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Sir Akanu Ibiam (29 November 1906 - 1 July 1995), was a distinguished medical missionary who was appointed Governor of Eastern Region, Nigeria from December 1960 until January 1966 during the Nigerian First Republic. From 1919 to 1951, he was known as Francis Ibiam, and from 1951 to 1967, Sir Francis Ibiam. After this time, he dropped his title and his forename and was known as simply Akanu Ibiam although the honours he reportedly returned were not annulled by the British government.


Early years

Ibiam was born in Unwana, Afikpo,
Ebonyi State Ebonyi () is a States of Nigeria, state in the South East (Nigeria), South-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, bordered to the north and northeast by Benue State, Enugu State to the west, Cross River State to the east and southeast, and Abia Stat ...
on 29 November 1906, of Igbo background. He was the second son of Chief Ibiam, a native of Unwana. His father later became a traditional ruler, Eze Ogo Isiala I of Unwana and Osuji of Uburu, in the
Nigerian chieftaincy system The Nigerian Chieftaincy is the chieftaincy system that is native to Nigeria. Consisting of everything from the country's monarchs to its titled family Elder (administrative title), elders, the chieftaincy as a whole is one of the oldest contin ...
. He attended
Hope Waddell Training Institute The Hope Waddell Training Institution (HOWAD) is a school in Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria. It founded by missionaries from the United Presbyterian Church of Scotland in 1895. It is named after the Reverend Hope Masterton Waddell. Establ ...
,
Calabar Calabar (also referred to as Callabar, Calabari, Calbari, Cali and Kalabar) is the capital city of Cross River State, Nigeria. It was originally named Akwa Akpa, in the Efik language, as the Efik people dominate this area. The city is adjac ...
, and King's College,
Lagos Lagos ( ; ), or Lagos City, is a large metropolitan city in southwestern Nigeria. With an upper population estimated above 21 million dwellers, it is the largest city in Nigeria, the most populous urban area on the African continent, and on ...
, and then was admitted to the University of St. Andrews, graduating with a medical degree in 1934. He was accepted as a medical missionary of the
Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland (CoS; ; ) is a Presbyterian denomination of Christianity that holds the status of the national church in Scotland. It is one of the country's largest, having 245,000 members in 2024 and 259,200 members in 2023. While mem ...
, in which role he established Abiriba hospital (1936–1945) and later superintended mission hospitals at Itu and Uburu. Ibiam was never ordained as a minister, but he was elected and ordained as an elder of the
Presbyterian Church Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Christianity, Reformed Protestantism, Protestant tradition named for its form of ecclesiastical polity, church government by representative assemblies of Presbyterian polity#Elder, elders, known as ...
. He was appointed an honorary officer of the
Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
(OBE) in the 1949 New Year Honours for his work as a medical missionary of the Church of Scotland, and was appointed an honorary
Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
(KBE) in the 1951 New Year Honours, which was later made substantive. Ibiam was president of the Christian Council of Nigeria (1955–1958). In 1957 he was appointed principal of Hope Waddell Institution. In 1959 Ibiam was president of the University College of Ibadan. On a visit to
Northern Rhodesia Northern Rhodesia was a British protectorate in Southern Africa, now the independent country of Zambia. It was formed in 1911 by Amalgamation (politics), amalgamating the two earlier protectorates of Barotziland-North-Western Rhodesia and North ...
, he was refused service at a café reserved for whites, an affair that became notorious. In 1962, he was chairman of the committee that established the Protestant Chapel at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka Campus. In the lead-up to Nigerian independence Ibiam served in local government, in the Eastern Regional House of Assembly, and in the Legislative and Executive Councils. After Nigeria gained independence in 1960, Ibiam was appointed governor of Eastern Region. On 24 August 1962, he was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of St. Michael and St. George (KCMG). Ibiam held office until the military coup of 15 January 1966 that brought Major General
Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi Johnson Thomas Umunnakwe Aguiyi-Ironsi (3 March 1924 – 29 July 1966) was a Nigerian general who was the first military head of state of Nigeria. He seized power during the ensuing chaos after the 15 January 1966 military coup. Ironsi ruled ...
to power. His successor, colonel Emeka Ojukwu, immediately ejected Ibiam from the State House in Enugu. Later, Emeka became president of the breakaway state of
Biafra Biafara Anglicisation (linguistics), anglicized as Biafra ( ), officially the Republic of Biafra, was a List of historical unrecognized states and dependencies, partially recognised state in West Africa that declared independence from Nigeria ...
.


Nigerian Civil War

During the
Nigerian Civil War The Nigerian Civil War (6 July 1967 – 15 January 1970), also known as the Biafran War, Nigeria-Biafra War, or Biafra War, was fought between Nigeria and the Republic of Biafra, a Secession, secessionist state which had declared its independen ...
of 1967–1970, Ibiam actively assisted the Biafrans, helping obtain relief supplies through his church contacts. As one of the six presidents of the
World Council of Churches The World Council of Churches (WCC) is a worldwide Christian inter-church organization founded in 1948 to work for the cause of ecumenism. Its full members today include the Assyrian Church of the East, most jurisdictions of the Eastern Orthodo ...
(WCC), Ibiam spoke at the WCC Meeting in
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, Sweden, in July 1968 where the problem of relief for refugees was discussed. Chief Bola Ige, Adviser to the Church of the Province of West Africa was also present, and ensured that the name "Biafra" was avoided in the WCC resolution, since that would imply recognition of the state. However, Ibiam was instrumental in ensuring that the nightly air lift of relief into Biafra was started. In 1969, he travelled across Canada to raise humanitarian aid and support for the people of Biafra. Ibiam returned his knighthood and renounced his English name, Francis, in protest against the British government's support of the Nigerian federal government.


Later years

Following the war, Ibiam continued work on reconstruction and hospital service. Ibiam was responsible for the Bible Society of Nigeria and the Christian Medical Fellowship. He became a president of the All Africa Conference of Churches. Ibiam died on 1 July 1995. More than 20,000 people attended his funeral in Unwana. The Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, the Akanu Ibiam Federal Polytechnic, Unwana, Ebonyi State, and the Francis Akanu Ibiam Stadium University of Nigeria, Nsukka are named after him.


See also

* List of Igbo people * List of people from Ebonyi State


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ibiam, Akanu 1906 births 1995 deaths People from Ebonyi State Igbo politicians Nigerian traditional rulers State governors of Nigeria Presbyterian missionaries in Nigeria 20th-century Nigerian medical doctors University of Nigeria people Nigerian Presbyterian missionaries Christian medical missionaries Nigerian recipients of British titles Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George Nigerian Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire King's College, Lagos alumni 20th-century Nigerian politicians People of the Nigerian Civil War Alumni of the University of St Andrews Hope Waddell Institute alumni