A Hero Who Protected the Innocent.
By Andrew Udechukwu
Sir Dr. Francis Akanu Ibiam was born on November 29, 1906 at Unwana, Afikpo North in the present Ebonyi state. He was the second son of chief Ibian, a traditional ruler of the Eze Ogo Isiala of Unwana and Osuji of Uburu. He attended HopeWaddell Training Institute, Calabar and King’s College Lagos. He later got admission to university of St. Andrews Scotland, graduating with medical degree in 1934. He was accepted as a medical missionary of the church of Scotland, in which role he established Abiriba Hospital, 1936-1945, and later superintended mission hospitals at Uturu and Uburu.
Ibiam was never ordained as a minister, but he was elected and ordained as an elder of the Presbyterian church. He was later appointed an honorary officer of the order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1949 for his work as a medical missionary of the church of Scotland. He was appointed in 1951 an honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) which later became substantive. He became the President of the Christian Council of Nigeria, 1955-1958. In 1957, he was made the principal of his Alma mater, Hope Waddell Institute Calabar.
In 1959, he became the President of the university college Ibadan, Oyo state. During his international visit to northern Rhodesia, he was refused service at a café reserved for the whites, an encounter that later became notorious. In 1962, he was chairman of the committee that established the protestant chapel at the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN). He joined partisan politics and served in local government, then Eastern Regional House of Assembly and in the legislative and executive councils.
After Nigeria gained independence in 1960, Ibiam was appointed governor of eastern region. On the 24 August 1962, he was appointed a Knight commander of the order of St. Micheal and St. George (KCMG). He held the office until the military coup of 15 January 1966 that brought Major General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi to power.
Ibiam’s performance during Nigeria-Biafra civil was outstanding. He actively assisted the Biafrans by obtaining relief materials through his church contacts worldwide. As one of the six presidents of world council of churches (WCC), Ibiam spoke sympathetically at the WCC meeting in Uppsala, Sweden where the problem of relief materials for refugees was discussed, and subsequently approved. That was in July 1968. Although, chief Bola Ige, adviser to the church of the province of west Africa ensured that the name, Biafra was avoided in the WCC resolution, Ibiam was however instrumental in ensuring that the nightly air lift of relief into Biafra was done.
In 1969, he had to travel to Canada to raise humanitarian aid and support for the people of Biafra. In protest against the British government support of the Nigeria Federal government against Biafrans, Ibiam returned his Knighthood and renounced his English name, Francis.
After the civil war, Ibiam continued working on reconstruction and hospital service. He was responsible and instrumental for the establishment of Bible society of Nigeria and the Christian Medical fellowship. He later became the president of all Africa conference of churches.
Ibiam died on July 1, 1995, and mammoth crowd attended his funeral at Unwana, Afikpo North. For his exploits and historical legacy, so many institutions were named after him. The Akanu Ibiam International Airport Enugu, The Akanu Ibiam Federal Polytechnic Unwana, Ebonyi state, and The Francis Akanu Ibiam stadium University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN).
He married Eudora Olayinka Shashebon, a midwife from Lagos state. The marriage was solemnized at the Christ church cathedral Marina Lagos. Together, the couple fought against the killing of twins which was rampant then in Igboland. Ibiam and Eudora had almost ten twins to feed in their house, after their parents had insisted on killing them. They also undertook the responsibility of educating the Igbo populace on the need to discard the outdated superstitious aversions to western medicine
