Former Vice Chairman of National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) and prolific author, Dr Arthur Agwuncha Nwankwo, is dead.
He was aged 78.
Information about his death was scanty but a dependable source confirmed that the publisher and pan-Nigerian activist died at about 2pm on Saturday, 1st February, 2020, at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Ituku-Ozalla, Enugu, after a brief illness.
The Ajalli, Anambra State-born, was the founder of the famous Forth Dimension Printing Press.
He was also the founder and Chancellor of Eastern Mandate Union (EMU) on which platform he campaigned and advanced the rights of the people of the former Eastern Region.
A strong advocate of the handshake across the Niger, he worked tirelessly to help bring together the Southwest and Southeast politically.
A nationalist, Nwankwo was also an ardent follower of the late Mallam Aminu Kano and an active member of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) on which platform he contested the governorship of old Anambra State during the Second Republic.
Some of his popular works include: The Making of a Nation: Biafra -1969; Nigeria: The Stolen Billions – 1999; Nigeria: The Challenge of Biafra- 1972; Nigeria: The Political Transition and the Future of Democracy- 1993; The Igbo nation and the Nigerian State- 1999; The Igbo leadership and the future of Nigeria- 1985.
Born August 19, 1942, in Ajali, Anambra State, Nwankwo also advocated for a more realistic restructuring of the country to save the country from possible collapse.
In an article published, September 21, 2018, entitled,
Nigeria: This Ship is sinking, he compared the claim that Nigerian unity is not negotiable with the assumption of the builders of Titanic that the beautiful ship was unsinkable. “How wrong this assumption is,” he warned, adding that “Nigeria is like the Titanic in danger of sinking! Though the wreckage of the Titanic, which was discovered in North Atlantic in 1985, has inspired many books, articles and films, her story has entered the public consciousness as a cautionary tale about the perils of human hubris or presumption. Nigeria must not be allowed to experience the tragedy of the Titanic,” he said.
