. Honours Prof. Oluikpe @ 90
By Steve Oko
UMUAHIA — Governor Alex Otti of Abia State has declared that his administration is deliberately dismantling what he described as a culture of celebrating thieves, fraudsters, drug barons and other dubious characters, insisting that the state must return to honouring people of integrity and genuine accomplishments.
Otti, who spoke at the 90th birthday celebration of Emeritus Professor Benson Oluikpe in Umuahia, said his administration was institutionalising the celebration of excellence as a way of inspiring younger generations to pursue worthy achievements.
“We want to depart from that inherited culture. It’s not our culture. Culture of celebrating thieves. Culture of celebrating 419-ers. Culture of celebrating drug barons. Culture of celebrating bandits. That’s not our culture. That’s not how we grew up,” the governor declared.
He said the practice of honouring people only after their death, when they could no longer enjoy the recognition, was misplaced, stressing that there was no better time to celebrate outstanding individuals than when they were alive.
According to him, celebrating achievers while alive would not only acknowledge their contributions but also encourage others, particularly young people, to aspire to excellence.
Otti cited the recent celebration of five Abia schoolchildren who emerged champions at an international competition in Qatar, saying his administration was determined to make excellence, rather than questionable wealth and influence, the basis for public recognition.
The governor also used his personal experience to underscore the importance of accountability, recalling how his father questioned him in 1989 over the source of the N100 he sent home while working at Citibank.
He explained that he had earned the money through extra work and daily allowances, adding that his father insisted on knowing how he legitimately made it.
“That’s how I was brought up. You needed to give account. But these days, people don’t ask questions. We need to go back to that time when we would ask questions. Ask your children questions. Let them give account,” he said.
Otti maintained that times had not changed as much as people’s values, citing his son’s decision to provide receipts and explanations for money he had saved towards purchasing a house in the United States.
Earlier, Oluikpe, while expressing gratitude for the honour, prayed that God would reciprocate the governor’s gesture.
“You have honoured me; may God honour you,” the nonagenarian said.
The professor, who disclosed that he first met Otti in 2013 when the latter was still a banker, described him as a humble man endowed with wisdom, saying the impression he formed of him at the time influenced his subsequent support for his political ambition.
Recounting how Otti once stood up to return an award to him at a public function, Oluikpe said the gesture revealed a humility that had remained consistent in the governor’s public life.
He also interpreted Otti’s electoral setback in 2015 as a divine postponement of his political moment, insisting that God’s timing had ultimately vindicated him.
“I do believe that God was telling you, ‘My son, wait. This is not your time. The time will come, and when that time comes, you will make a great impact in your state,’” he said.
Oluikpe, an academic who said he had always measured life by its impact on humanity, urged public office holders to embrace generosity and make their resources beneficial to others.
“A life without impact on humanity is no life. The wealth we acquire without reaching or touching minds is useless,” he declared.
He also cautioned against sycophancy in public life, urging the governor’s supporters to tell him the truth rather than flatter him.
Responding to Oluikpe’s recollection of their first encounter, Otti said the professor’s account reflected his own understanding of the political twists that delayed his emergence as governor in 2015.
He recalled that although he had won the election, he had to pursue his mandate through the courts, eventually reclaiming it at the Court of Appeal on December 31, 2015, before the Supreme Court affirmed it on February 3, 2016.
The governor said the experience reinforced his belief that God’s timing was always the best.
Otti further disclosed plans to celebrate another Abia-born professor and inventor based in the United States in December, describing him as a globally recognised scientist whose invention helps in accurately targeting cancer cells.
He said the recognition of outstanding Abians would remain open to all, irrespective of their political affiliation, religion or place of residence.
“Once you are from Abia and you are doing well, we will celebrate you,” he said.
The post We won’t celebrate thieves, drug barons again — Otti appeared first on Vanguard News.