Owerri Club Marks 50th Anniversary, Names Leo-Stan Ekeh Grand Patron
Amby Uneze in Owerri
Owerri Club has begun a six-week series of events to mark its 50th anniversary, with technology entrepreneur Dr. Leo-Stan Ekeh to be conferred as Grand Patron. He will also deliver the keynote address at the grand finale on November 29, 2026.
The celebrations opened with a press conference on Tuesday, October 20, at the club house in Owerri.
Club Chairman, Ezinwa Onyebuchi Obinwa, said the programme will honour the club’s founders and other distinguished individuals.
Announcing the theme of the celebration as ‘50 Years of Legacy: Honouring the Past, Building the Future’, the chairman said that the club will honour those who contributed to its establishment and its growth.
“This theme encapsulates our entire journey. Over the next six weeks, we will pay tribute to those who built this club and unveil our vision for the next 50 years,” he stated.
Obinwa paid tribute to the 14 civil servants who founded the club in 1976, shortly after the creation of Imo State, praising their visionary leadership.
He said the club has grown from modest beginnings into a premier institution for recreation, networking, brotherhood and community service, and described the past five decades as a period of sacrifice, commitment, resilience, commendable community development and unwavering service.
Obinwa described Ekeh, chairman of Zinox Computers, as the pride of Imo, whose entrepreneurial spirit projected the state to the world. He called him a personification of the spirit of Owerri Club and praised his dedication to the welfare of his community.
Ekeh’s keynote is titled ‘The Igbo Man in the Second Quarter of the 21st Century: Where We Are Headed’.
Other planned activities include: a church thanksgiving service, novelty games. Visits to all living founding members and the families of deceased founders, an evening twilight event, and a patrons’ awards luncheon.
Obinwa said the late Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, Chief Achike Udenwa, Dr. Ikedi Ohakim, Senator Samuel Nnaemeka Anyanwu and Senator Ezenwa Onyewuchi will also be honoured.
