An Emotional Tribute to Senator Ben Uwajumogu Who Goes Home Today, By Emeka Ahaneku

Benjamin Chukwuemeka Uwajumogu (1965-2019)

To everything under the sun there is time and a season. A time to be born and a time to die; a time to love and a time to hate, a time to build and a time to destroy…. (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)

These are permanent, unchanging ecclesiastical truism that are the lot of humanity and which every living soul is bound to taste.

For Distinguished Senator Benjamin Uwajumogu, death came calling in the last month of 2019, abruptly shutting down a life that was wholly dedicated to the service of God and humanity.

Today, Friday, February 22, 2020, all roads will lead to Umuihi, Ihitte Uboma Local Government Area of Imo State as  family, kinsmen, Okigwe Zone, Imo State, the political class, captains of industry, and the general public gather to bid  goodbye to one of the finest of his generation.

Senator Uwajumogu’s death remains a bitter pill, very hard to swallow because his sun not only set in the afternoon, it came down at a time his services, contributions, exemplary political and public life, astute business acumen, invaluable experience, integrity, character, selflessness, deep philosophical insights and philanthropy were in great demand.

But, we are consoled that Senator Benjamin Uwajumogu, who until his demise, was Senator representing Imo north under the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, and Chairman, Senate Committee on Employment, Labour and Productivity, lived a fulfilled life serving God and humanity In the process, he left behind imperishable legacies that have etched his name in the sands of time and memory of his people.

Distinguished Senator Uwajumogu was a giant of industry,  a tireless technocrat with great philosophical insight, egalitarian in thought. Apart from being a commentator on public affairs and national development, he was a loving family man, a consummate public servant and politician, an astute businessman and renowned philanthropist.

An avatar of uncommon candour, his personality radiated the pristine values and sterling qualities of excellence, integrity and character which today’s morally challenged society has confined to oblivion.  He was one bright star whose rays glowed across the Nigerian political and business world, and who was also respected  for his uncompromising stance on integrity and wholesomeness in corporate governance.

An amiable man and cosmopolitan nationalist and Christian from the South eastern region of Nigeria, he was born on June 30, 1965, in to a wealthy Igbo family. His father, late Chief Benjamin Uwajumogu, was a business man, industrialist, philanthropist and a renowned politician who used his wealth to provide for the needy and better the lot of many irrespective of personal, ethnic or religious affiliations.

He had his early education at Library Avenue Primary School Umuahia, Abia State, and his secondary education at Ikperejere Secondary School, Ihitte/Uboma. He later proceeded abroad for higher education and exposure in preparation for the tasks ahead of him. Immediately after his graduation abroad coupled with the demise of his father, he returned to Nigeria and joined the private sector where he rose to the towering heights for which he was known.

Senator Uwajumogu joined politics at a young age and funded the Social Democratic Party, SDP, in his local government. Little wonder, he became the youngest political party chairman in his area. He was the Imo State coordinator of Chief M.K.O. Abiola’s presidential campaign organization.

Senator Uwajumogu contested several unsuccessful elections before he was elected to represent his local government at the Imo State House of Assembly where he would later emerge Speaker (2011 to 2015).

Under his peaceful, harmonious and uninterrupted four years as Speaker, legislative business was taken to a new level. He was able to do this through adoption of democratic principles of accountability, transparency, inclusiveness, integrity, trustworthiness, courage and forthrightness.

With his colleagues massed behind him, the House, under his leadership, made many laws, moved motions and carried out oversights that contributed significantly to the achievements of the executive branch of government from 2011 to 2015.

As a man of the people, Uwajumogu used good office to address inequalities that had, until his elevation as a Speaker, apparently smeared his Okigwe zone and constituency. He negotiated and championed the following projects in the six local governments of Okigwe zone: the construction of over 15 kilometres of rural roads, construction of six general hospitals, and construction of new schools in each electoral ward.

Other projects include the Obowu Malaysian Market, the attraction of three tertiary institutions in the zone, the Okigwe urban renewal projects, which led to the installation of stainless steel street lights and the construction of a cultural centre by the state government. With the solid support of his colleagues, he influenced several youth and women empowerment schemes, development of new cities, and many other projects. He also faclitated appointments, admissions and employment for deserving and qualified Okigwe sons and daughters. During his campaign for the senate, Uwajumogu vowed to complete the projects he attracted to the state as Speaker if elected a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He remained committed to this pledge in the National Assembly till he breathed his last on December 18, 2019. .

For Ihitte Uboma, his legacies are legion. They include: College of Education, construction of over 25km of asphalted roads, construction of schools in all electoral wards, renovation of health centres and construction of a brand new general hospital, donation of transformers and electric cables, sinking of solar powered bore holes, construction of stalls to facilitate trade and various empowerment programmes as well as scholarship awards to over 7000 Ihitte-Uboma indigenes. He remained true to his family ideology of trustworthiness, accessibility and philanthropy, which he brought to bear on his celebrated constituency relations skills, open-mindedness and non-judgmental attitude that transformed his town into an economic hub within four short years and earned him the reputation of the architect of modern Ihitte-Uboma local government area.

From his days at Nigerian Shippers Council, which afforded him the opportunity to crisscross the 36 states of the federation, to his days as the no one lawmaker in Imo state, Senator Uwajumogu stood out as a man who can be trusted.. He achieved these by spurning  graft, corruption and nepotism.

After a successful tenure at the Imo state House of Assembly through which he contributed immensely to state development, zonal and his local government development and growth, Uwajumogu brought his Midas touch to the National Assembly where he represented Okigwe zone and southeast region as the only elected APC Senator  for four years.

As a senator, Uwajumogu made tremendous contributions to the development of Okigwe zone and Nigeria in many ways. The deluge of tributes that poured in when he passed attest to this.

President Muhammadu Buhari was apt in his remarks that Senator Uwajumogu made “worthy services and invaluable contributions to the development of Nigeria.”

Although glowing tributes have been paid, and some ornate eulogies still appear in newspapers, there are invaluable lessons to be drawn from the life and times of this giant. To starters both in politics and business, who are lured by greed and avarice, senator Uwajumogu’s life is a lesson that nothing really means much if one truly wants to serve.

Senator Uwajumogu was also a quintessential gentleman. His life embodied the classical culture his intellectual orientation bestowed on him. While his speech or utterances had the appropriate measure of frankness and courtesy, on matters or issues for which he had little or no expertise, Uwajumogu was taciturn. Even when many regarded him as Mr. Integrity, whose penetrating intellect unearthed the maladies of boardroom maladministration, his admonition, when given, bore the civility of correction.

Younger generation of boardroom executives, who found him as a model, often admired his prudential vocal nature and, to wit, try  to imitate him  Lesson: to become an authority, one needs not only intellectual insight or technical expertise but also experience garnered from tested hands like Uwajumogu’s, as well as the cultivated mind and heart to share knowledge.

It is for these and more that  the Uwajumogu family, the Okigwe nation, Imo people, the business community and the APC family and the political class in general are mourning and lamenting the departure of one of the most luminous stars that ever shone in both the public and private firmament.

Indeed, in Uwajumogu we lost a rare gem and irreplaceable personality.

But being Christians, we shall never mourn like heathens; without hope. We are certain he’s resting in the bosom of God Almighty. We are also comforted by the fact that one glorious morning, we shall meet at the feet of the Lord, in paradise, never to part again!

Adieu Odokaraomee

Adieu Ogbuhuruzo Imo state

Adieu my Boss

Signed: Hon. Emeka Ahaneku

Former Chief Press Secretary to late Distinguished Senator Benjamin Uwajumogu