Senator Athan Achonu Biography: Age, Hand, Wife, Photos

Senator Athan Nneji Achonu was a one-time Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and represented Imo North at the Federal House. He was born on May 31, 1959, to the family of Chief (Sir) T.E.O Achonu, MFR; and Nneoma (Lady) Martha Achonu of blessed memory and hails from the Okigwe extraction of Imo State, Nigeria. He is the 6th child out of 8 Children.

His late father, Chief T.E.O Achonu was a family man, community leader, educationist of repute, politician and a nationalist who played key roles in the political and socio-economic development of Old Mbano Division where he served as Chairman. He was responsible for some of the policies and projects that helped shape education and political developments in the old Mbano & old Okigwe areas.

Age

Athanasius Achonu is 64 years old.

Early Life & Education

Achonu was born to T.E.O Achonu, MFR, and Nneoma Martha, on May 31, 1959, in Okigwe, Imo State. He got his primary education at Madonna High School, Etiti, in Imo State. He proceeded to the Government College Umuahia, Abia State.

After his secondary education, Achonu proceeded to John Cabot University in Rome, Italy, where he got a bachelor’s degree in Agronomy. Achonu delved into business very early. In a 2016 interview, he claimed that he got his first million dollars when he was 19 years old.

“I sold counterfeit detecting machines to African Continental Bank. I made about eight hundred and something naira, I changed it to dollars, so that I would become a millionaire,” he said.

Achonu owns several businesses in Imo State including Neejach Engineering and Okebaram Limited.

Career

Achonu is popularly known as the one-armed General. He is a renowned agronomist. The spectacular thing about this courageous man is the fact that he has only one arm! Many would have perceived this as a disability but he has not allowed that to deter him in his ambition.

He is an astute businessman who has over the years recorded giant achievements in the business world. Amongst his successful companies which he built from scratch and took to an enviable peak are Nejach Engineering Limited, Okebaram Resources Limited, Mathan Nigeria Limited, Orient Refining Company Nigeria Limited and Chia Enterprises Limited.

In 2015, Chief Athan Nneji Achonu contested for the Imo South Senatorial seat and was declared the winner on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party.

However,  in December 2015, the Appeal Court sitting in Owerri, Imo State capital upturned his election at the instance of the candidate of the Accord Party that Athan’s party’s logo was not included in the ballot papers used for the 2015 National Assembly election.  The candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Benjamin Uwajumogu was then declared the winner of the polls.

Senator Athan Nneji Achonu is the Governorship Candidate of the Labour Party in Imo State in the 2023 Governorship election.

Hand

Senator Athan Nneji Achonu is a one-handed man and this is not a barrier for him to contest for an elective post.

How Achonu Lost His Arm

In an interview with Joke Lijadu in 2016, Achonu narrated a seldom-discussed personal story about how he lost his arm towards the end of the civil war.

Achonu recalled, in his story, that his journey into the army began when he was about 10 years old. He fought on the Biafran side against Nigerian troops in the 1967-1970 civil war. Achonu said that he lost his arm while trying to rescue a colleague who accidentally triggered a grenade after a bridge battle.

“It was a grenade explosion, three days to the end of the civil war. We had just blown up the IMO bridge to stop Nigerian soldiers from advancing,” Achonu said in the interview.

“We had come back to camp. Somehow, to date I still don’t understand, My friend Michael made a mistake with the pin. I had to get it away from me and it exploded in my hand.”

The Imo state gubernatorial election is scheduled to be held on November 11, 2023. Should he win the election, he would be the first Nigerian amputee governor.