Onuigbo is a transformational leader, emulate his leadership example – Eze Anyaegbu tasks Abians

LEADERS have been tasked to recognise that their impact can not be assessed by how loud the adulation their high offices attract to their titles, but the legacy of achievements they register in the hearts of people.

Speaking at the just concluded August Meeting of the Umudike Development Union (Women’s Wing), a revered monarch, HRH Eze Onyekwere P. J. Anyaegbu, Dike Oha II of Umudike Ancient Kingdom, Ikwuano Local Government Area of Abia State, said he was compelled to make the assertions due the sterling qualities of a man, whose name and records of public service, has become synonymous with resilience, vision, and transformational leadership.

Turning to Rt. Hon. Sam Ifeanyichukwu Onuigbo (Odozi Obodo Gburugburu), the royal father, stated: “I have followed the dogged and unrelenting steps of Rt. Hon Sam Onuigbo, Odozi Obodo Gburugburu, especially his sterling contributions towards the restoration of several key Management Science courses that were earlier withdrawn from our university, the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, MOUAU.
“He began this arduous journey when he was our federal law maker and never relented when he completed his term. Today, to the glory of God, the key five Management Science courses have been restored to MOUAU.

And, as the Royal Father in whose domain MOUAU is sited, I can not ignore the spill over effect and impact the restoration of these courses will have on the university and our immediate communities. Jisike Chief Onuigbo, Odozi Obodo Gburugburu.”

Citizens of the town noted that the words were not empty or affected commendation, but described the utterances of the monarch as a royal affirmations of a chequered struggle, which began as a solo effort to redress a far reaching and unjust decision.
It would be recalled that Rep Onuigbo, who represented Ikwuano/Umuahia North and Umuahia South federal constituency in the House of Representatives, initiated the moves to reinstate the five upscale course through a motion to that effect on the floor of the Eighth House of Representatives.

The effort was sustained through channels even when he left the House of Representatives as he walked along various corridors of government to ensure what could now be described as a collective victory for the institution, students, the economy and the entire Umudike community.
It is on record that right from the 2016/2017 academic session, when the National Universities Commission (NUC) delisted key Management Science programmes from MOUAU, the intellectual and professional formation of countless students were put in abeyance.

But, while others feigned unconcerned and resigned to fate, Rt. Hon. Onuigbo refused to bow to impossibility and injustice. Thus began his persistent push to redress the anomaly, and by divine grace, those courses, including Accounting, Marketing, Banking and Finance, Business Administration, and Economics; have been restored.

Only forward-looking intellectual and those conversant with what it takes to develop a community would recognise the fact that the restoration of those courses did not come as a mean feat. That should explain why teachers, students, stakeholders and the traditional ruler have described the development as the resuscitation of intellectual firehouse, a restoration of pride, and a legacy etched in the annals of Umudike’s evolving educational history.

The plaudits are not reserved for just Hon Onuigbo alone, rather it represents a clarion call to the entire political class of Ikwuano, our elites, and indeed, every son and daughter of Abia State, to embrace the maxim that says “charity begins at home.”

It is also a salient reminder to us all that transformational leadership is not bound to the chambers of parliament alone but can also be expressed in acts of selfless philanthropy. All said, Rt. Hon. Sam Onuigbo has once again proven that leadership is not a function of position or title but consists in persuasion, sacrifice, and service to humanity that transcends both self and tenured office.

The restoration of those five courses in Michael Okpara University of Agriculture is a gift, not just to the institution but also to every young dreamer whose academic aspirations were placed on suspended animation.

This is not a temporary infusion but a timeless gift to the future economy of Ikwuano Local Government Area, Abia State, and by extension, Nigeria.

What is more, when a king rises to applaud, when the Vice-Chancellor and the Management of MOUAU acknowledge such a wonderful contribution and a people gather to affirm what has become a part of historical record, the impact is no longer personal, but the loud testimony of destiny.

Rt Hon Sam Ifeanyichukwu Onuigbo, has come to represent one of the light-bearers of this generation, just as his works in education, climate change, community, infrastructure and human capital development, stand out as the hallmarks of transformational leadership worthy of celebration, documentation and emulation.