The chairman general of the main Igbo socio-political organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Professor George Obiozor, was confirmed dead on Wednesday night.

Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma broke the news of Obiozor’s death on her Instagram page confirming rumors that the apex group chairman had passed away after a brief illness.

Uzodimma described him as “a renowned academic, an outstanding diplomat, a statesman and a tenacious patriot.”

Below are 11 things to know about the late Ohanaeze president;

1. Obiozor was born on August 15, 1942 in Awo-Omamma, Oru East Local Government Area of ​​Imo State. He was 80 years old when he died.

2. He had his education at the Awo-Omamma Comprehensive Secondary School from 1959 to 1963.

3. For his higher education, he attended the Institute of African Studies, Geneva Switzerland in 1967 for a Diploma Program. She then attended the University of South Tacoma Washington, USA, where she earned a BA in Political Science (Hons) in 1968. She earned an MA in International Law and Organization from Columbia University, New York; M. Phil in International Affairs in 1974 and eventually a PhD in International Affairs in 1976.

4. Professor Obiozor was a professor at the Pratt Institute, New York, from 1971 to 1975. He then became an assistant professor of political science at the City University of New York Medgar Evers College from 1975 to 1979 and a Ralph Bunche Research Fellow at the United Nations City University of New York Graduate Center from 1977 to 1978.

5. He was Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to the State of Israel and High Commissioner to the Republic of Cyprus between 1993 and 2003.

6. Obiozor was also Nigeria’s ambassador to the United States from 2004 to 2008

7. He authored tons of seminal works, including highly regarded magazine articles, some of which are, Uneasy Friendships: Nigerian-American Relations, The Politics of Precarious Balance: An Analysis of Conflicting Issues in Politics Nigerian Home and Foreign and Nigeria and the World: Managing the Politics of Diplomatic Ambivalence in a Changing World.

8. Obiozor received the Ugwumba 1 from Orlu in 1991

9. He was a recipient of the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship and the Alice Stetten Fellowship, School of International Affairs at Columbia University.

10. He was also a Special Adviser, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Special Assistant to the President on International Affairs in 1990

11. Professor Obiozor was Director General of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, the largest foreign policy think tank in Africa.