Joseph Okwuabudike Ojukwu Celebrates 100 Years in Medicine

Professor Joseph Okwuabudike Ojukwu, the elder brother of the late Biafran leader Chief Emeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, celebrated his 100th birthday on September 26, 2026. Born on September 26, 1926, in Akamili, Umudim, Nnewi, Anambra State, he is the eldest son of Sir Louis Philip Odumegwu Ojukwu and Ogbenyeanu Janet Malize.

Unlike his brother Emeka, Joseph built a distinguished career in medicine, becoming a renowned surgeon and clinical professor. He attended King’s College, Lagos, where he served as Head Boy, and later pursued medical training in Britain, obtaining qualifications including M.R.C.S.

England and L.R.C.P. London in 1951, and M.B., B.Chir. from the University of Cambridge in 1952.

Upon returning to Nigeria, he worked at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, and later as a Consultant Surgeon at the General Hospital in Lagos. During the Nigerian Civil War, he worked in various hospitals in the Eastern Region, ultimately continuing his career at the Specialist Hospital in Enugu, which became the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital.