Walter Mbonu
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| Walter Mbonu | |
| Born | 1924 Nigeria |
|---|---|
| Died | September 19, 2007 Nigeria |
| Nationality | Nigerian  |
| Occupation | Government Administrator |
| Spouse | Adeline Mbonu |
| Children | 7 |
Walter Chukwura Mbonu, (Nigeria 1924 - September 19, 2007) a distinguished Nigerian, from Umuoji Anambra State, and the father of Okey Mbonu, the first Nigerian to be appointed a Commissioner in Maryland United States, passed on in his sleep in the early hours of September 19, 2007.[citation needed]
Walter Mbonu, born in 1924 was a distinguished Scholar, Author, Historian, Government Administrator, and a Knight of St. Christopher of the Anglican Communion. Walter Mbonu’s life started humbly when he left home at about 12 years of age, to live with an Uncle, Sam Agina, who was serving as a colonial police officer in a nearby city.
The young Walter displayed such an acute intellectual ability, that Sam Agina was compelled to commit some of his meager resources as a young police officer, to train Walter through Primary School. Walter Mbonu blazed through primary school and showed so much intellectual promise that the colonial administrators hired him immediately as a teacher after primary school. The colonial administration in continued appreciation of his brilliance, sent him to additional training and in a few years made him a Headmaster in his early 20’s.
As a young teacher, Walter Mbonu was unsatisfied, knowing that his intellectual abilities had set him apart from his peers. However with no wealthy relatives to pay his tuition, Walter embarked on self-help. Without any formal Secondary Education, he started to study for higher education.
Walter Mbonu did not just study for the O-Level GCE as administered in those days by Cambridge University in the United Kingdom, rather he skipped the O-Level to study for the A-levels, which when successful, guarantees Direct Entry to a University of choice.
In the 1950’s, there were only two Universities in all of West Africa, the Fourah Bay University in Sierra Leone, and the prestigious University of Ibadan, in Nigeria. No doubt the competition among West Africa’s then approximately 70 million people, who were dispersed across 11 countries was fierce, but Walter Mbonu aimed high; he blazed through the A-Levels and was immediately admitted to the prestigious University of Ibadan Nigeria.
At the University of Ibadan, the financial crunch set in, higher education was of course a luxury for the children of the privileged. And so, though Walter Mbonu was on a partial academic scholarship, there was no money for anything else, and he was in danger of leaving the University.
Then fate set in, a British Professor at Ibadan, Professor Ferguson, decided that they would not let this bright mind waste, so he provided funds for Mbonu to stay on and complete his studies. Walter Mbonu graduated with honors (among the best in his graduating class).
After graduation Walter was offered several positions including an entry-level executive position at the then budding West African Examinations Council (WAEC), amid other fellowships at Ibadan. However, Walter decided on a faculty position to groom the finest young minds in Eastern Nigeria’s most elite college, the Government College Umuahia.
Shortly after, the Biafran Nigerian war started. During the war, Walter Mbonu volunteered and was given full responsibility by the World Council of Churches (WCC), to administer the distribution of relief materials, including food and medicine, to starving families in the Idemmili area of Biafra.
As the war ended, the Nigerian government sought out her brilliant sons from the East to re-integrate into the mainstream Nigerian administration. Walter Mbonu was hired as a top public servant (Divisional Education Officer-DEO), to help rehabilitate Eastern Nigeria’s highly acclaimed, but war devastated educational sector, which used to be the pride of Eastern Nigeria.
In the early 1970’s, Nigeria was again looking to broaden its foreign relations efforts, and needed to retrain some of her intellectuals. In due time, the government tapped on Walter Mbonu among others, this time for graduate training on full scholarship at Ohio University Athens, Ohio, United States. He enrolled for advanced degrees and research work in International Affairs and World History.
At Ohio University, Walter Mbonu excelled, graduating Summa Cum Laude (with highest academic distinction). He was immediately offered a faculty position to teach International Affairs at Ohio University. Walter Mbonu’s Ohio University associates, including Ohio University distinguished Professor of History Professor Alan Booth, still recall his brilliance.
Walter Mbonu, being a man of dignity, turned down the faculty position at Ohio University, United States, and instead returned to Nigeria. He continued with his educational career as an Educational Officer and Lecturer, and wrote the History handbook of the Joint Admissions Matriculation Board among other work. He retired in 1990 and spent his final years writing and volunteering for community organizations in Umuoji Anambra State.
