In this piece, NWAFOR SAMSON writes on the chieftaincy title conferred on the Speaker of Ebonyi State House of Assembly and governorship candidate of the APC in the state, Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru, popularly known as F.O.N, by his community.
A fortnight ago, precisely on 9th November 2022, the people of the Agbaja community in Izzi Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, gathered at Central School, Nwofe, for a civic reception in honour of their son, Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru, who is the Speaker of state House of Assembly and governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the 2023 election. Mr Nwifuru hails from Oferekpe in the Agbaja community. He is the first two-term Speaker in the history of the Ebonyi State House of Assembly and a young man 47 years of age.
Kings, they say, are not honoured in their homes, but the people of the Agbaja community proved otherwise. They honoured their king in a grand style.
Nwofe Agbaja Central School playground on that fateful day was agog as who is who in Agbaja community, Izzi clan and beyond came to be part of the epoch-making event. The young, the old, the rich, the middle and the low class, all turned out in unprecedented numbers to be part of the civic reception.
The crowd was huge and overwhelming. The school playground and its environs filled, and the people’s moods were ecstatic. The attendance was total and overwhelming, in nutshell. Many dancing troupes and masquerades were on the ground to spice up the event. The youths of the community were seen moving around the school playground joyfully and tirelessly, chanting solidarity songs for Nwifuru and his governorship ambition. They also carried placards bearing the posters of the man of the moment.
The presence of all the traditional rulers in the Izzi clan also testified to the importance of the community vis-a-vis the entire Izzi clan attached to the event. Again, anybody who knew the people of the Agbaja community very well could hardly believe that any event could pull them out of their farms in such a large number. They are famous for farming and attach so much importance to it. So, turning out in such a large number speaks much of how they hold the honoree in high esteem.
We arrived at the venue at about 12:30 pm and saw the event had not started. We were shocked to see the crowd waiting to receive Mr Nwifuru. In one beat, I asked myself, how could this sea of heads be waiting to honour a man said to be hated by his people? Yes, that’s what some people try hard to make the public believe—- that Nwifuru’s acceptability is zero in his hometown. In another beat, I tried to convince myself to believe that the crowd must have been rented as always the case in political gatherings in our clime, and more so, considering the insinuations in some quarters that Mr Nwifuru is not loved by his people. All these were questions running through my mind.
Out of curiosity and quest to know the truth, I decided to engage a few of the natives at random to know the actual secret behind the large turnout to an event meant to honour a man said to have zero acceptability in his country home. Good enough, I mixed up with them, concealed my identity as a Journalist and engaged them in interaction and asked some probing questions, but low and behold, they freely bared their minds and feelings about the man they were waiting to honour.
My findings, interestingly, were mind-boggling and revealing. Mr Nwifuru is not just loved but highly loved by his people more than any other politician in the Izzi clan, contrary to the position of naysayers. His acceptability and popularity amongst his people are rare and infectious. The people attested to this fact in my interactions with them. Their love for Mr Nwifuru knows no bound. Mr Nwifuru’s rating amongst his people, without mincing words, is in the class of a messiah. They demonstrated it to the fullest during the event and proved the naysayers wrong.
The natives revealed how Mr Nwifuru has surpassed in achievements, every other politician, whether living or dead in the area and by extension, the entire Izzi clan. They told me how he has positively touched the lives of both the young and the old in the area. His Onwa Oferekpe Foundation, according to them, has brought succour and upliftment to every household in the community and the entire Izzi clan. One of them quickly pointed at a gigantic building situated a pole away from where we were standing, and said, “you see that town hall, that’s one of his numerous projects in our community.”
The event started very late, notwithstanding that the people converged at the school playground as early as 8 a.m. But to my greatest surprise, the people were not deterred by the scorching sun of that fateful day. They persevered and waited till their son and benefactor arrived at about past 3 p.m. This was nothing but a demonstration of love, according to observers. Also, the rousing welcome from the people on arrival at Nwifuru did not portray a mood of a people who had waited too long and should ordinarily expect to be very tired and itching to go. Rather, the place was thrown into jubilation. A shout of joy rents the air, coupled with the acrobatic display by different cultural troupes.
Following the arrival of Mr Nwifuru, the event kick-started immediately. A close look at Mr Nwifuru's face and body language on arrival to the venue would tell you he was overwhelmed by the rare demonstration of love towards him by his people. After the opening prayer and presentation of kola nut, it was the turn of the Chairman of the occasion, who is the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Ebonyi State, Barrister Cletus Ofoke, a native of Agbaja community, to lay the background of the event.
Ofoke in his speech noted that Nwifuru had made proud, the people of the community, the Izzi clan and the entire Ebonyi State, hence they resolved to honour him at home as their illustrious son. He said that Mr Nwifuru was the right man to take over from Governor David Umahi. He said the occasion was meant to give Nwifuru their blessing, as their preferred governorship candidate in the 2023 general elections.
Mr Ofoke opined that it was the turn of Ebonyi North zone to produce the next governor of the state in line with the Charter of Equity on governorship zoning in the state and that Nwifuru was the only person in the zone that had the experience to occupy the position, being a two-term Speaker of the state house of Assembly and had been part of the current administration in the State. He added that the community decided to receive Nwifuru because of his quality leadership which according to him, has impacted the people.
To the Chairman of Izzi local government, Chief Stephen Nwankpa, Izzi has become one of the best clans in the society courtesy of the leadership ingenuity of Mr Nwifuru, who he said, had transformed the area. He declared that the Agbaja community had decided to adopt him as its sole candidate for the 2023 governorship race and would work assiduously to ensure that he wins.
He described the Speaker as a humane, patriotic and goal-getter who he said had empowered people across the 13 local government areas of the state.
"We have decided to single our illustrious son out today to be in tandem with God's projection to protect him as the leader of our dear state. We will continue to support you and we have no other person for the 2023 governorship position other than you", he stated.
The event came to a climax with the conferment of chieftaincy titles on Mr Nwifuru and his dear wife, Uzoamaka. The entire Traditional Rulers of the Izzi clan took part in this sacred assignment, as they took turns to dress the honoree and his wife with chieftaincy regalia, while the enthusiastic crowd watched in admiration. In the end, they unveiled Mr Speaker as Chinemem Eze 1 of the Agbaja community and his wife as Ugochinyere 1 of the Agbaja community.
Speaking at the event, Mr Nwifuru who was elated and overwhelmed by the honour, pledged never to let the people down and lauded them for coming together to fight for their collective good. He assured his people that his business in politics would continue to be geared towards the development and empowerment of the people. He also expressed confidence that the APC would win the upcoming general elections in the State.
Nwifuru said: "My mission in politics is development, developing the people. I will continue to do this. Our party, APC is a party to beat in 2023. It is a grassroots party, a party that has the masses at heart and our Governor has done well. So, we are sweeping all the positions in the general elections. We will sweep the opposition with our brooms, we will defeat them.
"The first election will be won by our party. We will win and wait for the next election which is the governorship and House of Assembly positions. We are prepared for the elections and will win overwhelmingly because the masses know that we are on the ground.
"Here in the Izzi clan, no other party can win the election; forget those contesting under different platforms. We are united and nobody can stop us. When the time comes, the opposition elements will know that we are on the ground than them.
"We will continue to empower our people, we will continue to develop our state. I am overwhelmed by the Honour you have done for me and my dear wife. We will not disappoint you."
Speaking on the chieftaincy title conferred on Mr Nwifuru by his people, his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Leo Oketa, described his boss as a man of humility who had continued to recognize God's immeasurable favours on him in the handling of all his affairs and other sundry issues.
Mr Oketa said: "We were contacted to proffer suggestions for names fitting for the Chieftaincy title of Rt. Hon. Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru. As you’d expect, we all went for the high and mighty, the lofty names of fame and pride. FON said NO. Rather, he looked up to Heaven in thanksgiving to God for all He has done for him. In sweet recognition of God’s immeasurable favours on him, he exclaimed, CHIMEREM EZE.
"Daily, he teaches us to be humble, to remember where we were before today, to show appreciation, to work hard, to be good to humanity, and more importantly, to love God. These are some of his innate qualities. When you’ve got a leader with a good heart, it makes the realization of his dreams easier and intentional."
