Who else purchased a Rolls Royce at 23? Have mansions in several choice cities across the world, and had influence across Africa, Europe, America and Asia. Resided in the presidential suites of Nicon Noga Hilton Abuja and Federal Palace Hotel Lagos for over 20 years. He lived a flamboyant lifestyle which in Nigeria today we call baller. Author Nzeribe was indeed an agba baller of his time....CONTINUE READING
Arthur Nzeribe was a well-known Nigerian politician who served in the Imo State Senate. He was first elected in 1983 for a three-month term and then re-elected in 1999 for an eight-year term. He was also a successful businessman in Nigeria, with multimillion-dollar investments.
Arthur Nzeribe was a great man who dedicated his life to serving his country. He was a champion of peace and a cultural icon, leaving behind several political and personal legacies.
He was born in the Nigerian town of Oguta in Imo state. Arthur Nzeribe’s family includes well-known figures who have held high government positions. His grandfather, Akpati Nzeribe, held various traditional titles and his father, Oyimba Nzeribe, was a lawyer and former state council.
His mother died when he was in primary school, and his father was studying law in the United Kingdom. He has eight siblings, according to The Guardian. Mr Justinian Nzeribe is the only surviving sibling.
After his mother’s death, the politician was taken over by Catholic priests who were involved in his education. He attended Bishop Shanahan College in Orlu and Holy Ghost College in Owerri. He moved to Lagos in 1957 to work as an engineering cadet for the Nigerian Port Authority, and the NPA awarded him a scholarship to study Marine Engineering a year later. He went to Portsmouth College of Technology before transferring to Chesterfield College of Technology.
He began his career in the United Kingdom, selling life insurance to black immigrants. He later returned to his native country and began working for Shell. He enlisted in the Air Force as a cadet the same year and served for several months. He went on to work at the Gulf Oil facility later. He later moved to London, where he founded the Jeafan firm.
The Ghana High Commission and other African diplomatic missions in London worked with this public relations firm. He interacted with a variety of people through his firm, including Kwame Nkrumah. He had a good relationship with the Ghanaian government, but when Nkrumah was deposed in 1966, he lost power. Instead of losing hope, he developed a working relationship with the council’s head, Joseph Arthur Ankrah, but Nzeribe’s influence in Ghana waned when Ankrah stepped down in April 1969.
Arthur founded the Fanz Organization in London in 1969, specialising in heavy construction, arms, oil brokerage, publishing, and property investment, with a strong presence in the Middle East and Gulf states. The organization had a £70 million annual trading turnover by 1979.
On 10 June 1993, he attempted to halt the election by relying on a court order obtained by his group, Association for Better Nigeria, from the late Justice Bassey Ikpeme of the Abuja High Court in a midnight ruling. ABN had a reputation for being pro-Babangida.
In 1999, Arthur was elected as a Senator for the Imo Orlu constituency and re-elected in 2003. Senator Nzeribe was suspended indefinitely by Senate President Anyim Pius Anyim in November 2002, following an allegation of an N22 million fraud. Nzeribe was rumoured to be considering impeachment proceedings against Anyim.
In December 2007, he ran for a Senate seat but was defeated by Osita Izunaso in the PDP primaries. In August 2007, he was elected to the PDP’s Board of Trustees. He was a businessman with multimillion-dollar investments in Nigeria in addition to his political career.
Authur was born on 2 November 1938. Arthur Nzeribe’s age at the time of his death was 83 years old.
