George Obiozor, The Enigma, Goes Home Guest Columnist BY OKEY ANUEYIAGU The last few years, in many respects, have been years of disappointments and losses. The sad passing of several
The last few years, in many respects, have been years of disappointments and losses. The sad passing of several of my longtime friends has been so profoundly heartbreaking. But nothing prepared me for the death of one of my closest soulmates, George Obiozor. His death hit me like a ton of bricks, leaving me in a terrible state of despair and pain.
George was a consummate scholar, a philosopher and a man of expansive knowledge – the type that seems obscure. There was a whole lot of conjecture about who he was, as much about what he meant by his pronouncements and by his dispositions. This man’s ineffable life gave him a sort of mystical quality which provided some of us close to him with interesting perspectives and contrasts in understanding self-awareness, humility and harmony with nature.
George Obiozor was a National Hero. From serving at various levels in government; adviser to Presidents, Director-General of The Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, Ambassador to various countries, and a dedicated contributor to the dynamic discourse of our country’s politics, social and economic affairs, he excelled. He helped to formulate and sustain the fundamental questions of our existence, providing us with an understanding of ourselves and the society in which we live.
George and I collaborated and engaged in so many national and international affairs that to mention each one of them will take volumes. The one affair that stood out in the history of Nigerian politics was when we worked together at the 2014 National Conference – a gathering of Nigerians inaugurated by former President Goodluck Jonathan with a mandate to find a lasting solution to resolving issues of national importance.
George was a strategist. He wanted to capture me, because as he said, I had the ears of some other important Igbo. He wanted me to speak to Professor Joe Irukwu, Chief Emeka Anyoku, Commodore Ebitu Ukiwe, General Ike Nwachukwu, Dr. Walter Ofonagoro, Alhaji Abdulaziz Ude, Senator Ben Ndi Obi, Chief Sonny Odogwu, The Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Alfred Achebe, Admiral Ndubisi Kanu, and some other prominent Igbo citizens, about his ambition, and get them onboard.
That incredible admonition by George Obiozor, which in essence loosely translated to mean that pride goes before a fall, and that humility is the antidote to the fall that is the shame of the prideful, has been my guiding light. This undoubtedly, is the raison d’etre of everything I have attempted to be in life today.
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