Ekwueme: In Search of Wise Men from the East -By Rufus Igbokwe

Late Sir Alex Ekwueme

Many men and women, young and advanced in age, came from North and South, from different political parties, professional associations and representing various ethnic nationalities, to the small village of Oko about 46km from Awka, the Anambra state capital, but no one had a single bad or controversial thing to say.

Across Nigeria, the passing of Chief Dr Alexander Ifeanyichukwu Ekwueme last November was received with widespread sighs synonymous with the unexpected departure of an irreplaceable gem. At every event held in his honor in London, Abuja, Enugu and Oko between 31st January and 4th February 2018, the eulogies and posthumous allocutions revolved around a melancholic theme: they don’t make people like Ekwueme anymore.

Rather sadly, the curtains have, over the last decade, gradually begun to fall on a generation of distinguished statesmen, from Anthony Enahoro and Maitama Sule, to Solomon Lar and now Dr Ekwueme. With an increasing sense of urgency, there is a challenge of responsibility now being thrown to the young people of Nigeria as to whether there are any men and women of substance and integrity, whose present achievements in public and professional service will sufficiently affect the nation positively to distinguish them to the point of becoming invaluable persons of reference for future generations.

Dr Ekwueme’s passing presses the question particularly on the new class of young public servants from the south east. Nigeria’s first executive Vice President in 1979, Ekwueme’s legacy was of a political career consciously focused on the unity and progress of Nigeria, ascending beyond the primitive forces of ethnicity and amassing resources for the interests of one’s primordial public. His postulations on the problems of the demarcation of regions in the country, summed up in the suggestion of the six geopolitical zones in use today, remain one of the most referenced contributions made by an individual Nigerian to nation building since the pre and post Independence eras of Obafemi Awolowo, Sir Ahmadu Bello and Nnamdi Azikiwe.

It would appear an incredibly high mark to reach, but the journey towards filling the shoes of such giants as Ekwueme can be said to be in progress when one considers the current crop of public servants and professionals from the south east whose credibility have begun to gain national acclaim. Ebonyi state governor, Dave Umahi, and Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia state have been impressive in the manner with which they have gone about redefining the views and perceptions of their states. Umahi’s massive urban renewal programmes have had the energy and vision of a new breed kind of leader while the ‘Made in Aba’ campaign initiated by Dr Ikpeazu grants institutional backing to the universally acclaimed industry and enterprising spirit of the people of that state. From the professional sector, Kingsley Moghalu, a former governor of the Central Bank and professor of Political Economy, has began to make a more national impression with his contributions on the future of the country, with particular focus on engaging the youth in the governance process.

In the National Assembly, the position occupied by the Ike Ekweremadu as deputy Senate President makes him the highest ranking public servant from the South East. As one of the most experienced of the current Senators, Ekweremadu has been an indispensable actor on matters of policy, national development and national cohesion, projecting views that have enhanced positive socio-economic integration of every part of the country, providing an invaluable example of the impactful contributions of persons from the South Eastern part of the country. While Ekweremadu represents the more experienced legislators, newcomers have also begun to make their mark too; one of the shining lights of has been the representative for Nkanu East/Nkanu West federal constituency, Dr Chukwuemeka Ujam.

At only forty-one years of age, Ujam was very much a new face in the block when he was elected in 2015 on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), but the strides he has made within the last 31 months have been nothing short of impressive for a young first-term legislator. He has been the authoritative voice and face of expertise and policy thrust in the House on matters of cyber security, telecommunications, digital rights, and the role of information and communication technology as a necessary medium for the development of Nigerian communities.

Ujam has communicated his views in the forthright, inclusive and technically gifted manner that could be easily associated with the best leaders of Nigeria’s past. Whether it is in his engagement with fellow legislators in parliament, or with members of civil society, the calm and collected engineer from Nkanu has gracefully sought to build bridges with every relevant stakeholder and ordinary citizen in all sectors critical to the progress of the country.

Conversations and debates on various points of policy, national development and the peace and progress of Nigeria can often be truncated by personal interests. Hence, the Nigeria of the dreams of genuine selfless and detribalized leaders like Dr Ekwueme will need a generation of the young, the motivated, the uncorrupt and the nationally conscious whose personal integrity, technical capacity and love of country will stand up to objective scrutiny.

Dr Ekwueme became Nigeria’s Vice President at the young age of 47. No person has repeated this feat since 1979, but there is a promising class whose ability and results so far give hope that raising a generation of persons after the character of the Ide of Oko will not be an impossible job. He lives on and it is inspiring to see vibrant leaders like Dave Umahi, Dr Ikpeazu and Dr Emeka Ujam pick up the torch and paving the way to ensure the future starts now.