Chief arthur mbanefo biography of mahatma
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As he enters into his ninth decade, the most fitting tribute the country can pay him is to emulate him. Mbanefo served as Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council at three leading Nigerian universities: the University of Lagos (1984–1986), Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife (1986–1990), and Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria (1990–1993).
The secretary went in to inform him and returned with disappointing news: 'the Ambassador cannot see you because you did not make an appointment previously; he would be happy to meet you on your next visit to New York provided you book a meeting ahead of time.'
The message was clear: order and discipline above sentiments. 'What am I going there to do?' was his reply.
My mind goes back to December 30, 2005, when my family held a seven-year memorial service for my late father, Isaac Moghalu, in our hometown of Nnewi, followed by the launch of the Isaac Moghalu Foundation (IMoF) we established in his memory.
He returned to Nigeria to begin a professional career that would span more than 50 years.
He was a long-serving partner at Akintola Williams & Company, Nigeria’s oldest indigenous accounting firm, joining the practice in 1961 and later becoming its senior partner before retiring in 1986. You will observe his sense of personal fulfillment, but one mixed with deep regret at what Nigeria has become on the watch of contemporary political leaders and office-holders.
From this abode he surveys the world, maintains his relationships, and keeps in touch with his son and grandchildren abroad. They have one son, Arthur Mbanefo Jr, a former investment banker with Barclays International, and grandchildren.
Young Arthur Mbanefo qualified as a chartered accountant in the United Kingdom in the mid-1950s and worked with respected accounting firms in Brighton and London before returning to Nigeria after Independence in 1960 and joining the firm of Akintola Williams and Co as a partner.
Punctuality. In 2020, to mark his 90th birthday, he donated the Arthur Mbanefo Digital Research Centre to the University of Lagos.
Details of his burial arrangements are yet to be announced by the family.
His life is untouched by scandal. His vigorous advocacy of the Biafran cause did not stop him from pushing Nigeria’s interests with similar dedication after the civil war.
A different era.
Our Reporter, Abuja
Arthur Christopher Mbanefo, one of Nigeria’s most distinguished accountants and a prominent figure in the country’s professional, academic and diplomatic circles, has died at the age of 95.
Mbanefo, the Odu of Onitsha, was a renowned chartered accountant, elder statesman and former Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the United Nations.
Requiring due care, diligence and fidelity to the values of integrity, accountancy was a profession that suited Mbanefo's personality. While in the private sector, he pioneered innovations in the nation’s accountancy, tax, and audit systems.
President Tinubu also commiserates with the friends, associates, as well as the government and the people of Anambra State on the passing of the elder statesman.
The President encourages all who are mourning to find solace in the legacy of the late elder statesman, who will live eternally through his good work, etched permanently in our nation’s development tome.
President Tinubu prays for the repose of Chief Mbanefo’s soul and comfort for his family.
Bayo Onanuga
Special Adviser to the President
(Information & Strategy)
December 24, 2025
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Arthur Mbanefo @ 90.
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Page URL: HTML link: Citations:Few people remind me of the proud, old generation of men and women of substance that is fast fading away in Nigeria as Chief (Ambassador) Arthur Mbanefo, widely known at home and abroad as 'the Chief' or 'Odu' (the traditional title he took in his hometown of Onitsha nearly 30 years ago).
He subsequently established his own management consultancy, offering advisory services to governments, corporations and international organisations.
A respected leader within the accounting profession, Mbanefo served as President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) in 1978. He devours several amid a mountain of books and papers in his comfortable flat in Ikoyi.
He also represented the institute on the governing boards of the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) and the International Accounting Standards Committee (IASC).
Beyond accountancy, Mbanefo played influential roles in corporate governance and public service, serving on the boards of major Nigerian companies and financial institutions.