Ezeife: PERSONAL ENCOUNTERS
By C. Don Adinuba
Chukwuemeka Pius Ezeife, Anambra State governor from January 1992 to November 1993 who died last month at 86, hauled himself up by the bootstraps and became an embodiment of progress. He took to apprentice trading on leaving primary school owing to a paucity of funds. Yet, before anyone knew it, he had obtained a doctorate in economics from Harvard, becoming a lecturer at Makerere University in Uganda. At the end of the Nigerian Civil War in 1970, he rejoined the federal civil service, retiring as a permanent secretary. He then dived straight into business and left a footprint in no time. He also rose rapidly in politics, as became the Social Democratic Party (SDP) governor after a series of gruesome fights. His life was marked by grit, resilience, simplicity, and an unwavering commitment to the public good.


