On this media personal records of the unforgettable great landmarks of Ebonyi South Zone for the State, Egede Lawrence writes.
Whether we like it or not the South Zone of Ebonyi State took the first shot at how to create the State, far back in the history of the agitation for the creation of new States during the military regime era in 1976.
Other members of the State creation Agitators might have joined DR. Francis Akanu Ibiam after he must have decided to take the initial steps officially.
I am referring to the time I noticed that people from the Abakaliki Province were also amongst others, agitating for the creation of new States in the federation including the present Ebonyi State this side.
At that time, I was working with Alhaji Yahya Abubakar together with Dr Patrick Dele Cole in the Political Dept of the fed Cabinet Office in Lagos. It was echoed in 1975 and started in earnest in 1976 by the last group of agitators. This is how I knew it.
The Honourable Justice Irikefe Panel was created to handle it, and we were drafted to help in the work then by the Obasanjo regime. We were annexed near Dodan Barracks on-call duty.
DR. Akanu Ibiam was the one on top of the introduction and push for the creation of Ebonyi State, while other people like C. C. Onoh were for Wawa State.
But later on, C. C. Onoh and his group members changed gear for the creation of Enugu State, which eventually materialized.
We were only three in number as the official Clerks receiving and filing the incoming Memos submitted by the agitators, and dispatching them to the office of the nation's Head of State.
DR. Akanu Ibiam and Late Rev. Nwafor gathered other people as group members to support the move collectively, but Ibiam made the last sacrificial effort.
In 1992 he met Gen Babangida for the creation of Ebonyi State in his memorial, according to what he told me.
Both of us suddenly met along O'Connor Street, Independence Layout in Enugu Metropolis the day he landed from Abuja and was going to Mezue Associates office, located along the Street.
The creation of the new States including Ebonyi State became a reality in his memorial, as he died a little earlier than the eventuality.
That's how I started to remark on the issue of the unforgettable great Landmarks of the Ebonyi South Zone, including the new world of Governor Umahi's indelible legacies and beautiful footprints on the sands of time.
In fact, upon all my travels and sojourn outside Ebonyi State, I have never seen the kind of the l of beautiful layout of new hosts of numerous projects as witnessed today in the State.
The Predecessors of Governor Umahi in the highest position of leadership of Ebonyi State, as I know it was also happy about the present development level.
They never raised any eyebrow against the new world-class of Governor Umahi's development prowess, which surprised them.
Anybody who makes the awful mistake of calling what I saw a deception, or is equally a deception, a disappointment and a disgrace to Ebonyi State.
That's why I am crying that the next governor must not be mentally lazy, mindfully antagonistic and socially a big political misfit that can create complex hitches in leadership.
He must not be a political liar and anti-industrious character that will be physically indolent, self-aggrandizing and stupid.
He must not be an economic threat to creativity, productivity and innovation in the areas of business planting development excellence in Ebonyi State.
Governor Umahi has planted a serious business development system strategy, to teach every man and woman how to catch economic fish for general use.
If we look around, the reasons behind the success of Governor Umahi's regime was the result of avoiding gluttons, who were thinking that government is all about politics of extravaganza in the leadership environments.
What the gluttons saw was their undoing in thoughts and words, which down tooled them hands down and mouth shut, with unexpected bundles of imaginations and wonders.
Let me cut the whole story a bit short, by saying that what the Ebonyi South Zone did were all unforgettable great Landmarks, first in the history of excellence with viable deposits for many in successive future generations.
Thank God that Governor David Umahi came into power at the time he was already well-to-do.
He came basically to work as a determined true Servant/leader of a poor State, not like those in his shoes whose aims were to be powerful and also to amass wealth like no man's business.
If it were not for the doctrine of the political chatter of equity of the State, I should recommend that the South of Ebonyi be left to govern the State further until the present standards are improved upon to the climax.
But let God decide the next line of His divine intervention, over what will be His perfect order for the people of Ebonyi State.
I will miss Governor Umahi so much if he leaves the stage the next year. He makes my heart warm and glad whenever I took a look at Ebonyi State.
To God is the glory forever.
Egede Lawrence is our guest writer and public affairs analyst.
