Maverick politician and multimillionaire, Senator Francis Arthur Nzeribe has reportedly died.
He passed on on Saturday evening or early Sunday morning.
According to The Nation, a source from his family, who preferred anonymity, confirmed the incident and hinted the family is preparing a statement to announce his passage.
Until his passage, he had been on life support for sometimes.
The First Republic politician, who had represented Imo West at the National Assembly, had been the longest serving Senator from Imo State.
He was born on November 2, 1938.
At 22, Nzeribe hit a mega fortune, becoming a major player in the nation’s financial sector.
Providence smiled on him and he became so powerful and influential in Nigeria’s political landscape.
He was elected a Senator to represent Orlu in 1999.
But another account had it that he died on Sunday morning.
According to Sahara Reporters, a source said that Nzeribe was declared dead at a foreign hospital following an undisclosed ailment.
“He died this morning in a hospital abroad. The family will soon release a statement,” the source said.
In 2017, the photograph of ageing and possibly sick Nzeribe, sitting languidly, with medics around him went viral on social media.
He was elected a Senator to represent Orlu first in 1999 but in November 2002, the then-Senate President Anyim Pius Anyim suspended Nzeribe indefinitely over an allegation of N22 million fraud.
Also, in April 2006, the Orlu People’s Consultative Assembly, sponsored by the then Governor of Imo State, Achike Udenwa, staged what it called a “One million march” to drum support for Nzeribe’s recall from the Senate. Due to popular demand, in December 2006, Nzeribe was defeated by Osita Izunaso during the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) primaries for the 2007 Senatorial election.
As reported then, it was not clear then who broke into his private home in Orlu, Imo State, to take the photograph of the former arms dealer, maverick politician and a man believed to have been used by the Ibrahim Babangida military regime to scuttle the 1993 presidential election.
The photograph was shared on many WhatsApp platforms, with commentaries short on sympathy, but replete with lessons on the vanity of life and the enfeebling capacity of old age.
He had vanished from the limelight since he was defeated in the 2006 primaries of the Peoples Democratic Party to elect a senatorial candidate for his Orlu Imo State constituency.
But it appears the commentaries might have gotten things wrong on the state of health of the old politician. According to a statement by Collins Ughaala, who identified himself as Mr. Nzeribe’s chief press secretary, Mr. Nzeribe is hale and hearty and not struck by stroke as being suggested in some quarters.
“The attention of Chief Senator Francis Arthur Nzeribe has been drawn to the hateful speeches going on against him in the media, especially the social media, including the unfounded runour that he has a stroke.
“Chief Nzeribe should have ignored this hateful rumour, but “to set the record straight”, this brief response is offered to the effect that “the rumour is false as I don’t have a stroke.”
“At 79 years old, I am hale and hearty and not suffering from a stroke. I am not in my community, Oguta, in Imo State. I am resting in my house in Abuja. And I thank God for keeping me healthy and allowing me see old age.
“Life and death are in God’s Hands, and God willing I will remain hale and hearty and not suffer a stroke until such a time when God calls me home. And no amount of hateful speech can change or alter God’s plans for me or anyone else.
“I am not suffering from stroke and I cannot wish anyone to suffer stroke. But to those manufacturing and spreading this hateful speech against me, I wish them the best.
“God has deemed it fit for me to see old age in good health, and there is nothing more to ask from God.”
He was born on November 2, 1938, in Oguta Imo State.
According to Wikipedia: “Francis Arthur Nzeribe (born 2 November 1938) is a Nigerian politician who was Senator for the Orlu Senatorial constituency in Imo State from October 1983 to December 1983 and May 1999 to May 2007 on the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) slate.
“Nzeribe, a multi-billionaire investment mogul, was born in Oguta, Imo State on 2 November 1938. His father, Oyimba Nzeribe, was a lawyer and former state counsel, and his grandfather, Akpati Nzeribe, held the traditional title of Ogbuagu, Oshiji, Damanze Oyimba of Oguta.[citation needed] His second wife is the sister of Hajia Asabe Yar’Adua, wife of the late General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua, who was brother of President Umaru Yar’Adua.
“Nzeribe lost his mother when he was a primary school student, while his father was away in Great Britain studying law.[3] His care was taken over by Catholic priests who were involved in furthering his education. He attended Bishop Shanahan College, Orlu and Holy Ghost College, Owerri.
“In 1957, he traveled to Lagos where he obtained employment with Nigeria’s port authority as an engineering cadet, and a year later, he received a scholarship from the NPA to study marine engineering. He took courses at Portsmouth College of Technology and later attended Chesterfield College of Technology in England. By 1960 he was selling life insurance to black immigrants in Britain. Returning to Nigeria in 1961 he was briefly an employee of Shell, then for a few months an Air Force cadet. Thereafter, he worked for Gulf Oil at the firm’s Escravos facility.
He “soon left Gulf Oil and returned to London, where he opened Jeafan, a public relations firm, with one Ghanaian and two English partners. The firm worked with a number of African diplomatic missions in London including the Ghana High Commission.
“The well dressed and mannered Nzeribe was able to gain the confidence of a few notable clients. Through the Ghana Commission, he met Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana and started to work for him in public relations. Nkrumah also introduced him to other African leaders. In 1966, when the National Liberation Council (NLC) overthrew Nkrumah, Nzeribe and Jeafan briefly lost influence in Ghana but the NLC leadership soon turned to Jeafan to help improve the public image of their administration.
He “developed a working relationship with Joseph Arthur Ankrah, head of the liberation council, but when Ankrah left office in April 1969, Nzeribe lost influence in Ghana.
“In 1969, (he) started up the Fanz Organization based in London, dealing in heavy construction, arms, oil brokerage, publishing and property investment, with much business in the Middle East and Gulf states. By 1979, Fanz had an annual trading turnover of £70 million.
“He is believed to be worth over 1.5 billion dollars as of 2018. In Nigeria, (he) built up Sentinel Assurance and other companies. His country home in Oguta is called Heaven of Peace, an estate that contains multiple mansions. In 1983, he spent N12m to win a Senatorial seat in Orlu. Ten years later, he was a prominent supporter of the Association for a Better Nigeria, which backed General Ibrahim Babangida.
“June 12 Election Annulment
“On June 10, 1993, Nzeribe tried to stop the election, relying on a court order which his group, Association for Better Nigeria (ABN), got from a midnight ruling from late Justice Bassey Ikpeme of Abuja High Court. ABN was known to be pro-Babangida.
“Senate career
“Arthur Nzeribe was elected Senator for the Imo Orlu constituency 1999 and was reelected in 2003. In November 2002, Senate President Anyim Pius Anyim indefinitely suspended Senator Nzeribe due to an allegation of a N22 million fraud. Nzeribe was said to be planning an impeachment motion against Anyim.
“In April 2006, the Orlu People’s Consultative Assembly, sponsored by the governor of Imo state Achike Udenwa, staged what it called “One million March” to drum up support for Nzeribe’s recall from the Senate. In the December 2006 PDP primaries for the 2007 Senatorial candidates, he was defeated by Osita Izunaso.
“Later career
“In August 2007 Nzeribe was appointed a member of the Board of Trustees of the PDP.”
