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By Fred Itua, Abuja
Igwe Lawrence O.C. Agubuzu, born on the 27th of October, 1942, is a quintessential diplomat, a scholar, an author, a bridge builder, a peacemaker and a revered traditional ruler.
His story and exploits in the diplomatic community, years after his retirement from active service, still reverberate.
His Royal Majesty, Igwe Agubuzu, is the Eze Ogbunechendo of Ezema Olo and chairman of Enugu State Council of Traditional Rulers.
His name still rings a bell in diplomatic circles, having served as Nigeria’s Ambassador and Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of Nigeria in Washington, as well as High Commissioner to the Republic of Zambia with concurrent accreditation to the Republic of Malawi.
Fluent in Igbo, English and French, Agubuzu served as the Organisation of African Unity’s Assistant Secretary-General in charge of Finance and Coordination, and was once Commissioner for Local Government, Rural Development and Chieftaincy Matters in the old Anambra State.
A product of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Agubuzu graduated from the university in 1967 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science, and the best Political Science graduate of that year.
Igwe Agubuzu is often respected for his single-mindedness, determination, competence, keen intellect, honesty, integrity and moral courage.
Over the years, he has distinguished himself as an educationist, community leader, administrator, technocrat, consummate diplomat and revered royal father. His ability to multi-task at every stage in life is still a wonder to many.
Igwe Agubuzu is the first chancellor of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), a position he held for six years.
“As a strong believer that Nigeria belongs to all Nigerians, Igwe Agubuzu has always fought for his own rights and for the rights of every Nigerian to equal opportunity and treatment. His monumental achievements, in spite of his humble background, are attested to by the numerous ‘firsts’ he has scored,” a close associate noted.
While serving as Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the United Nations headquarters in New York, Igwe Agubuzu was in charge of Nigeria’s interest in the global body’s Fifth Committee, the Organisation of African Unity (now African Union), the Commonwealth and the Non-Aligned Movement.
He was elected as member of the United Nations Committee on Peacekeeping operations during the 1988-1989 Session. It was during the period that Nigeria contributed the largest national contingent of 182 policemen as well as deputy police adviser to the United Nations Transition Assistance Group in Namibia.
Igwe Agubuzu was elected on personal merit in December 1989, as a member of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions of the United Nations for a two-year period.
He retired from the civil service after 35 years of combined teaching and career diplomatic service, in September 1996, but had the privilege of being re-appointed in political capacity as High Commissioner to Zambia in October 1996 to March 1999. He was the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps in Zambia.
Upon successfully completing his assignment in Zambia, Igwe Agubuzu was presented by Nigeria, on merit; elected by AU Heads of State and Government and sworn-in in Algiers, Algeria, July 1999.
Agubuzu founded the Pan-African Tse-Tse and Trypanosomiasis Eradication Campaign as a permanent programme of the Continental body.
From July 2002- September 2003, he shouldered many responsibilities for the Continent’s infrastructure and energy (transport, communication, & tourism, water, among others).
In December 2006, he was recognised as the Eze Ogbunechendo of Ezema Olo Autonomous Community. In April 2013, he was appointed chairman of Enugu State Council of Traditional Rulers.
In May 2015, he was appointed Chancellor of NOUN by President Goodluck Jonathan. Today, he is the Chancellor of the Federal University of Kashere, Gombe State. He was appointed in July 2021 by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Igwe Agubuzu is an Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON). President Olusegun Obasanjo conferred the award in 2005. In October 2022, President Muhammadu Buhari honoured him with another national award of Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR).
Though he is neutral politically, he, however shares some fantastic views on governance and leadership. In an interview with The Sun Newspaper in 2019, he said something interesting.
“In many climes on this planet, each time a rational person steps out to exercise his or her democratic franchise during national or municipal elections, the individual ponders which guiding ideology of the country to support and vote for. In countries like our own, where there are no divergent ideological persuasions by political parties, there are usually topical national issues in respect of which contending political parties declare their positions clearly.
“Our political parties hardly unequivocally state their definite position or stand on issues of concern to electorate. The unbridled carpet-crossing, to and from one political party to the other by our politicians, is a pointer to their lack of ideology or principled position on issues of national interest. As we approach the 2019 general elections, the critical issues which confront our country include: unemployment, political structure, foreign debt, separation of powers, oil subsidy, corruption, insecurity, farmer/herdsmen clashes, agriculture, industrialization, poverty, education, health and infrastructure.
“If the key political parties contesting the forth-coming elections inform Nigerians of their stand on each of the above listed issues, many Nigerians would be motivated to vote. As long as Nigerians believe that the political parties are all the same, they may not see the reason to go and vote. This is one of the root causes of voter apathy in Nigeria and the politicians hold the key to its solution.”
Igwe Agubuzu strongly believes that traditional rulers can play pivotal roles in the conduct of peaceful and fair elections.
In another intervention, he said: “Our first role as royal fathers should be to educate our subjects. INEC is doing a commendable job in educating Nigerians on the danger posed to our democracy by voter apathy. The National Orientation Agency (NOA) and the various religious groups in Nigeria are also doing their best in this. We, as royal fathers, should use our unique closeness to, and moral authority over our subjects to educate them on the need for them to always go and vote.
“Although multi-party (system) is not negative in itself, royal fathers should advise against the existence of too many registered political parties in Nigeria. Too many political parties confuse the illiterate and less educated voters. It makes the organisation of elections cumbersome and more expensive. Traditional rulers should persuade their subjects, where possible, to join existing political parties rather than register their own. INEC should be strict in applying the conditions for registration of political parties.
“Traditional rulers may inspect the polling units and other facilities for elections in our domains and draw the attention of INEC to any observable shortcomings before the day of elections. The collaborative efforts of the royal fathers and INEC in this regard may minimise or eliminate some of the challenges to credible voting system.”
As Ambassador Agubuzu marks his unique 80th birthday, we celebrate the contributions of this icon to humanity. May your kingdom flourish and may God protect you always.
Happy birthday, Your Royal Majesty!
