By Eddie Onuzuruike
History of great nations and great men are catalogued by events. Most of the events change the present, structure and shape the future.
The emergence of Abraham Lincoln 16th president of United States of America, Mahatma Gandhi of India, Winston Churchill of Britain and Nelson Mandela, to mention a few improved the conditions of their people and reshaped the future. The common denominator in these names was that these men had enough courage to preach, and demonstrate against injustices of man’s inhumanity to man. They equally pushed against evil practices of their compatriots. In doing this, they did not only emancipate the physically enslaved, they liberated the minds and refined the mentality of the oppressors. For these acts of courage to realize their dreams, history and posterity have been generously kind to them.
These examples are not restricted only to foreign lands. Back home, we have our heroes whose experiences and actions have made interesting reading to the world.
Taking on one of these, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, a voracious reader, as a little boy read so much good that could come from America. One of the illuminating goodies is education. He was so influenced by what he read that he made up his mind to get there by all means. Little Azikiwe did not have the means as at that time to be in America but he sought a way. He was a stowaway- an illegal traveler in a ship. This first attempt was bungled because he carried along his boyhood friend who got seasick and they were cast away by the sailors. At the final count, Zik made it, acquired all the education he could and came back to his fatherland, unlike many who would have remained and savoured the comfort zones.
These survivalist escapades equipped him for the leadership which saw him championing the total liberation and emancipation from the colonial government that resulted in the Nigeria of today. Zik, as he was popularly known, did not achieve these alone but nobody will deny the fact that his firebrand approach galvanized his compatriots to action.
Heroism is a continuous act. Its evolvement is hourly, daily and yearly. Different situations yielded and still yields different heroes. The issue of kidnapping and armed robbery in Abia made Chief T. A. Orji to grow grey hairs overnight. But he was not panicky; he soldiered on till he won the serial battles for which he has become a great hero. On the political and social scales, he noticed the power imbalance in Abia State where one third of the 3 senatorial zones was continuously denied the governorship slot.
When he preached against it, many thought he only wanted to score a political point. Today he has justified this and history and chroniclers of events are not silent on this and other heroic act.
Oddly enough, this gross anomaly continued that most of the victims of the imbalance did not want to infuriate the powers that was and so ignored the boasts of people who prognosticated many years of domination of Ngwa people.
Chief T. A. Orji has put his words into action. He convinced the PDP caucus and the stakeholders who ratified the zoning in July 2014. Even the vocal and mischievous challenges from some Ngwa Royal and political class did not deter him.
Today, he has led the party primaries to a successful selection of a veritable candidate who is from the Ukwa na Ngwa stock thus enlarging his legacies.
Dr. Ikpeazu the new PDP flag bearer come 2015, has vowed to continue with the Ochendo legacies which includes but not limited to the Airport and Seaport initiatives. The implication is that growth, innovations and people-oriented social indices will multiply and giant dreams of the present administration would be realized.
It is a pointer that at the end of it all, Abians are the greatest beneficiaries as new ideas and installations will litter the glorious land of Abia.
Dr. Ikpeazu would not be building new markets, International Conference Centre, Government House E-Library and all. Already a foundation is in place, he will veer into other areas of social, economic and educational development.
By all that, Abia will progress and realize the dreams of the founding fathers enunciated in the Abia Charter of E0quity.
Abians intensify your prayers for our leaders so that it will be forward, forward and forward.