A young Nigerian man identified as Chukwuka Xavier has taken to Twitter to recount on his experience with the Former Secretary General of the Commonwealth Of Nations, Emeka Anyaoku.
According to him, it is his own Independence day message. He stated that they met on a flight en-route Nigeria and the few moments he spent with Emeka Anyaokua seemed to be the best of his life.
Read his post below:
Short Thread: My “Independence Day Message”. So last week, as I prepped for a long flight home, a pleasant elderly gentleman indicated that he had the seat next to me. We got talking. “So what do you do?” “I work in advertising. And you sir?” “I’m a pensioner”
I could see the quiet, almost mischievous smile as he said this. So I ask, “and before you were a pensioner, what where you?” “I was a few things, including the Secretary General of the Commonwealth Of Nations.” “Ah. So I’m seated with Dr. Emeka Anyaoku?” “You are.”
What followed was many things…an education, an interview, a window into the maelstrom called Nigeria. Dr. Anyaoku is 85yrs old, but he moves like he’s not a day older than 70. He has 32 Honorary Doctorates, from the best schools in the world.
His Memoirs are a must have. The Queen of England takes his recommendations. He flew into Uli at midnight during the Biafran War to entreat with Ojukwu peace terms (Ojukwu didn’t like them, but agreed to them with a few changes. It didn’t matter because Gowon rejected them all).
He got all 12 presidential aspirants in 2015 to sign an accord that they would accept the results of the elections & would be held responsible if any of their supporters incite violence. He rejected the House of Commons (an honor that rarely ever goes to foreigners) to come home.
He only flies with a Nigerian Passport. The “pensioner” was on his way back from a peace restoring mission in Zimbabwe, following the violence that trailed the elections.
