In 1985, Sir Mbonu Christopher Emerem, was officially accorded state reception and press interview by the Military Governor of Imo State, Brig, Ike O. S. Nwachukwu, at Owerri plus self portrait presentation of the Gov

“…I am calling on all people and the youths of Imo State to mimic this extraordinarily
talented and gifted son of ours, Mr. Mbonu Christopher Emerem, who has
made our State, Imo State, proud at the Federal level where he was awarded the
“Best Corper Artist Award’’ in the 1983-84 National Youth Serve Corp (N.Y.S.C.)
Serve Year in the all 19 states of the federation of Nigeria by the then Head
of State, Maj-General Mohammadu Buhari and at the Kaduna State, in Katsina
Polytechnic, Katsina, to be precise, where he served as a 1983/84 N.Y.S.C.
Youth Corper and won the Kaduna State’s “Best Corper Artist Award’’.
I must say that we are marveled to note, from what the artist, Mr. Mbonu Emerem, is
telling us here, that he studied and graduated as an Economist from the University of
Nigeria, Nsukka Campus, in 1983, where he specialized in Mathematical Economics
and Econometrics. But my good people of Imo State, you can see how the
gentleman is satisfying our aesthetic pleasure and mesmerizing us
with his creations as an artist. To God be the glory!...”
- Brig. Ike O. S. Nwachukwu, the then Military Governor of the former Imo State (then Imo State and Abia
State as one State), Nigeria, at Dan Anyiam’s Stadium, Owerri, in 19985, during which a state reception and
a press interview was granted to the artist, Mr. Mbonu C. Emerem, as part of his reception in his own state,
Imo State, after unveiling and seeing the portrait of himself, the Governor, painted by the artist.