Jaja Wachuku
Jaja Anucha Ndubuisi Wachuku // ⓘ (1 January 1918 – 7 November 1996) was a Pan-Africanist and a Nigerian statesman, lawyer, politician, diplomat and humanitarian. He was the first Speaker of the Nigerian House of Representatives; as well as the first Nigerian Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations. Also, Wachuku was the first Nigerian Minister for Foreign Affairs. Notably, Wachuku was a Royal Prince of Ngwaland, "descendant of 20 generations of African chiefs in the Igbo country of Eastern Nigeria".
The Honourable Jaja Wachuku Ugo Ngwa, LL.D, CFR | |
|---|---|
| Minister for Foreign Affairs and Commonwealth Relations | |
| In office 1961–1965 | |
| Prime Minister | Abubakar Tafawa Balewa |
| Preceded by | position established |
| Succeeded by | Nuhu Bamalli |
| Ambassador of Nigeria to the United Nations | |
| In office 1960–1961 | |
| Governor‑General | Nnamdi Azikiwe |
| Prime Minister | Abubakar Tafawa Balewa |
| Preceded by | position established |
| Succeeded by | Muhammed Ngileruma |
| Speaker of the House of Representatives of Nigeria | |
| In office 1959–1960 | |
| Prime Minister | Abubakar Tafawa Balewa |
| Preceded by | Sir Frederic Metcalfe |
| Succeeded by | Ibrahim Jalo Waziri |
| Senator Representing Aba Zone Nigeria | |
| In office 1 October 1979 – 1 October 1983 | |
| Preceded by | position established |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1 January 1918 Nbawsi, Southern Region, British Nigeria (now in Abia State, Nigeria) |
| Died | 7 November 1996 (aged 78) Enugu, Nigeria |
| Political party | National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons; Nigerian People's Party |
| Spouse | Rhoda Idu Oona Onumonu |
| Alma mater | Trinity College Dublin, Ireland |
| Profession | Lawyer |
Wachuku, who was "widely respected" as Foreign Affairs Minister of Nigeria intervened with the South African government and helped save Nelson Mandela and others from the death penalty at the 1963–64 Rivonia Trial. In his 1962 diary, from Lagos: Nigeria, Nelson Mandela wrote: "Friday 18 May 1962: 1pm: We meet Mr Jaja Wachuku and his staff and have a profitable discussion. Saturday 19 May 1962: We have lunch with Jaja Wachuku."
On Thursday 30 September 2010, President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria conferred on Wachuku a posthumous special Golden Jubilee Independence Anniversary Award for his outstanding contributions towards the development of Nigeria. Also, for the 1 January 2014 100-year anniversary of Nigeria, having been nominated for exceptional recognition by the Presidential Committee on the Centenary Celebrations, Wachuku was, on Friday 28 February 2014, honoured as a Hero of the Struggle for Nigeria's Independence from Great Britain and a Pioneer Political Leader by President Goodluck Jonathan.
On Friday 6 March 2020, Ireland's Trinity College Dublin honoured Wachuku with a prominent portrait placed within the university's Historical Society; where Wachuku graduated in 1944 with first class honours degree in Legal Sciences; and was a member of College Historical Society.