Akanu Ibiam

Akanu Ibiam was a distinguished medical missionary who was appointed Governor of Eastern Region, Nigeria from December 1960 until January 1966 during the Nigerian First Republic. He was educated at Hope Waddell Training Institute, Calabar, and King's College, Lagos, and then graduated with a medical degree from the University of St. Andrews in 1934. He was accepted as a medical missionary of the Church of Scotland, and established Abiriba hospital (1936–1945) and later superintended mission hospitals at Itu and Uburu. He was also an elder of the Presbyterian Church and president of the Christian Council of Nigeria. He was honoured with several awards, including OBE, KBE, and KCMG, for his work as a medical missionary and a statesman. He was also president of the University College of Ibadan and chairman of the committee that established the Protestant Chapel at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka Campus. He was involved in local government and politics, and served as governor of Eastern Region until the military coup of 1966. He was a supporter of the Biafran cause during the Nigerian Civil War, and later advocated for peace and reconciliation. He died on 1 July 1995 at the age of 88.