It was a moment of befitting recognition for selfless service, on Thursday, as the Management of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital (COOUTH), Amaku-Awka, conferred its prestigious 2025 Humanitarian Award on Mr. Ekweoba Arnold Chukwuebuka, Chief Executive Officer of Arnold Associates.
The award, presented at a well-attended ceremony, was in recognition of Mr. Arnold’s sustained humanitarian interventions, particularly his quiet but consistent support to indigent patients and the medically vulnerable at the teaching hospital, often without publicity or personal acclaim.
In an earlier formal nomination letter addressed to Arnold, dated November 5, 2025, and signed by the hospital’s Public Relations Officer, Agbai Henrietta, the COOUTH Management described the honouree’s interventions as impactful acts of compassion that have repeatedly brought succour to patients who otherwise would have been stranded by the weight of medical bills and health challenges. The letter noted that the award was meant to “give honour to whom honour is due,” signifying the institution’s resolve to celebrate individuals whose kindness translates directly into human survival and dignity.
This reporter gathered that Mr. Arnold, an Aguleri-born real estate developer, respected entrepreneur, licensed estate surveyor and quintessential philanthropist, is the Founder and CEO of Arnold Associates, a fast-growing business outfit with interests spanning real estate development, consultancy, enterprise development, and other strategic services. Beyond corporate success, he has built a reputation for deliberately weaving social responsibility into his business philosophy, believing that enterprise must ultimately serve humanity.
Inquiries revealed that these interventions, which cut across health, education, humanitarian and other sectors, often come quietly, as he goes around reviving hopes, settling hospital bills, assisting families in distress, and responding swiftly to emergency needs, long before such gestures ever reach public attention.
Beyond these, the Arnold brand also positions itself as local-first, prioritizing training, skills-transfer, youth empowerment, tech and entrepreneurship development as part of its social compact. This is further justified by its training institute and the recently commissioned largest real estate office complex in Southeast, which notably has learning spaces intended for capacity-building and professional development.
These may also not be far from the reason why a medical institution like COOUTH would single out Ekweoba for their prestigious Humanitarian Award
The noble recognition further consolidates his growing profile as a committed humanitarian and philanthropist.
In his reaction on the award, the Arnold Associates CEO, represented at the event by his Executive Assistant, Mr Mark Ngozi expressed gratitude to the hospital Management for what he described as an honour that strengthens his resolve to do more. He further maintained that, to him, supporting the sick and the less privileged is not an act of charity but a shared human responsibility, while also reaffirming his philosophy that meaningful impact does not always require public applause.
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