The Nzuko Ozo Ndi Igbo Nigeria (NONIN), led by Professor Ike Oluka, has recognised Senator Osita Ngwu, Deputy Minority Whip representing Enugu West Senatorial District; Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe, representing Abia South Senatorial District; and Senator Ned Nwoko, representing Delta North Senatorial District, as the most reflective and effective Igbo senators in the National Assembly.
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The recognition followed a comprehensive assessment by a committee set up as part of the 2025 edition of Iriji Nzuko Ozo Ndigbo Nigeria. The committee was headed by a renowned scholar, retired Permanent Secretary, former Director General of the Centre for Black Arts and African Civilisation (CBAAC), and current Director of the Directorate of Culture and Cultural Dialogue at Godfrey Okoye University, Enugu, Ozo Ferdinand Anikwe, PhD, KSJI, JP.
The committee evaluated the senators’ performance based on ten indicators across critical areas, including relationship with the grassroots, humility in power, constituency projects, Igbo advocacy, parliamentary eloquence, and social skills, among others.
Dr. Anikwe explained that in socio-cultural group formations or group-based political systems, legislators are products of their social and cultural dynamics. He noted that quality representation is measured not only by patriotism to the nation but also by responsiveness to the expectations of their in-group. Quoting Chief Obafemi Awolowo, he stated that “one must be a good Yoruba before being a good Nigerian,” stressing that true representation reflects one’s consciousness and sensitivity to one’s cultural identity.
In May 2025, Senator Osita Ngwu distinguished himself as a strong defender of Igbo interests when he described as “unfair” the treatment of the South East by the Federal Government. During plenary, Ngwu decried the neglect of the region, especially in resource allocation for infrastructure.
“With due respect to Senator Wamako who said lion’s share to the South-West… when will the South East ever have a lion’s share in any particular project?” Ngwu queried, reminding Senate President Godswill Akpabio that “if this is an omission, it is an expensive omission. The South East cannot continually be treated the way Nigeria is treating the Southeast.”
He lamented that no dam project in the South-East received any allocation, stating: “Out of the dams that were listed here in the South East, Ivo Dam was last funded about 12 years ago, with ₦5 billion spent on it, and it has been abandoned since then. I have written three letters to the Ministry of Water Resources, done everything possible to revive Ivo Dam, yet a zone is allocated ₦66 billion while the entire South gets zero.”
Beyond his legislative courage, Ngwu has built strong grassroots connections through initiatives such as the Enugu West Academy, which offers tutorials for secondary school leavers; football tournaments; quiz competitions for secondary schools; scholarships for indigent students; postgraduate scholarships abroad; road rehabilitations; solar-powered streetlights; long vacation lessons; and vocational training centres for youths across Enugu West Senatorial Zone.
Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe, on his part, has written his name in gold as one of the most consistent and courageous advocates for the Igbo nation. Without pretensions, Abaribe has persistently urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to release Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, insisting that doing so would help curb criminality in the Southeast.
“I expect that the President will listen to both his Attorney General and all of us who have been agitating that the issues in the Southeast, first of all the insurgency, the sit-at-home on Mondays, and other criminal acts, are being perpetrated by people hiding under Kanu’s name,” Abaribe said.
He has remained steadfast in his relationship with his constituents and is widely admired for his humility and consistency.
Senator Ned Nwoko, meanwhile, has revived the legacy of Chief Dennis Osadebey, the former Premier of the defunct Mid-Western Region. In 1936, Chief Osadebey, from the Anioma area, galvanized Igbo elements in Lagos to form the Igbo Federal Union (IFU) and became its Secretary General in 1939. By 1943, he led a campaign to unite all Igbo unions across Nigeria, strengthening the pan-Igbo movement.
NONIN commended Senator Nwoko’s efforts to reclaim what the Igbo nation has lost over the past six decades. The organization praised his courage and steadfastness in embracing the cultural and historical identity of Anioma—an acronym formed from Aniocha, Ndokwa, Ika, and Oshimili by Chief Osadebey in 1951.
The group acknowledged the challenges of ethnic ambiguity faced by the Igbo of the South-South extraction since before the Nigerian Civil War but reaffirmed its support for Nwoko’s advocacy. “No society is entirely ethnically homogenous,” NONIN stated. “Smaller groups or migrants are assimilated within the dominant culture, such as the British, Yoruba, Hausa, or Fulani. We encourage and support Senator Nwoko, assuring him that his efforts will never be in vain.”
During the presentation of the Award of Service to Humanity and Igbo Nation to Senator Osita Ngwu at the Enugu Sports Club, Golf Section, on Sunday, September 21, 2025, Ozo Anikwe described Ngwu as “an exceptional legislator whose quality representation resonates with his constituency and the Igbo nation at large.” He extolled Ngwu as “a vibrant jinx breaker, an eloquent parliamentary prodigy with character comeliness, social renown, and dispositional humility.”
Other dignitaries honoured at the event included Rt. Hon. Festus Uzor, a distinguished Enugu State indigene who has served as Chairman of Ezeagu Local Government, Speaker of the Enugu State House of Assembly, Commissioner for Health, Education, and Special Duties, Federal Population Commission member, and Chief of Staff to the Government House, Enugu. NONIN described Uzor as “a talented genius whose rise to prominence reflects hard work and intellectual audacity.”
Others recognized were Chief Afam Agana for philanthropy and service to humanity, and Chief Chinedu Ugbo.
The event chairman, Chief Pete Edochie, urged Igbo leaders to designate one week for the Iriji (New Yam) Festival, emphasizing its cultural significance. The Enugu State Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Hon. Barr. Ugochi Madueke, speaking in fluent Igbo, stressed that the language and culture must be preserved, as they contain proverbs, values, and wisdom vital for Igbo nationalism.
Other dignitaries at the ceremony included the Chairman of the Enugu State Council of Traditional Rulers, His Majesty Igwe Samuel Asadu, the Ogadagigi and traditional ruler of Edem Ani Ogwugwu Ancient Kingdom; His Majesty Igwe Aloysius Ogbonna, the Uba-Ojene of Ogugu and Akajiofor of Ntuegbenese, represented by Chief Augustine Okoli, PhD; and eminent scholars, technocrats, and businessmen of NONIN, including Ozo Prince Emeka Onyesoh (National Leader, NONIN); Rt. Hon. Chiedozie Alex Ogbonnia, PhD (Deputy National Leader); Ozo Johnbosco Offorbuike; Ozo Michael Okechukwu Igbonekwu; Ozo Prof. & Dr. Mrs. Chike Anibueze; Ozo Prof. Ogwugwam Christopher Ezeagwu; Ozo Uche Alor; Ozo Engr. Anthony Amujiogu, PhD; Ozo Sylvester N.C. Ogbuanu; Ozo Hon. Nnamchi Egbo; Ozo Capt. Edwin Onwuajuase; Ozo Barr. Alex Amujiogu; Ozo Joel Eke; Ozo Kingsley Eze, PhD; Ozo Donatus Oguejiofor; and Ozo Emma Ugwu, among others.
The Awards for Senators Eyinnaya Abaribe and Ned Nwoko will be presented to them in Abuja at a later date.
E-Signed:
Rt. Hon. Chiedozie Alex Ogbonnia, PhD
Deputy National Leader, Nzuko Ozo Ndi Igbo Nigeria (NONIN)