Jaja Wachuku - First Ambassador To The United Nations

First Ambassador To The United Nations

Notably, Time magazine described him as "Nigeria's dynamic U.N. Ambassador Jaja Wachuku" - stating that because of his worthy, very lively and enthusiastic diplomatic style with a lot of energy, wisdom and determination; "Nigeria, less than two months after winning its independence, is on its way to becoming one of the major forces in Africa."

From 1960 to 1961, Wachuku served as first Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the United Nations in New York, as well as Federal Minister for Economic Development. He hoisted Nigeria's flag as the 99th member of the United Nations on 7 October 1960. Accordingly, Jaja Wachuku was instrumental to Nigeria becoming the 58th Member State of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on Monday 14 November 1960. Also, as First Ambassador of Nigeria to the United Nations, Wachuku represented the country at the independence celebrations of Tanganyika - now known as United Republic of Tanzania. At the United Nations, Jaja Wachuku was elected First African Chairman of a United Nations Conciliation Commission - the Conciliation Commission to the Congo.

Following a cabinet reshuffle at Nigeria's independence, Wachuku was appointed Minister of Economic Development and Member of the First Nigerian Delegation on the admission of Nigeria to the United Nations. On the eve of his departure from New York, the Prime Minister Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa invited Wachuku to his hotel suite and told him that he was leaving him behind as Leader of the Delegation and Ambassador plus Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the United Nations. Jaja Wachuku protested to Prime Minister Balewa - saying that he did not join the Delegation with the intention of staying in New York, and that he told his wife, Rhoda, that he would be away for only one week. Prime Minister Balewa replied: "Never mind, I will tell her when I arrive Lagos."

At the United Nations, he soon stood out in excellence and visionary, selfless service to his country Nigeria and the rest of humankind. It was during this period that Time and Jet magazine commendably quoted Wachuku as saying - from the rostrum of the United Nations General Assembly: "I am losing confidence in the great powers. They are climbing from the pedestal of greatness to the pedestal of insanity. We expect leadership from them; they give us destruction. We expect wisdom from them; they give us lack of knowledge...." He was lambasting the Eastern and Western Blocs for not ending their differences and quarrels.

Under Wachuku's leadership at the United Nations, both the Nigerian Army and the Nigerian Police Force made their debut in International Peacekeeping - under the auspices of the World Organization. During his time at the United Nations, Nigeria's Major-General Johnson Thomas Umunnakwe Aguiyi Ironsi was appointed Commander of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in the Congo. Also, the first Nigerian Permanent Secretary, Mr. Francis Nwokedi was retained by the United Nations to help in the reorganization of the Civil Service in the Congo. Wachuku also secured the appointment of the first African Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations - Nigeria's Godfrey K. J. Amachree - who became UN Under Secretary-General for Trusteeship and Non-Self-Governing Territories.