Nwafor Orizu - Background

Background

Orizu was born in 1915 into the royal house of Nnewi, Anambra State in southeast Nigeria, a son of Eze Ugbonyamba, Igwe Orizu I. He went to the United States in 1939, earning a degree in government at Ohio State University and earning an M.A. at Columbia University. He was an advocate of the "horizontal", broad system of American education as opposed to the narrow "perpendicular" British system, and earned the nickname "Orizontal", a play on his name and a reference to his constant discussion of the theme. As discussed in his 1944 book Without Bitterness, he was a passionate advocate of introducing the American system to Nigeria. He established The American Council on African Education (ACAE), which obtained numerous tuition scholarships from American sources for the benefit of African students.

Around 1949, Orizu bought the Enitona High School and Enitona printing press from a supporter for only £500, which he borrowed. Another supporter sold him a luxury bus on an installment plan. He established a newspaper known as The West Africa Examiner and became the managing Director, while M.C.K. Ajuluchukwu was the editor. He went to Enugu to console the striking miners after the shooting of 21 miners on November 18, 1949. Possibly in reaction to a fiery speech that he made there, the British colonial authorities sentenced him to seven years in jail for allegedly misappropriating the funds of the ACAE. But later Roy Wilkins, chairman of ACAE in the USA, wrote a letter to Nnamdi Azikiwe ("Zik") exonerating Dr Nwafor Orizu of any financial impropriety.