1. Late Rear Admiral (retired) Ndubuisi Godwin Kanu was born in Isuikwuato LGA of  Abia State in 1943.

 

2. He Joined the Nigerian Navy where he went to India for cadet training.

 

3. His naval career included positions in Personnel, Logistics and Training.

 

4. He grew to the rank of lieutenant commander, in July 1975 he was appointed a member of Murtala Muhammed’s ruling Cabinet, the Supreme Military Council.

 

5. Late Rear Admiral (retired) Ndubuisi Godwin Kanu was appointed military governor of Imo State, Nigeria in March 1976 during the military regime of General Olusegun Obasanjo.

 

6. He was the first governor after the decree that established the state from part of the old East Central State, during this period he brought in town planners to prepare a plan for Owerri.

 

7. Kanu built roads in Owerri metropolis, expanded the number of Local Government Areas to 21 and founded the Imo Broadcasting Service, which went on air in December 1976.

 

8. He was later transferred to become governor of Lagos State in 1977,he further grew to the rank of Rear Admiral and Naval chief before leaving office in July 1978.

 

9. He obtained honorary Doctorate Degrees from the Imo State University and the Federal University of Technology, Owerri.

 

10. Upon retirement he joined the pro-democracy movement and played a leading role in the agitation for the actualization of the annulled June 12, 1993 presidential election.

 

11. He founded and was Chairman of RANGK LTD, a maritime consultancy, more also he was Chairman of the Ohaneze Transition Caretaker Committee (OTC), and was Director of Fidelity Bank PLC. Kanu became a top National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) chieftain and became Chairman of the coalition in 2013.

 

12. Kanu’s love for true federalism was shown when he granted an interview in November 2008 where he attacked what he called Unitarism, the excessive concentration of powers at the centre, and called for fundamental dialog between the different ethnic nationalities of Nigeria.

13. He did further shed light on the problems in Niger Delta, he attributed the conflict in the Niger Delta to the lack of regional power.

 

14. He is survived by ten (10) children -Simone, Audrey, Kelly, Karen, Paula, Jeffery, Vanessa, Samantha, Laura and Stephen from three marriages with Gladys Ndubuisi-Kanu being his most recent wife.

 

15. Rear Admiral (retired) Ndubuisi Godwin Kanu died on January 13, 2021. Reports have it that he died of COVID-19.