Chief Matthew Tawo Mbu: Nigeria’s Youngest Minister and a Lifetime in Diplomacy

A portrait of longevity, influence, and public service in Nigerian political history

Chief Matthew Tawo Mbu (20 November 1929 – 6 February 2012) was one of Nigeria’s most enduring public figures, serving the country as a lawyer, politician, diplomat, cabinet minister, and elder statesman for more than half a century. From the final years of colonial rule through independence, military governance, and the Fourth Republic, Mbu remained a constant presence in Nigeria’s political and diplomatic life.
The image taken at Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam, on 25 July 1963, showing Mbu arriving as Nigeria’s Minister of Defence (Naval Affairs), symbolises a career deeply embedded in international engagement and statecraft.

Early Life and Education

Matthew Tawo Mbu was born on 20 November 1929 in Okundi, in present-day Cross River State, Nigeria. He received his early education at Okundi Primary School between 1937 and 1940, before attending Kakwagon Seminary School from 1941 to 1943.
Demonstrating early academic promise, Mbu later travelled to the United Kingdom, where he studied law at:

University College, London

Middle Temple, one of England’s historic Inns of Court

Between 1955 and 1959, he earned both an LLB and an LLM, and was subsequently called to the Bar at Middle Temple, qualifying as a barrister.

Entry into Politics and Record-Breaking Appointment

Chief Mbu entered Nigerian national politics at an unusually young age. In 1954, he was appointed Federal Minister of Labour and Welfare.
He is widely cited as the youngest Nigerian ever to serve in the federal cabinet.
However, it is important to note a historical discrepancy:

Born in November 1929, Mbu would have been 24 or 25 years old in 1954, depending on the month of appointment.

Some secondary sources state that he was 22 years old, but this figure does not align precisely with his documented birth year.

Despite this inconsistency, there is no dispute that he was exceptionally young by any standard, and his appointment remains unmatched in Nigerian political history.

Diplomatic Career and International Representation

Chief Mbu’s career quickly expanded beyond domestic politics into diplomacy.
He served as:

High Commissioner to the United Kingdom (1955–1959)

Nigeria’s Representative in Washington, D.C. (1966)

These postings placed him at the heart of Nigeria’s early foreign relations during the transition from colonial rule to independence and amid the turbulence of the mid-1960s.
The 1963 Schiphol Airport photograph, with the words “ROYAL DUTCH AIRLINES” visible on the aircraft behind him, captures this international dimension of his public life and Nigeria’s growing diplomatic visibility in Europe.

Parliamentary Service and Defence Portfolio

Between 1960 and 1966, following Nigeria’s independence, Mbu returned to serve in Parliament. During this period, he held the position of Federal Minister of Defence for Naval Affairs, a role equivalent to overseeing Nigeria’s naval establishment at a formative stage of its development.
This appointment further reinforced his reputation as a trusted and versatile figure in government, capable of handling both civil and military-linked portfolios.

Later Diplomatic and Academic Roles

Chief Mbu continued to represent Nigeria internationally over subsequent decades. He served on several occasions as an ambassador to foreign countries, including a later appointment as Ambassador to Germany.

In 1993, during the Abacha era, he was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs, returning him once again to the centre of Nigeria’s diplomatic decision-making at a critical moment in the nation’s history.
Beyond government, he also contributed to education, serving as Pro-Chancellor of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, one of Nigeria’s foremost universities.

Honours, Reputation, and Longevity

What distinguishes Chief Matthew Tawo Mbu from many of his contemporaries is not only the offices he held, but the length and continuity of his service. Few Nigerians participated so directly in:

Pre-independence governance

Early post-independence politics

Military-era diplomacy

Later republican administration

For over fifty years, Mbu remained relevant, consulted, and appointed across changing regimes and political climates.

Death and Legacy

Chief Matthew Tawo Mbu died on 6 February 2012, aged 82.
He is remembered as:

Nigeria’s youngest federal minister in practice, if not precisely by numerical age

A bridge between colonial and post-colonial governance

One of Nigeria’s most experienced diplomats

A statesman whose career spanned generations

His life reflects the evolution of Nigeria itself—from colony to independent nation, from optimism to crisis, and from isolation to global engagement.

The image of Chief Matthew Tawo Mbu stepping onto European soil in 1963 is more than a travel photograph. It captures a man who, even in his early thirties, had already shaped Nigeria’s labour policy, represented the country abroad, and contributed to its defence architecture.
Few Nigerians have served the state for so long, in so many capacities, and across so many political eras. Chief Matthew Tawo Mbu’s story is, in many ways, the story of Nigeria’s political adulthood.

Sources

Urhobo Historical Society

Gahetna (National Archives of the Netherlands) – Schiphol Airport photograph, 25 July 1963

Nigerian Federal Government records