• Enugu Community, Gov Ugwuanyi tell former PDP chairman
From Chinedu Asadu, Enugu
Ede-Oballa community in Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State recently stood still as the high and mighty in the state and beyond gathered to celebrate the immediate past state Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Vita Abba, an enginneer.
Indeed, it was a day of jubilation for not just the community, but also for Abba as it was one of those rare occasions where hard work and diligence in service were rewarded.
Tagged the Grand Reception in honour of Vita Abba, the occasion saw the crème de la crème of the society, including Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi; the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Edward Ubosi, senators and House of Reps. members emptying into the community for the epoch-making event.
At the event, Abba was also conferred with a chieftaincy title, Onwa of Nsukka Zone, by the Enugu North Council of Traditional Rulers in appreciation of his benevolence to the zone.
The event had begun with a thanksgiving mass celebrated at St. Paul’s Catholic Church, Ede-Oballa, which was used “to thank God for blessing Ede-Oballa community with Vita Abba”.
In a homily during the mass Fr. Thaddeus Ezema noted that Abba is a man whose utmost concern is the betterment of those around him, adding that through him, God has lifted not only Ede-Oballa community but the various other communities in the state.
According to him, “biology states that the higher you go, the cooler it becomes. For Vita Abba, the higher he goes, the more humble and more diligent he is. Unlike some others, he made sure that his people benefitted from his good fortunes. For him, self-fulfillment is being able to help those around you attain a greater status. Indeed, we should all emulate his life of humility and true service to humanity”.
The outpouring of encomiums on Abba had continued at St. Paul’s Primary School field where the reception proper took place.
As the event began, speaker after speaker came out to testify to the goodness and greatness of Chief Abba, describing him as “the true son of the soil and in whom Edo-Oballa is well pleased”.
Among those who poured encomium on him were traditional rulers from Enugu North Senatorial Zone, representatives of Federal University of Science and Technology, Owerri (FUTO), where he served as Pro-Chancellor, religious organizations, women groups, among others.
The dignitaries were entertained by the various dance groups from within and outside the community.
Presenting the welcome address by the Ede-Oballa and Edenu Ede-Oballa Town Unions, Chief Sylvanus Asogwa said the people decided to honour Chief Abba in recognition of his meritorious service and salient contributions to the development of humanity in Ede-Oballa and beyond.
He described Abba as “a son whose love for other people’s progress knows no bound” and who has brought unfathomable development to the community through his passion for human capital development.
“His attributes of selfless service, hard-work and dedication to duty pervade the length and breadth of the entire Enugu State in particular and Nigeria in general”, Asogwa said.
Going down memory lane, he recalled that all through his Abba has “distinguished himself as an adroit leader, an accomplished businessman, a team player and a silent philanthropist with vision, vigour and valour”.
While pointing out that Abba’s milk of kindness would never be exhausted, Chief Asogwa listed some of the projects Abba has carried out in the community to include the building of St. Paul’s Catholic Church, rural electrification of the area, institution of a scholarship fund that has seen over 40 students through to tertiary education, attraction of road construction projects in the area, among others.
According to him, “he has made a mark in assisting many indigent persons from all walks of life, of which Ede-Oballa are among the beneficiaries. Many less privileged persons have been trained to the university level by him. Hospital bills of the poor have also been paid for by him. He has also helped in building houses for the poor, supporting training of priests and assisting some of them on further studies.
“Tactfully, through his administrative ingenuity, political sagacity, vision and wisdom, he repositioned the PDP in Enugu State to an enviable status and turned it to a winning train by delivering all the candidates of the party to victory throughout his tenure as chairman.”
Also speaking, the Speaker of the Enugu State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Ubosi, extolled the virtues Abba exhibited while in office as the PDP Chairman.
Ubosi pointed out that Abba chaired the party based on the principle of fairness, equity, transparency and accountability.
The Speaker, who served as the party’s financial secretary when Abba was in office, described him as his boss even as he noted that he carried everyone along while overseeing the affairs of the party.
His words: “I don’t know if there is anybody that will beat his record in the state chapter of the party. Before he came on board, the party had no detailed account but once he assumed duty as the chairman, he insisted that in his time, there must be a proper account of whatever money that comes into the party.
“You are indeed a blessing to humanity. All I am telling you is that you should keep it up. This crowd that you see here today has come to stay with you because you are good. If not, people would have been attending to their various other needs. If there is where you made mistakes, God will grant you another position to use and correct such”.
Speaking also, the Senator representing Enugu North Federal Constituency, Chief Chukwuka Utazi, noted that Abba left a legacy while serving as the state chairman of the PDP.
According to Utazi, he ensured that his leadership was formed on the principles of equity, transparency, discipline and fairness, adding that he was one of the best chairmen the state has ever produced.
Also, in her address, the member representing Uzo-Uwani/Igbo-Etiti Federal Constituency at the House of Representatives, Hon. (Mrs) Stella Ngwu, noted that Abba deserved to be celebrated, saying that he was a man of history, honour and integrity.
Pointing out that Abba’s great feats are not only felt in the community, she said he had also made good marks in many parts of the state and the country in general, adding that the “Ede-Oballa community has a great son in Abba and as a result, he is the son of everyone.”
Intermittently, cultural groups took the stage with masquerades of various types littering the arena, dancing and performing stunts to the excitement of the crowd.
As the ceremony progressed, Governor Ugwuanyi arrived amid shouts of ‘Gburugburu, Gburugburu,’ as the people rose to his praises.
The governor’s arrival was also heralded by 21 canon shots that shook the ground of the arena.
After that it was time to confer on Abba a chieftaincy title by the Enugu North Council of Traditional Rulers in appreciation of his kindness and good works in the zone.
While he was bestowed with the title of Onwa of Nsukka Zone, his wife, Mrs Obiageli Abba, also an engineer, was also conferred with the title of Osodieme, in recognition of her continued support for her husband.
With the conferment of the title over, Abba went around the arena to thank the various groups that had gathered as he acknowledged cheers from the people, who were shouting ‘onwa, onwa, onwa.’
In appreciation to the community, he thanked them for seeing him as a worthy son of the land to be done such a tremendous favour of a grand reception.
He also thanked the traditional rulers for the titles conferred on him and his wife, promising that he would continue to do his best for the development of not just the community but the state in general.
“For the Igwes council to recognize me today, it shows me that the coming generation will learn a big lesson from this. It is about working together. You can’t do it all alone. I thank you for remembering me today. And I hope that our generations unborn will learn from this and do things not just for the interest of our people but for the interest of our state,” he said.
He also thanked the state government and the party chairman for their support so far, even as he assured the chairman of the people’s support.
“All these people you see here are your brothers and sisters, we will be praying for you so that you will make our place and Enugu State better”, he added.
Making reference to the emergence of Hon. Ugwuanyi as the governor of the state, he said: “Today is a day of joy. It is a day of joy because we went for hunting and while coming back, we came back with a lion in the person of Hon. Ugwuanyi our dear governor. What is very important and significant in the political history of Nsukka was achieved without shooting a gun”.
On his part, Ugwuanyi expressed joy and satisfaction for the conduct of the people to deem it necessary to say ‘thank you’ to their son, adding that such gesture would push him to do more for the community.
He also used the opportunity to thank the people of Enugu State for their continued support for his administration, promising that by the grace of God, he would never disappoint in the mandate they had given to him.
His words: “I thank you all my brothers and sisters, who have been supporting me with prayers and goodwill. You are the true heroes of our democracy. It will be well with you all. Nsukka people are one. What is done for an Nsukka man, it is done for all of us. What is done for Vita Abba, is done for all of us.”
The governor also used the opportunity to thank the members of the PDP, pointing out that the success of Abba’s tenure as the party’s chairman was as a result of their collective efforts.