Garlands for a Scholar in Governance

Sam Hart 

Over the course of his administration, Abia State Governor, Dr. Okezie Victor Ikpeazu has had a number of books written in his honor to document his monumental impact in the firmament of Abia State.

Numerous writers have penned a number of volumes of books seeking to x-ray the driving motivations, thought processes , key speeches and interventions and even the life and times of this enigma.

He thus earned for himself, deservedly, the sobriquet ‘A Scholar in Governance.’ 

On Thursday the 16th of February, 2023, the emblematic Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja will play host to the creme of the Academic and Socio-Political Class in our Nation. 

The event is the Public Presentation of the Book ‘The Biochemistry of Environmental Pollution’, an Academic intervention co-authored by Abia State Governor, Dr. Okezie Victor Ikpeazu alongside a professional colleague of his, Dr. Kalu Kalu Igwe. 

The book is a chronicle of his research over the years on the relationship between environmental pollution and Biochemistry. 

It is a deep-dive into the behavior of environmental pollutants as explained from the molecular lense of a Biochemist. 

It will be recalled that prior to his assumption of office as Governor of Abia State in 2015, Dr. Okezie Victor Ikpeazu was the Deputy General Manager of the Abia State Environmental Protection Agency in charge of the Aba Area where he deployed his Biochemical background to the challenges of waste management to the perpetual admiration of residents of the bustling cosmopolitan metropolis of Aba. 

Prior yet to his taking up of that challenge, Dr. Ikpeazu was a seasoned Biochemist with a Doctorate Degree in Biochemical Pharmacology rising to the rank of the Head of Department of Biochemistry at the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT). 

His tenure as the Head of the Waste Management Agency in charge of Aba thus gave him a first hand opportunity to deploy his scientific knowledge to the tackling of waste in Aba. 

This book is therefore his contribution to the body of knowledge of the understanding of the behavior of different categories of waste from a Biochemical vantage standpoint. 

It is gratifying to note that despite his grueling schedule as Governor, Dr. Okezie Victor Ikpeazu, a scholar in Governance, still found time to devote to his passion of scholarly exertions culminating in this book. 

Indeed, I bear personal testimony to the fact that Governor Okezie Ikpeazu personally read through every line of this book several times over and corrected the chemical formulae and biochemical pathways at times sitting in one place for days on end until he was satisfied that the outcome mirrored his intendment. 

It is natural for some people to presume that the book was ghost-written for him and he merely affixed his name to a finished work but the manuscripts for this book, in his own handwriting, are very much around and will be preserved at the Ishmael Ikpeazu Memorial Library and Center for Scientific Leadership, Umuobiakwa which the Governor built for the preservation of scholarly excellence. 

Worthy of note also is the fact that Dr. Ikpeazu has within the period under review, authored and co-authored scores of research materials and interventions which have been peer-reviewed, accepted and published in a number of Academic Journals locally and globally. 

The Igbos have a saying that ‘onye ana akpo nwere ihe ona eme’ meaning  the one being eulogised has something he is doing to earn him those eulogies. 

This 400-page book being presented is thus a testament to the maxim that you will always find time for that which you truly love. 

Governor Okezie Ikpeazu’s love for academic and scholarly impartation has been a constant underpinning of his life. It will be noted that he bagged his Ph.D in Biochemistry at the University of Calabar before he clocked 30 years of age. This was after his first and second Degrees in the same field at the University of Maiduguri. 

Even as Governor, he has been a Pro-Bono Visiting Lecturer at the Department of Biochemistry in the Abia State University where he has been delighting his students with his mastery of the subject. 

The first son of a teacher, Governor Okezie Ikpeazu was highly influenced by his late father who devoted his life to imparting knowledge and sought to follow in his noble footsteps before destiny steered him in the direction of politics and Governance 

This book is thus an ode to his beginnings and professional calling. A testimonial to his mentors in the field of Biochemistry who inspired him on his academic journey and a tangible placement in the firmament of posterity.

It will be a guide to academic scholars in the field and scientists of all persuasions as well as motivation to all scholars who have been steered in other life directions to remain true to their calling.

As we welcome distinguished guests across strata to this public presentation of the Book ‘The Biochemistry of Environmental Pollution’, we celebrate the doggednes and tenacity of the authors, the fidelity to purpose and the zeal to find the time to do the needful irrespective of pressing demands.

Congratulations to a scholar in governance on this feat.

*Hart, a lawyer, writes from Umuahia, Abia State.—