By Monday Eze
On 7th February, 1978, the year of 'Ali Must Go', the family of Chief Patrick Igwe of Igwe Egbarada Aleke-Imeze dynasty of Ndebor in the pastoral Ishieke Mgbom-Eze community of Ebonyi LGA in Ebonyi State, peacefully received a baby boy whom they named Uchenna. Uchenna, translates to the will of God the Father. Like his name suggests, Uchenna Stephen Igwe, is a typical child of destiny sent on a divine mission to bring help to the forlorn, hope to people in despair and support to the weak in a world where the love of many had turned cold.
To prepare little Uchenna for the enormous tasks lying ahead of him, it was necessary to blend his home training with formal education. He was enrolled into Ndebor Ishieke Primary School in 1990. In 1995, he passed into Izzi High School, Ishieke and later proceeded to Special Science School Igbeagu for his senior secondary education. Uchenna Igwe was elected the Social Prefect of that school. Thereafter, young Igwe was admitted into Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki to study Accountancy. He bagged a Bachelor's degree in Accountancy there in.
With this academic laurel in his kitty, Uchenna Igwe who brimmed with knowledge, hope and energy left for Ayingba, Kogi State, in 2009 for the mandatory service to his fatherland. In Kogi State, the submission of the psalmist that the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord became manifest in the life of clean-hearted Uchenna Igwe. At every turn and twist of his stay in Kogi, God positioned destiny-helpers who ensured that he had seamless service experience.
Following the passage of Chief Patrick Igwe, Uchenna Igwe's father, who served as the Ebonyi State Publicity Secretary of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Uchenna Stephen Igwe succeeded his late father. In Ebonyi State PDP secretariat, the path of Uchenna Igwe crossed that of a fellow young man whom Igwe, for good reasons, calls "father" till date. That young man is the incumbent governor of Ebonyi State, Builder Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru. Hon. Uchenna Stephen Igwe's encounter with Builder Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru was, for Uchenna, the password into a robust public service career which trajectory spanned management of the public trust both at the grassroots and state levels in Nigeria. Hon. Uchenna Stephen Igwe was appointed coordinator of Ebonyi Development Centre in 2014. Igwe's time as the helmsman of Ebonyi Development Centre still stands as the golden era of that Development Centre. Igwe donated transformers to local communities and executed rural electrification projects, drilled boreholes in villages and graded existing feeder roads in Ndebor, Ededeagu, Egvudulegu and Onyirigbo communities. He constructed a virgin road from Ndebor to Agalegu. He empowered the folks of Ebonyi DC with agricultural inputs, funds and motorcycles; and gave educational grants to students from the Development Centre. He served in that office till 2019 when he turned down an imminent reappointment to enable others take turns in the plum office. Igwe, who hates idleness launched a very adventurous mineral and jewelry business which took him to Lagos, Benin Republic, Ghana, Benue, Bauchi, Kano, Kaduna, Adamawa, Cameroon etc. In 2022, public service beckoned on Hon. Igwe again. He was appointed a commissioner in the Ebonyi State Judicial Service Commission where he served till 2023.
By 2023, Hon Uchenna Igwe who had no other political godfather beside Builder Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru was at the foundation of the Nwifuru gubernatorial project where he worked like Boxer of George Orwell's Animal Farm. He was a foundation member and Ebonyi LGA chairman of Onwa Oferekpe Foundation as well as the chairman of the Divine Mandate 2023 Campaign Organization in Ndebor ward of Ebonyi LGA.
To the chagrin of the old hawks in the Ebonyi political jungle, eagle-eyed Governor Francis Nwifuru, appointed humble and peaceful Hon. Uchenna Stephen Igwe as the Ebonyi State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters. This youngest grassroots proctor in the history of Ebonyi State went to work delivering Governor Nwifuru's flagship peace and reconciliation to communities. Over 60 traditional stools have been peacefully inaugurated in Ebonyi State. Charismatic Igwe galvanized the council chairmen to escalate the agricultural revolution, women/youth empowerment and other programmes of Ebonyi State Government at the grassroots. Expectedly, dispassionate delivery of these sensitive mandates demanded unflinching commitment to the Nwifuru ideology no matter whose ox is gored. Hon. Igwe has demonstrated this requirement to the admiration of many.
Hon. Uchenna Igwe, a unique silent-giver and personification of contentment serves and honours God through humanity. Igwe is a sociometric star with deep social connections in all parts of the state and beyond. This has impacted his tongue to the point that, besides English and Igbo languages, he fluently speaks Ezza, Izhii, Ikwo, Ngbo, Ehugbo and Ohaozara dialects. Hon. Uchenna Igwe whose unique hobbies includes lifting the downtrodden and giving hope to the hopeless holds the chieftaincy title of "Iphoro Nturakpa" among many others.
Hon. Uchenna Stephen Igwe is married to Judith Igwe (Nee Opoke) and the marriage is blessed with children.
As this simple and charismatic humanist, Jerusalem Pilgrim and husband of one wife turns 47 today, I join his family, numerous friends and well-wishers to give him 47 hearty cheers. Certainly, the best of Hon. Uchenna Stephen Igwe is yet to come.
