By Wilfred Eya
For Professor George Obiozor, President-General of apex Igbo socio- cultural group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo , life is all about service to humanity . Witty, focused and principled, it was no surprise that he emerged to lead Ndigbo at the expiration of the tenure of Chief Nnia Nwodo.
A renowned academic and diplomat, Obiozor carved a niche as Nigeria’s envoy to a number of countries. Among them are United States, Cyprus and Israel.
However, despite serving outside the shores of Nigeria, he was never disconnected from national events and at all times demonstrated patriotism to his fatherland.
Born in Awo-Omamma, Imo State, on August 15, 1942, some 79 years ago, Obiozor began education in his home town, Awo-Omamma Primary School, from where he moved to Awo-Omamma Comprehensive Secondary School in 1959. He finished in 1963 with a sterling result, which earned him an instant teaching job in his Alma Mater between 1964 and 1966 when he travelled overseas in search of university education. He bagged a diploma at the Institute of African Studies, Geneva, Switzerland in 1967.
He also graduated from the University of South Tacoma, Washington, USA, in 1968, with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science.
His hunger for education took him to the Institute of African Studies, and Albert Schweitzer College. He graduated from the University of Puget Sound in 1969 with a masters degree, and earned a PhD in International Affairs from Columbia University.
He has so many publications to his credit.
They include: ‘Uneasy Friendships: Nigeria-United States Relations,( Fourth Dimension Publishers) ; ‘The Politics of Precarious Balancing:
An Analysis of Contending Issues in Nigerian domestic and foreign policy,( Nigerian Institute of International Affairs) as well as ‘Nigeria and the World: Managing the Politics of Diplomatic Ambivalence in a Changing World,’.
He has held several political appointments in Nigeria and received innumerable awards, both local and international.
Happily married with children, the Ugwumba 1 of Orlu is known for this popular quote: “Politics is a concentric series of conspiracies in which the last party to conspire emerges victorious.” He is The Sun LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT award winner, 2020.