Francis Arthur Nzeribe remains one of the most complex and controversial figures in modern African history. A man of immense wealth, influence, and political agility, Nzeribe traversed the murky corridors of international arms trade, African power politics, and national intrigue with remarkable survival instincts.
During the Nigerian Civil War (1967–1970), Nzeribe reportedly supplied arms to both the Nigerian government and the secessionist Biafran forces—profiting from a conflict that devastated his homeland. His arms dealings were not confined to Nigeria alone; by several accounts, Nzeribe had commercial footprints in nearly every major conflict zone across Africa during the post-independence era.
In the 1960s, he served briefly as a speechwriter to Ghanaian President Kwame Nkrumah. Following the 1966 military coup that deposed Nkrumah, Nzeribe skillfully aligned himself with the new regime—a move emblematic of his political adaptability. However, his proximity to power in Ghana came at a cost. In April 1969, he was implicated in a bribery scandal involving then Head-of-State Joseph Arthur Ankrah, which contributed to Ankrah’s resignation.
After another political fallout in Ghana under J.J. Rawlings, Nzeribe was deported in 1979. He relocated to the United Kingdom, where he continued his private business ventures, including arms trade and international lobbying.
Back in Nigeria, Nzeribe established FANZ Organisation in 1970, shortly after the civil war. The firm became a major holding for his investments in oil, construction, and communications.
Perhaps one of his most controversial political actions came in 1993. Through his organization, the Association for Better Nigeria (ABN), Nzeribe filed a controversial court injunction to halt the announcement of the June 12 presidential election results. Widely believed to be Nigeria’s fairest and freest election, the annulment that followed plunged the nation into political crisis, with Nzeribe cast as a central antagonist.
In Nigeria’s Fourth Republic, as Senator for Imo West, Nzeribe continued to stir national debate. In May 2000, he urged the National Assembly to impeach President Olusegun Obasanjo over the unresolved Sharia law crisis, citing the danger posed to national unity. The religious violence that erupted in Kaduna during that period left hundreds dead—many of them Eastern Nigerians—at the hands of Islamist extremists.
Arthur Nzeribe, equal parts tycoon, tactician, and survivor, passed away in 2022. His legacy remains contentious: hailed by some as a master strategist, condemned by others as a self-serving opportunist—but never ignored.
By: Kingpin Eshiet
