I was in my second year at Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) when I became the President of the Federated Union of Ibusa Students in Enugu State between 1993 and 1995.
In Mid 1994, a certain oval faced and athletic looking student of IMT Enugu came to me to register as a member of the union. That young man was Joseph Eloka Ijeh, known today as Sir Joe. From that very moment I adopted him as a brother and friend. Long after we left school we kept the relationship till date.
At the conclusion of his OND programme, Sir Joe joined late Emma Utomi(Odafe Way) as an electrical hand. It was Emma Utomi, not anyone else, that mentored and introduced Sir Joe to politics.
Under Abacha’s five political parties(1996 to 1998) Emma Utomi contested for House of Assembly under United Nigeria Congress Party(UNCP) in late 1997 and won. Under Emma Utomi’s guidance, Sir Joe became the Youth Leader of UNCP in Oshimili North in 1997.
When this present Republic came into existence in 1999, Sir Joe contested for ward 6 councillorship seat and won. He went on to become the Deputy Leader of the House and Vice Chairman of Delta State Councillors Forum from 1999 to 2002.
Still under Emma Utomi’s guidance and leadership, Sir Joe, along with Victor Ochei, who later became the Speaker of Delta State House of Assembly, contested for House of Assembly in 2003 under UNPP. In that election, Victor Ochei represented UNPP in Aniocha North while Sir Joe was the party flag bearer in Oshimili North. It took INEC a whole 8 days before announcing the House of Assembly result of Oshimili North constituency, having announced all other results a day after the election. This aspect of the narrative will be kept for another day.
Before 2004 and 2006, when it became fashionable for Igbuzo people hitherto domiciled outside Igbuzo, particularly the Lagosians, to come back home to seek elective political positions, Sir Joe was already a well established political face and player in Oshimili North; an invaluable asset to anyone who opted to forge an alliance or create a working relationship with.
Having unfolded the political evolution of Sir Joe, I want to place it on record that apart from our Political Oracle and Supreme Leader Distinguished Senator Peter Nwaoboshi, and possibly Mr Chris Onyeayana Okafor and Sir Austine Onianwa, there is no politician alive from Igbuzo that is historically a senior to Sir Joe in active political practice. It will be reckless and unguarded for any politician alive in Igbuzo to falsely claim that he mentored and introduced Sir Joe into politics. What is more accurate is that Sir Joe due to his unparalleled humility allowed his political brain and dexterity to be tapped and misused. The word Humility was a set back to Sir Joe’s political career .
Finally, in Sir Joe, I came to the realization that a virtue dispensed without full consideration to self preservation and interest is a vice. Humility is a rare virtue, but becomes a vice if practiced without exceptions.
Comrade Ike Philip Abiagom
Publisher of Newsbreeze Magazine
State Chairman,Association of Community Newspaper Publishers of Nigeria(ACNPN)
Delta State Council