Mbonu Ojike

He advanced from a choirmaster, organist, and teacher in an Anglican school to become a student in America and then a cultural and economic nationalist.

In America, he spent 8 years involved in intellectual pursuit and improving outsiders’ knowledge of Africa speaking from an African perspective.

Upon his return, he promoted his brand of Africanisation, a persistent consumption of African forms of cloths, food, dress, religion and dances while also believing in the selective benefits of foreign amenities.

He wrote rejoinders to articles that portrayed Africa in a negative light[8] in addition to writing two books and a pamphlet on African culture.

In 1948, he left the pilot to start a business venture, the African Development Corporation, he raised capital and bought a popular bakery formerly owned by Amos Schackleford.

After the death of 21 striking coal miners in 1949, Ojike in response wrote a column calling for concerted action against colonial authorities.

The shootings also motivated him to co-found a broad organization called the National Emergency Committee with Akinola Maja as chairperson.

The organization briefly existed for a year and was a national voice opposing racial discrimination[12] before political rivalry broke it up.

As minister, he supported the introduction of Pay As You Earn taxation and was involved in the establishment of the Eastern Region Finance Corporation and road construction.

However, allegations of corruption swirled about his involvement in the corporation's purchase of shares in African Continental Bank while he was the sitting Minister of Finance.

At the Foster-Sutton tribunal investigating the activities of the corporation, Ojike was resolute in his loyalty to Azikiwe, the founder of the bank and NCNC leader especially when the arguments were framed in the form of economic freedom for the people or extending Western imperialism.

[15] He preferred palm wine to imported gin and promoted the wearing of African clothes among elites civil servants.