Happy Birthday To Mr Valentine Obienyem, A Dedicated Enigma To Igbo Cause

And today he added another golden year ,making him older and more matured in things of life. That is my brother from different mother ,my friend like ezi enyi ka nwanne, i would,ve asked my Father if he sojourned around some areas in his youth and thereby making me to have a brother that is not recalled home, I am talking about my own person Mr Valentine Obienyem as i wish him a happy birthday and i here with present

Brief on Mr. Valentine Obienyem
Mr. Valentine Obienyem was born on the 11th of February, 19,,,. He started his formal education in 1977 at Ojinato Primary School, Oji River, Enugu State. He attended St Dominic Savior Seminary, Akpu,; St John Bosco Seminary, Isuaniocha; Lagos State University and the Nigerian Law School at Bwari, Abuja.

Mr. Obienyem, a Barrister with an unusual flair for philosophy and journalism, has written over 1000 published articles in national newspapers and reputable journals. He also presents papers at seminars and conferences.

Mr. Obienyem's erudition in wrestling with ideas is evident in most of his articles, which are treasured by profound souls and serious analysts. A google search against his name on the internet presents some of these articles.

As a student of Bigard Memorial Seminary, Enugu,He is good,gifted and talented that one of the lecturers in the school, photocopied a written by Valentine, on philosophy, entitled The Study of Philosophy . The lecturer made all the students at Bigard to have it because of its instructive value.

Indeed, I am personally so perplexed at his depth in philosophy that I once asked him why the excessive love for a subject many actually deride. See his reply: “Philosophy awakens in man the need to reflect on his very being. It makes for critical thinking and easily produces the renaissance l'homme Universalis, the universal man, who sees things from perspective of wisdom.

He continued: "It is derided out of ignorance and the tendency of the contemporary man to weight everything by its pecuniary value. Philosophy, though it produces men who can easily fit in most spheres of human work, is much more than 'cash' because it is priceless.” Indeed, on reading him, one can describe him as the cornucopia of knowledge and he prompts those that studied Philosophy to regain our pride in the subject.”

An author, Obienyem has three published books, namely: Philosophical Facts in Living, The Mother of All Wars and the biography of Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu entitledOjukwu: The Last Patriot.

Obienyem has worked in different media houses and organizations.

He worked with Chief Ojo Maduekwe at Federal Ministry of Transport as the Personal Assistant to Ojo's Special Assistant, Dr. Okey Ikechukwu. He was also Personal Assistant to Dr Ikechukwu when the latter was with Chief Chukwuemeka Chikelu at the Federal Ministry of Information and was one of the most reliable hands in a special national media intervention programme "The Newsroom Project", under Dr. Okey Ikechukwu.

Valentine was the Special Assistant to the Director General of the Voice of Nigeria (VON), Mallam Abubakar Jijiwa and was also the head of the Corporate Affairs Unit of the Organisation. It was from this office that he was seconded to the Government of Anambra State as the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the former Governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi. He still works with Mr. Obi.

These details are necessary for the younger ones to know that climbing the rungs of life is one step after another.

A widely travelled man, Obienyem has visited over 35 countries in the course of his duty.

The other day, I saw on facebook so many people advising him to leave Mr. Peter Obi as he had, according to them, paid his dues. So many people seemed to support the idea until he changed the tide by his reply. Let me reproduce the write-up as published:

Anyi Igbanda Question to Val and His reply
The Question: Valentine Obienyem kam jua biko. I ka na aruru Mazi Obi olu? Orubeghi mgbe iga achoba aha gi? Madu agabu taata kwa afo?

Val reply: Igbanda, kedu nke isizi ekwu o tua? May be anytime I am privileged to see you, we shall talk on the virtues of patience and the need to be far-sighted. Short sightedness, the urge to prove that we have come of age, is a vice which 419ners have in abundance. It has ruined so many people. My good friend Mr. Norrison .Quakers worked for many years in Olisa Agbakoba's Chambers that many people, including myself had to raise questions.

Any time you mentioned that to Quakers, he would smile calmly. In fact, in one encounter with him I asked him thus: "Senior, you are an eagle whose wings have grown, you should not be kept in the nest, please what is hindering your flight?" He got his SANship working under him before he established his own office. This is all I can say for now. Has it satisfied your curiosity?

I decided to include this exchange to bring out one vital thing about my brother from another mother, Mr. Valentine Obienyem. He believes in mentoring and often advises the younger ones to seek responsible persons as mentors and/or role models. He is infinitely grateful to Dr. Okey Ikechukwu under whose pupilage he cut his teeth in journalism, approach to life and, if you care to ask him, “in life itself.”

He loves reading and takes great pleasure in informed discourses on the beauties of metaphysics, the unity of opposites, the interdependence of contraries, the harmony of strife, the debate about the unseen real and the unreal seen, depths of man's existence and Obienyem enjoys playing tennis.

His marriage to Mrs Anulika God-gift Obienyem is blessed with three children- Ifechukwu, Chiamaka and Ifeoma.

We wish him the best of the best and pray that goodness and mercy shall continue to overwhelm him all the days of his life.

Happy birthday my MAN ubochi ututu