IF Chief Onyema Ugochukwu needed a reminder of what the ordinary Abian expects of him, the treatment he got at a recent party rally in Umuahia Central will help steady his walk through the slick trail of Nigerian electoral and judicial politics. Thousands of supporters mobbed him like a hero and his best efforts at giving what he may have prepared as a rousing speech were mercilessly drowned by cheering voices of excited party men and women.

A shy and unassuming man, Ugochukwu soaked the deafening cheers with commendable aplomb, even as he must have wished for the crowd charming skills of his idol and kinsman, the late Dr. Michael Okpara, Premier of the defunct Eastern Region, the great orator, humanist, party organiser and visionary administrator.

Seeking neither heroism nor political domination, Ugochukwu is the most unlikely candidate for the interminable adulation and goodwill that flow to him from the common folk he encounters. Everyday, ordinary people send him solidarity messages through his mobile phones.

This account is not his official biography but we suspect he may have chosen other vocation besides politics to serve his people were the situation in his native Abia State not so dire and alarming.

Raped and plundered on all fronts by a rapacious gang of callous politicians, Abia today lies prostate, a failed state by all decent measures. Salaries unpaid, pensioners hoodwinked, kidnappers on the prowl, traders and artisans overburdened with heavy taxes and levies, parents flustered by excruciating tuition fees in public schools where neither learning nor studying can be possible due to deteriorating infrastructure and low morale.

Abia is, sadly, a state where government-armed thugs, called Bakassi Boys, can pluck a man from the street, slaughter him right in front of his family and dump his corpse by the roadside. A state where township roads are perennially flooded and impassable; in fact, a state where life is short and brutish.

As he (Ugochukwu) waved back to the crowd at the rally, he must have seen through their private pains of a promise he made to rescue them from Pharaoh's bondage, still unfulfilled, of their constant prayers for his success in this onerous political Odyssey and their constant advice to him to "be careful."

Actually, Ugochukwu, a devout Methodist Christian of the Old Order (they don't make them like that anymore), will have much to thank God for preserving his life, any time he gets his chance of a meeting. Because, having faced innumerable danger at several fronts in his remarkable life, he is entitled to believe that the Almighty is biased in his favour. Thankfully, his belief in the potency of prayers or in God's sovereignty has not been encroached by the development and deployment of a scientific mind.

On this occasion of his 65th birthday, we join his numerous friends, associates and well wishers across the country and beyond, in wishing him many more years of meritorious service to our nation in particular and humanity in general.

As impressionable, idealistic young Nigerians, we are intrigued by the Onyema Ugochukwu narrative. Here is a man richly endowed by his Creator with an incredibly intelligent mind, deep perception and an uncommon persuasion of moral appropriateness. The Ugochukwu we know is an unapologetic moral idealist who views every social and material phenomenon from the right or wrong prism.

It is very easy to detect and detest a sanctimonious skew to his inquisitiveness but at the end of every mission, it becomes clear he has exercised superior judgment. His unique sense of functionalism makes him question the rationale for every action of man, which must be ethically situated. Cerebral, urbane, charming, well-groomed and disarmingly courteous to the big and small, Ugochukwu's cosmology is indeed universal, and humanity is his true constituency.

On numerous occasions, those who have encountered Onyema Ugochukwu holding court amongst his kinsmen in his beloved Umule village, during his days as an editor or administrator in Daily Times of Nigeria; at State House, Abuja as a Presidential Aide; at NDDC as Chairman or elsewhere as a politician, will testify to the fact that his focus is farther: he would readily subsume his personal interest for the larger national interest.

Ugochukwu trained as an economist and first took appointment with the Central Bank of Nigeria as a research officer but he would locate his bearing in the newsroom of one of Africa 's most notable newspapers. Folklore has that his mother's serious concern that lawyers would one day die of hunger if all men became righteous, forced him to abandon studying law for economics. Embarrassed by his decision, an uncle, who first mooted the idea of his studying law, now went to his mother and explained to her that, "do you know that Onyema is going to the university to learn how to be a miser?" The poor woman soaked in misery all day.

Maybe the uncle had clairvoyant powers, because Onyema Ugochukwu does not suffer spendthrifts gladly. No budget will escape his dreaded red pen as many would testify from his Daily Times, Presidency and NDDC days, a trait laced with a healthy loathing for extravagance and inattentiveness. But on his love for his people, there is no holding back.

A crusader on shiny armour, humanity's pain is Ugochukwu's great discomfort. His Methodist-driven, high-moral principles may seem self-disarming at some historic juncture but on a balance of scale, he has won his life's battles by opting to stand and fight based on his strong convictions of the superiority of right over wrong. "If people do not stand for something, there will never be change" is his favourite slogan.

For him, the Abia struggle is not about being Governor. Having chaired NDDC, which covered nine states which includes Abia, seeking to be governor might seem a step down but as he told members of the Leaders of the Abia Muslim Community, who came to pay him the traditional Sallah homage, "it is not about being Governor. People must stand up for something they believe in. I believe in your future. Abia is worth fighting for."

This is the ideology of the young Onyema, who enlisted in the Biafran Army because his best friend was killed at the front. He would lose his brother, Ebere, at the front as well but he made his point: he fought the enemy who killed his best friend. He became a captain and commanded a company, and claimed his place in history and permanently nurses a big scar on his thumb as war memorabilia.

The lesson is clear: when you feel strongly about something, do not moan or dither; do something. Anger spurs the righteous to action and God will always give victory to those who fight the good cause.

Ugochukwu's illustrious career in Daily Times spanned 20 eventful years during which colleagues and subordinates illustrated him as a thoroughbred professional, an editor's editor, merit-driven, man of integrity, etc. He would team up with Dr. Yemi Ogunbiyi and Dr. Chidi Amuta to make Daily Times the newspaper of quality it was then. Younger elements remembered that he would not meet any visitor until he had first gobbled all the news in all the newspapers stacked high on his table. God help the reporter who missed a good story!

Even more significant for the Nigerian media, especially for media-government relations under the military, were Ugochukwu's great efforts at promoting dialogue between men of the pen and the sword. One testy case was the arrest and incarceration of Mr. Chris Mammah, then editor of The Punch.

In the aftermath of the aborted Gideon Orkar coup in April 1990, The Punch, noted for its riveting cartoons, had published a cartoon depicting Nigerians' reaction to the news that Orkar's coup had been crushed as moody and despondent. The bosses of the Directorate of Military Intelligence were not amused at all and they clamped Mammah in detention for his mistimed sense of humour. These were the heyday of frosty, even hostile media-military relations.

Ugochukwu, as President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors, mobilised his members to reach out to contacts in government to set Mammah free. He initiated a pattern of dialogue between the two mutually suspicious to ease tension and improve relations. Those were the days of Generals Aliyu Mohammed Gusau, Halilu Akilu and Kunle Togun.

Ugochukwu became the first editor of Business Times and brought a new definition to business reporting in Nigerian journalism. Under his tutelage, Ndu Ughamadu, Kunle Bello, Emeka Odo and Wole Olatinehin flourished and became authorities in financial/business journalism in their own right.

Ugochukwu did not merely edit a great, readable business newspaper; he introduced editorial activism into the pages, championing causes for frugal spending, accountability, judicious use of oil revenue, economic nationalism, and so much more. Later, he was posted to London to edit the West Africa magazine and after four years on the saddle, handed the title to Mr. Ad'Obe Obe, another of the country's celebrated editors with whom he would cross paths later in the State House.

On return to Nigeria, Ugochukwu was appointed editor of Daily Times, fulfilling the prophesy of the iconic Alhaji Babatunde Jose, 'father' of Daily Times of Nigeria. It was under Ugochukwu's watch as General Manager, Times Publications Division, that the group recorded the highest profit in its history. How did he manage that feat? Somebody should call him to write us a memoir to guide today's younger media managers.

UGOCHUKWU'S foray into national politics in October 1998 was as controversial as it beamed a searchlight into the workings of his inner mind. Close associates say he will never shirk from a tough decision just because it could be misunderstood. His career as a chronicler of history must have taught him that time educates better than gut feeling.

When Chief Olusegun Obasanjo accepted to run for President, he naturally inherited the structures of the Shehu Musa Yar'Adua Campaign Organisation, which had laid out Directorates manned by such personalities as Professor Babalola Borishade, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, Professor Tunde Adeniran, Chief Yomi Edu, Dr Haroun Adamu, etc. When it came to the headship of the Media Directorate, such familiar names as Dr. Patrick Dele Cole and Dr. Stanley Macebuh were suggested but Obasanjo preferred to send the other gentlemen to other tasks.

General Aliyu Mohammed Gusau, a long time friend of Ugochukwu's from his Daily Times days, who was a key figure in the 'Obasanjo for President' project and later in the Obasanjo government, was instrumental to Ugochukwu's emergence as Head of Media Directorate. But it was not a quiet choice.

Ugochukwu's romance with Obasanjo was seen as treacherous by many of his Igbo kinsmen who believed the Igbo Nation should deploy all its human resources to back a presidential candidate of Igbo extraction. It was an absolutely courageous decision, maybe adventurous but certainly risky. Ugochukwu still bears the brunt of that fateful choice till date.

However, it was a decision he thought through in his methodical manner, balancing pragmatism with patriotism. If an Igbo was going to be President of Nigeria why could he not pick a media chief from Nasarawa, Bayelsa or Ekiti? Clannishness manacles the entrepreneurial Igbo spirit and should be grossly offensive to someone who graduated eminently from the Daily Times system where meritocracy nearly always triumphed over parochialism.

Ugochukwu and his team toiled to sell the Obasanjo brand across the country; today, few people remember that it was not the easiest sales pitch, especially in the South. Once in power, Obasanjo always felt he owed Ugochukwu a favour. The National Orientation Agency (NOA) was excised from the Federal Ministry of Information and placed under Ugochukwu as Senior Special Adviser to the President on National Orientation and Public Affairs (NOPA).

Quickly, Ugochukwu teamed up with Olusunle, now President Obasanjo's Special Assistant (Special Duties) to launch the Campaign for National Rebirth, under the auspices of NOPA. With a modest budget that would discourage any but iron-willed idealists hungry to make an impact, the campaigners toured 28 states of the federation, spreading the gospel of reorientation of the national psyche, the progenitor of latter day attitudinal change projects like the "Heart of Africa" and the ongoing Rebranding Campaign.

A landmark component of the Campaign for National Rebirth was the "Accountability Forum", a suggestion for elected officials to render regular and periodic accounts of their stewardship to stakeholders in a town hall setting. As well intentioned as the idea was, it was sadly misconstrued by Federal legislators as an attempt to put them on the spotlight. They rallied to deny it budgetary support and danced at the funeral of a concept that could have helped build capacity and trust in our democratic system.

Contrary to popular belief that President Obasanjo dumped Ugochukwu soon after his election, he continued to seek a more elevated position for him. Ugochukwu could not be named Minister because Abia already had two members in the cabinet. Chief Ojo Maduekwe, Minister of Culture and Tourism, later of Transportation, was nominated by the party, and Prince Vincent Ogbulafor, Minister of Economic Affairs, then of the ANPP, was a product of "Government of National Unity".

But Obasanjo bidded (sic) his time. With the successful passage of the NDDC Bill, which provided for a Chairman from one of the member-states in alphabetical order, President Obasanjo sent Ugochukwu's name for confirmation since Abia was first in that order. The opposition this time was from unexpected quarters. The Abia State Governor, Chief Orji Uzor Kalu, had his own candidate. Together with some of the three Abia Senators - Bob Nwannunu (ANPP), Ike Nwachukwu and Adolph Wabara (PDP), they waged a ruthless battle to scuttle Ugochukwu's nomination twice. The third time, however, Ugochukwu managed to rally forces to overpower their resistance and scaled the nomination without any hiss.

Ugochukwu will claim his place among the pantheons of nation builders with his pioneering work as NDDC Chairman. He was determined that NDDC must not repeat the grave mistakes in conception and expectation deficit, which destroyed the credibility of previous intervention agencies. The difference was in engineering a new theoretical paradigm, which would at once deliver infrastructure remediation, youth empowerment, community survival, ecological sustainability, trust in leadership and belief in the sincerity of Government.

Rather than sustain the narrow focus of its predecessors, Ugochukwu's NDDC emerged a holistic and integrated Regional Development Agency, which aimed at transforming the entire Niger Delta region into an interdependent, organic, socio-economic, ecological, growth community. It was important to re-educate the people's mind to appreciate a sense of community where goals are shared.

While the specific needs of core oil bearing communities are being addressed, it was important to appreciate the contribution of outlaying communities, which hosted oil and gas pipelines and where oil workers lived or passed through. It was on this basis that a suitable revenue sharing formula was arrived at. From its budget, Ugochukwu's NDDC allocated projects and other interventions on the basis of 20 percent on the equality of states; 35 percent on volume of oil produced; 10 percent as NDDC operating expenditures; 10 percent on income capacity enhancement; and 25 percent for projects with regional impact.

An immediate problem facing the new Board was the containment of youth restiveness and halting the incessant vandalism of oil pipelines. The solution was the immediate implementation of "Quick-Win Projects" in due consultation with all stakeholders. Under the Quick-Win Projects, at a period NDDC was not as generously funded as the moment, 27 Model Secondary Schools were earmarked for each Senatorial Constituency; 686 blocks of classrooms were to be constructed and equipped with computers, audio-visual aids and other hi-tech equipment; 63,700 new standard school desks were commissioned; cottage hospitals, jetties, bridges and roads were constructed. The NDDC-Mass Assisted Transport Scheme solved two problems at once - providing cheaper, safer means of transportation within and through the Niger Delta, and keeping future militants gainfully occupied.

Some landmark projects initiated during his time in NDDC include the celebrated 600 metre-long Iko-Atabrikang-Opolom-Iwuochang-Okoroutip Bridge across the Qua Iboe River linking Ibeno with Eastern Obolo, in Akwa Ibom State; the Ovwodokpokpor-Oviri-Olumu-Aloba-Kiagbodo-Erhuwanrem road linking Burutu with Ughelli South, in Delta State; the Omoku-Okpassomini Bridge; the Kaiama-Sabagriea-Opokuma-Polaku road in Bayelsa State; the Ekeoba-Umudibia Road linking Imo and Abia States; numerous canalisation projects; distribution of improved disease-resistant cassava varieties to farmers; free medical services (in conjunction with Pro-Health International in 105 communities; and the 500-room ultra-modern hostel blocks in 14 universities in the Niger Delta region. The University of Uyo got a befitting brand new auditorium, fitted with the latest technology, a contribution from NDDC friends. Ugochukwu received over 13 chieftaincy titles from grateful communities spanning the entire region, many of them several months after he had left office.

THE formulation and commissioning of a Regional Master Plan for the Niger Delta is Onyema Ugochukwu's crowning glory as a public officer. Recently, President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua, while inaugurating the new NDDC Board, ordered them to revisit the Master Plan and put it into use. The Master Plan can be adapted, updated, renamed or altered but it will remain one of the most useful development guides for the region, just in case anybody needs one.

When all manners of misrepresentations fed by different interest groups reached President Obasanjo suggesting that NDDC might be faking projects, President Obasanjo set up a high-powered committee to go and verify every single claim by the Commission. Ugochukwu's Board was given a clean bill of health. In appreciation, President Obasanjo sent him two personally signed letters of commendation and awarded him the national honor of Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON).

Gravely concerned that Ugochukwu's Board's pioneering work must not suffer discontinuity and grateful for justifying his faith in his ability, President Obasanjo offered him a second term in office as NDDC Chairman. It was a tempting offer, and justifiably earned. It would be the icing on a career cake and give him the opportunity to write his name in gold by completing his numerous ongoing projects and initiating new ones, one of which is a scheme to involve communities in the cutting of grass and maintenance of the areas around oil pipeline for a fee, a project fiercely resisted by the oil companies but which, if implemented, could have nipped in the bud the Niger Delta militancy that would cost the nation so much in human and material terms.

Typical of Ugochukwu, he politely turned down President Obasanjo's offer of tenure renewal. He reasoned, quite appropriately, and in classic Ugochukwu Nigeria-first attitude, that he would set a dangerous precedent, which would only fuel restiveness and mutual suspicion in the Niger Delta. If the Abia candidate does eight years, it means it would take Rivers State 72 years to produce an NDDC chairman as every state that comes after Abia would insist on doing two terms as well.

This is vintage Onyema Ugochukwu, a man of destiny, a courageous patriot, a compassionate servant of humanity and a conscientious professional and ethics-driven politician of a disappearing era, who does not believe that the end necessarily should justify the means. Happy Birthday, Sir!

• Olusunle and Okereke contributed this tribute from Abuja.

  Tools

  • Send to a friend
  • Printer-friendly version