Littleover man to be crowned a Nigerian king

NEARLY 40 years after Christopher Ejiofor fled the Nigerian Civil War, the Derby engineer is due to make an extraordinary return to his homeland today.

The 63-year-old is preparing to become a king.

The turnaround in fortunes seems all the more remarkable given he left the West African country in 1970 with his plane under fire from enemy forces.

Mr Ejiofor had been a military adviser for General Odumegwu Odjukwu – a man who finished on the losing side of the country's civil war from 1967 to 1970.

He was imprisoned and had to escape with his wife Christine, now 62, first to Gabon and then to Britain.

But on December 27, all will be forgotten in the most dramatic of styles as he is made king of Ezeagu Province in front of thousands of well-wishers.

Mr Ejiofor, of Louvain Road, Littleover, said: "It's amazing. I couldn't believe it when I found out. Destiny is something we can never understand.

"The king of any area is very much recognised and respected all over the country."

After fleeing his home country and seeking sanctuary in Britain, Mr Ejiofor completed an engineering degree at Bristol University before taking his first job at East Midlands Airport and moving to Derby.

He was granted dual citizenship, which gave him the right to live and work in the UK.

He now runs Derby aircraft maintenance company Ejway Avionics and was chairman of the city's African Association between 1991 and 1998.

His kingship was even more of a surprise as he was preparing for a quiet retirement back in Nigeria.

He said his powers as regent would include being able to pardon criminals and bestow knighthoods to worthy citizens.

And any request he makes to the state governor of Enugu state is likely to be successful.

The governor of Enugu state, of which Igwe is a part, will have to call him "your majesty".

There are also ancient rites he won't be taking advantage of.

He said: "I could have as many wives as I want but obviously I won't be because I'm a Christian.

"A letter from me to the governor would knock out most other letters in terms of importance. But I can't get involved in elections or anything like that."

Unlike the British monarchy, the kings of Ezeagu are elected instead of inheriting the role – although Mr Ejiofor does have distant ancestors from the area.

He said he had been asked to run for the kingship because of his charity work in Igwe.

"I couldn't go back to Nigeria for five years after I left in 1970 but after that I started going back. In recent years I've been back several times. I was involved in fund-raising with the Parish of St Joseph's in Derby for a bore-hole to be dug to provide people with clean water.

"We raised about £23,000 towards the project but it was never completed because an overhead tank for the water was never purchased.

"Now I have become king, the state has given us a budget to complete the project."

Mr Ejiofor travelled to Nigeria in June last year to undergo screening to see if he was a suitable candidate to become king.

But he admits he was at first a reluctant candidate for regent because he was a Catholic and many rituals of the state were pagan.

He said: "In 2008 I was asked to put my name forward to become king, but I told them I was far away and I didn't think it was appropriate.

"The people thought if I could raise money for the community once, I could do it again. They said they would accept my Christian values – that I wasn't going to be a supporter of pagan rituals – and I agreed to take part in the election."

Mr Ejiofor will rule about 100,000 subjects with the assistance of his cabinet.

He said his three sons, Chidi, 36, Emeka, 33, Osi, 29, and daughter Ogo, 26, would have to prepare for major changes in their lives.

He said: "They are thinking gosh what am I going to do now – they are princes and princesses now.

"But it will open up a lot of opportunities for them."

His children will attend his coronation when he will stand with his eight foot wooden sceptre and sit in a huge oak throne with cherub wings.

His crown, given to him by the Bishop of Enugu, will bear the Christian cross.

Mr Ejiofor said: "It will be an amazing and proud moment for me."