Ike Ekweremadu: An Embodiment of Experience, Competence and Wisdom
By Kendy Ovbiebo
A colleague of mine asked me to examine the Nigerian senators in a cursory
manner to determine if they match up with their United States
counterparts. This came up when we were arguing about the effectiveness of
lawmakers in the United States. During my mini research, I stumbled into
plethora of information on one Nigerian senator, Senator Ike Ekweremadu,
the Deputy President of the Nigerian Senate. As I was reading up on him,
three major things kept coming up, experience, competence, wisdom, as well
as being the most detribalized Nigerian, who sees it as his moral
obligation to uplift people and empower them to lift themselves off of
poverty.
How did I come to this conclusion of a man I have never met? I read
everything I could get my hands on. I read what people have written about
him, including what his detractors wrote. I subjected every story to
strict scrutiny and found that Ekweremadu is a rare senator in Nigeria. It
is a fact that he gave scholarships to people. For Ekweremadu to award
22.3m Scholarships to 525 students is commendable. It is a fact that he
established education-related programs and projects for people to empower
themselves. Most importantly, his fetish for education is to provide
people the opportunity to attain their highest level of education. Without
this opportunity, many would have stopped at level that would force them
to live in perpetual poverty. Ekweremadu himself is a life-long learner.
His recent completion of his doctor of philosophy program is a powerful
testament to his philosophy.
Similarly, Ekweremadu has the Ikeoha Foundation that promotes and funds
his humanitarian projects in communities around Enugu State. He has
attracted enormous federal programs and projects to the people in the form
of health centers, roads, rural electrification, as well as other projects
he has personally funded to make life better for his people. Here, in the
United States, senators work hard to attract federal presence in their
respective constituencies. The more seniority you have in the Senate, the
larger the piece of the pie you bring home. As a result, most senators are
reelected over and over again by their state to allow them membership on
powerful committees. In addition, based on their seniority, they may
become chairs of committees, a position every senator wants. Suffice to
say that longevity in office breeds experience and experience breeds
competence. Senator Ike Ekweremadu is the type of senator many in the
United States would want. For instance, the “roads and development
projects you see around Awgu, Oji-River, Ezeagu, Aninri, and many parts of
Enugu and the South East came courtesy of the quality representation” of
Ike Ekweremadu—this type of representation is what every constituency
wants.
Ekweremadu's work ethic could be seen in the number and quality of
legislations he has shepherded in the senate. Like me, he does not look at
thinks from the tribal lenses. He works hard to preserve Nigeria utilizing
his competent knowledge in lawmaking. He is a trustworthy and honest
legislator. As the Chairman of the Governing Council of the National
Institute for Legislative Studies, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, said, “The
legislators cannot afford to fall short of being worthy of their mandates
and the trust reposed in them and it is in light of their great
responsibility that the National Institute for Legislative Studies was
established with the mandate of supporting and strengthening the
legislature in pursuit of the ideals of democracy through research,
training, legislative support, advocacy and networking. He also said that
the partnership between NILS and University of Benin is a testament of the
Institute's achievements and growing relevance.”
Senator Ike Ekweremadu has always been a bridge builder; he brings people
together from different backgrounds and communities for a common goal—for
a common purpose of unifying the country while representing his
constituency in particular and Nigeria in general effectively. He knows
that the job of a public servant is one that never ends, so he constantly
and continuously sharpens his legislative skills. Without a doubt,
Ekweremadu has the skills, sense of duty, the integrity, and above all he
has pragmatic leadership qualities to move us forward—to carry everyone
along. So why would one want to change a good leader who embodies
experience, competence, and wisdom at a time our country needs such a
person most? It is therefore essential that Ekweremadu should remain in
the Senate to work with President Jonathan to move the country forward.
After all he has a successful track record and in-depth knowledge of how
to get the job done. Indeed, Ekweremadu is an inspiration to most of us.
Kendy Ovbiebo, an auditor, writes from Seattle, Washington State.
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