One demand that resonates loud and clear in the triumph and ascension of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is the just and fair demand that the footsoldiers and forces that played a critical role in the defeat of PDP in 2015, the same forces that have fought to defend APC governance of the country since 2015, be recognized and rewarded for their sacrifice. The hope built on Asiwaju Bola Tinubu to reward the forces that fought for the enthronement of progressive governance stems from the fact that he, more than any other Nigerian, played the most critical role in this struggle. He knows the footsoldiers more than any other person. He knows their pains, struggles and challenges more than any other person. Besides all these, he knows the bends and contours of the battle that saw the PDP and other retrogressive forces bested and defeated in 2015.
Again, the Buhari government that emerged from the triumph of progressivism in 2015 blatantly ignored those that fought for its emergence and those that fought stridently to defend it against the malevolent and ferocious attacks by opposition forces.. The Buhari regine played deaf ears to the strident demand that those that staked everything to work for its emergence and who defended it through thick and thin be rewarded. Rather, the regime's opaque and strange reward system targeted those that worked against it for reward and allowed the system to compensate those that entrenched themselves into the system to continue; to the detriment of the supporters of his party.
So. when Asiwaju emerged, the expectation was writ large that those who slaved and worked for the party would be justly recompensed for their commitment to the progressive cause since the period that predated civilian governance in 1999.
One Nigerian, among millions of other Nigerians, that the country has almost come to unanimity in the need to reward is Joe Igbokwe. There is no need to pretend or be modest about this imperative. Joe Igbokwe is an 'Asiwaju boy' no doubt; a sobriquet to capture those disciples of Asiwaju that are so committed to the vision and political belief of the President that they can swim or sink with him.
But besides an unshakeable faith in Asiwaju, Joe Igbokwe is a tested, trusted and committed first grade patriot whose belief in the prospects of Nigeria is beyond reproach. His faith in Project Nigeria is rock solid such that he oozes the love for country from every pore of his skin.
Born in Nnewi, Anambra State, Igbokwe is a University of Nigeria Nsukka trained mechanical engineer whose active public life finds full meaning in his life as a writer, publicist, author, publisher, public affairs analyst and a pundit.
His life is largely self-made as he pulled himself up by his bootstraps. He fully participated in the gritty struggle against military rule especially the decisive fight against the callous annulment of the June 12, 1993 election won't by late Chief MKO Abiola. Through his writings and prurient public advocacy. he stamped himself down as a fanatical lover of Nigeria; a committed nationalist and an avant garde fighter for people's rights.
He emerged from the fight against militarism bruised, like most other co-fighters for democracy but was compensated by the fact that a vista of civilian rule was opened, which has endured to this day.
Being of a hardened progressive conviction, Joe Igbokwe used his celebrated writing skills to advance the progressive cause at a time progressives were pushed to an obscure opposition. He became a household name all over the country and in the sequel,courted many friends and does, in equal degrees.
He was elected the Publicity Secretary of Lagos ACN and later Lagos APC. In this position, he entrenched himself deeper in the psyche of Nigerians with his crisp, poignant, detailed, ceaseless, timely press releases, articles in newspapers, media appearances, press conferences and other activities to become perhaps the most active opposition spokesperson in Nigeria then. He never shied away nor avoided any issue so long as it holds a hope for the realization of the progressive take over of the country.
At the period the APC was birthed from the merger of the legacy parties and a splinter group in PDP, he was at his best, frantically canvassing the merger as the panacea to the rudderless, ultra corrupt and inept PDP misrule of that time. With APC becoming a reality, he and other well-convinced Nigerians gave the party their bests and canvassed broad national support for it to emerge triumphant in the ensuing 2015 general election. With him, there was no boundaries as he jumped various fences to promote and defend APC in all parts of the federation. He didn't flag when APC won the presidency and as his over 13 years unassailable stay as Lagos State Publicity Secretary of APC (then ACN) came to an end in 2019, he had played quite a tremendous role in the entrenchment of APC in the psyche of millions of Nigerians. He continued to defend, support and canvass for APC and its government that took over Nigerian governance in 2015.
Igbokwe is an author who has authored three great books and coauthored one (with me). He is a publisher that ran the National Vision, a successful regional tabloid for over 15 years. He is a prolific writer who has written thousands of viewpoints, articles and opinions on various spheres and in countless national newspapers.
Joe Igbokwe is among those men and women, inspired and lifted up by the legendary talent hunter, builder of men and famed mentor, now President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. His first public office came in 2006, when then Gov. Bola Tinubu appointed him the pioneer General Manager of the Lagos State Infrastructure Maintenance Regulatory Agency (LASIMRA). He stayed in this critical agency for ten years during which he set the administrative and governance template for that agency.
From LASIMRA, the then governor of Lagos, Akinwunmi Ambode appointed him the Executive Chairman of Wharf Landing Fees Collection Agency; from where current Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu appointed him Special Adviser on Drainages and Water Resources; a position that just elapsed with the completion of Gov. Sanwo-Olu's first tenure. As the Apex Leader of Ndigbo in APC Lagos, Joe Igbokwe has put in over a decade in galvanizing and organizing Igbos in Lagos to support and play active role in APC.
So Joe Igbokwe is a fervent nationalist who projects progressivism with every weapon in his arsenal. He has suffered and sacrificed to promote this especially amongst his skeptic kiths and kin who resent his political ideology with equally fervent passion. This repudiation has not paused or stopped Igbokwe's passion as he breathes this nationalistic progressivism to his brothers and sisters as key to their own self inflicted woeful political fortunes in a country they should play major political roles in. His petulant insistence has been met with such brutal rejection such that his country home in Nnewi was burnt down by ghouls that detest his brand of politics. But these never deters him.
Joe Igbokwe's passion in defending progressivism, the APC, the Buhari government and the candidacy of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is only matched by that of a few Nigerians. His fanatical addiction to Nigerian nationalism is incomparable. His zeal for a reward system in APC to identify, compensate all those that had slaved and sweated for APC since its formation in 2014 but have been rejected and abandoned over the years, is passionate. Igbokwe knows most of these cadres and has tried, as much as he can, to offer needed succor to many of them in his personal capacity. For the eight years of the Buhari regime, he had cried and pleaded for these supporters and members to be rewarded but unfortunately. this hasn't happened..
As it stands today, Nigeria is at the very dawn of the Renewed Hope era of President Bola Tinubu. Joe Igbokwe is a choice disciple of that era. He is a convinced apostle of the Tinubu political movement. He has worked so hard for it. He has worked so hard for the party. He has worked so hard to infect hope on the Nigerian nation and he has worked so hard to project the positive prospects of the Nigerian nation. I feel this is the right time for Nigeria to reward his faith and passion for Nigeria. There is an urgent need for him to step up to the center. Nigerians need him at this bend if our history. He deserves such higher pedestal to further his nationalistic deal.
I feel that the president should reward this dedicated, dutiful and devoted disciple of his, whose loyalty has passed the requisite tests. It is my opinion that the Anambra ministerial slot should be for Joe Igbokwe, with an expectation to help rebuild the party in the state especially in the wake of the gale of betrayals that saw leading lights of the party in the state work against the party in the last presidential election. The time is now to reward the passion, dedication and fidelity of Joe Igbokwe and such like Nigerians who have devoted years to service to Nigeria and the progressive cause.
Peter Claver Oparah
Ikeja, Lagos.
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