By Uche Nworah Ph.D
Chief Olisa Metuh, the Akajiugo Nnewi, marks his 60th birthday today, Friday, 28 November 2025 — a significant milestone for a man whose life reflects service, faith, enterprise and remarkable resilience. His journey has been defined not only by professional accomplishment but also by the grace with which he has endured life’s many challenges, including political persecution and a life-altering spinal injury.
Born in Otolo, Nnewi North of Anambra State, Metuh comes from a family firmly rooted in professional excellence and community stewardship. His late father, Chief J. N. Metuh, was a respected legal practitioner and community leader, while his mother served devotedly as a headmistress and homemaker, shaping the values that continue to define their family.
A proud alumnus of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Chief Metuh earned a Bachelor of Laws degree before being called to the Nigerian Bar in 1988. His early legal career began at his father’s firm, Olisianunba Chambers. He later co-founded Metuh, Okafor & Associates in 1990 and, in 1996, established his own practice, Olisa Metuh & Co. He combined legal advocacy with entrepreneurial interests, spanning real estate and investment.
His political career saw him rise steadily within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), serving as ex-officio member of the National Executive Committee (NEC), National Auditor, National Vice Chairman and eventually as the National Publicity Secretary. Through these roles, he emerged as a prominent voice in national affairs.
Yet beyond politics and business, Chief Metuh is best known as a family man, mentor and philanthropist. He remains especially grateful to God for the testimonies in his life, including surviving a spinal injury he has often described as a turning point — strengthening his faith and deepening his compassion for others.
As he turns 60, there is much to celebrate: his service to Ndigbo, Nigeria and humanity, his entrepreneurial endeavours, and his lifelong commitment to uplifting others. Reflecting this spirit, friends, associates and family have organized a series of charity-focused activities in his honour — transforming his birthday into an opportunity for impact. These include donation to the Legend Golden Care Foundation, aimed at paying fines for selected bailable offenders and supporting widows in need, as well as visits and donations to priests, hospital patients, prison inmates and the physically challenged.
These acts mirror a pattern in Metuh’s life — a refusal to celebrate himself without first touching lives, a commitment to turn personal milestones into opportunities to glorify God and uplift the underserved.
His journey affirms several enduring truths: That adversity, when faced with faith, can produce deeper empathy and purpose. That leadership grounded in service outlasts leadership driven by ambition. That a milestone such as a 60th birthday becomes truly meaningful when it inspires giving rather than receiving.
Friends, associates and family members have planned these programme of activities these past days and coming days in honour of Chief Metuh’s 60th birthday: Visit to the Old Priests’ Home, Nnewi, with relief materials and cash gifts.
Homage to Igwe Nnewi at his palace. Visit to patients at NAUTH, Nnewi, including the settlement of outstanding medical bills. Visit to inmates at the Nnewi Correctional Centre, with donations of food, relief materials and cash. Commissioning of a borehole donated by Chief Metuh. Donation of a skill acquisition centre and groundbreaking of additional structures at the correctional facility. Charity outreach to the physically challenged at DCC Nnewi. The commemorations will culminate in a thanksgiving service in Abuja this Sunday at the Guiding Light Assembly, Abuja.
As we celebrate Chief Metuh at 60, we are invited to reflect on the meaning of service in our own lives. How do we transform our blessings into blessings for others? How do we turn our milestones into opportunities for impact?
Happy 60th birthday, Chief Olisa Metuh. May your new decade be filled with grace, strength, renewed purpose and ever-widening opportunities to serve. And to the family, friends and associates who have rallied around him, may God bless you richly and meet you at your points of need. As Winston Churchill once said, “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”
Commentary written by Ozonkpu Chief Uche Nworah Ph.D, former Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Anambra Broadcasting Service (ABS).