His Royal Majesty, Joseph Chike Edozien, CFR, JP, the 13th Asagba of Asaba in Delta State and the Traditional King of Asaba, has passed away.
Reports claim that Edozien’s death was officially declared on Wednesday.
Born in Asaba on July 28, 1925, into the family of Nathaniel Okafor Edozien, a prominent indigenous official of the Nigerian Coal Corporation in Enugu and a direct descendant of Nnebisi, the founder of Asaba. His mother, Nwakuso Edozien, née Odogwu, was a well-known trader and the daughter of a well-known Asaba chief.
In 1997, His Royal Majesty was chosen to serve as the Delta State Council of Traditional Rulers’ chairman. In 2003, he was granted the national honor of Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR) by Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, the then-president of Nigeria.
In addition, he served as the Federal University of Agriculture’s chancellor in Abeokuta.
Residents of the state capital described the monarch’s passing as a major loss to the kingdom as word of his passing began to spread on Thursday.
One of the monarch’s closest advisors, a palace source, confirmed his passing to our correspondent.
However, the person with knowledge of the palace’s operations stated that no official announcement of the development would be made until seven days had passed.
Being a prominent figure in the medical sector, Prof. Edozien’s excellent leadership was the ideal fusion of western modernism and tradition.