6 Things To Know About Late Arthur Nzeribe Who Lived in 5 Star Hotels for 20 Years
Arthur Nzeribe, one of Nigeria's top politicians has finally taken a bow out of this world. According to family source, Nzeribe died in a UK hospital on May 5.
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Nzeribe was considered a self-serving rebel who befriended and worked with pioneer pan-Africanists and revered democrats like Kwame Nkrumah, the first prime minister and president of Ghana.
He was also involved in the annulment of Nigeria’s freest and fairest general election ever, The Cable reports.
Source: UGC
Here are some interesting things to know about him
- He grew into a millionaire at a young age
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Nzeribe was born on November 2, 1938, to an influential family in Oguta, Imo state. He, however, grew up in the care of Catholic priests after his mother died while he was still in primary school, and his father was away in the UK studying Law. He attended Bishop Shanahan College, Orlu, and the Holy Ghost College, Owerri, before travelling to Lagos State in 1957. He got employment with the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) as an Engineering Cadet.
Eager and talented for further education, Nzeribe won an NPA scholarship and went on to study marine engineering at the Portsmouth College of Technology and Chesterfield College of Technology in England.
In the UK, Nzeribe first displayed his business acumen by selling life insurance schemes to black immigrants in the country at 22. And a year later, he bought his first Rolls Royce.
2. He worked for Kwame Nkrumah
In 1960, while selling life insurance in the UK, Nzeribe met Kwame Nkrumah, who had led Ghana to independence three years prior. Nzeribe won over Kwame and became his public relations officer, which led to a spell in Ghana.
Nzeribe grew rich and influential among the Ghana elite and became one of the most influential immigrants in the country.
3. He was involved in the removal of Joseph Ankrah as Ghana head of state
A coup ousted Nkrumah on February 24, 1966, but the influence of the Nzeribe did not wane among the Ghanaian elite. He found favour with the newly-enthroned National Liberation Council (NLC) and Joseph Ankrah, the head of state.
However, on April 2, 1969, Ankrah admitted he was involved in a bribery scandal that led to Nzeribe manipulating an opinion poll in the country. A commission of enquiry revealed that the head of state received C6,000.00 from Nzeribe, which might have influenced the outcome of the polls. As a result, Ankrah was forced to resign.
4. June 12 annulment
He also entered the political scene in Nigeria and became the senator for the Orlu constituency in the 1983 elections.
During the lead up to the June 12 presidential election in 1993. While the whole country wanted a change from the protracted reign of successive military regimes, Nzeribe wanted the opposite. He created the Association for Better Nigeria (ABN), a group of private citizens sponsoring a campaign calling for Ibrahim Babangida, the then military head of state, to remain in office for at least another four years.
On June 10, 1993, two days before the election, the organisation obtained a high court injunction against the holding of the poll based on alleged corruption.
On 15 June, as the collation of the votes was ongoing, ABN obtained another court injunction to halt the counting and verification. This time, however, the National Electoral Commission (NEC) accepted the injunction and announced on 16 June that it was suspending its announcement of the results, indicating a court order prohibiting it.
Eight days later, Babangida announced the annulment of the election.
5. He was suspended from the Senate
After Nigeria returned to democracy in 1999, Nzeribe contested for the Orlu Senatorial constituency and won.
In November 2002, however, he was suspended indefinitely by Anyim Pius Anyim, the then president of the senate, over his alleged involvement in a N22 million fraud. Nzeribe will be exiled from the legislature for nine months until his re-election in 2003.
He would eventually lose the seat in 2006 after suffering a defeat to Osita Izunaso at the primaries of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
There began the decline of the political strongman from the limelight.
6. He lived in hotels for over 20 years
At the height of his life, he lived in Nicon Hilton Hotel Abuja Presidential Suite for over 20years. So also Federal Palace Hotel, Lagos.
Senator Patrick Osakwe dies at 73 in London hospital
In another related report, a former senator who represented Delta North senatorial district in the National Assembly, Senator Patrick Osakwe, is dead.
Ossai Ovie Success, a media aide to Delta state governor, Ifeanyi Okowa announced the death of Osakwe on his Facebook page on Tuesday, March 15.
He wrote:
“We just lost Senator Patrick Osakwe. My condolence to his family and Ndokwa nation. Senator Osakwe died at London hospital this evening at the age of 73."
Source: Legit.ng
