A distinguished Nigerian medical doctor, surgeon, clinical professor and businessman, he is the eldest son of the prominent businessman Sir Louis Philip Odumegwu Ojukwu.
Born: September 26, 1926, at Akamili, Umudim, Nnewi, Anambra State, he attended King’s College, Lagos, where he became Head Boy, before travelling to Britain for medical education.
His professional qualifications included M.R.C.S. England (1951), L.R.C.P. London (1951) and M.B., B.Chir., University of Cambridge (1952). He worked at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, and later became a Consultant Surgeon at General Hospital, Lagos.
During and after the Nigerian Civil Wãr, he worked in hospitals in the former Eastern Region, including Specialist Hospital, Enugu, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Umuahia, and Emekuku Catholic Hospital. He later returned to Enugu, where he continued his medical career at what became the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH).
He eventually became a Clinical Professor of Surgery, helping to train younger medical professionals. He retired from active service in 1987.
In 1983, President Shehu Shagari’s Federal Government honoured him with Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR).
Unlike his famous younger brother, who became a military officer and the head of Biafra, Joseph’s career was primarily in medicine and surgery. He maintained a relatively low public profile and is known within the family and medical circles as “Pa Ojukwu.”
He turned 100 on September 26, 2026.
ℹ️Ethnic African Stories