Ọnukwube Thankgod Ofoelue: We Mourn the Demise of Vision and Courage – Dr Okoro

By Mazi Dr Azubike Okoro, Ugwu Aro

Imagine a battle cry without a general in sight!

On whose shoulders will the weight be laid in the absence of the great warrior?

While ruminating over the sudden demise of the foremost community journalist, Mazi Thnakgod Onukwube Ofoelue (Jungle, for short), the above thoughts crossed my mind and it dawned on me that Nigeria and Aro Kingdom have suffered a major loss.

Members of the journalism profession have, no doubt, lost one of its most visible, charismatic and committed practitioners.
And the online news media genre has lost a major player known for vigorous and unrelenting pursuit of any cause he believed strongly in.

Aro Kingdom, still mourning the loss of some of its best brains, now must gird itself to quickly come to terms with the heartbreaking news of the exit of one of the frontline purveyors of its culture and civilization.

Jungle, clearly, meant so many things to many people and he was a person people would meet without leaving with a strong impression about his vision.
Ever witty, nature endowed him with rare qualities that enabled him to easily make a robust and remarkable impact in any circle or group he was affiliated.

Accordingly, and quite expectedly, his sudden exit has thrown the immediate family, relations, professional colleagues, friends and the entire community into a moment of sadness.

We are sad but not unmindful of the fact that time and season are for God to determine, and only God knows what constitutes the ‘fullness of time’.

So it happened that on Monday, February 23, 2026, Arochukwu Kingdom lost a symbol of vision and courage in the late Mazi Onukwube Thankgod Ofoelue.
Until death called him at the age of 48 years, he was the Managing Director and Chief Executive of Jungle Journalism Media Enterprises.

A veteran journalist, our paths crossed while serving Arochukwu Kingdom at the Palace Media Team (PMT), where the communication essentials of His Eminence, the Eze Aro are being undertaken.

Thankgod or Jungle, as our colleagues usually call him, was a fundamental pillar and he worked consciously and assiduously to ensure that we exceeded our set targets. I will come back to this in another piece.

Suffice it to note that in our over two years of very close interaction, Thankgod was like my unofficial Personal Assistant; as the person who coordinates the media team functions. However, all through these period, we met ourselves in person only once, on Saturday January 4, 2026 during the Ekpe carnival event – Ogbo Ekpe Arochukwu that held at Amuvi.

Our meeting ought to have occurred earlier though if things had progressed as planned, Thnakgod took ill.

Aside from the Ogbo Ekpe ceremony, which he was billed to cover, his visit was also planned to afford us opportunity to discuss a planned book project.

Chairman of the Board of Aro News, a media institution which I have the honour to be the founder and pioneer Publisher/Editor in-Chief, reacted positively to my suggestion about celebrating its three decades of existence in 2027 with a book project.

As someone who has good media experience and the kind of exposure that meets what we have in mind, I discussed him with the Chair and relayed the decision to him.

He was excited and looked forward to the project starting soon. However, when the project prospect dimmed due to prohibitive cost, Thankgod became sad having mentally prepared himself for it. After noticing this, I assuaged his feelings by promising that I was determined to make it happen in another form, different from the previous arrangement.

His zeal became animated again, so he did a new proposal jointly with another friend of mine, Ogechukwu Ajuzie, who I introduced to him.

I reviewed the draft and fixed the one-on-one meeting in January for a decision. Unfortunately, the sickness that made him to miss the formal coverage of Ogbo Ekpe ceremony also denied us the opportunity to wrap up decision on the book project.

As a result, I encouraged him to take time off work for a thorough medical attention and rest while we revisit the book project thereafter.

Accordingly we didn’t discuss it again until about one week before his demise. We reviewed his health situation first, and he informed me that he was much better and still getting medical attention from a family doctor in Benin (Edo State) where he was based. At that point it dawned on me that he needed more time to get stronger, so I told him that the book project would be an unnecessary pressure and he agreed.

We, therefore, decided that Ogechukwu, with whom he developed the proposal, should make progress with it while he would do a blind-review of the manuscript.

The arrangement sounded perfect, so Ogechukwu started work on some aspects of the assignment, leaving those for my personal attention.

Jungle felt happy that the blind-review and fore-sections presented him opportunity to be a part of the historical book project.
Least did we know that fate had a different plan, which dawned on me with a short message from his immediate senior brother, Zulu Ofoelue.

Now, you can imagine how devastated I am with the news of his passing.

Thankgod was kind, quite dependable, imaginative and ever willing to confront assignments and equally delivered ahead of schedule.

He was indeed the kind of person that Arochukwu Kingdom needs currently to whether the challenges associated with kingship succession and restore stability in Arochukwu homeland.

As preparations for his burial ceremony is gearing up, a release on behalf of the Ofoelue Nwangwu Ivere Ijoma family of Ezi Nde Ukpabi, Ugbo Village, Arochukwu, Abia State, signed by Mazi Obozuluike Ofoelue, Ikemba Aro, formally announced the death of their beloved son, brother, husband, and father, Mazi Thankgod Ofoelue, a veteran journalist and Founder/CEO of Jungle Journalist Media Limited on Monday, February 23, 2026 at the age of 48 years.

According to the family, he was committed to community development and the promotion of Igbo culture through journalism.
He served on the Eze Aro Media Team and contributed to the publicity committees of Nzuko Arochukwu for major events, including Ikeji Aro, Aro Day celebrations, and the Coronation of the Eze Aro.

Through his profession, he also advocated for the development of Nkerefi community in Enugu State, their Diaspora home, and supported the promotion of Igbo culture, unity, and community development through several Igbo organisations.

His burial is fixed for Saturday May 9, 2026 at Ezi Nde Ukpabi, Ugbo Village, Arochukwu. Friends, colleagues, associates, and well-wishers are kindly invited to join the family in celebrating his life and bidding him farewell.

As God made it to happen, during his short visit to Arochukwu in January, and irrespective of his poor health condition, he sought and got private audience with His Eminence, during which Eze Aro lifted him and family to God in prayer.

Also, His Eminence interacted with him and his family through telephone hours before his demise.

So, to the entire Eze Aro media team, his loss is huge and devastating.

Perhaps, I worked very harmoniously with him and we enjoyed our relationship due to our common attributes of intellectual and community orientation with a common belief in the legacy of Arochukwu heritage.

Obviously, his demise, judging from our common aspirations and vision, plus our efforts at serving Arochukwu Kingdom via community journalism, is a personal loss.

I also equally developed deep professional relationship with his senior brother, Zulu, given our common interest in business education and literary callings, aside from ubiquitous community services, especially within the fold of Nzuko Arochukwu Worldwide and other endeavours we are working hard on hoping for their fruition.

So, I can imagine how poorer his demise has left the immediate family, relations, professional colleagues, friends, Umu Aro in general and his allies from across the world. I can testify that Jungle was a good man with a good heart, probably not well-known and understood by many. He was jovial, calm and calculated. He was forthright and forward looking, bold vision-minded but soft spoken.

Born on March 27, 1977, in Dodo, Oji River, Enugu State, Thankgod showed exceptional brilliance from an early age and developed a strong foundation in literature and learning. He studied English Language and Literary Studies at the University of Benin and also obtained a Diploma in Journalism from the International Institute of Journalism, Abuja.

He was the Founder, CEO, and Punisher of Jungle Journalist Media Limited, a platform he built into a formidable grassroots-oriented media organisation focused on cultural promotion, development reporting, and people-centered journalism. He was also co-founder of IgboDum, a pro-Igbo social media platform established in 2012.

He began his journalism career in 2009 at The Sun Newspaper, Lagos, where he distinguished himself early, emerging Best Reporter of the Month throughout his training period and earning recognition for his depth, courage, and commitment to meaningful reporting. He went on to build a rich professional profile across several platforms, including Mirror Media Ltd, Newswatch Times Newspaper, Authority Newspaper (Asaba Correspondent), and Quickness Africa Service (News Editor).

In 2017, he served as Director of Information and Mass Mobilization for the Movement of Biafrans in Nigeria (MOBIN), where he established and operated its media structure. He also functioned as the founding Director and Editor-in-Chief of MOBIN Media. He later worked with Vineshield Ltd, Enugu, where his passion for the promotion of Igbo culture and tradition came fully into play, particularly in the organisation of the Lolo Igbo Beauty Pageant.

Thankgod believed strongly that journalism must serve society. He devoted his work to the people reporting from the grassroots, engaging communities directly, and using the media to draw attention to issues affecting development. This approach earned him the name Jungle Journalist, reflecting his fearless and people-oriented style.

A proud son of Arọ, he was deeply committed to Arọ affairs and Igbo cultural life. From as early as 2010, he reported consistently on Arọ events, including Ikeji Arọ and Arọ Day celebrations. With the emergence of His Eminence, Eze Arọ Dr Eberechukwu Ọjị, he became one of the pioneer professional journalists in the Eze Arọ media team. Through his work, he also mentored young journalists and contributed to development-focused reporting across Arọchukwu, Nkerefi, Aba, Ohafia, and beyond.

Beyond journalism, his involvement in public affairs and politics was driven by a desire to explore pathways for social development and improve the lives of the common people. He was also a man of strong personal conviction, with a life rooted in the purest spirituality, truth, and Igbo culture. He maintained deep respect for all clean forms of religious worship while standing firmly against practices he considered impure.

At home, Thankgod was a deeply devoted family man. He was married to Mrs Anne Ofoelue, and they were blessed with both male and female children. He often spoke proudly of loving and caring for his family in the same way their father had done.

Indeed, he believed in God’s given ability to live a quintessential simple life. As we mourn his painful loss, we shall take solace in the fact that he creditably acquitted himself and left indelible footprints on the sands of time.

May God grant his gentle soul a space in Paradise.
Adieu!