Jaja Wachuku
Encyclopedia
Jaja Anucha Wachuku a Royal
Prince
of Ngwa
land, "descendant of 20 generations of African chiefs
in the Ibo country of Eastern Nigeria" http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,872798,00.html - was a Pan-Africanist; http://books.google.com/books?id=LEmNAAAAIAAJ&q=Jaja+Wachuku&dq=Jaja+Wachuku&lr=&ei=qKZqSeS0FpysMrqW9OoC&pgis=1 and a globally distinguished Nigeria
n statesman
, lawyer
, politician
, diplomat
and humanitarian. He was the first Speaker of the Nigerian House of Representativeshttp://books.google.com/books?id=qnfyZ7rHbtoC&pg=PA58&dq=Jaja+Wachuku&lr=&ei=qKZqSeS0FpysMrqW9OoC, as well as first Nigerian Ambassador
and Permanent Representative
to the United Nations
http://unyearbook.un.org/isysquery/d660b930-7ba1-4b23-a039-1519f9cb213f/1/outline/5/#term0_1. Wachuku was also the first Nigerian Minister of Foreign Affairs. http://books.google.com/books?id=qsc1W-AaSocC&pg=PA441&dq=Jaja+Wachuku&lr=&ei=EG5rSZ6IJZPyMq_85N8G On Thursday 30 September 2010, President Goodluck Jonathan
of Nigeria conferred on Wachuku a posthumous special Golden Jubilee Independence Anniversary Award for his outstanding contributions towards the development of Nigeria
. http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/fg-honours-azikiwe-balewa-obasanjo-adenuga-47-others/77785 http://www.punchontheweb.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201009292491870
Josaiah Ndubuisi Wachuku
, who died in 1950, was the Paramount Chief
, Servant Leader
and Head of all Ngwa
http://books.google.com/books?id=mpIxAAAAIAAJ&q=Jaja+Wachuku&dq=Jaja+Wachuku&lr=&ei=4aRqSa-kM4jWNrjNjZ8O&pgis=1 of the then Aba
Division of Eastern Nigeria. Jaja's mother, Queen
Rebecca Ngwanchiwa Wachuku [née Nwaogwugwu], who died in 1963 was a pioneer Women's rights
advocate and humane royal
land-owner. From both parents, Wachuku inherited an intrepid, confident, emotional intelligence
, diplomatic, forceful, yet caring personality. His apical ancestor Mgbawa had moved from Umulolo, Eziama Ntigha, Abia State
, Nigeria about the last quarter of the 17th century to settle in their present Nbawsi homeland. His paternal grandfather Wachuku Ogbaregbe, a distinguished Statesman and Merchant Prince
was involved in the oil
trade of that time with King Jaja of Opobo. It was in memory of the friendship, partnership and association of the Wachuku family with King Jaja of Opobo that he was named Jaja. His second name: Anucha, in full Igbo language
, says: Anucha mba agaa n'ama ha: "after celebrating victory over a people, you parade through their town or village main square." http://www.care2.com/c2c/photos/view/238/702581388/Jaja_Anucha_Wachuku_/Jaja%20Wachuku_0024.jpg.html
For primary education, Wachuku attended Infant School at St. Georges NDP Umuomainta, Nbawsi, Abia State, Nigeria. He was School Band Leader and Prefect at Government School Afikpo
, Ebonyi State
, Nigeria - from where he passed out in 1930 - having come first in the whole of Ogoja Province in the First School Leaving Certificate Examination. This first position got him automatic Scholarship for his secondary school
education at Government College Umuahia
, Abia State from 1931 to 1936. At Government College Umuahia, Wachuku was a House Prefect. He played tennis and cricket
; and was in the first eleven of the College football team. He also acquired vocational skills in carpentry, farming and metal works. From 1936 to 1937, Wachuku was on Scholarship
to Yaba Higher College, Lagos
, Nigeria. He was withdrawn from Yaba by his father: Josaiah Ndubuisi Wachuku
; and sent to Gold Coast
People's College, Adidome
. From there, he went to New Africa University College, Anloga
in preparation for further studies abroad. While at New Africa University College, he won a Foundation Scholarship
and also won the First National Prize for Gold Coast, now Ghana
- in the World Essay Competition offered by New History Society of New York
, USA (led by Mirza Ahmad Sohrab
) - on the subject: "How Can the People of the World Achieve Universal Disarmament?" From New Africa University College, Wachuku left for Trinity College: University of Dublin
, Ireland
.
in Oratory
of the Trinity College, Dublin
, Ireland
. http://books.google.com/books?id=djE9AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA253&dq=Jaja+Wachuku&lr=&ei=qKZqSeS0FpysMrqW9OoC He matriculated at Trinity College in 1939, and was, in 1941, elected Executive Member of the College Historical Society. Wachuku represented University of Dublin
during the 1943 Inter-University Debate held at University of Durham. He was called to the Irish bar association - Kings Inn - in November 1944. He was fully involved in Nigeria's constitutional conferences and struggle for independence from Great Britain
. Wachuku practised law in Dublin http://books.google.com/books?id=HfcEAQAAIAAJ&q=Jaja+Wachuku&dq=Jaja+Wachuku&lr=&ei=aKxqSbH_Mpr2MbKW5fwJ&pgis=1, Ireland - for three years - before returning to Nigeria in 1947. He graduated B.A. Legal Science and was LL.B Prizeman in Roman Law
, Constitutional Law and Criminal Law. He was also a Research Fellow at the Department of International Law, Trinity College, Dublin - with the topic: "The Juristic Status of Protectorates in International Law." From 1947 to 1996, Wachuku served as Barrister and Solicitor of The Supreme Court of Nigeria
. He also practised at the West African Court of Appeal (WACA).
While in Dublin, Wachuku was an Executive Member of the Student Christian Movement (SCM). He lectured on various subjects during the Student Christian Movement Summer Schools in Great Britain and Ireland; and delivered the last seven of such Diplomacy lectures at Swanwick, Hampshire
- on the subject: "Africa in the Post-War World." From 1939 to 1943, Jaja Wachuku was Secretary of the Association of Students of African Descent (ASAD) in Ireland. 1944 saw him elected President of the ASAD. During 1945, he represented ASAD at the fifth Pan-African Congress
held in Manchester
, England. From 1943 to 1945, Wachuku was founder, organizer and secretary of the Dublin International Club. He was president of the Club from 1945 to 1947 and resigned when he returned to Nigeria in 1947 to fight for an end to colonial rule and independence of Nigeria from Great Britain. In 1947 also, Wachuku was, for six weeks, Legal and Constitutional Adviser to the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons
(NCNC) Pan-Nigeria Delegation that went to London
to press for constitutional reforms in Nigeria. He was awarded LL.D (Honoris Causa) by Trinity College, Dublin.
, and was present at Takoradi, Gold Coast (British Colony)
- now Ghana
, when Azikiwe spoke to Joseph B. Danquah, leader of the United Gold Coast Convention
(UGCC) - concerning the organizational ability of Kwame Nkrumah
. Azikiwe then urged Joseph B. Danquah to invite Nkrumah back home from England
. In the same year of his return to Nigeria, Wachuku joined the NCNC, and was elected the Party's Legal Adviser and Member of the National Executive Committee. He soon got involved in the nationalist agitation of that period and was a favoured lecturer at the Glover Memorial Hall, Lagos. There, in one of his lectures, Wachuku provoked national controversy when he declared Lagos a "nomam's land" - meaning that it was an all-Nigerian city - wherein all Nigerians were entitled to equal rights
. Among other responsibilities, Jaja Wachuku was Principal Secretary of the Igbo
State Union from 1948 to 1952. In 1949, he founded a radical Youth Movement, the New Africa Party (NAP), and affiliated it to the NCNC in 1950. NCNC was later called: National Council of Nigerian Citizens. Concerning Wachuku's New Africa Party, in a letter from London
, England dated May 29, 1951, sent to W. E. B. Du Bois, and later included in the book titled: The Correspondence of W. E. B. Du Bois: Volume III Selections, 1944 to 1963 edited by Herbert Aptheker
and published by the University of Massachusetts
Press, George Padmore
said:
"Enclosed are a few clippings from West Africa. You will no doubt remember Jaja Wachuku who was a delegate to the Fifth Pan-African Congress
. He has recently started a Pan-African Party in Nigeria to spread the ideas of which you are the worthy father..." http://books.google.com/books?id=HrGNkNrkEVEC&pg=RA1-PA316&dq=Jaja+Wachuku&lr=&ei=3rlqScKWM5icMsWH3KAO
Interestingly, Wachuku was co-founder and original shareholder
, with Nnamdi Azikiwe
, of the African Continental Bank (ACB). And was the First Regional Director of the bank from 1948 to 1952. As ACB Director, he facilitated the opening of branches in Aba
, Calabar
, Port Harcourt and Enugu
. Jaja Wachuku started his political career from the grassroots. In 1948, he was first nominated village councillor and later to the Nsulu Group Council. From 1949 to 1952, he was a Member of the Ngwa Native Authority, Okpuala Ngwa. In 1951, he entered regional politics and was elected Second Member for Aba Division in the Eastern Nigeria House of Assembly. From 1952 to 1953, Wachuku was elected Deputy Leader of the NCNC and Chairman of the Parliamentary Party when there was crisis in Nigeria's Eastern Region - resulting in the dissolution of the Eastern House of Assembly. Also, from 1952 to 1953, he was Chairman of the Eastern Regional Scholarship Board and Member of the Finance Committee in the House of Representatives of Nigeria
. Wachuku went to the 1953 Constitutional Conference
in London as Alternate Delegate and Adviser to the Nigerian Independence Party (NIP) - a break-away faction that was formed following the NCNC crisis of 1953.
In 1954, Wachuku lost the Eastern Regional election and ceased to be a member of the House of Representatives. Later on in 1954, when the principle of direct election to the House of Representatives was introduced, he was re-elected first member for the Aba Division in the House of Representatives; as well as member of United Nigeria Independence Party (UNIP) - amalgamation of the Nigerian Independence Party and another party. In 1957, Wachuku became Deputy Leader of opposition when he joined the NCNC. From 1957 to 1959, he was a Board member of the Electricity Corporation of Nigeria (ECN). Also, in 1957, for the following three years, he was appointed member of the Local Education Authority and Chairman of the Board of Education in the Eastern Region of Nigeria. During the same period, Wachuku was also Chairman of Aba Divisional Committee of the NCNC.
Accordingly, in 1957, Jaja Wachuku was the Leader of the Nigerian Federation Delegation to the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association
Meeting held in India
, Pakistan
and Ceylon, now Sri Lanka
. He also represented Nigeria in Liberia
during the opening of the New Parliament Building in Monrovia
. From 1958 to 1959, Wachuku was Chairman of the Business Committee in the House of Representatives of Nigeria
. He was also a member of the Parliamentary Committee on the Nigerianization of the Federal Civil Service. He wrote the Committee's Report assisted by Mr. Michael O. Ani. In 1959, Wachuku was re-elected into the House of Representatives from Aba Division; and was, subsequently, elected the first indigenous Speaker
of the Nigerian House of Representatives.
, Imo State
, Nigeria. And later attended Women Training College (WTC), Umuahia
; as well as Achimota College, Gold Coast
, now Ghana
. She also studied at West of Scotland
College of Domestic Science, Glasgow
.
Jaja and Rhoda had five children, namely: Chinedum Jaja Wachuku, Nwabueze Jaja Wachuku (married to Professor Chuka Nwokolo http://www.gastrohep.com/profiles/default.asp?person=cnwokolo / http://www.uhcw.nhs.uk/our-services/a-z-of-services/consultants?cID=94); and now Mrs. Nwabueze Nwokolo http://www.lawsociety.org.uk/newsandevents/news/view=newsarticle.law?NEWSID=259158, Ndubuisi Jaja Wachuku (married to Ukachi, née Offurum), Emenuwa Jaja Wachuku (married to Ijeoma, née Ekwulugo) and Idu Jaja Wachuku. Also, after the devastating Nigerian - Biafra
n civil war, Jaja Wachuku adopted numerous orphans; including: John Ochiabuto, James Ikechukwu [late], Nwaobilor, Ebere, Nkemdilim, Sylvia Amama, Efuru, etc. Today, Wachuku has numerous grandchildren.
From 1959 to 1960, Wachuku was the first indigenous Speaker
of the House of Representatives of Nigeria
. http://books.google.com/books?id=8a4DAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA16&dq=Jaja+Wachuku&lr=&ei=JrJqScHqM5W6M6KPlf0J He replaced Sir Frederic Metcalfe http://www.archerfamily.org.uk/obituary/metcalfe_f.html of Great Britain
. Notably, as First Speaker of the House, Wachuku received Nigeria's Instrument of Independence - also known as Freedom Charter, on October 1, 1960 from Princess Alexandra of Kent
- Elizabeth II
(Queen of the United Kingdom
)'s representative at the Nigerian Independence ceremonies. On a 1960 United States
tour http://books.google.com/books?id=qnfyZ7rHbtoC&pg=PA58&dq=Jaja+Wachuku&lr=&ei=qKZqSeS0FpysMrqW9OoC as the House of Representatives Speaker, Jaja Wachuku was honoured and presented with the City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Blue Seal
and Key to the City of Atlanta, Georgia
. As Speaker of the House; and subsequently, Wachuku, during the civil rights movement
, unwaveringly supported African Americans http://books.google.com/books?id=HfcEAQAAIAAJ&q=Jaja+Wachuku&dq=Jaja+Wachuku&lr=&ei=aKxqSbH_Mpr2MbKW5fwJ&pgis=1 plus all Americans and humankind of goodwill who saw the humane, enriching need for true and respectful racial equality. http://books.google.com/books?id=4GZfyA-zYSMC&pg=PA200&dq=Jaja+Wachuku&lr=&ei=wLxqSZyhEYvCMrLJ1J8O
Notably, It was during this period and during his years as First Nigerian Foreign Affairs Minister
that Wachuku forged the reputed friendship that he had with three Presidents of the United States: Dwight D. Eisenhower
, John F. Kennedy
and Lyndon B. Johnson
. He was also good friends with Sam Rayburn
: 48th, 50th and 52nd Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
, Adlai Stevenson, Martin Luther King, Jr.
, Marian Anderson
, Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller, Henry Ford II
, Israel
's Golda Meir
, Nikita Khrushchev
plus numerous leaders and people around the world.
magazine described him as "Nigeria's dynamic U.N. Ambassador Jaja Wachuku" - stating that because of his worthy, very lively and enthusiastic diplomatic style with a lot of energy, wisdom and determination; "Nigeria, less than two months after winning its independence, is on its way to becoming one of the major forces in Africa." http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,895071-7,00.html
From 1960 to 1961, Wachuku served as first Ambassador
and Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the United Nations
in New York
, as well as Federal Minister for Economic Development. http://books.google.com/books?id=TbCRKwiUPtAC&pg=PA229&dq=Jaja+Wachuku&lr=&ei=EG5rSZ6IJZPyMq_85N8G He hoisted Nigeria's flag as the 99th member of the United Nations on 7 October 1960. Accordingly, Jaja Wachuku was instrumental to Nigeria becoming the 58th Member State of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO
) on Monday 14 November 1960. Also, as First Ambassador of Nigeria to the United Nations, Wachuku represented the country at the independence celebrations of Tanganyika
- now known as United Republic of Tanzania
. At the United Nations, Jaja Wachuku was elected First African Chairman of a United Nations Conciliation Commission
- the Conciliation Commission to the Congo. http://unyearbook.un.org/isysquery/f81b1949-4207-4f78-bd43-84ac97979597/3/outline/5/#term0_1 http://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1961-63v20/persons
Following a cabinet reshuffle at Nigeria's independence, Wachuku was appointed Minister
of Economic Development and Member of the First Nigerian Delegation on the admission of Nigeria to the United Nations. On the eve of his departure from New York, the Prime Minister Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa invited Wachuku to his hotel suite and told him that he was leaving him behind as Leader of the Delegation and Ambassador plus Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the United Nations. Jaja Wachuku protested to Prime Minister Balewa - saying that he did not join the Delegation with the intention of staying in New York, and that he told his wife, Rhoda, that he would be away for only one week. Prime Minister Balewa replied: "Never mind, I will tell her when I arrive Lagos."
At the United Nations, he soon stood out in excellence and visionary, selfless service to his country Nigeria and the rest of humankind. It was during this period that Time
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,872798,00.html and Jet magazine
http://books.google.com/books?id=FbQDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA9&dq=Jaja+Wachuku&lr=&ei=JrJqScHqM5W6M6KPlf0J commendably quoted Wachuku as saying - from the rostrum of the United Nations General Assembly
: "I am losing confidence in the great powers. They are climbing from the pedestal of greatness to the pedestal of insanity. We expect leadership from them; they give us destruction. We expect wisdom from them; they give us lack of knowledge...." He was lambasting the Eastern and Western Blocs for not ending their differences and quarrels.
Under Wachuku's leadership at the United Nations, both the Nigerian Army and the Nigerian Police Force made their debut in International Peacekeeping
- under the auspices of the World Organization. During his time at the United Nations, Nigeria's Major-General Johnson Thomas Umunnakwe Aguiyi Ironsi
was appointed Commander
of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in the Congo. Also, the first Nigerian Permanent Secretary, Mr. Francis Nwokedi was retained by the United Nations to help in the reorganization of the Civil Service in the Congo. Wachuku also secured the appointment of the first African Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations
- Nigeria's Godfrey K. J. Amachree - who became UN Under Secretary-General for Trusteeship and Non-Self-Governing Territories. http://untreaty.un.org/cod/avl/ha/dicc/photo01.html
of Foreign Affairs and Commonwealth
Relations, http://books.google.com/books?id=QXhxAAAAIAAJ&q=Jaja+Wachuku&dq=Jaja+Wachuku&lr=&ei=l6lqSf6wIpmUMdqb2JQF&pgis=1 later called External Affairs. http://books.google.com/books?id=NbYOAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA173&dq=Jaja+Wachuku&lr=&ei=aKxqSbH_Mpr2MbKW5fwJ Before Wachuku's tenure, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, the then Prime Minister, doubled as Foreign Affairs advocate of Nigeria from 1960 to 1961 when he created an official Foreign Affairs and Commonwealth Relations ministerial position in favour of Mr. Wachuku as pioneer Minister
. http://books.google.com/books?id=4uK_KEF-KT8C&lpg=PA28&dq=Jaja%20Wachuku&pg=PA28#v=onepage&q=Jaja%20Wachuku&f=false
On July 14, 1962, he was decorated with the insignia of the "Commander of the Order of the Niger Republic" in recognition of "services to the People of the Republic of Niger
" by President Hamani Diori
. As Foreign Affairs Minister, Jaja Wachuku organised the Afro/Asian group of States and worked to get Liberia
voted into the United Nations Security Council
, and Ethiopia
into the Economic and Social Council
. He also worked towards the amendment of the United Nations Charter
- increasing the Security Council from eleven to fifteen - taking into account African nations.
It was concerning this period in Nigeria's history that Ambassador Owen W. Roberts, United States
' 1964 to 1965 Political Officer in Lagos, Nigeria strikingly said:
"The Nigerians, whatever their tribe, are a very strong, very assertive group. Foreign Minister Jaja Wachuku was a surprise for many American diplomats because he considered himself as having a status equivalent to the British
, French
, German
, or Russian
Ministers. Wachuku demanded that much attention and respect. The Nigerians were, and have been, very independent. Senior U.S. echelons weren't used to dealing with Africans as assertive and as strong minded as the Nigerians were. I found this nice because the Nigerians were absolutely always open with you, and would hit you over the head with whatever the problem was. They were entitled to respect and helped gain it for Africans. Ambassador Matthews was not the kind of person to go in and tell Prime Minister Balewa
or Foreign Minister Jaja Wachuku how to do things...."
Jaja Wachuku as Foreign Affairs Minister of Nigeria preferred quiet consultation, especially with the two major Anglo-American
powers: Great Britain and the United States - in search of solutions to continental and international problems. For example, there was a lot of hue and cry as a result of the Rivonia Trial
in South Africa
in 1963 following the arrest of Walter Sisulu
, Ahmed Kathrada
, Govan Mbeki
, Denis Goldberg
, Raymond Mhlaba
, Andrew Mlangeni, Lionel Bernstein
and others. They and Nelson Mandela
, who was serving term on his 1962 conviction, were charged with "sabotage and... conspiracy to overthrow the Government by revolution and by assisting an armed invasion of South Africa by foreign troops." These charges were treason
able and carried the death penalty. Jaja Wachuku quietly invited Lord Head, the British High Commissioner
in Lagos and also United States' Ambassador Joseph Palmer II
- and strongly urged them to intercede with their governments to prevail on the apartheid regime in South Africa
- not to impose the death penalty on Nelson Mandela
and others. Wachuku employed the same quiet diplomacy on the matter with U.S. Secretary of State
Dean Rusk
and British Foreign Secretary Lord Home
. Subsequently, Lionel Bernstein was acquitted and Nelson Mandela and the rest were given life imprisonment terms.
Jaja Wachuku, like Hegel's
historical individual, had the capacity to stand outside the confines of his time, place and intuiting history. He sought his vindication in historical reality. The Right Honourable Prime Minister Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa recognized and appreciated Wachuku's outstanding essence; and used to tell him that he was ten or more years ahead of his Government cabinet colleagues. Wachuku's uncanny historical intuition was evident from the start when, in 1947, he proclaimed Lagos an All-Nigerian city - long before that city became a federal territory. Wachuku also foresaw the danger of recognizing military coup as a way to change government: In Ethiopia
, he strongly refused to accord recognition to the Nicolas Grunitzky
Government in Togo
after the January 13, 1963 first coup in that country. Jaja Wachuku believed that if that first African coup by the Togolese army was recognized as a way to change government, then, coup making would spread in Africa. http://books.google.com/books?lr=&ei=9K-HSf2ZIJbAM4Kl4ccF&id=tfCPAAAAMAAJ&dq=Wachuku+on+Togo+Coup+1963&q=Wachuku&pgis=1#search_anchor
In Addis Ababa
, during the Inaugural Conference of the Organization of African Unity (OAU), Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia
sat Wachuku down in the presence of Prime Minister Abubakar Tafawa Balewa and begged Balewa to plead with his "Foreign Minister Jaja Wachuku" to accept that the Togolese Government be admitted to take part in that first OAU Conference. Wachuku jokingly reminded Emperor Haile Selassie and Prime Minister Balewa that he was only number three in the Nigerian Government, and that coup plotters go for numbers one and two - President or Head of State and Prime Minister. Jaja Wachuku added that by the time coup makers got to number three, he would be resting in his village.
At the end, Wachuku refused to change his diplomatic position of not allowing Togo to participate because the Togolese Government came to power by coup. Therefore, Togo became the only independent African country that was not represented at the Inaugural Conference of the OAU. History has already told us whether Wachuku was right or wrong. Even Kwame Nkrumah
who was one of the most vocal supporters of the Togolese Government of coup makers, later fell victim of the coup contagion. As for Jaja Wachuku, he had resigned from the Nigerian Parliament and Government at mid-day of January 14, 1966 - twelve hours before the first Nigerian military coup of January 15, 1966 led by Major Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu.
In a public lecture titled "Nigeria: The Blackman's Burden" delivered on February 24, 2005 at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) - to mark the 28th Anniversary of the Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture (FESTAC) and the 2005 Black History Month
, it was also concerning Jaja Wachuku at the founding period in Nigeria's Foreign Policy that Professor Bolaji Akinyemi
, 1985 to 1987 Nigerian External Affairs Minister, said:
"Karl Marx
must have had Togo in mind when he wrote in the Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Napoleon, "Hegel says somewhere that all great events and personalities in world history reappear in one fashion or another. He forgot to add: the first time as tragedy, the second as farce". In 1963, when President Sylvanus Olympio
was assassinated, Jaja Wachuku, the Nigerian Foreign Minister in condemning the action added that for security reasons, Nigerian boundary was the Togo-Ghana
boundary. http://books.google.com/books?id=DAOQFOUElBwC&pg=PT247&dq=Wachuku+on+Togo+Coup+1963&lr=&ei=hqyHSenjPJDCMtCygccF He was roundly condemned. Looks like he was just speaking forty years out of turn. He would be pleased to know that Nigeria had caught up with him. And that should also be a lesson to those who think that Nigerian foreign policy started and ended up with them." http://www.dawodu.com/akinyemi3.htm
As Foreign Affairs Minister, Wachuku attended the Philadelphia third annual conference of the American Society of African Culture
(AMSAC) held in 1960. Concerning Jaja Wachuku at that AMSAC conference, The Cambridge History of Africa Volume 8 c. 1940-c. 1975 published by the Cambridge University Press
, in page 107, said:
"Continuing interest among the black intelligentsia in African culture was signalled by the creation of the American Society of African Culture (AMSAC) in 1956, which restricted membership to persons of African descent... Its third annual conference, in Philadelphia in 1960, devoted itself to the discussion of `African Unities and Pan-Africanism', and can be regarded as an event in the history of the movement. Some of those present had strong links with the Pan-Africanist past, notably Rayford W. Logan, who had played an important part in the era of Pan-African congresses after the First World War; Jean Price-Mars, Haitian diplomat, philosopher of négritude, and President of the Société Africaine de Culture in Paris; and Jaja Wachuku, who had been at the 1945 Pan-African Congress, and who was in 1960 foreign Minister of Nigeria...." http://books.google.com/books?id=n5e4tiaV0fkC&pg=PA107&dq=Jaja+Wachuku&lr=&ei=aKxqSbH_Mpr2MbKW5fwJ
was established during his tenure.
His visionary and upright zeal, however, did not go well with his party, the NCNC - a party which saw Mr. Blankson, Nigerian Airways Board Chairman and also the party's Central Working Committee Chairman, as representing NCNC's interest in the spoils system. From the Chairmanship of the Nigerian Airways Board, Wachuku fired and removed Blankson who felt himself beyond ministerial control. His party, the NCNC demanded the reinstatement of Blankson - otherwise the party would withdraw its Ministers from the coalition government. Thus, Nigeria was faced with a potential crisis which would have compounded the already grave state of emergency in the country.
The Honourable Prime Minister Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa who had high respect and a soft spot for Jaja Wachuku pleaded with him to reinstate Blankson and accept another Ministry. Wachuku refused. Balewa even asked his wife Rhoda Idu Jaja Wachuku to plead with him, yet he refused and tendered his resignation from Parliament and as an Executive Member of Government mid-day January 14, 1966. Balewa was yet to accept Wachuku's resignation when the army struck by mid-night barely 12 hours later - thus ushering in the era of military coups in Nigeria. Wachuku's official residence, at 7, Okotie-Eboh Street Ikoyi, Lagos, Nigeria was surrounded by soldiers. His younger brother: Kennedy Madu Wachuku, father of Ugonna Wachuku http://uwachuku.googlepages.com was with him that day, Jaja Wachuku looked through the window in the early hours of the morning and asked the soldiers: "What are you boys doing here?" One of the soldiers replied: "Good morning, Sir. But haven't you heard what is happening in the country?" To which Wachuku replied: "Yes. I know you boys have taken over the Government." And the soldier said: "Do not be afraid, Sir. We have come to protect you for being an honest Government Minister." Jaja Wachuku survived that January 15, 1966 military coup.
and subsequently to Nbawsi, his village when Aba fell during the Nigerian - Biafra
n war that lasted from July 1967 to January 1970. During the Biafran war, he participated in the legitimate struggle of his Igbo
people for freedom and justice against a country that had rejected them by not protecting them from genocide
and brutality by its marauding soldiers and citizens. Later, during the war, Wachuku fell out with the Government of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu
because the distinguished statesman spoke out against the recruitment of child soldiers. He was arrested and thrown into detention by the Ojukwu Government. And was, at the end of the Biafran war released by a young Nigerian Army Officer called Theophilus Danjuma
. The Nigerian soldiers were shocked and dismayed that their first Speaker
of the House of Representatives of Nigeria
, first Ambassador to the United Nations and first Foreign Affairs Minister was in detention for exercising his freedom of speech and fundamental human rights
. So, Theophilus Danjuma and his military battalion gave Jaja Wachuku adequate protection and security. Wachuku was escorted home by Nigerian soldiers. And he managed to prevent the looting and destruction of his amazing, vast library located at his country home in Nbawsi Abia State
, Nigeria. Wachuku's library was described as the biggest one man library in West Africa
by regional and national media. Prime Minister Abubakar Tafawa Balewa
used to call Jaja Wachuku the most "Bookish Minister."
After the Biafran war, Wachuku was involved in Community development affairs while practising his law profession. From 1970 to 1978, he served as Chairman of Nbawsi and Umuomainta Town Council, and also Chairman Nsulu Community Council. He was also a Founding Member of the Movement for the creation of Imo State
; and Leader, until his death, of the Movement for the creation of Aba State.
During Nigeria's second republic
- 1979 to 1984, Jaja Wachuku was, on the platform of the Nigerian Peoples Party (NPP), twice (1978 and 1983) elected Senator representing Aba
Senatorial Zone http://books.google.com/books?id=mpIxAAAAIAAJ&q=Jaja+Wachuku&dq=Jaja+Wachuku&lr=&ei=4aRqSa-kM4jWNrjNjZ8O&pgis=1 of Africa's most populous country. At the Senate of Nigeria
, he became NPP Leader and Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. http://books.google.com/books?id=jtgrLRrvMUAC&pg=PA98&dq=Jaja+Wachuku&lr=&ei=JrJqScHqM5W6M6KPlf0J During this period, he made various dangerous secret trips to South Africa
for meetings with President Pieter Willem Botha
to put pressure on him for the dismantling of the obnoxious apartheid system; including the unconditional pardon and release of Nelson Mandela
and other political prisoner
s.
It was during this period that, on the floor of the Nigerian Senate, Wachuku made his famous, prophetic statement that the defeat of apartheid in South Africa "shall flow from the barrels of dialogue and contact, not from the barrels of isolation and guns...." He was later removed from the Foreign Relations Committee because of officially calling for dialogue with South Africa: Interestingly, during the 1990 years, when Nigeria started diplomatic relations with South Africa, most prominent politicians and historians in the country called for an apology to Jaja Wachuku. In 1983, he was re-elected to the Nigerian Senate until the Muhammadu Buhari
military coup of December, 1983.
Blue Seal
, Key to the City of Atlanta, Georgia
, Time
"Pride of Africa" http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,872798,00.html Commendation, Commander of the Order of Niger
Republic, Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic of Nigeria [CFR], LL.D: Doctor of Laws Honoris Causa by Trinity College, Dublin
, Ireland
, Knight
of Saint Christopher [KSC] by the Anglican Church Nigeria, Enyi [Elephant: wisdom and strength] Abia title and Merit Award by the Government of Abia State
, Nigeria. Posthumous special Golden Jubilee Independence Anniversary Award was conferred on Wachuku by President Goodluck Jonathan
of Nigeria on 30 September 2010.
Teaching Hospital [UNTH] Enugu
, Nigeria during the late morning of Thursday, November 7, 1996. Jaja Wachuku was an uncle of Ugonna Wachuku - Geneva, Switzerland and Mexico City, Mexico based Nigerian author and communications professional. The author's poetic dedication to his uncle is titled: Some Memories Never Die. Notably, on Friday October 20, 1961, in its "The World" Section, Time
wrote an article and news report on Jaja Wachuku and his diplomatic activities at the United Nations
with the title: '"Pride of Africa."
Royal family
A royal family is the extended family of a king or queen regnant. The term imperial family appropriately describes the extended family of an emperor or empress, while the terms "ducal family", "grand ducal family" or "princely family" are more appropriate to describe the relatives of a reigning...
Prince
Prince
Prince is a general term for a ruler, monarch or member of a monarch's or former monarch's family, and is a hereditary title in the nobility of some European states. The feminine equivalent is a princess...
of Ngwa
Ngwa
The Ngwa , an Igbo group, constitute the largest and most populous sub-ethnicity, or clan, in southeastern Nigeria. They occupy an area of about 1328 square kilometers. Although, some accounts read at least 900 square miles. In 1979, their population was held at an estimate of approximately 1.5...
land, "descendant of 20 generations of African chiefs
King
- Centers of population :* King, Ontario, CanadaIn USA:* King, Indiana* King, North Carolina* King, Lincoln County, Wisconsin* King, Waupaca County, Wisconsin* King County, Washington- Moving-image works :Television:...
in the Ibo country of Eastern Nigeria" http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,872798,00.html - was a Pan-Africanist; http://books.google.com/books?id=LEmNAAAAIAAJ&q=Jaja+Wachuku&dq=Jaja+Wachuku&lr=&ei=qKZqSeS0FpysMrqW9OoC&pgis=1 and a globally distinguished Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
n statesman
Statesman
A statesman is usually a politician or other notable public figure who has had a long and respected career in politics or government at the national and international level. As a term of respect, it is usually left to supporters or commentators to use the term...
, lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
, politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
, diplomat
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
and humanitarian. He was the first Speaker of the Nigerian House of Representativeshttp://books.google.com/books?id=qnfyZ7rHbtoC&pg=PA58&dq=Jaja+Wachuku&lr=&ei=qKZqSeS0FpysMrqW9OoC, as well as first Nigerian Ambassador
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
and Permanent Representative
Permanent Representative
A Permanent Representative is the head of a diplomatic mission to one of various international organisations. The best known of the organisations to which states send Permanent Representatives is the United Nations; of these, the most high-profile ones are those assigned to headquarters in New...
to the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
http://unyearbook.un.org/isysquery/d660b930-7ba1-4b23-a039-1519f9cb213f/1/outline/5/#term0_1. Wachuku was also the first Nigerian Minister of Foreign Affairs. http://books.google.com/books?id=qsc1W-AaSocC&pg=PA441&dq=Jaja+Wachuku&lr=&ei=EG5rSZ6IJZPyMq_85N8G On Thursday 30 September 2010, President Goodluck Jonathan
Goodluck Jonathan
Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan, GCFR, BNER, GCON is the 14th Head of State and current President of Nigeria.He was Governor of Bayelsa State from 9 December 2005 to 28 May 2007, and was sworn in as Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on 29 May 2007. Jonathan is a member of the...
of Nigeria conferred on Wachuku a posthumous special Golden Jubilee Independence Anniversary Award for his outstanding contributions towards the development of Nigeria
Foreign relations of Nigeria
Since independence, with Jaja Wachuku as the first Minister of Foreign Affairs and Commonwealth Relations, later called External Affairs, Nigerian foreign policy has been characterized by a focus on Africa as a Regional power and by attachment to several fundamental principles: African unity and...
. http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/fg-honours-azikiwe-balewa-obasanjo-adenuga-47-others/77785 http://www.punchontheweb.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201009292491870
Wachuku's family and early education
Jaja Anucha Wachuku's powerful father KingKing
- Centers of population :* King, Ontario, CanadaIn USA:* King, Indiana* King, North Carolina* King, Lincoln County, Wisconsin* King, Waupaca County, Wisconsin* King County, Washington- Moving-image works :Television:...
Josaiah Ndubuisi Wachuku
Josaiah Ndubuisi Wachuku
Josaiah Ndubuisi Wachuku was King and Paramount Chief, Servant Leader Head of Ngwa-land - in the then Aba Division of Eastern Nigeria - during British Colonial times...
, who died in 1950, was the Paramount Chief
Paramount chief
A paramount chief is the highest-level traditional chief or political leader in a regional or local polity or country typically administered politically with a chief-based system. This definition is used occasionally in anthropological and archaeological theory to refer to the rulers of multiple...
, Servant Leader
Servant leadership
Servant leadership is a philosophy and practice of leadership, coined and defined by Robert K. Greenleaf and supported by many leadership and management writers such as James Autry, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Peter Block, Peter Senge, Max DePree, Scott Greenberg, Larry Spears, Margaret...
and Head of all Ngwa
Ngwa
The Ngwa , an Igbo group, constitute the largest and most populous sub-ethnicity, or clan, in southeastern Nigeria. They occupy an area of about 1328 square kilometers. Although, some accounts read at least 900 square miles. In 1979, their population was held at an estimate of approximately 1.5...
http://books.google.com/books?id=mpIxAAAAIAAJ&q=Jaja+Wachuku&dq=Jaja+Wachuku&lr=&ei=4aRqSa-kM4jWNrjNjZ8O&pgis=1 of the then Aba
Aba, Nigeria
Aba is a city and a big trading center in Abia State, southern Nigeria, located on the Aba River. Aba was established by the Igbo People of Nigeria as a market town and then later a military post was placed there by the British colonial administration in 1901...
Division of Eastern Nigeria. Jaja's mother, Queen
Queen consort
A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king. A queen consort usually shares her husband's rank and holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles. Historically, queens consort do not share the king regnant's political and military powers. Most queens in history were queens consort...
Rebecca Ngwanchiwa Wachuku [née Nwaogwugwu], who died in 1963 was a pioneer Women's rights
Women's rights
Women's rights are entitlements and freedoms claimed for women and girls of all ages in many societies.In some places these rights are institutionalized or supported by law, local custom, and behaviour, whereas in others they may be ignored or suppressed...
advocate and humane royal
Royal family
A royal family is the extended family of a king or queen regnant. The term imperial family appropriately describes the extended family of an emperor or empress, while the terms "ducal family", "grand ducal family" or "princely family" are more appropriate to describe the relatives of a reigning...
land-owner. From both parents, Wachuku inherited an intrepid, confident, emotional intelligence
Emotional intelligence
Emotional intelligence is a skill or ability in the case of the trait EI model, a self-perceived ability to identify, assess, and control the emotions of oneself, of others, and of groups. Various models and definitions have been proposed of which the ability and trait EI models are the most...
, diplomatic, forceful, yet caring personality. His apical ancestor Mgbawa had moved from Umulolo, Eziama Ntigha, Abia State
Abia State
Abia State is a state in southeastern Nigeria. The capital is Umuahia, although the major commercial city is Aba, formerly a British colonial government outpost. The state was created in 1991 from part of Imo State and its citizens are predominantly Igbo people...
, Nigeria about the last quarter of the 17th century to settle in their present Nbawsi homeland. His paternal grandfather Wachuku Ogbaregbe, a distinguished Statesman and Merchant Prince
Prince
Prince is a general term for a ruler, monarch or member of a monarch's or former monarch's family, and is a hereditary title in the nobility of some European states. The feminine equivalent is a princess...
was involved in the oil
Palm oil
Palm oil, coconut oil and palm kernel oil are edible plant oils derived from the fruits of palm trees. Palm oil is extracted from the pulp of the fruit of the oil palm Elaeis guineensis; palm kernel oil is derived from the kernel of the oil palm and coconut oil is derived from the kernel of the...
trade of that time with King Jaja of Opobo. It was in memory of the friendship, partnership and association of the Wachuku family with King Jaja of Opobo that he was named Jaja. His second name: Anucha, in full Igbo language
Igbo language
Igbo , or Igbo proper, is a native language of the Igbo people, an ethnic group primarily located in southeastern Nigeria. There are approximately 20 million speakers that are mostly in Nigeria and are primarily of Igbo descent. Igbo is a national language of Nigeria. It is written in the Latin...
, says: Anucha mba agaa n'ama ha: "after celebrating victory over a people, you parade through their town or village main square." http://www.care2.com/c2c/photos/view/238/702581388/Jaja_Anucha_Wachuku_/Jaja%20Wachuku_0024.jpg.html
For primary education, Wachuku attended Infant School at St. Georges NDP Umuomainta, Nbawsi, Abia State, Nigeria. He was School Band Leader and Prefect at Government School Afikpo
Afikpo
Afikpo is the second largest city in Ebonyi State of Nigeria. Until recently it was the home Local Government Area of the late Eze Akanu Ibiam, who hailed from the village of Unwana. Dr...
, Ebonyi State
Ebonyi State
Ebonyi State is a mainland south-eastern state of Nigeria, inhabited and populated primarily by Igbo of south eastern Nigeria. Its capital and largest city is Abakaliki. Afikpo is the second largest city. Other major towns are EDDA, Mgbo, Onueke, Ezzamgbo, Nkalagu, Uburu, Onicha, Ishiagu , Ukawu,...
, Nigeria - from where he passed out in 1930 - having come first in the whole of Ogoja Province in the First School Leaving Certificate Examination. This first position got him automatic Scholarship for his secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
education at Government College Umuahia
Umuahia
Umuahia is the capital of Abia State in southeastern Nigeria. Umuahia is located along the rail road that lies between Port Harcourt to Umuahia's south and Enugu city to its north. Umuahia has a population of 359,230 according to the 2006 Nigerian census. Umuahia's indigenous ethnic group are the...
, Abia State from 1931 to 1936. At Government College Umuahia, Wachuku was a House Prefect. He played tennis and cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
; and was in the first eleven of the College football team. He also acquired vocational skills in carpentry, farming and metal works. From 1936 to 1937, Wachuku was on Scholarship
Scholarship
A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...
to Yaba Higher College, Lagos
Lagos
Lagos is a port and the most populous conurbation in Nigeria. With a population of 7,937,932, it is currently the third most populous city in Africa after Cairo and Kinshasa, and currently estimated to be the second fastest growing city in Africa...
, Nigeria. He was withdrawn from Yaba by his father: Josaiah Ndubuisi Wachuku
Josaiah Ndubuisi Wachuku
Josaiah Ndubuisi Wachuku was King and Paramount Chief, Servant Leader Head of Ngwa-land - in the then Aba Division of Eastern Nigeria - during British Colonial times...
; and sent to Gold Coast
Gold Coast (British colony)
The Gold Coast was a British colony on the Gulf of Guinea in west Africa that became the independent nation of Ghana in 1957.-Overview:The first Europeans to arrive at the coast were the Portuguese in 1471. They encountered a variety of African kingdoms, some of which controlled substantial...
People's College, Adidome
Adidome
Adidome is the capital of the North Tongu District in the Volta Region of Ghana. The Volta River flows close to it on its way into the Atlantic Ocean.-External links and sources:*...
. From there, he went to New Africa University College, Anloga
Anloga
Anloga is a town in Keta District of the Volta Region in southeast Ghana, West Africa. It lies east of the Volta River and just south of the Keta Lagoon.-History:...
in preparation for further studies abroad. While at New Africa University College, he won a Foundation Scholarship
Scholarship
A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...
and also won the First National Prize for Gold Coast, now Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
- in the World Essay Competition offered by New History Society of New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, USA (led by Mirza Ahmad Sohrab
Mirza Ahmad Sohrab
Mírzá Aḥmad Sohráb was a Persian-American author and Bahá'í who co-founded the New History Society and the Caravan of East and West in New York, and was excommunicated from the Bahá'í Faith in 1939 by Shoghi Effendi.-Early life:...
) - on the subject: "How Can the People of the World Achieve Universal Disarmament?" From New Africa University College, Wachuku left for Trinity College: University of Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
.
Dublin years
Wachuku was the first African LaureateLaureate
In English, the word laureate has come to signify eminence or association with literary or military glory. It is also used for winners of the Nobel Prize.-History:...
in Oratory
Oratory
Oratory is a type of public speaking.Oratory may also refer to:* Oratory , a power metal band* Oratory , a place of worship* a religious order such as** Oratory of Saint Philip Neri ** Oratory of Jesus...
of the Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. http://books.google.com/books?id=djE9AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA253&dq=Jaja+Wachuku&lr=&ei=qKZqSeS0FpysMrqW9OoC He matriculated at Trinity College in 1939, and was, in 1941, elected Executive Member of the College Historical Society. Wachuku represented University of Dublin
University of Dublin
The University of Dublin , corporately designated the Chancellor, Doctors and Masters of the University of Dublin , located in Dublin, Ireland, was effectively founded when in 1592 Queen Elizabeth I issued a charter for Trinity College, Dublin, as "the mother of a university" – this date making it...
during the 1943 Inter-University Debate held at University of Durham. He was called to the Irish bar association - Kings Inn - in November 1944. He was fully involved in Nigeria's constitutional conferences and struggle for independence from Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
. Wachuku practised law in Dublin http://books.google.com/books?id=HfcEAQAAIAAJ&q=Jaja+Wachuku&dq=Jaja+Wachuku&lr=&ei=aKxqSbH_Mpr2MbKW5fwJ&pgis=1, Ireland - for three years - before returning to Nigeria in 1947. He graduated B.A. Legal Science and was LL.B Prizeman in Roman Law
Roman law
Roman law is the legal system of ancient Rome, and the legal developments which occurred before the 7th century AD — when the Roman–Byzantine state adopted Greek as the language of government. The development of Roman law comprises more than a thousand years of jurisprudence — from the Twelve...
, Constitutional Law and Criminal Law. He was also a Research Fellow at the Department of International Law, Trinity College, Dublin - with the topic: "The Juristic Status of Protectorates in International Law." From 1947 to 1996, Wachuku served as Barrister and Solicitor of The Supreme Court of Nigeria
Supreme Court of Nigeria
The Supreme Court of Nigeria is the highest court in Nigeria, and is located in the Central District, Abuja, in what is known as the Three Arms Zone, so called due to the proximity of the offices of the Presidential Complex, the National Assembly, and the Supreme Court.-Overview:In 1963, the...
. He also practised at the West African Court of Appeal (WACA).
While in Dublin, Wachuku was an Executive Member of the Student Christian Movement (SCM). He lectured on various subjects during the Student Christian Movement Summer Schools in Great Britain and Ireland; and delivered the last seven of such Diplomacy lectures at Swanwick, Hampshire
Swanwick, Hampshire
Swanwick is a village in Hampshire, England, east of the River Hamble and north of the M27 motorway.The village is located within the borough of Fareham and is the site of the London Area Control Centre and the London Terminal Control Centre part of National Air Traffic Services Air Traffic...
- on the subject: "Africa in the Post-War World." From 1939 to 1943, Jaja Wachuku was Secretary of the Association of Students of African Descent (ASAD) in Ireland. 1944 saw him elected President of the ASAD. During 1945, he represented ASAD at the fifth Pan-African Congress
Pan-African Congress
The Pan-African Congress was a series of five meetings in 1919, 1921, 1923, 1927, and 1945 that were intended to address the issues facing Africa due to European colonization of much of the continent....
held in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, England. From 1943 to 1945, Wachuku was founder, organizer and secretary of the Dublin International Club. He was president of the Club from 1945 to 1947 and resigned when he returned to Nigeria in 1947 to fight for an end to colonial rule and independence of Nigeria from Great Britain. In 1947 also, Wachuku was, for six weeks, Legal and Constitutional Adviser to the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons
National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons
National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons , was a Nigerian political party from 1944 to 1966. The name included 'Cameroons' because Cameroon had become an administrative part of Nigeria in 1945. Cameroon had been a colonial territory of Germany...
(NCNC) Pan-Nigeria Delegation that went to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to press for constitutional reforms in Nigeria. He was awarded LL.D (Honoris Causa) by Trinity College, Dublin.
Return to Nigeria and politics
Wachuku returned to Nigeria in 1947, travelling in the same ship with Nnamdi AzikiweNnamdi Azikiwe
Benjamin Nnamdi Azikiwe , usually referred to as Nnamdi Azikiwe and popularly known as "Zik", was one of the leading figures of modern Nigerian nationalism who became the first President of Nigeria after Nigeria secured its independence from the United Kingdom on 1 October 1960; holding the...
, and was present at Takoradi, Gold Coast (British Colony)
Gold Coast (British colony)
The Gold Coast was a British colony on the Gulf of Guinea in west Africa that became the independent nation of Ghana in 1957.-Overview:The first Europeans to arrive at the coast were the Portuguese in 1471. They encountered a variety of African kingdoms, some of which controlled substantial...
- now Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
, when Azikiwe spoke to Joseph B. Danquah, leader of the United Gold Coast Convention
United Gold Coast Convention
The United Gold Coast Convention was a political party whose aim was to bring about Ghanaian independence from British rule after the Second World War....
(UGCC) - concerning the organizational ability of Kwame Nkrumah
Kwame Nkrumah
Kwame Nkrumah was the leader of Ghana and its predecessor state, the Gold Coast, from 1952 to 1966. Overseeing the nation's independence from British colonial rule in 1957, Nkrumah was the first President of Ghana and the first Prime Minister of Ghana...
. Azikiwe then urged Joseph B. Danquah to invite Nkrumah back home from England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. In the same year of his return to Nigeria, Wachuku joined the NCNC, and was elected the Party's Legal Adviser and Member of the National Executive Committee. He soon got involved in the nationalist agitation of that period and was a favoured lecturer at the Glover Memorial Hall, Lagos. There, in one of his lectures, Wachuku provoked national controversy when he declared Lagos a "nomam's land" - meaning that it was an all-Nigerian city - wherein all Nigerians were entitled to equal rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
. Among other responsibilities, Jaja Wachuku was Principal Secretary of the Igbo
Igbo people
Igbo people, also referred to as the Ibo, Ebo, Eboans or Heebo are an ethnic group living chiefly in southeastern Nigeria. They speak Igbo, which includes various Igboid languages and dialects; today, a majority of them speak English alongside Igbo as a result of British colonialism...
State Union from 1948 to 1952. In 1949, he founded a radical Youth Movement, the New Africa Party (NAP), and affiliated it to the NCNC in 1950. NCNC was later called: National Council of Nigerian Citizens. Concerning Wachuku's New Africa Party, in a letter from London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England dated May 29, 1951, sent to W. E. B. Du Bois, and later included in the book titled: The Correspondence of W. E. B. Du Bois: Volume III Selections, 1944 to 1963 edited by Herbert Aptheker
Herbert Aptheker
Herbert Aptheker was an American Marxist historian and political activist. He authored over 50 volumes, mostly in the fields of African American history and general U.S. history, most notably, American Negro Slave Revolts , a classic in the field, and the 7-volume Documentary History of the Negro...
and published by the University of Massachusetts
University of Massachusetts
This article relates to the statewide university system. For the flagship campus often referred to as "UMass", see University of Massachusetts Amherst...
Press, George Padmore
George Padmore
George Padmore , born Malcolm Ivan Meredith Nurse, was a Trinidadian communist who became a leading Pan-Africanist in his later years.-Early years:...
said:
"Enclosed are a few clippings from West Africa. You will no doubt remember Jaja Wachuku who was a delegate to the Fifth Pan-African Congress
Pan-African Congress
The Pan-African Congress was a series of five meetings in 1919, 1921, 1923, 1927, and 1945 that were intended to address the issues facing Africa due to European colonization of much of the continent....
. He has recently started a Pan-African Party in Nigeria to spread the ideas of which you are the worthy father..." http://books.google.com/books?id=HrGNkNrkEVEC&pg=RA1-PA316&dq=Jaja+Wachuku&lr=&ei=3rlqScKWM5icMsWH3KAO
Interestingly, Wachuku was co-founder and original shareholder
Shareholder
A shareholder or stockholder is an individual or institution that legally owns one or more shares of stock in a public or private corporation. Shareholders own the stock, but not the corporation itself ....
, with Nnamdi Azikiwe
Nnamdi Azikiwe
Benjamin Nnamdi Azikiwe , usually referred to as Nnamdi Azikiwe and popularly known as "Zik", was one of the leading figures of modern Nigerian nationalism who became the first President of Nigeria after Nigeria secured its independence from the United Kingdom on 1 October 1960; holding the...
, of the African Continental Bank (ACB). And was the First Regional Director of the bank from 1948 to 1952. As ACB Director, he facilitated the opening of branches in Aba
Aba, Nigeria
Aba is a city and a big trading center in Abia State, southern Nigeria, located on the Aba River. Aba was established by the Igbo People of Nigeria as a market town and then later a military post was placed there by the British colonial administration in 1901...
, Calabar
Calabar
Calabar is a city in Cross River State, southeastern Nigeria. The original name for Calabar was Atakpa, from the Jukun language....
, Port Harcourt and Enugu
Enugu
Enugu is the capital of Enugu State in Nigeria. It is located in the southeastern area of Nigeria and is largely populated by members of the Igbo ethnic group. The city has a population of 722,664 according to the 2006 Nigerian census. The name Enugu is derived from the two Igbo words Enu Ugwu...
. Jaja Wachuku started his political career from the grassroots. In 1948, he was first nominated village councillor and later to the Nsulu Group Council. From 1949 to 1952, he was a Member of the Ngwa Native Authority, Okpuala Ngwa. In 1951, he entered regional politics and was elected Second Member for Aba Division in the Eastern Nigeria House of Assembly. From 1952 to 1953, Wachuku was elected Deputy Leader of the NCNC and Chairman of the Parliamentary Party when there was crisis in Nigeria's Eastern Region - resulting in the dissolution of the Eastern House of Assembly. Also, from 1952 to 1953, he was Chairman of the Eastern Regional Scholarship Board and Member of the Finance Committee in the House of Representatives of Nigeria
House of Representatives of Nigeria
The House of Representatives of Nigeria is the lower house of the country's bicameral National Assembly. The Senate of Nigeria is the upper house....
. Wachuku went to the 1953 Constitutional Conference
Constitutional convention (political meeting)
A constitutional convention is now a gathering for the purpose of writing a new constitution or revising an existing constitution. A general constitutional convention is called to create the first constitution of a political unit or to entirely replace an existing constitution...
in London as Alternate Delegate and Adviser to the Nigerian Independence Party (NIP) - a break-away faction that was formed following the NCNC crisis of 1953.
In 1954, Wachuku lost the Eastern Regional election and ceased to be a member of the House of Representatives. Later on in 1954, when the principle of direct election to the House of Representatives was introduced, he was re-elected first member for the Aba Division in the House of Representatives; as well as member of United Nigeria Independence Party (UNIP) - amalgamation of the Nigerian Independence Party and another party. In 1957, Wachuku became Deputy Leader of opposition when he joined the NCNC. From 1957 to 1959, he was a Board member of the Electricity Corporation of Nigeria (ECN). Also, in 1957, for the following three years, he was appointed member of the Local Education Authority and Chairman of the Board of Education in the Eastern Region of Nigeria. During the same period, Wachuku was also Chairman of Aba Divisional Committee of the NCNC.
Accordingly, in 1957, Jaja Wachuku was the Leader of the Nigerian Federation Delegation to the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association
Commonwealth Parliamentary Association
The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, previously known as the Empire Parliamentary Association, is an organisation, of British origin, which works to support good governance, democracy and human rights...
Meeting held in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
and Ceylon, now Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
. He also represented Nigeria in Liberia
Liberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
during the opening of the New Parliament Building in Monrovia
Monrovia
Monrovia is the capital city of the West African nation of Liberia. Located on the Atlantic Coast at Cape Mesurado, it lies geographically within Montserrado County, but is administered separately...
. From 1958 to 1959, Wachuku was Chairman of the Business Committee in the House of Representatives of Nigeria
House of Representatives of Nigeria
The House of Representatives of Nigeria is the lower house of the country's bicameral National Assembly. The Senate of Nigeria is the upper house....
. He was also a member of the Parliamentary Committee on the Nigerianization of the Federal Civil Service. He wrote the Committee's Report assisted by Mr. Michael O. Ani. In 1959, Wachuku was re-elected into the House of Representatives from Aba Division; and was, subsequently, elected the first indigenous Speaker
Speaker (politics)
The term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body. The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like. The speaker decides who may speak and has the...
of the Nigerian House of Representatives.
Marriage to Rhoda
In 1951, Jaja Anucha Wachuku married Rhoda Idu Oona Onumonu (1920 to 1994). She was an unwavering source of solid emotional support, care, love, strength, perseverance and worthy inspiration to Jaja Wachuku. She fondly called her husband "Anucha." Rhoda Jaja Wachuku went to primary school in OgutaOguta
Oguta is a city on the east bank of Oguta Lake in southeast Nigeria. Oguta was one of the first territories used by the British to advance into the Igbo hinterland...
, Imo State
Imo State
Imo State is one of the 36 states of Nigeria and lies to the south of Nigeria with Owerri as its capital and largest city.-History:Imo State came into existence in 1976 along with other new states created under the leadership of the late military ruler of Nigeria, Murtala Muhammad, having been...
, Nigeria. And later attended Women Training College (WTC), Umuahia
Umuahia
Umuahia is the capital of Abia State in southeastern Nigeria. Umuahia is located along the rail road that lies between Port Harcourt to Umuahia's south and Enugu city to its north. Umuahia has a population of 359,230 according to the 2006 Nigerian census. Umuahia's indigenous ethnic group are the...
; as well as Achimota College, Gold Coast
Gold Coast (British colony)
The Gold Coast was a British colony on the Gulf of Guinea in west Africa that became the independent nation of Ghana in 1957.-Overview:The first Europeans to arrive at the coast were the Portuguese in 1471. They encountered a variety of African kingdoms, some of which controlled substantial...
, now Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
. She also studied at West of Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
College of Domestic Science, Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
.
Jaja and Rhoda had five children, namely: Chinedum Jaja Wachuku, Nwabueze Jaja Wachuku (married to Professor Chuka Nwokolo http://www.gastrohep.com/profiles/default.asp?person=cnwokolo / http://www.uhcw.nhs.uk/our-services/a-z-of-services/consultants?cID=94); and now Mrs. Nwabueze Nwokolo http://www.lawsociety.org.uk/newsandevents/news/view=newsarticle.law?NEWSID=259158, Ndubuisi Jaja Wachuku (married to Ukachi, née Offurum), Emenuwa Jaja Wachuku (married to Ijeoma, née Ekwulugo) and Idu Jaja Wachuku. Also, after the devastating Nigerian - Biafra
Biafra
Biafra, officially the Republic of Biafra, was a secessionist state in south-eastern Nigeria that existed from 30 May 1967 to 15 January 1970, taking its name from the Bight of Biafra . The inhabitants were mostly the Igbo people who led the secession due to economic, ethnic, cultural and religious...
n civil war, Jaja Wachuku adopted numerous orphans; including: John Ochiabuto, James Ikechukwu [late], Nwaobilor, Ebere, Nkemdilim, Sylvia Amama, Efuru, etc. Today, Wachuku has numerous grandchildren.
First Speaker of the House
Speaker (politics)
The term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body. The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like. The speaker decides who may speak and has the...
of the House of Representatives of Nigeria
House of Representatives of Nigeria
The House of Representatives of Nigeria is the lower house of the country's bicameral National Assembly. The Senate of Nigeria is the upper house....
. http://books.google.com/books?id=8a4DAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA16&dq=Jaja+Wachuku&lr=&ei=JrJqScHqM5W6M6KPlf0J He replaced Sir Frederic Metcalfe http://www.archerfamily.org.uk/obituary/metcalfe_f.html of Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
. Notably, as First Speaker of the House, Wachuku received Nigeria's Instrument of Independence - also known as Freedom Charter, on October 1, 1960 from Princess Alexandra of Kent
Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy
Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy is the youngest granddaughter of King George V of the United Kingdom and Mary of Teck. She is the widow of Sir Angus Ogilvy...
- Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
(Queen of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
)'s representative at the Nigerian Independence ceremonies. On a 1960 United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
tour http://books.google.com/books?id=qnfyZ7rHbtoC&pg=PA58&dq=Jaja+Wachuku&lr=&ei=qKZqSeS0FpysMrqW9OoC as the House of Representatives Speaker, Jaja Wachuku was honoured and presented with the City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
Blue Seal
Seal (device)
A seal can be a figure impressed in wax, clay, or some other medium, or embossed on paper, with the purpose of authenticating a document ; but the term can also mean the device for making such impressions, being essentially a mould with the mirror image of the design carved in sunken- relief or...
and Key to the City of Atlanta, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
. As Speaker of the House; and subsequently, Wachuku, during the civil rights movement
Civil rights movement
The civil rights movement was a worldwide political movement for equality before the law occurring between approximately 1950 and 1980. In many situations it took the form of campaigns of civil resistance aimed at achieving change by nonviolent forms of resistance. In some situations it was...
, unwaveringly supported African Americans http://books.google.com/books?id=HfcEAQAAIAAJ&q=Jaja+Wachuku&dq=Jaja+Wachuku&lr=&ei=aKxqSbH_Mpr2MbKW5fwJ&pgis=1 plus all Americans and humankind of goodwill who saw the humane, enriching need for true and respectful racial equality. http://books.google.com/books?id=4GZfyA-zYSMC&pg=PA200&dq=Jaja+Wachuku&lr=&ei=wLxqSZyhEYvCMrLJ1J8O
Notably, It was during this period and during his years as First Nigerian Foreign Affairs Minister
Minister (government)
A minister is a politician who holds significant public office in a national or regional government. Senior ministers are members of the cabinet....
that Wachuku forged the reputed friendship that he had with three Presidents of the United States: Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
, John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
and Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...
. He was also good friends with Sam Rayburn
Sam Rayburn
Samuel Taliaferro Rayburn , often called "Mr. Sam," or "Mr. Democrat," was a Democratic lawmaker from Bonham, Texas, who served as the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives for seventeen years, the longest tenure in U.S. history.- Background :Rayburn was born in Roane County, Tennessee, and...
: 48th, 50th and 52nd Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
The Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, or Speaker of the House, is the presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives...
, Adlai Stevenson, Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the...
, Marian Anderson
Marian Anderson
Marian Anderson was an African-American contralto and one of the most celebrated singers of the twentieth century...
, Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller, Henry Ford II
Henry Ford II
Henry Ford II , commonly known as "HF2" and "Hank the Deuce", was the son of Edsel Ford and grandson of Henry Ford...
, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
's Golda Meir
Golda Meir
Golda Meir ; May 3, 1898 – December 8, 1978) was a teacher, kibbutznik and politician who became the fourth Prime Minister of the State of Israel....
, Nikita Khrushchev
Nikita Khrushchev
Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev led the Soviet Union during part of the Cold War. He served as First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964, and as Chairman of the Council of Ministers, or Premier, from 1958 to 1964...
plus numerous leaders and people around the world.
First Ambassador to the United Nations
Notably, TimeTime (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
magazine described him as "Nigeria's dynamic U.N. Ambassador Jaja Wachuku" - stating that because of his worthy, very lively and enthusiastic diplomatic style with a lot of energy, wisdom and determination; "Nigeria, less than two months after winning its independence, is on its way to becoming one of the major forces in Africa." http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,895071-7,00.html
From 1960 to 1961, Wachuku served as first Ambassador
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
and Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, as well as Federal Minister for Economic Development. http://books.google.com/books?id=TbCRKwiUPtAC&pg=PA229&dq=Jaja+Wachuku&lr=&ei=EG5rSZ6IJZPyMq_85N8G He hoisted Nigeria's flag as the 99th member of the United Nations on 7 October 1960. Accordingly, Jaja Wachuku was instrumental to Nigeria becoming the 58th Member State of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
) on Monday 14 November 1960. Also, as First Ambassador of Nigeria to the United Nations, Wachuku represented the country at the independence celebrations of Tanganyika
Tanganyika
Tanganyika , later formally the Republic of Tanganyika, was a sovereign state in East Africa from 1961 to 1964. It was situated between the Indian Ocean and the African Great Lakes of Lake Victoria, Lake Malawi and Lake Tanganyika...
- now known as United Republic of Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
. At the United Nations, Jaja Wachuku was elected First African Chairman of a United Nations Conciliation Commission
United Nations Conciliation Commission
The United Nations Conciliation Commission was created by UN General Assembly Resolution 194, in order to conclude the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.On December 11, 1948, the UN General Assembly adopted the proposal to set up the committee with delegates of three nations. France, Turkey and the United...
- the Conciliation Commission to the Congo. http://unyearbook.un.org/isysquery/f81b1949-4207-4f78-bd43-84ac97979597/3/outline/5/#term0_1 http://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1961-63v20/persons
Following a cabinet reshuffle at Nigeria's independence, Wachuku was appointed Minister
Minister (government)
A minister is a politician who holds significant public office in a national or regional government. Senior ministers are members of the cabinet....
of Economic Development and Member of the First Nigerian Delegation on the admission of Nigeria to the United Nations. On the eve of his departure from New York, the Prime Minister Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa invited Wachuku to his hotel suite and told him that he was leaving him behind as Leader of the Delegation and Ambassador plus Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the United Nations. Jaja Wachuku protested to Prime Minister Balewa - saying that he did not join the Delegation with the intention of staying in New York, and that he told his wife, Rhoda, that he would be away for only one week. Prime Minister Balewa replied: "Never mind, I will tell her when I arrive Lagos."
At the United Nations, he soon stood out in excellence and visionary, selfless service to his country Nigeria and the rest of humankind. It was during this period that Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,872798,00.html and Jet magazine
Jet (magazine)
Jet is an American weekly marketed toward African-American readers, founded in 1951 by John H. Johnson of Johnson Publishing Company in Chicago, Illinois...
http://books.google.com/books?id=FbQDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA9&dq=Jaja+Wachuku&lr=&ei=JrJqScHqM5W6M6KPlf0J commendably quoted Wachuku as saying - from the rostrum of the United Nations General Assembly
United Nations General Assembly
For two articles dealing with membership in the General Assembly, see:* General Assembly members* General Assembly observersThe United Nations General Assembly is one of the five principal organs of the United Nations and the only one in which all member nations have equal representation...
: "I am losing confidence in the great powers. They are climbing from the pedestal of greatness to the pedestal of insanity. We expect leadership from them; they give us destruction. We expect wisdom from them; they give us lack of knowledge...." He was lambasting the Eastern and Western Blocs for not ending their differences and quarrels.
Under Wachuku's leadership at the United Nations, both the Nigerian Army and the Nigerian Police Force made their debut in International Peacekeeping
Peacekeeping
Peacekeeping is an activity that aims to create the conditions for lasting peace. It is distinguished from both peacebuilding and peacemaking....
- under the auspices of the World Organization. During his time at the United Nations, Nigeria's Major-General Johnson Thomas Umunnakwe Aguiyi Ironsi
Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi
Major General Johnson Thomas Umunnakwe Aguiyi-Ironsi was a Nigerian soldier. He served as the Head of State of Nigeria from January 16, 1966 until he was overthrown and killed on July 29, 1966 by a group of northern army officers who revolted against the government.- Early life :Thomas Umunnakwe...
was appointed Commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in the Congo. Also, the first Nigerian Permanent Secretary, Mr. Francis Nwokedi was retained by the United Nations to help in the reorganization of the Civil Service in the Congo. Wachuku also secured the appointment of the first African Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations
Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations
An Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations is a senior official within the United Nations System, normally appointed by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the Secretary-General for a renewable term of four years....
- Nigeria's Godfrey K. J. Amachree - who became UN Under Secretary-General for Trusteeship and Non-Self-Governing Territories. http://untreaty.un.org/cod/avl/ha/dicc/photo01.html
First Foreign Affairs Minister
From 1961 to 1965, Wachuku was the First substantive Nigerian MinisterMinister (government)
A minister is a politician who holds significant public office in a national or regional government. Senior ministers are members of the cabinet....
of Foreign Affairs and Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
Relations, http://books.google.com/books?id=QXhxAAAAIAAJ&q=Jaja+Wachuku&dq=Jaja+Wachuku&lr=&ei=l6lqSf6wIpmUMdqb2JQF&pgis=1 later called External Affairs. http://books.google.com/books?id=NbYOAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA173&dq=Jaja+Wachuku&lr=&ei=aKxqSbH_Mpr2MbKW5fwJ Before Wachuku's tenure, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, the then Prime Minister, doubled as Foreign Affairs advocate of Nigeria from 1960 to 1961 when he created an official Foreign Affairs and Commonwealth Relations ministerial position in favour of Mr. Wachuku as pioneer Minister
Minister (government)
A minister is a politician who holds significant public office in a national or regional government. Senior ministers are members of the cabinet....
. http://books.google.com/books?id=4uK_KEF-KT8C&lpg=PA28&dq=Jaja%20Wachuku&pg=PA28#v=onepage&q=Jaja%20Wachuku&f=false
On July 14, 1962, he was decorated with the insignia of the "Commander of the Order of the Niger Republic" in recognition of "services to the People of the Republic of Niger
Niger
Niger , officially named the Republic of Niger, is a landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River. It borders Nigeria and Benin to the south, Burkina Faso and Mali to the west, Algeria and Libya to the north and Chad to the east...
" by President Hamani Diori
Hamani Diori
Hamani Diori was the first President of the Republic of Niger. He was appointed to that office in 1960, when Niger gained independence.- Youth :...
. As Foreign Affairs Minister, Jaja Wachuku organised the Afro/Asian group of States and worked to get Liberia
Liberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
voted into the United Nations Security Council
United Nations Security Council
The United Nations Security Council is one of the principal organs of the United Nations and is charged with the maintenance of international peace and security. Its powers, outlined in the United Nations Charter, include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the establishment of...
, and Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
into the Economic and Social Council
United Nations Economic and Social Council
The Economic and Social Council of the United Nations constitutes one of the six principal organs of the United Nations and it is responsible for the coordination of the economic, social and related work of 14 UN specialized agencies, its functional commissions and five regional commissions...
. He also worked towards the amendment of the United Nations Charter
United Nations Charter
The Charter of the United Nations is the foundational treaty of the international organization called the United Nations. It was signed at the San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center in San Francisco, United States, on 26 June 1945, by 50 of the 51 original member countries...
- increasing the Security Council from eleven to fifteen - taking into account African nations.
It was concerning this period in Nigeria's history that Ambassador Owen W. Roberts, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
' 1964 to 1965 Political Officer in Lagos, Nigeria strikingly said:
"The Nigerians, whatever their tribe, are a very strong, very assertive group. Foreign Minister Jaja Wachuku was a surprise for many American diplomats because he considered himself as having a status equivalent to the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, or Russian
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
Ministers. Wachuku demanded that much attention and respect. The Nigerians were, and have been, very independent. Senior U.S. echelons weren't used to dealing with Africans as assertive and as strong minded as the Nigerians were. I found this nice because the Nigerians were absolutely always open with you, and would hit you over the head with whatever the problem was. They were entitled to respect and helped gain it for Africans. Ambassador Matthews was not the kind of person to go in and tell Prime Minister Balewa
Abubakar Tafawa Balewa
Alhaji Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, KBE was a Nigerian politician, and the only prime minister of an independent Nigeria. Originally a trained teacher, he became a vocal leader for Northern interest as one of the few educated Nigerians of his time...
or Foreign Minister Jaja Wachuku how to do things...."
Jaja Wachuku as Foreign Affairs Minister of Nigeria preferred quiet consultation, especially with the two major Anglo-American
English American
English Americans are citizens or residents of the United States whose ancestry originates wholly or partly in England....
powers: Great Britain and the United States - in search of solutions to continental and international problems. For example, there was a lot of hue and cry as a result of the Rivonia Trial
Rivonia Trial
The Rivonia Trial was a trial that took place in South Africa between 1963 and 1964, in which ten leaders of the African National Congress were tried for 221 acts of sabotage designed to overthrow the apartheid system.-Origins:...
in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
in 1963 following the arrest of Walter Sisulu
Walter Sisulu
Walter Max Ulyate Sisulu was a South African anti-apartheid activist and member of the African National Congress .-Family and Education:...
, Ahmed Kathrada
Ahmed Kathrada
Ahmed Mohamed Kathrada is a South African politician and former political prisoner and anti-apartheid activist....
, Govan Mbeki
Govan Mbeki
Govan Archibald Mvuyelwa Mbeki was a South African politician, and father of the former South African president Thabo Mbeki and political economist Moeletsi Mbeki...
, Denis Goldberg
Denis Goldberg
Denis Goldberg is a South African social campaigner, who was active in the struggle against apartheid and was imprisoned along with other key members of the anti-apartheid movement....
, Raymond Mhlaba
Raymond Mhlaba
Raymond Mhlaba was an anti-apartheid activist and leader of the African National Congress .Mhlaba spent 25 years of his life in prison. Well known for being sentenced, along with Nelson Mandela, in the Rivonia Trial, he was an active member of the ANC and the South African Communist Party all his...
, Andrew Mlangeni, Lionel Bernstein
Lionel Bernstein
Lionel "Rusty" Bernstein was a South African anti-apartheid activist and political prisoner.-Early life:Bernstein was born in Durban, the youngest of four children of Jewish émigrés from Europe. He was orphaned at eight years old, and brought up by relatives, after which he was sent to finish his...
and others. They and Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing...
, who was serving term on his 1962 conviction, were charged with "sabotage and... conspiracy to overthrow the Government by revolution and by assisting an armed invasion of South Africa by foreign troops." These charges were treason
Treason
In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more extreme acts against one's sovereign or nation. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife. Treason against the king was known as high treason and treason against a...
able and carried the death penalty. Jaja Wachuku quietly invited Lord Head, the British High Commissioner
High Commissioner
High Commissioner is the title of various high-ranking, special executive positions held by a commission of appointment.The English term is also used to render various equivalent titles in other languages.-Bilateral diplomacy:...
in Lagos and also United States' Ambassador Joseph Palmer II
Joseph Palmer II
Joseph Palmer II was an American diplomat and State Department official whose career focused on U.S. relations with Africa....
- and strongly urged them to intercede with their governments to prevail on the apartheid regime in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
- not to impose the death penalty on Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing...
and others. Wachuku employed the same quiet diplomacy on the matter with U.S. Secretary of State
Secretary of State
Secretary of State or State Secretary is a commonly used title for a senior or mid-level post in governments around the world. The role varies between countries, and in some cases there are multiple Secretaries of State in the Government....
Dean Rusk
Dean Rusk
David Dean Rusk was the United States Secretary of State from 1961 to 1969 under presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. Rusk is the second-longest serving U.S...
and British Foreign Secretary Lord Home
Alec Douglas-Home
Alexander Frederick Douglas-Home, Baron Home of the Hirsel, KT, PC , known as The Earl of Home from 1951 to 1963 and as Sir Alec Douglas-Home from 1963 to 1974, was a British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from October 1963 to October 1964.He is the last...
. Subsequently, Lionel Bernstein was acquitted and Nelson Mandela and the rest were given life imprisonment terms.
Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel
Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel was a German philosopher, one of the creators of German Idealism. His historicist and idealist account of reality as a whole revolutionized European philosophy and was an important precursor to Continental philosophy and Marxism.Hegel developed a comprehensive...
historical individual, had the capacity to stand outside the confines of his time, place and intuiting history. He sought his vindication in historical reality. The Right Honourable Prime Minister Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa recognized and appreciated Wachuku's outstanding essence; and used to tell him that he was ten or more years ahead of his Government cabinet colleagues. Wachuku's uncanny historical intuition was evident from the start when, in 1947, he proclaimed Lagos an All-Nigerian city - long before that city became a federal territory. Wachuku also foresaw the danger of recognizing military coup as a way to change government: In Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
, he strongly refused to accord recognition to the Nicolas Grunitzky
Nicolas Grunitzky
Nicolas Grunitzky was the third president of Togo. He was President from 1963 to 1967.-Biography:He was born in Atakpamé to a German father and a Togolese mother. He studied civil engineering at the ESTP in Paris and was a public administrator before leaving to form his own company...
Government in Togo
Togo
Togo, officially the Togolese Republic , is a country in West Africa bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, on which the capital Lomé is located. Togo covers an area of approximately with a population of approximately...
after the January 13, 1963 first coup in that country. Jaja Wachuku believed that if that first African coup by the Togolese army was recognized as a way to change government, then, coup making would spread in Africa. http://books.google.com/books?lr=&ei=9K-HSf2ZIJbAM4Kl4ccF&id=tfCPAAAAMAAJ&dq=Wachuku+on+Togo+Coup+1963&q=Wachuku&pgis=1#search_anchor
In Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa is the capital city of Ethiopia...
, during the Inaugural Conference of the Organization of African Unity (OAU), Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia
Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia
Haile Selassie I , born Tafari Makonnen, was Ethiopia's regent from 1916 to 1930 and Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974...
sat Wachuku down in the presence of Prime Minister Abubakar Tafawa Balewa and begged Balewa to plead with his "Foreign Minister Jaja Wachuku" to accept that the Togolese Government be admitted to take part in that first OAU Conference. Wachuku jokingly reminded Emperor Haile Selassie and Prime Minister Balewa that he was only number three in the Nigerian Government, and that coup plotters go for numbers one and two - President or Head of State and Prime Minister. Jaja Wachuku added that by the time coup makers got to number three, he would be resting in his village.
At the end, Wachuku refused to change his diplomatic position of not allowing Togo to participate because the Togolese Government came to power by coup. Therefore, Togo became the only independent African country that was not represented at the Inaugural Conference of the OAU. History has already told us whether Wachuku was right or wrong. Even Kwame Nkrumah
Kwame Nkrumah
Kwame Nkrumah was the leader of Ghana and its predecessor state, the Gold Coast, from 1952 to 1966. Overseeing the nation's independence from British colonial rule in 1957, Nkrumah was the first President of Ghana and the first Prime Minister of Ghana...
who was one of the most vocal supporters of the Togolese Government of coup makers, later fell victim of the coup contagion. As for Jaja Wachuku, he had resigned from the Nigerian Parliament and Government at mid-day of January 14, 1966 - twelve hours before the first Nigerian military coup of January 15, 1966 led by Major Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu.
Black History Month
Black History Month is an observance of the history of the African diaspora in a number of countries outside of Africa. Since 1976, it is observed annually in the United States and Canada in February, while in the United Kingdom it is observed in October...
, it was also concerning Jaja Wachuku at the founding period in Nigeria's Foreign Policy that Professor Bolaji Akinyemi
Bolaji Akinyemi
Akinwande Bolaji Akinyemi is a Nigerian professor of political science who was his country's External Affairs Minister from 1985 to late 1987. He is chairman of the National Think Tank.-Early life, academic career, and personal life:...
, 1985 to 1987 Nigerian External Affairs Minister, said:
"Karl Marx
Karl Marx
Karl Heinrich Marx was a German philosopher, economist, sociologist, historian, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. His ideas played a significant role in the development of social science and the socialist political movement...
must have had Togo in mind when he wrote in the Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Napoleon, "Hegel says somewhere that all great events and personalities in world history reappear in one fashion or another. He forgot to add: the first time as tragedy, the second as farce". In 1963, when President Sylvanus Olympio
Sylvanus Olympio
Sylvanus Epiphanio Olympio was a Togolese political figure who served as Prime Minister, and then President, of Togo from 1958 until his assassination in 1963.-Political career:...
was assassinated, Jaja Wachuku, the Nigerian Foreign Minister in condemning the action added that for security reasons, Nigerian boundary was the Togo-Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
boundary. http://books.google.com/books?id=DAOQFOUElBwC&pg=PT247&dq=Wachuku+on+Togo+Coup+1963&lr=&ei=hqyHSenjPJDCMtCygccF He was roundly condemned. Looks like he was just speaking forty years out of turn. He would be pleased to know that Nigeria had caught up with him. And that should also be a lesson to those who think that Nigerian foreign policy started and ended up with them." http://www.dawodu.com/akinyemi3.htm
As Foreign Affairs Minister, Wachuku attended the Philadelphia third annual conference of the American Society of African Culture
American Society of African Culture
The American Society of African Culture is an organization of African American writers, artists, and scholars. The society was founded as a result of the Congress of Negro Writers and Artists in 1956. AMSAC sponsored a two-day festival in Lagos, Nigeria in 1962....
(AMSAC) held in 1960. Concerning Jaja Wachuku at that AMSAC conference, The Cambridge History of Africa Volume 8 c. 1940-c. 1975 published by the Cambridge University Press
Cambridge University Press
Cambridge University Press is the publishing business of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by Henry VIII in 1534, it is the world's oldest publishing house, and the second largest university press in the world...
, in page 107, said:
"Continuing interest among the black intelligentsia in African culture was signalled by the creation of the American Society of African Culture (AMSAC) in 1956, which restricted membership to persons of African descent... Its third annual conference, in Philadelphia in 1960, devoted itself to the discussion of `African Unities and Pan-Africanism', and can be regarded as an event in the history of the movement. Some of those present had strong links with the Pan-Africanist past, notably Rayford W. Logan, who had played an important part in the era of Pan-African congresses after the First World War; Jean Price-Mars, Haitian diplomat, philosopher of négritude, and President of the Société Africaine de Culture in Paris; and Jaja Wachuku, who had been at the 1945 Pan-African Congress, and who was in 1960 foreign Minister of Nigeria...." http://books.google.com/books?id=n5e4tiaV0fkC&pg=PA107&dq=Jaja+Wachuku&lr=&ei=aKxqSbH_Mpr2MbKW5fwJ
Aviation Minister and 1966 coup
Subsequently, from 1965 to mid-day January 14, 1966, Wachuku was Nigeria's Minister of Aviation.http://books.google.com/books?id=C_89AQAAIAAJ&q=Wachuku&dq=Wachuku&hl=en&ei=MXI7TsGRFaj9sQKHkKwl&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=9&ved=0CEcQ6AEwCDge With most of the aviation laws in Nigeria bearing his signature, Wachuku initiated training programmes for Nigeria's first crop of Flight and Ground Officers. The Aviation Training Centre, ZariaZaria
Zaria may refer to:*Zaria, a city in Kaduna State, Nigeria*Zaria , or Zoria, the Slavic goddess of beauty*Countess Zaria of Orange-Nassau, Jonkvrouwe van Amsberg, a member of the Dutch royal family...
was established during his tenure.
His visionary and upright zeal, however, did not go well with his party, the NCNC - a party which saw Mr. Blankson, Nigerian Airways Board Chairman and also the party's Central Working Committee Chairman, as representing NCNC's interest in the spoils system. From the Chairmanship of the Nigerian Airways Board, Wachuku fired and removed Blankson who felt himself beyond ministerial control. His party, the NCNC demanded the reinstatement of Blankson - otherwise the party would withdraw its Ministers from the coalition government. Thus, Nigeria was faced with a potential crisis which would have compounded the already grave state of emergency in the country.
The Honourable Prime Minister Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa who had high respect and a soft spot for Jaja Wachuku pleaded with him to reinstate Blankson and accept another Ministry. Wachuku refused. Balewa even asked his wife Rhoda Idu Jaja Wachuku to plead with him, yet he refused and tendered his resignation from Parliament and as an Executive Member of Government mid-day January 14, 1966. Balewa was yet to accept Wachuku's resignation when the army struck by mid-night barely 12 hours later - thus ushering in the era of military coups in Nigeria. Wachuku's official residence, at 7, Okotie-Eboh Street Ikoyi, Lagos, Nigeria was surrounded by soldiers. His younger brother: Kennedy Madu Wachuku, father of Ugonna Wachuku http://uwachuku.googlepages.com was with him that day, Jaja Wachuku looked through the window in the early hours of the morning and asked the soldiers: "What are you boys doing here?" One of the soldiers replied: "Good morning, Sir. But haven't you heard what is happening in the country?" To which Wachuku replied: "Yes. I know you boys have taken over the Government." And the soldier said: "Do not be afraid, Sir. We have come to protect you for being an honest Government Minister." Jaja Wachuku survived that January 15, 1966 military coup.
Civil war in Nigeria
Jaja Anucha Wachuku retired to his home town, first to AbaAba, Nigeria
Aba is a city and a big trading center in Abia State, southern Nigeria, located on the Aba River. Aba was established by the Igbo People of Nigeria as a market town and then later a military post was placed there by the British colonial administration in 1901...
and subsequently to Nbawsi, his village when Aba fell during the Nigerian - Biafra
Biafra
Biafra, officially the Republic of Biafra, was a secessionist state in south-eastern Nigeria that existed from 30 May 1967 to 15 January 1970, taking its name from the Bight of Biafra . The inhabitants were mostly the Igbo people who led the secession due to economic, ethnic, cultural and religious...
n war that lasted from July 1967 to January 1970. During the Biafran war, he participated in the legitimate struggle of his Igbo
Igbo people
Igbo people, also referred to as the Ibo, Ebo, Eboans or Heebo are an ethnic group living chiefly in southeastern Nigeria. They speak Igbo, which includes various Igboid languages and dialects; today, a majority of them speak English alongside Igbo as a result of British colonialism...
people for freedom and justice against a country that had rejected them by not protecting them from genocide
Genocide
Genocide is defined as "the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group", though what constitutes enough of a "part" to qualify as genocide has been subject to much debate by legal scholars...
and brutality by its marauding soldiers and citizens. Later, during the war, Wachuku fell out with the Government of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu
Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu
Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu was a Nigerian military officer and politician.Ojukwu served as the military governor of the Eastern Region of Nigeria in 1966, the leader of the breakaway Republic of Biafra from 1967 to 1970 and a leading Nigerian politician from 1983 to 2011, when he died, aged...
because the distinguished statesman spoke out against the recruitment of child soldiers. He was arrested and thrown into detention by the Ojukwu Government. And was, at the end of the Biafran war released by a young Nigerian Army Officer called Theophilus Danjuma
Theophilus Danjuma
General Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma GCON FSS psc is a Nigerian Jukun soldier, politician and billionaire businessman. He was Nigerian Army Chief of Army Staff from July 1975 to October 1979. He was formerly Minister of Defence under Olusegun Obasanjo...
. The Nigerian soldiers were shocked and dismayed that their first Speaker
Speaker (politics)
The term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body. The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like. The speaker decides who may speak and has the...
of the House of Representatives of Nigeria
House of Representatives of Nigeria
The House of Representatives of Nigeria is the lower house of the country's bicameral National Assembly. The Senate of Nigeria is the upper house....
, first Ambassador to the United Nations and first Foreign Affairs Minister was in detention for exercising his freedom of speech and fundamental human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
. So, Theophilus Danjuma and his military battalion gave Jaja Wachuku adequate protection and security. Wachuku was escorted home by Nigerian soldiers. And he managed to prevent the looting and destruction of his amazing, vast library located at his country home in Nbawsi Abia State
Abia State
Abia State is a state in southeastern Nigeria. The capital is Umuahia, although the major commercial city is Aba, formerly a British colonial government outpost. The state was created in 1991 from part of Imo State and its citizens are predominantly Igbo people...
, Nigeria. Wachuku's library was described as the biggest one man library in West Africa
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...
by regional and national media. Prime Minister Abubakar Tafawa Balewa
Abubakar Tafawa Balewa
Alhaji Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, KBE was a Nigerian politician, and the only prime minister of an independent Nigeria. Originally a trained teacher, he became a vocal leader for Northern interest as one of the few educated Nigerians of his time...
used to call Jaja Wachuku the most "Bookish Minister."
After the Biafran war, Wachuku was involved in Community development affairs while practising his law profession. From 1970 to 1978, he served as Chairman of Nbawsi and Umuomainta Town Council, and also Chairman Nsulu Community Council. He was also a Founding Member of the Movement for the creation of Imo State
Imo State
Imo State is one of the 36 states of Nigeria and lies to the south of Nigeria with Owerri as its capital and largest city.-History:Imo State came into existence in 1976 along with other new states created under the leadership of the late military ruler of Nigeria, Murtala Muhammad, having been...
; and Leader, until his death, of the Movement for the creation of Aba State.
Second Republic politics
Nigerian Second Republic
The Second Republic was the republican government of Nigeria between 1979 and 1983 governed by the second republican constitution.- Founding :...
- 1979 to 1984, Jaja Wachuku was, on the platform of the Nigerian Peoples Party (NPP), twice (1978 and 1983) elected Senator representing Aba
Aba, Nigeria
Aba is a city and a big trading center in Abia State, southern Nigeria, located on the Aba River. Aba was established by the Igbo People of Nigeria as a market town and then later a military post was placed there by the British colonial administration in 1901...
Senatorial Zone http://books.google.com/books?id=mpIxAAAAIAAJ&q=Jaja+Wachuku&dq=Jaja+Wachuku&lr=&ei=4aRqSa-kM4jWNrjNjZ8O&pgis=1 of Africa's most populous country. At the Senate of Nigeria
Senate of Nigeria
The Senate is the upper house of the National Assembly of Nigeria. It consists of 109 senators: the 36 states are divided in 3 senatorial districts each electing one senator; the Federal Capital Territory elects only one senator....
, he became NPP Leader and Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. http://books.google.com/books?id=jtgrLRrvMUAC&pg=PA98&dq=Jaja+Wachuku&lr=&ei=JrJqScHqM5W6M6KPlf0J During this period, he made various dangerous secret trips to South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
for meetings with President Pieter Willem Botha
Pieter Willem Botha
Pieter Willem Botha , commonly known as "P. W." and Die Groot Krokodil , was the prime minister of South Africa from 1978 to 1984 and the first executive state president from 1984 to 1989.First elected to Parliament in 1948, Botha was for eleven years head of the Afrikaner National Party and the...
to put pressure on him for the dismantling of the obnoxious apartheid system; including the unconditional pardon and release of Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing...
and other political prisoner
Political prisoner
According to the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, a political prisoner is ‘someone who is in prison because they have opposed or criticized the government of their own country’....
s.
It was during this period that, on the floor of the Nigerian Senate, Wachuku made his famous, prophetic statement that the defeat of apartheid in South Africa "shall flow from the barrels of dialogue and contact, not from the barrels of isolation and guns...." He was later removed from the Foreign Relations Committee because of officially calling for dialogue with South Africa: Interestingly, during the 1990 years, when Nigeria started diplomatic relations with South Africa, most prominent politicians and historians in the country called for an apology to Jaja Wachuku. In 1983, he was re-elected to the Nigerian Senate until the Muhammadu Buhari
Muhammadu Buhari
Muhammadu Buhari was a military ruler of Nigeria and an unsuccessful candidate for president in the 2003, 2007 and 2011 presidential elections...
military coup of December, 1983.
Honours and awards
Jaja Wachuku received many honours; including the title of Ugo Ngwa [Eagle and Pride of the Ngwa people] which was conferred on him by the entire Ngwa People in 1949 but was installed in 1971, City of Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaPennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
Blue Seal
Seal (device)
A seal can be a figure impressed in wax, clay, or some other medium, or embossed on paper, with the purpose of authenticating a document ; but the term can also mean the device for making such impressions, being essentially a mould with the mirror image of the design carved in sunken- relief or...
, Key to the City of Atlanta, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
"Pride of Africa" http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,872798,00.html Commendation, Commander of the Order of Niger
Niger
Niger , officially named the Republic of Niger, is a landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River. It borders Nigeria and Benin to the south, Burkina Faso and Mali to the west, Algeria and Libya to the north and Chad to the east...
Republic, Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic of Nigeria [CFR], LL.D: Doctor of Laws Honoris Causa by Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, Knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
of Saint Christopher [KSC] by the Anglican Church Nigeria, Enyi [Elephant: wisdom and strength] Abia title and Merit Award by the Government of Abia State
Abia State
Abia State is a state in southeastern Nigeria. The capital is Umuahia, although the major commercial city is Aba, formerly a British colonial government outpost. The state was created in 1991 from part of Imo State and its citizens are predominantly Igbo people...
, Nigeria. Posthumous special Golden Jubilee Independence Anniversary Award was conferred on Wachuku by President Goodluck Jonathan
Goodluck Jonathan
Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan, GCFR, BNER, GCON is the 14th Head of State and current President of Nigeria.He was Governor of Bayelsa State from 9 December 2005 to 28 May 2007, and was sworn in as Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on 29 May 2007. Jonathan is a member of the...
of Nigeria on 30 September 2010.
Death
Born in 1918, Wachuku was 78 years on his death at the University of NigeriaUniversity of Nigeria
The University of Nigeria, commonly referred to as UNN, is a federal university located in Nsukka, Enugu State, Nigeria. Founded in 1955 and formally opened on 7 October 1960, the University of Nigeria has four campuses – Nsukka, Enugu and Ituku-Ozalla – located in Enugu State and one in Aba, Abia...
Teaching Hospital [UNTH] Enugu
Enugu
Enugu is the capital of Enugu State in Nigeria. It is located in the southeastern area of Nigeria and is largely populated by members of the Igbo ethnic group. The city has a population of 722,664 according to the 2006 Nigerian census. The name Enugu is derived from the two Igbo words Enu Ugwu...
, Nigeria during the late morning of Thursday, November 7, 1996. Jaja Wachuku was an uncle of Ugonna Wachuku - Geneva, Switzerland and Mexico City, Mexico based Nigerian author and communications professional. The author's poetic dedication to his uncle is titled: Some Memories Never Die. Notably, on Friday October 20, 1961, in its "The World" Section, Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
wrote an article and news report on Jaja Wachuku and his diplomatic activities at the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
with the title: '"Pride of Africa."
External links
- Time Magazine's "Pride of Africa" Article on Jaja Wachuku
- Photo of Jaja Wachuku with Rockefeller and others
- Picture of Jaja Wachuku and others
- Photo of Jaja Wachuku and Marian Anderson
- Some Memories Never Die: A Poetic Dedication to Jaja Wachuku
- Album of Jaja Wachuku Pictures
- Biographical Dictionary Entry on Jaja Wachuku
- Nigeria at UNESCO