The piece of information that Ebonyi State Council of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) has named her ultra modern Press Centre after the immediate past Governor of Ebonyi State, Dr. Sam Ominyi Egwu, is heart warming.

According to a press release by the state NUJ chairman, Mr. Goddy Okafor, the Chapter decided to extend such a gesture to Egwu in "appreciation of his immense contribution to the development of journalism profession as well as his landmark achievements in the State".

It is interesting to note that the commissioning ceremony which was performed by the State Governor, Chief Martin Elechi coincided with the meeting of the Central Working Committee (CWC) of NUJ.

On this score, history repeated itself: In 2004 when the then governor of the State, Egwu performed the foundation laying ceremony of the edifice, the event also coincided with the NEC meeting of the union. In the light of the present, the current NUJ President, Ndagana Akwu, led members of the national executive of NUJ, drawn from the thirty six states of the federation and Abuja to participate in the commissioning of the completed Press Centre.

It is symbolic and significant that this honour has come to the former Ebonyi helmsman at a time in his life when he is operating outside of power and politial authority, so to speak. It therefore bears eloquent testimony to the man's political stature and influence and lends credence to the fact that he performed creditably while in office.

This is great!
That this laurel is coming from the critical section of society, the press, indeed the Fourth Estate of the Realm, makes the honour all the more worthy of celebration. Certainly, for the Press to unanimously decide to honour a leader with a lifetime award such as naming a timeless edifice, Press Centre, after him such a person must really be worth his onion. One finds this very ennobling as it conduces to the well-worn adage that charity begins at home. Had the man popularly known as "Akadike Ndigbo" that (the pillar of Igbo nation) not performed satisfactorily as Governor of Ebonyi State, it would have been difficult for him to receive this spectacular recognition from home.

However, it should be underscored that this honour being given to the first Executive Governor of Ebonyi State is basically outstanding because of the timing. Else, while in office, Egwu had garnered an array of garlands and laurels from different chapters of the Union of Journalists for his excellent performance in leadership. At different periods and fora, diverse chapters ranging from the FCT, Abuja to the national body of NUJ had singled out Egwu from among his colleagues for uncommon honour and recognition.

To cap it all, the apex body of NUJ in concert with then Ministry of Information and National Orientation had, after a thorough on-the-spot assessment of projects envisioned and executed by all the Governors of the thirty-six states of the federation, isolated Egwu and a few others for awards. In that light, Egwu won four gold medals for his meritorious service, especially in the areas of good governance, healthcare, rural development and education.

But really, does Egwu deserve this honour? Of course, he is deserving of it and even more for the enviable feats he performed in the service of the young state. From May 29, 1999 when he assumed office as first civilian governor of the State, Egwu saw governance completely as an opportunity and privilege to render service to the people. He embarked on people-oriented programmes such as free and compulsory education, overseas scholarships to qualified Ebonyi indigenes to read at the Master's and Doctorate degree levels, general infrastructural development of the State, functional healthcare programme which made hospitals and clinics accessible and affordable, to mention a few.

Above all, it is to his credit that the mindset and valuation of the typical Ebonyi person were revolutionized during his tenure. It is now trite to stress that the Ebonyi person that predated the creation of the State in 1996 and to a large extent, Egwu's tenure in 1999 is one that was largely bereft of self-confidence and pride in his heritage. This apparent self-abasement resulted from years of oppression and marginalization which the people hitherto suffered in the hands of successive governments. Poverty was therefore prevalent and backwardness, the staple stigma of the people.

Egwu charged into office with a missionary zeal to release his people from the bondage of poverty and backwardness. While he held sway as governor, he focused his attention on different important sectors of education, agriculture, healthcare, general infrastructure and social amenities. And interestingly, by the time he left office, he had left his footprints in many areas.

Today, Ebonyi is no more reputed as educationally-disadvantaged, what with the establishment of a state university that some years ago was ranked third by NUC as the best performing state university in the country. The University Teaching Hospial which was bedridden and unable to produce medical doctors, was roused to life by the Egwu administration and got accredited by the Nigerian Medical Association.
Today, the teaching hospital has graduated upwards of five batches of medical doctors, courtesy of Egwu's visionary leadership.

His administration built many kilometres of roads and bridges, houses in the three senatorial districts of the state and gave Abakaliki, the capital city, a face-lift. He showed his mastery of agriculture by building the much-talked about Nkaliki Poultry Complex and the Fertilizer Blending Plant, in addition to the regular extension of micro-credits to farmers and small scale entrepreneurs.

In all, Egwu lifted the fortunes of the Ebonyi person and re-wrote histories of otherwise poor homes/families to prosperous ones. If anybody is in any shade of doubt as to the veracity of this assertion, he or she should consider the hundreds of candidates Egwu’s government sponsored on overseas scholarship, some of whom have been retained as lecturers by their alma-mater in the United Kingdom.

It is noteworthy that Egwu displayed unparalleled broadmindedness in the execution of his policies and programmes. In selecting youths for overseas leadership programme which he pioneered with his wife, Eunice, he insisted that children of the very poor, including orphans who are indisputably endowed, should benefit primarily from the programme. His free education programme and free ante-natal programme for pregnant women were enjoyed by all inhabitants of the state.

Finally, Sam Egwu is media-friendly. He believes that the press plays a pivotal role in the engineering of society and thus admirably carried them along in governance. The edifice "Dr Sam Egwu Press Centre" is a demonstration of his love and appreciation of the press. To Nigerian journalists, congratulations on pulling off this feat. It really takes a great mind to give honour to whom it is due. The honour is certainly fitting on Egwu.


Awoke writes from Abakaliki.