The Ingenuity of Onye Ngwa -Ahamefula Writes

THE INGENUITY OF ONYE NGWA : The Professor E. Uche Ikonne Example
The parable of the Good Samaritan was told by Christ in the Bible. If it were in Nigeria, it would have been easy to trace that Good Samaritan to Ngwa land, for his benevolence reflects the Ngwa man’s ethos, essence and character. The story of an Ngwa Man will be incomplete without his characteristic nobility and peaceful co-existence with all and sundry.
It is in the character of every Onye-Ngwa to look at every other person around him with trust, benevolence and unalloyed magnanimity. The same replicates in their leadership and administrative services to their neighbours in particular and humanity in general.

Consider, for instance, the developmental giant strides of the Governor of Abia State, Okezie Victor Ikpeazu,Ph.D, his educational exploits, his belief that good ideas yield lasting economic and infrastructural development as epitomized in the Enyimba Economic City Project, his non-confrontational character as well as his even development approach for the state. His critics always end up apologizing for their unverified criticism, hence his more massive and landslide re-election as Governor of Abia State. The average Ngwaman, is, therefore, a good follower, leader, and proficient achiever both in public and private sector.

The likes of Dr. George Nwaigwe; Chief Ururuka and Chief Jaja Anucha Ndubuisi Wachuku, who later became the first black speaker of the Nigerian House of Representative and the first Ambassador and permanent member to the United Nations as well as the first Minister of Foreign Affairs, preformed creditably. Even Senator Enyi Abaribe, Senator Representing Abia South Senatorial District, a principled, courageous, serious minded forthright Senator, is an Ngwaman, who is easily one of the finest and most reliable Senators of the federal republic of Nigeria.

Today, another Ngwa trail blazer and gentle giant has emerged! He is an honorable gentle man and quintessential model for positive change, patriotism, nationalism, and educational development and erudition: a man firmly grounded in humility and civility, nourished in common sense, positive culture of his people, and nurtured academically at home and the Philippines best professional and renown standards. He is a man who is protective, and passionate about the core values and culture of Ndi-Ngwa and Igboland. We refer to the Agburuike- Nsulu born international Optometrist, the Ugommuta ndi Abia and the 7th substantive Vice-Chancellor of Abia State University, Distinguished Professor Eleazer Uchenna Ikonne.

To those who know him, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ikonne is a perfect example of the Ngwa essence, silent achiever, fair but firm-minded leader, veritable team player and a visionary administrator, listening and compassionate public officer who cannot tolerate injustice and oppression against innocent and hardworking person.

Just as the proverbial saying that “a golden fish has no hiding place“, the former Governor of Abia State His Excellency, Senator T.A Orji noticed this great potentials, that even as a Deputy Vice-Chancellor, sent him on a rescue mission to a devastated Abia State Polytechnic, where Professor Ikonne, revived the future of that ailing institution through restoration of moral and academic discipline ,prudent and accountable financial disposition that addressed staff salaries and welfare so much that earned him an award of merit by the National Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics. His current appointments as JAMB Chief Examiner for Abia State; Financial Secretary, Committee of Vice- Chancellors of Nigerian State Universities; and Secretary to Abia State Elders Council and his recent appointment as Board Chairman Optometrist and Dispensing Opticians Registration Board of Nigeria by President Muhammadu Buhari, clearly justify his leadership and administrative ingenuity and visibility.

At Abia State University, his all-round exemplary leadership has become a slogan for success in Abia State and beyond. This is in line with the core mandate of teaching, research and community service of “Our Story Must Change Mantra’’ of the Vice-Chancellor. Again, in pursuit of the core mandate of the university,- Teaching, Research and Community Service, ABSU has become a beehive of research activities with 38 research proposal approved and sponsored by TETFUND, for the first time in its history, ABSU competed and won National Research fund, worth N37 million. Structures are set up to ensure that lecturers attend lecture promptly, conduct exams and release results online punctually.

Furthermore, town and gown relationships are receiving great boost while internally generated revenue is being visibly enhanced; fiscal discipline, transparency and accountability are priorities.

It is important to note that Professor Ikonne is the only Vice-Chancellor of a state university in this recessed economy who still sustains up-to-date payment of wages in the university.
Under his watch as Vice-Chancellor, staff training and retraining have continued to attract the administration’s prompt attention, while promotion of staff has been regularized. Just recently, 18 academic staff were promoted to the rank of professor . Four productive scholars of Ngwa Origin, who belong to important areas of need and research and service to society, including an authority in Igbo language, Professor Ogbonna Onuoha,whose Ph.D thesis was adjudged best in the department, faculty and one of the first three in the whole university, were among them. This further explains the uniqueness and proficiency of an Ngwa man.

Students welfare, security and academics are top considerations of the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Uche Ikonne who is widely described as the “Senior Course Rep” of students of the university due to his avowed mandate to shield the students from and form of extortion, sexual harassment or victimization by unscrupulous staff. Sale of handout and any form of book materials directly to students by lecturers has been abolished outrightly, with the introduction of the university book review committee which now assesses the quality and right prizing of every academic material meant for students teaching and learning. His timely intervention in clearing the recent lock-jam, experienced in the just concluded Student Union Government Elections in the university was a display of his administrative expertise.

It is on record that Professor Ikonne is the first to organize a football competition in honour of the Governor, Okezie Victor Ikpeazu, Ph.D, which is considered the most successful in the state. He also sponsored a book authored in honour of the Governor, Okezie Victor Ikpeazu Ph.D, Scholar in Governance, whose presentation, drew the most decent audience such as Chife Emeka Anyaoku, Governor Tambuwal, etc., to the state

The enabling environment for teaching, learning and research created by the Vice-Chancellor, attracted the sitting Governor of Abia State, Okezie Victor Ikpeazu Ph.D, the Scholar in Governance, to apply to teach clinical biochemistry, pro-bono, at the university, in order to give students the insight on emerging scientific and research issues.
The fact that there has never been any disruption of academic or social activities of the university through strike or students unrest, since his assumption of office as Vice-Chancellor , eloquently attest to Distinguish Professor Ikonne’s leadership, administrative, organizational and economic profile management acumen .

For the records, Professor Uche Ikonne inherited the leadership of the university at the national ranking level of 93rd and, within two years of his empirical and exemplary leadership, the university now ranks 30th.
Furthermore, the inaugural lecture series of the university which was at its 19th edition at the inception of Prof Ikonne’s administration , is now 46th , at the last count, in less than four years of his administration.

The lucid performance examples of Professor Uche Ikonne as Vice-Chancellor are rather too many for the limited space at our disposal. Of course, a former Vice-Chancellor of Abia State University, Professor Mkpa Agu Mkpa has described the Abia State University under the tenure of Professor E.Uche Ikonne as “ the Golden era of the University”!
Indeed, the communities , families and stakeholders whose children, relatives are represented in the university from all nook and crannies of Abia State and beyond, will attest to the trail blazing transformation of the university by this one of Ndi Ngwa’s finest, Distinguished Professor E. Uche Ikonne as the Vice-Chancellor and vision bearer of “My Mandate; Our Story Must Change.

At this juncture, it is of great importance to note that the drive of our dear Vice-Chancellor is derived from the epitomic poise of the Governor Okezie Victor Chibuikem Ikpeazu Ph.D, a land mark Ngwa Man, whose activities clearly show that he is not a pretender to governance and social administration. As an eminent scholar in governance, his enthronement as the first Governor of Abia from the Ngwa extraction has jettisoned and discredited the old practices of traditional governance as evidently displayed through his unwavering support to the university and the upbeat in the economic creativity and drive of his administration.

Of a truth, the great strides made by the administration headed by an Ngwa Man cannot be fully captured here, because the achievements of this two gentle giant of Ngwa extraction is a tip of an iceberg as it further explains an unarguable fact that, wherever an Ngwa Man is positioned, he builds to an enviable height.

According to the postulation of Jay Mitchel, “exceptional leaders are authentic, humble, they balance realism and optimism, they are committed to making others better”. Indeed, these and many qualities are embodied in the genetic nature of an Ngwa and that’s the driving force of the Governor of Abia State Okezie Victor Ikpeazu, Ph.D, the scholar in Governance and Professor Eleazer Uchenna Ikonne, the Vice-Chancellor of Abia State University.

Ahamefula Israel, a Bureaucrat, sent in this piece from uturu,Abia State. Email- anyameleisrael@gmail.com