In the next two weeks, we will take a look at two accomplished professionals who have transformed into traditional rulers. We start this week with Eze (Prof.) Mark Anamelechi Chukwunwike Odu. Oguwike Nwachuku writes
How does one refer to him now? Everyone will always have a fixed mental image of he who is now Eze MAC Odu. It has been quite a transformation. Cerebral, urbane, unashamedly intellectual, the astonishingly well-read monarch has gone from being an avatar in estate management to erudite professor and now in the autumn dons (pun intended) the regalia of a traditional ruler.
He has been on the corridors of Ezeship since 1982 when he was crowned Nze by Eze Edmund Osuagwu, Durujiaju Uboma Mbu Ngurunweke.
The family has had to adjust to his new status. As Eze, he has not been in the mood to compromise the essence of the traditional culture. “I fought them and consequently have been married to five women.”
It has been quite a journey. It is difficult to categorise Eze Odu. A long sojourn in the Lagos metropolis means that, like the late revered Owelle of Onitsha, Dr. Nnamdi Azikwe, he speaks beautiful ‘Lagos Yoruba’. Certainly better Yoruba than much of the ‘aje butters’ of the Lagos colony.
Eze Odu is pan-Nigerian alright. Born in Lafia in what was then the Northern Region and now in Nasarawa State, he attended primary schools in ‘towns on the rail line in Northern Nigeria’. He finished primary school in Kafanchan now (Kaduna State) in 1956.
And then came to Lagos. The king is a well-loved alumna of St. Finbarr’s College, Akoka, Lagos. From there he got his secondary school certificate in 1963. This showed early intellectual promise, for the school – one of the most highly-rated – was quite difficult to get into at the time.
The professor has had a brief detour as an agriculture assistant in training at the School of Agriculture, Umuahia (now capital of Abia State), in 1964. From there, he started a life-long immersion into the built environment by studying Estate Management at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN). The den of lions and lionesses has become an enduring passion. He served with great pride as the fifth national president of the UNN alumni association.
And then there was an interruption. The inability of the contending forces to resolve the simmering national question led to the outbreak of the civil war. Eze Odu, like many, answered the call. He made his contribution to history in a way he did not ask for. After all these years, it is still difficult to imagine the meek Eze Odu serving as he did in 1967 as Captain of the Suicide Squad in Biafra. The set-up of the squad was very much like that of the American Navy Seals or the British Special Air Services. The work involved undertaking sabotage missions such as forays into Nigeria. Pretty dangerous stuff, not unlike watching an enthralling war movie.
For his valour, Eze Odu ended up in detention at the Maximum Security Prison in Kirikiri. He is in illustrious company as an alumnus of that odd institution. A lot of Nigeria’s great and good have passed through that route. Nevertheless, he picked up his Bachelor’s Degree in 1971.
In his chosen field, he has seminally combined practice with intellectual curiosity and academic rigour. From 1975 to 1977, for example, he was a visiting lecturer at UNN. He combined this with his burgeoning practice, Mark Odu and Company, Estate Surveyors and Valuers, Land Use Planning and Development Consultants. The practice has always been at the cutting edge. It must have been hard for the consummate professional; nevertheless he managed to extricate himself from total hands-on involvement in the company by retiring in 2014. However, he continues to hold controlling equity in a practice that is still widely admired.
The depth of his professional accomplishment has been quite a fulfilling odyssey. For example, he was a professional member of the Land Use and Allocation Committee from 1981 to 1983 and was charged with obtaining land for the citizens of Imo State in Abuja. Perpetually swimming against the tide, no whiff of untoward activity accompanied his interlude on the board of the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) from 1981 to 1984 where he served as chairman of the finance committee of the board.
The belief in social solidarity and the community spirit has always been there. If today, he is a monarch, it is hardly surprising. Looking back, it is quite a natural progression. As far back as 1977, he had set up the Nguru Investment Cooperative Society Limited as the founder-chairman till date. His collaborators in this grassroots development project were Nze S.P. Njoku and Mazi P.O. Dika.
The perennial quest to achieve a society based on social cohesion and community solidarity led him to be the co-chairman of the Imo Cooperative Summit 2013. The formation of Nguru Investment Cooperative Society was a defining moment. He is now the president of Imo State (Owerri Municipal) Thrift and Investment Cooperative Union Limited. He is also the Secretary of the Board of Directors of South East Communities Development Association undergoing registration as community-based development initiative of Igboland.
Eze Odu combines it all. An untiring renaissance man, he combines social activism with continuing involvement in intellectual pursuit. He continues to write books as well as numerous articles in multiple columns in Nigerian newspapers and on the internet. There is still a lot to give in the indomitable man of ideas.