By Eddie Onuzuruike
For a man who was sworn in as the Governor of a state and in the first ten policy statements pronounced education free at primary and secondary schools, and no sooner endowed a free bus scheme that took the students to school morning and night for the same group starting in Aba and Umuahia, [main cities with high populations] are clear indications of purposeful direction. Midway in his second tenure, he handed some secondary schools to mission owners, based on the expectations that they will do better on instruction and discipline is a long haul. This laudable innovation in Abia education system is far reaching considering the relief on parents and guardians, at the same time giving multiple opportunities to those who have resigned to the ugly fate of hawking. It could not have been by accident but a factor in his blue print while getting himself ready for the onerous task of governance.
This becomes more established when you realize that multiple schools in the three senatorial zones were renovated, many of them like Government College Umuahia, Annunciation, Ngwa High School, Ndume Otuka, Umule Primary school all turned to model schools to the point that they made some universities green with envy. It is equally on record that he went outside budgetary provisions to sponsor pilots and other specialist personnel. Such zeal in championing educational pursuits indicate that it could at worst be his hobby.
In line with the wise words of Benjamin Franklin ‘an investment in knowledge pays the best interest.’ Ochendo sustained the programme for eight years of his tenure as governor and started another immediately after migration to the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as Senator representing Abia Central Senatorial district. It was on Friday 6th of January, 2017 in Umuahia, Abia State, at the Aba Road end of No. 32 Ojike Street, Senator T. A. Orji’s constituency office, where hundreds trooped out, not restricted to the 6 Local Government senatorial structure as most beneficiaries came with their church members, age grades and relations, some living in faraway Lagos and Abuja, areas outside the senatorial delineation of Abia Central.
Recall that Senator Orji instituted the annual Senator T A. Orji Scholarship Scheme a year ago with the good intention to assist indigent and brilliant students in the tertiary institutions. January the 6th, 2017 has gone into the annals as the second edition, this time with a more robust government presence.
It is an expected sequence that people-oriented programmes as such should improve as they maneuver through teething problems which usually confront well intended ideals. This edition was spectacular in many ways.
For instance, the first edition did not enjoy the State government presence as it did this time even though Chief Henry Iko, the commissioner for commerce, [Ozurumba], foremost industrialist of the Harmony Foam fame, represented the Governor His Excellency, Victor Ikpeazu, PhD in the 2016 edition. In the first edition mentioned, most of the constituents came with cautious optimism as a-wait-and-see attitude was obvious in their faces but all these changed when they saw that it was real, free and fair.
The current edition started auspiciously with timely arrival of a coterie of guests including the special ones. Chief Sam Onuigbo, [Odozi Obodo], member House of Reps, was early enough and waited patiently unlike some dignitaries who were always in a hurry due to their tight schedules compounded by the overcharged Xmas season, stacked with activities. He was good naturedly engulfed in banters with Chief Chijioke Onwutuebe, the Chairman of Abia Sate Agency for Community and Social development who was the Chairman of the Event. Not too long, other dignitaries streamed in, including the Deputy Governor, Sir Ude Oko Chukwu and the Chairman, Board of Governors of Abia Polytechnic, Chief Chukwu Nwachukwu, [Urie Chidere].
The Alumni Association of University of Ibadan, acolytes of Senator Orji, despite the fact that many of them were yet to be back to the capital city from the holidays, responded to the invitation extended to them by the chairman of the occasion who is one of their kind, and as intended added colour to the event as they came in their high numbers, adorned with the striped blue brown mufflers on their necks.
The musical band of Koboko, an indigenous group rented the air as their bandleader displayed scintillating performance with witty Interludes from the masters of ceremony, the duo of Adaeze Iroegbu and Elder Propropro, now of Flo Fm. The disco music from the Charlie Group kept many youths nodding their heads and stamping their feet.
There were shuffling moves and intermittent consultations with the different canopies housing the 6 LGAs as finishing touches were put to the list of awardees. The Chairman of the Scholarship scheme Engr. Emma Nwabuko took pains to make sure that all recipients were available as he continued frantically to contact most of the absent ones in the bid to avoid fraud and undue displacements as many sort to part of it.
The scholarship was invested on the successful candidates including a physically challenged one who was visually impaired, yet a solid student of UNN. Senator Orji, a man given to exquisite choice of words urged the awardees to reciprocate and justify the gesture by excelling in their academics among other exhortations. Mr Ifeanyi Frank Mpama who responded on behalf of the beneficiaries made a passionate appeal for a higher percentage of his kind, the physically challenged.
His plea was not ignored. This got an instant reply from the Governor. Dr. Ikpeazu when he took the microphone and spoke with a bang. He extended the scholarship to the 17 LGAs and proposed the integration of the board members of Senator T A Orji’s scheme to the revitalized state scholarship board. He extolled the legislative performance of Senator Orji as he acknowledged: ‘your scorecard at the National Assembly is very intimidating.’
To a man who has sponsored 12 bills and motions in different stages of reading, it was not a hyperbole. Figures were favorably juggled at the final analysis. Senator Oji’s 240 expected recipients are now successful by half as 120 have already benefited. Gov Ikeazu’s promise to extend to the remaining LGAs resulting in 170 annually for the state and places Abia Central to a total of 120 per annum is another calculus. And in consonance with the words of Nelson Mandela, ‘education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. The multiplier effects of these numbers would sure change the state.