Akwakuma-Uratta Community Celebrates Eze Egwunwoke

… As he mounts the stool of his forefathers

As the gong of drums and beats sound very loudly ahead of the coronation celebration of His Royal Majesty, Eze Onu Egwunwoke, the Akwakuma Community and her people are in a celebration mood as their revered traditional ruler—Egwunwoke the second, Eze Udo lll of Akwakuma Ancient Kingdom, members of the Eze- in- council, Ndioha Akwakuma, and the entire Akwakuma Uratta joyfully invite family, friends, Imo royal fathers, political leaders, industrialists, numerous well-wishers, including illustrious sons and daughters of the community to a grand reception of the King’s coronation ceremony on Saturday, December 20th, 2025, followed by a thanksgiving mass at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church , Akwakuma, Uratta — Owerri North LGA, Imo State — on Sunday, December 21th, 2025.

A highly anticipated watershed event which shall feature a display of cultural dance troupe, parade, music, masquerade, and exchange of cultural diplomacy as the well-groomed and educated Egwunwoke presides over a royal stool defined by ancestral legacy and the promise of a reign poised to reassert Akwakuma – Uratta’s pride of place in the culture of Imo state and across the Southeastern Nigeria.

Born on 25th January, 1973, at St. Joseph Hospital, Owerri, Eze David Onu Egwunwoke came from a royal lineage already etched into the annals of traditional leadership. He is the son of the late Eze (Dr.) Sylvester Egwunwoke (MON), (CFR); a former Chairman of the Imo State Council of Traditional Rulers between 1991- 1999; a former Chancellor of the University of Jos between 1988- 1993; a member of the 1994 National Constitutional Conference; a former Chairman of the Elders Forum of Ohanaze Ndi- Igbo; a fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Management. A critical stakeholder at the Nigerian Port Authority (NPA), and major investor at the Nigerian Tobbacco Company. A highly revered traditional ruler who conferred chieftaincy title on the late Igbo leader, Dim Odiemegwu Chukwuemeka Ojukwu at his palace in Akwakuma, and also played host to a number of former Nigerian Heads of State and Imo Military Administrators and civilian governors; including the late Navy Captain Alison Madueke, late Chief Evan Enwerem, late Col. Tanko Zubiru, as his magnificent royal palace built in 1985 was officially commissioned by the then Military Governor of Imo State, Brigadier – General Ike Nwachukwu. A successful industrialist, traditional colossus and iconoclastic leader who was conferred with a prestigious national honour of Member of the Order of the Niger (MON) by President Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (GCFR), and Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR) by the late Military Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha (GCFR).

Graciously, wife of the late legendary Eze and beloved mother of Egwunwoke — Ugoeze Nne Eze Grace Chizomam Onu Egwunwoke in her 82 years, is still hearty and bouncing, living her best life in the United States of America. An amazon of a woman and matriarch of the Onu Egwunwoke Dynasty, hailed from Amawom Owerri Nchi Ise—Municipality.

The above shows a royal heritage whose moral gravitas had earlier found true expression in selfless community services, ancestral legacy, and time-tested leadership. And this also explained reasons the birth of the young King David Nnawuihe Onu Egwunwoke was received with uncommon joy, pomp and pageantry, signifying ancestry, cultural reform, leadership alignment, and the careful grooming of a prospect who would later ascend the ancestral stool of his forefathers as a custodian of the tradition and culture of Akwakuma – Uratta ancient kingdom.

The intellectual disposition and leadership composition of Eze Onu Egwunwoke reflects discipline, probity, and forthrightness, one who had already carved a pathway for his life’s journey while learning the leadership ropes from his late father.

Armed with a Bs.c in Political Science from the University of Jos in 1996 and upon completion of his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), the future monarch undertook a formative apprenticeship in private enterprises under his father’s business tutelage; with interest spanning: automobiles, agro- based products, oil and gas, and community services— gaining early exposure to commerce, negotiation, and people – centered leadership across Nigeria and beyond.
A brief professional sojourn overseas not just for a greener pasture but to further broaden his worldview, sharpening his grasp of enterprise in a globalized economy.

Upon arrival, he made a deliberate choice to anchor his business pursuits back home, building a flourishing venture in Agro and Allied products, a sector very vital to food security and community development. His corporate business exploits and impact culminated to his appointment as Land Manager, Zuma Energy, a subsidiary of the ETA Zuma Group of Companies, a multinational conglomerate. This synthesis of corporate sophistication and cultural rootedness have come to define his leadership style, modern in outlook, principled in execution, and respectful of tradition where a traditional ruler also serves as a channel of blessings to his subjects, Njoku Macdonald Obinna, media consultant.

As destiny beckoned, on August 2nd, 2022, the will of Akwakuma Uratta people found unmistakable expression when he was crowned Eze Udo III of Akwakuma Autonomous Community after the demise of HRH Eze Engr. Charles Osuji (Eze Udo ll of Akwakuma Autonomous Community) on January, 2019.

Endowed with administrative acumen, sagacity, and a quiet but firm vision for communal welfare, his ascension was widely interpreted as a beautiful continuation of the leadership legacy of cultural reforms and community development as exemplified by his late father.

Egwunwoke is a traditional ruler of repute; a man of peace and order. A leader from whose heart flows with the milk of human kindness. A chip from the old block. The collective sentiments in the public space and Akwakuma community is that; his ezeship stool is one predestined before his birth, ordained by God, shaped by history, and affirmed by the people— a true testament to a man who was besieged by his people to lead them, and not one who imposed himself to lead.

Beyond the throne, the royal family is a good example of love, unity, stability, and grace. Egwunwoke is happily married to his peace of mind —Ugoeze Ogechi Lillian Onu Egwunwoke (née Ezeani) of Urualla, Ideato North Local Government Area of Imo State— a consort whose poise, compassion, and maternal warmth have endeared her to many. Their union is blessed with four children, a living testament to continuity and the future of the royal lineage.

As preparations advance for the forthcoming coronation celebration, expectations are high that the event will transcend pageantry to become a cultural convocation, reuniting sons and daughters of Uratta, reaffirming ancestral bonds, and projecting a vision of traditional leadership attuned to contemporary realities.

In an era when traditional institutions are increasingly called upon to serve as bridges between heritage and modern governance, the reign of Eze Udo III offers a platform for unity, progress, and dignified cultural diplomacy.