By Ingram Osigwe
“The world is divided into people who do things and people who talk about doing things” -John Mason
High Chief Johnbosco Ozigbu Ph.D (Ngele of Nwangele; Ogwuaga of Ogwuaga) belongs to the former set of people Mason described above. High Chief Ozigbu is a young man whose heart beats for others- for the society. He doesn’t talk about doing things; he does things silently, without fanfare. Even at a young age, Ozigbu has proven that selflessness and leadership are interwoven, he has demonstrated that it is possible to marry success, high-impact achievements with humility; Dr Ozigbu has shown that philanthropic gestures can be rendered without huffing and bouncing on the gallery to seek validation or attract public attention and accolades.
Dr Ozigbu stands out with extraordinary poise and purposefulness. He is calm, prepared, and unwavering in his commitment to re-inventing the society, particularly Igboland with socio-economic, intellectual, infrastructural and human capital development. And for all he does for Ndigbo, nay the society, Dr Ozigbu will on Saturday, the 23rd of August, 2025 be conferred with the revered title of Ikenga of Igboland by His Royal Highness, Eze (Dr) E.C Okeke, CFR (Eze Imo), Ezeudo 11 of Amaifeke ancient kingdom, Chairman, Imo State Council of Traditional Rulers, and Chairman, South East Council of Traditional Rulers.
An internationally acclaimed academic, entrepreneur and construction czar, Dr Ozigbu combines eloquence, deep intellect, and an unshakeable belief in service to humanity with entrepreneurial spirit.
A man of action and impact; versatile, urbane and celebral, Dr Ozigbu is a product of Abia State University (Absu), where he bagged B.Sc in Marketing; Oxford University in the United Kingdom, Cambridge University, also in the United Kingdom, and Harvard University, in the United States of America with many caps and gowns in his academic bag.
And in recognition of his robust contributions to knowledge and intellectual discourse, Dr Ozigbu was early this year appointed a member of the prestigious Editorial Team of Global Journal of Management and Business Research, Massachusetts, Incorporated, USA; an international research centre that publishes high quality research studies in the field of business and management.
The research centre, being international and inter-disciplinary in scope, seeks to provide a platform for debate among diverse academic and practitioner communities, which addresses a broad area of business, management and leadership issues across the globe.
Global Journal of Management and Business Research, is superintended and sponsored by the non-profit making Open Association of Research Society USA (OARS), a private research institute that publishes high quality original papers, theory-based empirical papers, review papers, case studies, and book reviews. Special issues devoted to important and emerging topics in the field of business and management are occasionally published.
As a member of this prestigious research centre, a private Research Institute of the Cambridge University, Dr Ozigbu sits in the editorial board alongside other world business leaders and scholars to edit, proofread, review, critically assess and publish journals, thesis, articles and books written by world-acclaimed authors from well grounded diverse academic backgrounds.
His strides in the academic arena birthed a plethora of academic laurels in his kitty: MBA in Banking and Finance, a Master of Science (M.Sc.) degree in International Economics and Finance from Rivers State University (RSU), Port Harcourt; a Doctor of Philosophy degree (Ph.D) from the same university, Postgraduate Diploma course in Strategy and Innovation from Oxford University’s Said Business School, United Kingdom and a course on Business Sustainability Management at the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom. In addition, High Chief Ozigbu also recently achieved an academic feat for Senior Executive Programme, Africa at the Harvard Business School, United States of America.
A quintessential author and prolific writer, Dr Ozigbu has to his credit, an avalanche of many well researched and written articles published in high-ranking journals worldwide. Some of these are: Oil Rents and Human Development Outcomes in Nigeria: Evidence from a Non-Linear Bounds Approach to Cointegration, Signalling Channels of Financial Service Digitalization for Financial Inclusion in Nigeria.
A silent philanthropist, High Chief Ozigbu is deeply involved in community development efforts and philanthropic gestures- he singlehandedly constructed numerous road projects in Abba and across Nwangele Local Government area of Imo State where he hails from, donated over 15 three-bedroom bungalow flats to indigent people, awarded educational scholarships to indigent students, sent many youths abroad for greener pastures, and single-handedly built and donated a multi-million Naira ultra- modern edifice of a church project to Christ the King Catholic Parish, Abba.
In a rare act of selflessness and giving back to the society, High Chief Ozigbu, whose business interests span construction, oil and gas, hospitality, and real estate, among others, currently lectures, pro bono (as a senior lecturer) at two reputable institutions in Rivers State: Rivers State University and Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Port Harcourt.
Evidently, the title of Ikenga of Igboland being conferred on High Chief Ozigbu is not only fitting, proper and deserving, it also speaks to the impact of his indelible footprints on the sands of time. Congratulations, Ikenga Ndigbo. Keep doing good!
•Osigwe, a public communication and engagement strategist, is the MD of Fullpage Communications Ltd. He lives in Lagos.
