Dr. Ukpabi Asika

Ukpabi Asika, the hero of Nigerian Civil War: A tribute
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Dr. Asika was appointed Administrator as no lgbo officer was trusted.Perhaps if Lt.Unegbe had survived January 15th 1966 coup, being the only lgbo officer who returned to Nigeria to release the key of the Armoury which eventually led to his being shot by the rebels, he would have been so appointed.

Dr. Asika was born in Jos in 1936 but I met him in the United States of America in 1964 when he led the African Students Association of Southern California while I acted as chairman of Political Committee of Pan African Students Association of the Americas, PASOA, then led by a dynamic Nigerian, Dr. Sylvester Okereke.

We of PASOA did not accept the existence of other students organisations especially those we saw as reflecting ethnics and Asika fully agreed with us and even showed us his PASOA membership but insisted he could not throw away the mandate given him but would work hand in hand with us.

Dr. Asika attended St. Patrick's College, Calabar (1949), Edo College, Benin City, 1951; the University of Ibadan between 1956 and 1961; University of California, Los Angeles, United States (1961-1965).
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Mrs. Asika is currently Special Adviser to President Olusegun Obasanjo.
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When Asika finally returned to Nigeria, he lectured at the Nigeria maiden University of lbadan 1965-67.As the Administrator overseeing the defunct Biafra Republic from the outset of the civil war which ended in 1970 and the reconstruction of the war-ravaged region, Asika was a member of the Supreme Military Council of Nigeria between 1970 and 1975.

He was the Chairman of the Technical Committee on the Review of the Population Census of 1973 (1973-75); Chairman, Bladi Property and Investments Company Limited, 1975, Chairman, Sigma Systems and Communications Limited, 1975, and was a director of Guardian Press Limited and Guardian Newspapers Limited in 1983; member, Presidential Delegation to Niger, Chad and negotiations on the re-opening of Nigerian borders, 1985.He was Director Chessbrough Products Industry Limited, 1986.

The late Asika was honoured with the Ajie Onitsha chieftaincy title in 1985 and 31 others from various communities in the country.Dr Asika received several honours within and outside the country, including, First Class by the Sudan Government, Order National by the Republic Senegal, he was also at one time honoured by Togo and Mauritania.

In the academic arena he was the famous PRIZEMAN of the University of Ibadan, Canada Fellowship in Economics, US.National Honours of Fraternity in social sciences in 1963 during the Kampala negotiations between defunct Biafra leaders and Nigerian.

At about 8.00pm late Asika had called at the hotel room of Malam Aminu Kano who was in the delegation.We talked up to 11.30pm.Mallam then advised him to spend the night as he would not allow him to go.A staff of foreign ministry then was asked to sleep in Asika's room.I cannot recollect the name now since the incident happened 35 years ago.At the dead of the night kidnappers who were suspected to be Israeli security men broke into Asika's room and took away the young man who has not been seen till today.

We all concluded that the late Asika was the actual target but God saved him for Nigeria and humanity.All I can say is that Ukpabi Asika was a true Nigerian who served his nation well at the time it needed him most.He was a great Nigerian indeed.