By Ogu Bundu
Nwadike, M.A
One measuring rod of a good leader is that, in and out of season, he’s unconditionally liked, loved, recognized, regarded and respected by the people he’s leading. That’s a unique attribute of a charismatic leader.
The celebration of the 56th birthday of His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, CON on March 24, 2021 provided an opportunity to weigh, assess and evaluate the height, width and level of his acceptability by the people.
And the result? He was found to be very much accepted, liked, loved, recognized, regarded, and respected by the people of Imo State, Nigeria and beyond.
That would serve as an apt corroboration of the Osuji Survey Report of 2018 in which it was empirically proven that His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha was the most acceptable of the 35 prospective aspirants for the office of governor of Imo State in the build up to the 2019 election, which Ihedioha won with a wide margin of the massive honest votes of Imo people.
The acceptability quotient was such that as the day approached to his 56th birthday, the heat of preparations for its celebration was very palpable in the land of the living. It was like preparations for Christmas!
The news media started releasing information early to indicate that something great was about to happen to somebody great. On radio, television, newspapers, and online social media, profuse flashes of the upcoming birthday of the great leader were seen and read.
Reputable writers took turns in churning out in black and white set pieces of thoughts and thinking on the man of destiny, who has continued unabated in his vision of assisting to redefine and transform the lives of people everywhere he finds them.
Born ordinary and nobody, like all living souls, he observed the mysterious patient growth and development processes, at home, at school, at work until he became something and somebody great and extra-ordinary in Mbaise, in Imo State, in Nigeria, and in the world.
Since his verifiable emergence in the awareness of the public in 2003, with his very eventful, successful twelve years exemplary service to Nigeria as national lawmaker par excellence, to his award-winning seven and half months tenure as governor of Imo State, till date, His Excellency has continued to lead people in unique ways and manners that aren’t in the capacity and capability of many other mortals.
Consequently and indeed expectedly, he effortlessly endears himself to people and humbly draws them to himself. It’s expected because he’s a treasure house and a deep tank from which people get goodies and fetch cool, pure water to satisfy their needs and quench their thirst.
His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha has touched lives of millions of people in the course of his service to God and humanity. He wipes tears from the eyes of those that weep for lack. He puts smiles on the hard frowning faces of those that are overwhelmed by pressures, troubles and problems of this life.
Over the years; at least over the past three decades, the number of people that Ihedioha has lifted up from the dungeon of life to the level land of increase and multiply, have remained on upward rising curve. They’re now countless and still counting.
Little wonder, in all and everything that concern him, wherever he is, and wherever he goes, there’s always a multitude that follow and stand by him. In all honesty, no political leader in Imo State has the kind of genuine support base and supporters structures as Ihedioha has in Imo State.
And that’s talking about people who are personally convinced that about his qualities, attributes, character and conduct that reflect his tested and proven integrity, probity, transparency and accountability in his leadership style.
They aren’t the rented crowd of sheepish followers that are always ever available for every Tom, Dick and Harry that pay them to go and populate insincere crowds with the sinister ulterior motive of hoodwinking impressionable people.
At each point in time, the crowd that are seen with His Excellency are responsible and respectable people with identifiable and accessible addresses that can be located, whose acquaintance and association with him has lasted for years and decades.
It’s no wonder, therefore, that during the 2021 edition of his birthday, the established tradition of massive unleashing of felicitations, goodwill messages, prayers, eulogies, and overt celebration were staged across Nigeria, with Abuja and Owerri as points of reference.
Indeed, on March 24, 2021, as His Excellency’s birthday was being celebrated in Owerri and parts of Imo State by his disciples that are firmly rooted in the 305 electoral wards and 27 LGAs of Imo State, he was also simultaneously being celebrated by bigwigs and big guns in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja by an equal gathering of reputable men and women that believe in his charismatic visions and missions over the time.
Feelers from Diaspora indicate that in various places in the continents of Africa, Asia, America, and Europe, Ihedioha’s birthday was celebrated on March 24th by people and personalities, who find in him a pleasant leader.
It’s not surprising of Ihedioha, who has made vast collection of international contacts and acquaintance through his higher education at University of Lagos, Harvard University, Stanford University, Oxford University, London School of Economics, University of British Columbia, Canada, etcetera, and through his travelling far and wide to over 40 countries in the seven continents of the world.
It’s not surprising of Ihedioha, the charismatic leader in whom the good people of the great Mbaise nation, good people of Ngor Okpala, his maternal home, and the good people of Imo State are well pleased.
It’s not surprising of Ihedioha, the consequential critical national leader whose leadership capacities earned him the sixth highest national office (Deputy Speaker) by protocol and later briefly, number fifth (Speaker).
In the course of his very committed public service, he earned the coveted fourth highest national award of honour, the Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON).
It’s not surprising that he knows numerous people, essentially people that matter in Nigeria and abroad, and they know him as well. He has come a long way in the political leadership of Nigeria and paid his dues to attain the status of a national leader. Hence, his wide popularity is easily understandable!
There must have been a million posts and comments, conveying various thoughts and thinking for Ihedioha, the man of the people, on his 56th birthday.
The greetings came from both the high and mighty, and low and feeble, all of whom believe in the School of Thought called Emeka Ihedioha.
However, one of those million felicitations stood out like light to summarize all the others. It simply stated: “World’s Ihedioha Day”! It was actually rightly suggesting that March 24th of every year should be declared “World Ihedioha Day”!
It’s hoped that those in charge of creating “World Days” read, heard, took note and will do the needful to that yearning of an honest Ihedioha disciple.
No doubt, the 2021 edition of the birthday of His Excellency has come and gone, but its sights and sounds will continue to rove and resonate until the next edition, when in life, good health and sound mind, the millions people will celebrate him again, to the glory of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen!
*Ogubundu Nwadike is the
State Publicity Secretary of
Imo PDP.