Monday June 4, 2018, Governor Okezie Ikpeazu was in the University of Nigeria Nsukka to attend the 14th Eni Njoku memorial lecture and from the moment he arrived the atmosphere around the PAA venue changed.
Lecturers and students were screaming everywhere “Okezuo Abia…my Governor” and it was quite hectic for the Governor’s security aides to make way for him to enter and later exit.
Still the Governor managed to remain calm and wave all the way to his vehicle.
When we returned to Umuahia, I thought we will just drive into Michael Okpara University Umudike and he will deliver his 2018 environment day address and we leave.
For where?
What we met at Umudike made UNN look like a rehearsal of sorts.
The ecstatic students and their lecturers were all over the common Governor who was the former Head of Biochemistry Department at ESUT Enugu. They shouted, pushed and screamed so much that it was difficult for his usually formidable security aides to literally breathe.
We only heaved a sigh of relief when he managed to enter the lecture hall with his host, Prof Otunta, the Vice Chancellor of the institution and other Principal officers of the school.
It took an elaborate decoy to smuggle him out to another state event as the students moved towards where they thought he was heading to within the school and his convoy moved in another direction.
Even then the Governor was still waving to his people from his wound down window all the way to Umuahia town.
The academia is obviously proud of one of their own who is leading the way in good governance through innovation and uncommon devotion to duty.
VC Francis Otunta apparently spoke the mind of the academia when he hilariously said: “we consider you to be on leave of absence and we are giving you 8 years plus one year sabbatical and after that you must return or we stop your salary”.
Personally, I know Governor Ikpeazu will be fully back to the classroom by the end of 2023. He loves that world and the people in that world love him too.
In all these there is a lesson: “whatever your hand findeth to do….” Dr Okezie Victor Chibuikem Ikpeazu of Umuobiakwa village in Obingwa LGA of Abia State has never failed on any mission and Abians knew that even in 2015. Most of those who didn’t support him then knew he was a natural performer but they were bitten by the “Change” bug that was ravaging the electoral world then.
But don’t bet against an Ikpeazu landslide victory in 2019. He has proved himself, once more, as a real victor and performer across all sectors.
Still the Governor managed to remain calm and wave all the way to his vehicle.
When we returned to Umuahia, I thought we will just drive into Michael Okpara University Umudike and he will deliver his 2018 environment day address and we leave.
For where?
What we met at Umudike made UNN look like a rehearsal of sorts.
The ecstatic students and their lecturers were all over the common Governor who was the former Head of Biochemistry Department at ESUT Enugu. They shouted, pushed and screamed so much that it was difficult for his usually formidable security aides to literally breathe.
We only heaved a sigh of relief when he managed to enter the lecture hall with his host, Prof Otunta, the Vice Chancellor of the institution and other Principal officers of the school.
It took an elaborate decoy to smuggle him out to another state event as the students moved towards where they thought he was heading to within the school and his convoy moved in another direction.
Even then the Governor was still waving to his people from his wound down window all the way to Umuahia town.
The academia is obviously proud of one of their own who is leading the way in good governance through innovation and uncommon devotion to duty.
VC Francis Otunta apparently spoke the mind of the academia when he hilariously said: “we consider you to be on leave of absence and we are giving you 8 years plus one year sabbatical and after that you must return or we stop your salary”.
Personally, I know Governor Ikpeazu will be fully back to the classroom by the end of 2023. He loves that world and the people in that world love him too.
In all these there is a lesson: “whatever your hand findeth to do….” Dr Okezie Victor Chibuikem Ikpeazu of Umuobiakwa village in Obingwa LGA of Abia State has never failed on any mission and Abians knew that even in 2015. Most of those who didn’t support him then knew he was a natural performer but they were bitten by the “Change” bug that was ravaging the electoral world then.
But don’t bet against an Ikpeazu landslide victory in 2019. He has proved himself, once more, as a real victor and performer across all sectors.
JOK