The Odyssey Of HRM Eze Chika Nwokedi: From Nobody To Somebody -By Sandra Ijeoma Okoye

It is not an exaggeration to say that among plethora of scriptural injunctions that explain how anyone can from a state of nobody become somebody that Romans chapter 9 verse 25-26 that say, “As He says in Hosea: I will call them ‘My People’ who are not My people, and I will call her ‘My Beloved’ who is not My beloved,” and, “It will happen that in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not My people,’ they will be called ‘sons of the living God” aptly describes the divine circumstance. In the same vein, the MSG version of the bible aptly put it thus: ‘I’ll call nobodies and make them somebodies; I’ll call the unloved and make them beloved. In the place where they yelled out, ‘You’re nobody!’ They’re calling you ‘God’s living children.”

Without denying the fact, anyone that is versed with the things of the Christendom, unarguably understands what the expression of the foregoing scriptural verses mean in the life of anyone that trust God, believes in Him and does not soil his hands with evil practices. To understand how the scripture can find expression in the life of anyone, it is expedient in this context to bring an abridged excerpt of the media parley which yours sincerely had with the president of Igbo Buru Otu Association, HRM Eze Chika Nwokedi, Okpoko 1 of Obodoukwu and Igwe of Ijegun Ijeododo.

When engaged in a parley on the sidelines of a philanthropic event which had the executives and members of the Igbo Buru Otu Association took out time to dole out gifts to the widows whose husbands in their earthly journeys were active members of the association.

Ostensibly throwing insight to the essence of kingship, the Igwe said for anyone to mount a royal throne, such person must be cognizant of the fact that he position is meant for service to the people, and not otherwise as not few people have seen the position to be exhibiting their egotistic dispositions. He said, “Kingship is not about being uncaring about what people pass through in life but it is about empathizing with them. Ostensibly putting the assertion in an explanatory perspective, he said royal throne is for someone that is kind-hearted and has the betterment of the people in mind at all times. To him, for anyone to qualify for the position, it is not about being educated and highly certificated. Rather, he said it is God’s call.

He added by saying that it is about touching the lives of the people. It is not about money. It is about possessing the virtues of dignity, integrity and having the penchant to make people proud in identifying with the name of such royal father.

When reminded that he had his birthday on Sunday this week, precisely on August 7, 2022, and why were people gathered at his palace in the mood of another celebration, he said “Well we have a group called Ndigbo Bu Otu Association of which I’m the founder. So, last meeting we discussed that we will go and pay homage to homeless babies, and give widows money and foods which we did on August 6, 2022, and again is that families of our members who are dead need to be supported as agreed by all members at the meeting we had.

We agreed that their wives and children would be supported twice in a year; that is in August and in December of each passing year, henceforth”.
At the meeting, we agreed that we will be blessing them with three items that cut across rice, yams and Indomie accompanied with monies to beneficiaries that would represent various families of the deceased.

He said the association decided to be carrying out the philanthropic gestures because when their husbands were alive, they contributed immensely towards the development of the association.

He said, “We decided to be doing this because when their husbands were alive they were committed to the meeting and paying their dues. So, it will not be good that their husbands are dead and we abandon them and their children.

To ensure that the philanthropic project is inaugurated without delay, the Igwe said, “I volunteered to host them with a D.J. (Music) and cook as well as feasting them with drinks with my money”.

While hosting them, he said he felt fulfilled seeing them happily dancing, and that the forum offered him the opportunity to promise them that whenever they need assistance they should always reach out to him.

He said, the association decided to be hosting them as promised twice in a year because if he were to be the one that was dead that he will not be happy wherever he was to see his wife and children suffering in the face of the association he labored to form during his earthly journey.

At this juncture, you may have wondered that the headline of this piece does not align with the story you ae being told in this context. Wait for Igwe, who throughout the duration the parley lasted intermittently in his response gave the indications that he was literarily nobody before becoming who he is today. So, it is little wonder that he said immediately he left secondary school that he headed to Lagos in search of greener pasture, and arrived in the city that many believe flows with milk and honey on August 8, 1992.

Like the proverbial “Cow that has no tail”, he said no one was disposed to accommodate him, thus he was homeless. The situation, no doubt, compelled him to be sleeping outside the premises of a shop at Ladipo Market, in Lagos where he was at the time hustling as a broker between buyers and sellers.

He recounted, “So I started sleeping at Ladipo market, not even in the shop but outside the shop. For about 4 or 5 years, I was hustling at Ladipo. When customers came calling for spare parts I will source for the parts, and sell to the customer at a higher price.”

He said, “For instance when the cost of say gear box is N150, 000, I will resell it to the customer for N170, 000. By and by, from that I was able to save enough to rent a room apartment in which I paid for 2 years tenancy.

He said, “While doing the business I was sleeping outside the shop. Even if one decided to be sleeping in the shop, the offensive smell of gas and oil were wont to choke so much that it was always difficult to have a nice sleep. Apart from that, mosquitoes were so much that sleeping in the shop was not in any way convenient.

“In fact, there was a particular day, a shelf, ostensibly being overloaded with goods fell on a man’s head, and he was rushed to the hospital, and he died.

“Due to the gory incident, sleeping outside became difficult and impossible”. He said besides the gory incident that he and others at Ladipo market had to restort to be protecting themselves from mosquito bites, as they usually sleep outside, by wearing socks on the hands and legs, and there were no mats as they were wont to sleep on improvised bed made with sheets of cartons which they usually spread on open space outside shop in the market.

Ask what kept him going, he said “Given the harrowing experiences we passed through in the market during the period of my apprenticeship I vowed to God that I will never lie, and promised Him that I will keep saying the truth under any circumstance”. According to him, those are the virtues that have kept him going till today.

To cut the story short, he got a breakthrough having being blessed with a shop of his own, and through divine favor became the leader of Ladipo market after an election that saw him contesting against “big men” of which among them were big time importers in the market. Throughout the parley, he continued adulating God, and intermittently urge people to embrace God in their dealings, and always say the truth at all times; no matter the circumstance.

Recounting God’s blessings in his life, he said he started meaningful life in one-room apartment wherein he married in 2001, before moving to a flat where he was a tenant for a period of 10 years until 2009, and in 2012 when he acquired a building, and within a year built another house; all on the same street where he lived as a tenant. Not only that, he said he has built five houses for widows with the same materials, such as tiles, he utilized to build his own house; even as he also built a house for a young man who was always mocked for being homeless.

Against the foregoing backdrop, he said he paid the price by ensuring that his hands are clean, and always saying the truth. Looking at the odyssey of his life, there is no denying the fact that God who saw him as nobody turned him to somebody.