrived at the palace of His Royal Majesty, the Enogie of Idumuodi, the reception was one of joy steeped in ancestral memory. Songs, dances, and salutations conveyed what words could only hint: that this was not a stranger’s visit but a brother’s homecoming. The Enogie’s voice, filled with both pride and conviction, rang out clearly: “Igbanke is Igbo unequivocally.” With that declaration, he reaffirmed a truth often muffled by the politics of geography- that Igbanke’s essence is not negotiable but inherited, rooted in language, culture, and tradition.
Dr. Anakwenze, with the wisdom of a custodian of heritage, responded with words that pierced through doubt: “You speak Igbo; you live Igbo; you are Igbo.” This was not merely a ceremonial affirmation; it was a recognition of kinship long obscured by external forces. In that moment, a bridge was not only built between Abagana and Igbanke but also across generations of Igbo identity.
Global Kinship and Cultural Solidarity
The significance of the visit was magnified by the presence of Igbo sons and daughters from far and wide. Their attendance underscored the global reach of Igbo solidarity. From Nigeria to Europe, the diaspora stood as witnesses that the Igbo nation is more than a cluster of communities; it is a worldwide fraternity bound by shared memory and values. What unfolded in Igbanke was therefore not only a local celebration but also a reaffirmation of Igbo unity across continents. It was a reminder that in today’s fractured world, cultural solidarity remains a force capable of bridging distances and resisting erasure.
The Regent’s Living Legacies of Service
If the visit to Igbanke symbolized heritage, Dr. Anakwenze’s broader commitments embody service. Across the many roles he plays – physician, farmer, industrialist, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and traditional regent – runs a consistent ethic of giving back. His multi-million naira empowerment schemes for youths and widows in Abagana are not isolated gestures but part of a deliberate philosophy that wealth finds its highest meaning when it uplifts the vulnerable. This philosophy is most visibly institutionalized in the Anakwenze Foundation Scholarship. Established to bridge the education gap, the Foundation provides financial support to underprivileged but promising students. Its mission is not only to ease the burden of tuition but to empower future leaders, encouraging recipients to pursue their passions in science, technology, the arts, and beyond. Through the Foundation, countless young people have been able to break the chains of poverty and aspire toward careers of impact. The story of each scholar is a testimony to the Regent’s belief that education is the surest ladder by which the underprivileged may climb into opportunity and dignity.
Emmanuel Chidubem Okeke: A Story that Inspires
Perhaps the most emblematic turning point of Dr. Anakwenze’s vision is Emmanuel Okeke’s inspiring story of rise from poverty to innovation. It is the heart-warming narrative of an award-winning young Nigerian inventor, whose life reads like a parable of resilience meeting opportunity. Born into a struggling family in Anambra State, with a mother eking out a living as a roadside food vendor and a father battling chronic health challenges, Okeke’s future seemed destined for limitation. Poverty had begun to tighten its grip, threatening to extinguish his bright promise. Yet, destiny intervened in the form of the Anakwenze Foundation, which took him under its wing, sponsoring him throughout his studies. That singular intervention transformed a life that could have been stifled by hardship into one of academic brilliance and creative distinction. In gratitude, Okeke captured his journey in a moving testimony titled: “From struggling street vendor’s son to Engineering prodigy: How the Anakwenze project transformed a life!”
Okeke’s brilliance soon bore fruit. He invented revolutionary machines, including a non-biodegradable waste-to-fuel converter that transforms polymer materials into petroleum and polymer marble. His genius earned him national recognition at the 2016 NTA/ETV Children’s Expo, where he represented Anambra State and won second place nationally. Pushing further, Okeke rose to international prominence as President of the Society of Petroleum Engineers at the University of Nicosia, Cyprus, and as a member of the University Senate representing the Faculty of Engineering between 2022 and 2024. Today, he stands on the cusp of a new chapter, applying for a Master’s in Safety and Engineering Management at the University of Southern Queensland, Australia.
Okeke’s journey – from a vendor’s stall in Anambra to the laboratories of Europe and soon to Australia – is living testimony of how education, philanthropy, and resilience can break the chains of poverty. His words of appreciation remain poignant: “Dr. Anakwenze gave me a future, and it is a generosity that I so much appreciate.” Through him and many others, the Regent of Abagana has shown that philanthropy is not just about giving alms; it is about unlocking destinies and empowering generations.
Leadership as Service
When one surveys the life of Dr. Anakwenze, the theme is unmistakable. As a physician, he heals; as a farmer, he feeds; as an industrialist and entrepreneur, he creates opportunities; as a philanthropist, he empowers; and as a regent, he unites. In all these, the operative word is service. He embodies the Igbo maxim, ‘Onye aghana nwanne ya’ – ‘let no one be left behind’. His life offers a counter-narrative to the all-too-familiar story of leaders who accumulate for themselves while neglecting their people. Instead, he exemplifies the ancient Igbo wisdom that wealth is justified only by how many lives it sustains.
Connecting the Dots
What then do we learn from the Regent’s 73rd birthday? First, that identity matters. The Igbanke visit affirms that no community should live in limbo regarding its heritage.
Second, that education remains the most powerful tool for transformation, and an investment in society’s future.
Third, true leadership is not in titles worn but in lives touched and legacies built. In connecting the dots of his life, we see a man who has made service his creed and kinship his compass. His visit to Igbanke was not just a birthday celebration but a cultural homecoming. His philanthropic work is not charity for optics but empowerment rooted in conviction. His support for young innovators like Emmanuel Okeke is not patronage but an investment in the future of his people.
In Dr. Anakwenze, we celebrate a philosophy of service, a bridge of brotherhood, and a vision of empowerment that continues to shape the future. In his engagements, we find a living bridge — across geographies, across identities, across time! He reminds us that kinship is eternal, service is noble, and legacy is best written in the lives of our fellow human beings.
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