SHOWCASING 23 IGEDE PERSONALITIES EN ROUTE TO 2023 GENERAL ELECTIONS – First Edition*
MR. UDO OIJE
Before I go into the details of my today’s featured personality, I sincerely appreciate all my reading audience who have been following the series religiously since I birthed this course. Your kind words of encouragement as well as critiques are priceless and inestimable. Thanks a million!
I also apologise for the slow pace in which the series are being published in recent times. The reason for the slow in publication is due to the resumption of Courts from their two-month annual vacation which usually commences sometime around early July and ends in early September of every year to herald a new legal year. Attending to my Clients’ cases and researching on the 23 personalities earmarked for profiling en route to 2023 is not an easy task. Please, pardon me for the slack in publication.
Having said that, please be reminded that the criteria for the selection or profiling of the 23 personalities still remain: academic qualification, experience, expertise, intelligence, special skills, integrity and track records in their various chosen endeavours.Kindly use these criteria as the parameters to unbiasedly judge any of my featured personalities.
In continuation of my series, my searchlight has beamed on another worthy son of Agba, and he is no any other person than Mr. Udo Oije. Udo Oije was born into the family of Mr. and Mrs Oije Ikogi in the remote village of Owo, Adum-West Ito, Obi Local Government Area of Benue State, Nigeria in 1960. He began his early primary school education at the Methodist Primary School, Adum-West Ito in 1967 but completed his primary school education in 1973 at the Methodist Primary School, Adum-East Ito, where he obtained his First School Leaving Certificate (FSLC). He proceeded to Methodist High School, Igede where he obtained his West Africa School Certificate (WASC) in 1979.
Because of his poor family background, his parents could not send him to university immediately after his secondary school, in spite of the fact that young Oije was a brilliant chap. Refusing to give in to fate, he went and did a three-month certificate programme at the Nigeria Institute of Journalism, Jos Centre where he obtained Certificate in News Reporting in April 1982. After some while, Mr. Oije, in pursuit of his academic dream in spite of what his poor family background thrust upon him, later secured an admission at the University of Jos for his diploma programme in Mass Communication and completed the programme in 1989.
Eventually, Mr. Oije got admission into Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto for his degree programme where he obtained his B.Sc. Sociology in 2002. He further went to Benue State University for his master’s programme where he obtained his M.Sc. Sociology (Dev.) in 2008. Because of his passion for the development of Igede nation, Master’s dissertation was on “ The impact of Socio-Cultural Factors on the Development of Igede people of Benue State”, wherein he critically x-rayed the socio-cultural factors inhibiting the development of Igede people.
Mr. Oije began his working career when he joined Benue State Ministry of Information in 1980 as an Information Assistant and he rose through the ranks to the position of Deputy Director of Information before his retirement in 2015. He was a Director, Ito Community Bank, Obi LGA-1993-1994; 1996-97 (now defunct); former National President, Ito Welfare Association (IWA)-1996-97; National Secretary, IWA-1992-1994; State Secretary, Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Benue State Chapter-1989- 1991, among others. In the course of his career, he also attended several seminars and workshops on contemporary issues on development where he presented mouth-watering papers on any given topic.
Among his many contributions to the development of Igede nation in general and Obi Local Government Area in particular, was the role he played alongside some other notable Ito sons and daughters for the creation of Obi Local Government in 1996 when he was the National President of Ito Welfare Association (IWA), the largest Socio-cultural association in Ito. According to him, he was fulfilled that Obi Local Government was created when he was the sitting IWA National President that coordinated all related activities leading to its creation. Mr. Oije’s own words in this regard, which I reproduce hereunder, are very profound and humbling:
“Specifically, the demand for the creation of Obi LG dates back to early 80s. The struggle continued till late 1996 when it came to fruition. I was actively involved in all the stages of the struggle. I count myself fulfilled that the LG was created when I was the sitting IWA National President that coordinated all related activities in this respect. The creation of the Local Government was indeed made possible through the cooperation and sense of unity of all sons and daughters of Ito. Particularly, Late Barr. John Alobo, Late John Aja, Chief Emmanuel Ogbile, Late Prince Ogiri Ajine, Hon. Patrick Aruta, Hon. E. O. Omirigbe, J.M. Onah, among others.
For me, one striking thing that can be gleaned from the above quoted statement by Mr. Oije is the part that says: “The creation of the Local Government was indeed made possible through the cooperation and sense of unity of all sons and daughters of Ito”. This part of the statement indeed underscores the whole essence of this my profiling effort of the 23 IGEDE PERSONALITIES EN ROUTE TO 2023 GENERAL ELECTIONS – First Edition, for all Igede stakeholders from academic, legal, medical, business, politics, and all walks of life, to come together and form a common front through cooperation and unity of purpose, irrespective of political differences and leanings, to chart a new cause for Igede socio-political development.
Mr. Oije is a social engineer, a media talisman, an excellent negotiator, a community mobiliser and a hardcore principled man. Undoubtedly, he is eminently qualified to belong to the class of people of 3c – character, courage and charisma.
Mr. Oije is selfless, honest and sacrificial. Ordinarily, being one of the key players in the creation of Obi Local Government, he would have been recognized and rewarded after his retirement from civil service in 2015, but for the Igede poor rewarding culture and building of mediocrity by the political class to cover their sheer ineptitude. No matter what you have to bring to the table for the development of Igede nation, once you do not subscribe to their entrenched principles of mediocrity, bootlicking and servitude, hell no, the Igede political class, especially those from Obi Local Government, would never consider you for any political appointment or elective position. This has been the bane of Igede development since the creation of Oju and Obi LGs till date. As a matter of fact, Igede socio-political development has been on a decline, receding into political abyss.
If we must therefore grow as a people, we must deliberately shift away from such draconian practice of breeding mediocrity and begin to use our best brains and those with genuine love for Igede development. This is the only way we can come out our present political woods and be taken seriously by the other ethnic nationalities within the Benue configuration.
I know that since his retirement in 2015, Mr. Oije had not contested election into any political position. I do not know if he has any political ambition at the moment or would accept an appointment into any of the positions I had highlighted in my 1st publication. However, given the personality of Mr. Oije and the uncommon respect his friends and colleagues, both within and outside Igede nation, have for him within the social circle as a man of rare values and courage, I believe, Mr. Oije has the capacity, the charisma and all the negotiation skills of a good leader, to present/represent Igede’s position/interest before other ethnic nationalities, for fair and equitable distribution of political positions in Benue State, come 2023 and beyond. His experience, capacity, connections, resources, track records and excellent character are, in my view, necessary for the daunting task ahead of us.
I, therefore, call on all well-meaning Igede sons and daughters to line this rare breed up among the other discussants to present the position of Igede nation to other ethnic nationalities in the political permutations, equations and negotiations for power sharing and fair representation as we are en route to 2023 general elections.
Igede Ihiooo!
LOOK FORWARD TO THE 8TH IGEDE BOLD PERSONALITY….
James Udor Ebe, Esq.
DISCLAIMER:
The views expressed in this write up are strictly those of the author, based on his personal convictions, research and information sourced from relevant materials about the individual(s). It is not a sponsored or paid advert for any personal, clannish or political interest. The author takes personal responsibility for any information about any personality that is inaccurately stated and/or typographical or grammatical errors contained therein.
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