The Great Duke of Awkunanaw in UK ... Profile of a rising star!

DUKE Chidi Nwafor, Born on 11^th May 1973 at Umuechiani, Nkpoffia, Obeagu- Awkunanaw. He began his primary education with O’Connor street primary school, Asata Enugu. He also attended Maryland boys secondary school, Enugu before traveling abroad to further his studies and establish himself as an astute business man and a leader of men. He obtained a Level 3 diploma in Law from Bexley College, Kent, in United Kingdom. He went further to grab his LLB in Law and International politics from the University of East London. An in satiable academician, He got his masters degree in law and business from the University of Law, Moorgate, London.

Very armed to face the world now, he did work with Muller LLP UK and Ireland respectively as the Logistics manager before founding his own empire. He is the Chairman, Chief Executive Officer of Dukvic Investment Limited UK. Some may not like or appreciate my use of the expression ‘son of the soil’ to describe him but I have failed to find a better choice of words to use in introducing this man. You will begin to grasp the picture when by accident or design you found yourself in trouble in the UK. If this should happen as an Awkunanaw man or woman, as long as you are on the right side of the law. That’s when you will appreciate the good nature and the magnanimity of the ‘Duke of Awkunanaw’ in UK.

It’s not for nothing that he was so named, the ‘Duke’ His love and passion to help and support his people led to his founding the Amechi/Obeagu Welfare Association UK. He also expanded this passion when he founded Enugu Youths in Diaspora UK.

In reminiscence:

When a person chooses Duke as an appellation, it is either that the person is of royal descent or psychologically he belongs to the class of nobles. This nobility which may be latent or apparent will definitely propel and direct the person’s destiny.  This amiable sportsman, United Kingdom-trained legal sprout and self-made entrepreneur aims to radically redesign Nigeria’s political landscape in order to guide the people of Enugu South Municipal Council Area out of the present state of quandary to the heights of socio-economic freedom.

Duke Chidi Nwafor is the second among the seven children of his parents. Coming from a humble background, the young Chidi had more than a fair share of the travails that normally befell every other child in that particular circumstance. This notwithstanding, the Duke managed to successfully complete the processes of basic education before branching off to private business. It was however during those periods that he conceived detailed views on the future and of a mission that he must one day accomplish for his people.

The sportsmanship in him came to light early. During the formative period of his primary and secondary school education, the Duke developed unparallel love for the round leather game. He featured prominently in the soccer teams of both the Primary and Secondary Schools. Having played for the old Anambra State Under-Thirteen and Under-Sixteen Football Teams, he initially craved to make a career in professional football. This ambition did not however materialize as it failed to receive the blessings of his parents who had other plans for the promising young man. Consequently, the young Duke in reverence to the wishes of his parents acquiesced to dabble into the highly precarious field of small scale enterprise after completing his secondary education.

Such was to be the situation that from 1992 when he was dispatched to understudy the business of his uncle to the beginning of the current millennium, the Duke found himself struggling to survive in a sole proprietor kind of business that traversed between Onitsha and Lagos. It was also at that interlude that the traits which were to characterize his later life developed and became nurtured. His involvement in business therefore rather than detract from the dreams which gave him some purpose in life actually reformed and crystallized them.

Thus determined to hit the silver linings in record time and lured by the spirits of adventurism, Duke Chidi Nwafor subsequently left the shores of Nigeria in search of greener pastures. The odyssey eventually took him practically around the world with destination stops in over a twenty countries covering five continents. The voyage originally embarked upon with the hope of resuscitating his reverie for a career in professional football eventually saw him settling down in the United Kingdom where he eyes opened to the potentials in academic conquests.

The long sojourn of Duke Chidi Nwafor outside the country of his birth exposed him to several challenges. Confronted by these seeming debilitation circumstances, he evolved an acute survival instinct and fought relentlessly in whatever legitimate occupation that came his way. He resisted every temptation to capitulate in the face of overbearing predicaments, driving his tasks to completion. Today, Duke Chidi Nwafor can be reasonably counted among those who have successfully escaped the ignoble rungs of societal backwaters to sit proudly among the European middle-class.

Duke is a man who sincerely believes that the true measure of a man’s success lies not in the opulence but in the extent to which he has applied the opportunities and resources at his disposal to the altruistic service of mankind.

To him, the man that climbs the most high is he who helps others to rise. It is perhaps for this reason that he has turned his private home in London into a rendezvous for all Nigerian youths in search of greener pastures in the UK. He is a responsible family man, a caring father and a loving husband who savours such as hobbies playing and watching football games as well as listening to music.