By KENNEDY EWEAMA
(08035529265)
When great minds and visionary leaders are born, the heavens rejoice and acquiesce to the nobility of their birth. When the people proudly celebrate them on their birthday anniversaries,such recognition becomes an eloquent testament that they are indeed loved by the people.
Dr Ikedi Godson Ohakim former governor of Imo State is one of such leaders whose name and birthday anniversary naturally evokes moments of deep thought and reflections. By all standards, he is a vivid reflection of a life of purpose and service.
On Tuesday, August 4, 2026, family,friends,and associates of Dr Ikedi Ohakim will roll out drums to celebrate the 69th birthday of a man of ideas, whose innovative bent is topnotch. The good people of Imo State, Ndigbo both at home and in the diaspora as well as Nigerians from all walks of life are also expected to join the world to celebrate a man whose name has become synonymous with courage, intellect, and service — His Excellency, Dr. Ikedi Ohakim, former Governor of Imo State.
As he marks his 69th birthday, it is not just a celebration of years. Rather, it is the celebration of a life dedicated to public good, to ideas, and to the belief that governance must touch the lives of ordinary people.
Born in Okohia, Isiala Mbano LGA of Imo State, Dr. Ohakim’s journey from the classrooms of Okohia to the Douglas House in Owerri is a testament to what vision, discipline, and faith can achieve. His life’s trajectory reflects the Igbo spirit of “aku ruo ulo” enterprise, the spartan spirit of the ancient Greek mythology, scholarship, and service to community.
A Scholar and Technocrat
Long before politics, Dr. Ohakim distinguished himself as a scholar and management consultant. With unassailable educational background,and a vision to excel, he built a reputation in the private sector and in many other spheres of human endeavours as a man of ideas.
He is not a politician who just stumbled into office. He came with a blueprint. He came with data. He came with the conviction that development is engineered, not wished for.
As a former Commissioner in Imo State in the early 1990s, when leadership was all about selfless service to the people ; and also a successful businessman,too, he understood the economy from both the boardroom and the street. That dual perspective would later define his approach to governance in Imo State between 2007 and 2011.
To date, Imo people still weep over the conscienceless political coup of 2011 that has continued to haunt Imo’s political development. Conscience, indeed,is an open wound which only truth can heal.
A Governor of Infrastructure and New Imo
Between 2007 and 2011, Dr. Ohakim served as the 4th democratically elected Governor of Imo State. He inherited a state yearning for direction and set out to build what he called a “New Face of Imo.” His administration will be remembered as one that prioritised visible infrastructure as the foundation for growth.
The dual carriage roads that opened up Owerri, the rehabilitation of urban and rural roads through the Imo Rural Roads Maintenance Agency(IRROMA)through which sophisticated caterpillars, graders and other forms heavy duty construction equipment were procured and donated to all the 27 local government areas of Imo State – the first of its kind by any State government in Nigeria even to date, the modernisation of schools and hospitals, and the aggressive investment in housing estates were all part of a deliberate effort to reposition Imo for the 21st century.Ohakim saw “tomorrow” yesterday.
IRROMA was Ohakim’s deliberate plan to fast track rural development and minimise Rural-Urban migration. He made local governments very attractive for habitation so that Imo people enjoyed life wherever they chose to live or stay.He believed that for investment to come or thrive, the environment must first be right. And so he provided an enabling environment to drive that agenda.
Today, where are all the IRROMA equipment worth billions of naira? All vanished into thin air without any modicum of trace of their whereabouts. Regrettably, the heart-rending disappearance of these public properties has reclined and rendered local government areas in Imo State into ghost areas.
Imo people have kept seeking for answers to this puzzle : what happened to IRROMA equipment ? Unfortunately, the succeeding administration after the Imo political heist of 2011, and their corroborators have no answers to the question, and it does appear that none will forever be in sight. What an irony!
Under Ohakim’s leadership, Owerri capital city consecutively won Federal Government’s awards as the cleanest state capital in Nigeria through his “Clean and Green” iniative.Ohakim made that possible because he was a man of impeccable decency and cleaningness who,to date, believes that “cleaningness is next to Godliness.” This has consistently reflected in his personality and candour to date. It is an enduring inert quality in him and not one borne out of pretence.
A Man of Ideas
To many a people, some of the boldest signature projects of the Ohakim’s administration was the conceptualisation of the Imo Airport City project in Ngor Okpala,the most ambitious road project in the history of Imo State cutting across the 27 local government areas of the State – the intent being to make Imo a one-city State through roads interconnectivity, and the Oguta Wonder Lake. They were visionary ; not rhetorical At a time when others were thinking about the next budget cycle, Dr. Ohakim was thinking about the next 50 years — an aerotropolis that would make Imo the business and logistics hub of the Southeast. Though the unfortunate political coup of 2011 truncated the full realisation of these lofty and human-oriented projects,which were already at their respective advanced stages, the idea itself announced Ohakim as a leader who dared to think big.
He also championed security through the creation of community policing structures, and invested in youth empowerment and agricultural schemes aimed at making Imo self-sufficient. His administration’s focus on ICT and e-governance was ahead of its time.
A Democrat and Bridge Builder
Dr. Ohakim governed with the belief that politics should be about issues, not insults. Even in the heat of political contest, he maintained a decorum that earned him respect across party lines.
He is a bridge builder. A man who believes that Imo is big enough for all its sons and daughters.
During his administration, Local Government Councils enjoyed maximum autonomy. Their allocations got to them without mindless tamperings. Local Government Councils were a beehive of activities. There were accelerated socioeconomic developments in all the 27 local government areas. Ohakim made all these possible.
The civil service was equally fun to be part of. Workers morale was high. Civil servants in Imo State felt proud to be identified as such.
Honourable Commissioners, Permanent Secretaries and Directors discharged their duties freely in line with the rules and regulations guiding the civil service. There was no intimidation of any sort. Workers salaries and other benefits were paid as and when due. A civil servant – serving or retired – does not need to know Ohakim then as Governor to receive his or her entitlements because everything was streamlined, and properly organised. Ohakim encouraged a robust civil service system in Imo and made administration in all strata of public service easy.
After office, he did not retreat into bitterness. He remained engaged — speaking on national issues, mentoring young leaders, and advocating for good governance. That grace in and out of office is rare, and it is why many still look up to him as a bridge builder. Perhaps,the immortal icon of literature, Prof Chinua Achebe had the likes of Ohakim in mind when he posited in his evergreen book, “The Arrow of God” that “someone whose name is called again and again by those trying in vain to catch a bull has something he alone can do to bulls.” Achebe’s axiomatic postulation aptly situates the personality of Dr.Ikedi Ohakim.
Despite the malicious and wicked allegation that he beat a Catholic Reverend Father (name withheld out of respect for the church),an allegation that was later found to be frivolous, baseless and concocted by political detractors and enemies of democracy, Ohakim,in his large heartedness still forgave all those involved in that wicked scheme prior to 2011 governorship election. The Church in various ways have apologised to him and he has moved on, bearing no grudges at all against even his identified foes and purveyors of the humogous falsehood. That is leadership built on tolerance and forgiveness.
A Family Man and Custodian of Culture
Beyond the public persona is the family man. A husband, father, and grandfather. A man deeply rooted in African and Igbo cultures and traditions. Ohakim understands that development without culture is an empty shell. This is why he has remained a strong voice for the preservation of not just Igbo values, language, and institutions alone but also other cultures in a broader spectrum.
His humility, sense of humour, and accessibility to people at the grassroots have endeared him to many. This,perhaps explains why he bears the very popular chieftaincy title of “Ochinanwata.” He was a governor who could sit with a roadside mechanic in the morning and discuss macroeconomics with technocrats in the afternoon.
In appreciation of Ohakim as a custodian of diverse African cultures,the late Ooni of Ife who reigned from 1980 to 2015,His Imperial Majesty, Oba Okunade Sijuwade(Olubuse II) during his 80th birthday anniversary in January, 2010,conferred on Ohakim a prestigious and highly revered chieftaincy title: “Temitope of the Source – The Atayese of Yoruba Land.” According to extant history, Ile Ife is the cradle of yoruba civilisation.
The Ooni of Ife, by conferring such a prestigious chieftain title on Ohakim – the first Southeastern to be so honoured, made a very bold statement on the personality of Ohakim.
That was not a mere chieftaincy title like others being acquired from every nook and cranny. It speaks volumes of the character and personality of Ohakim. It defines his acceptability beyond the shores of Igboland and River Niger. The chieftaincy title,to have come from one of the foremost monarchs in African like the Ooni of Ife, who is highly respected globally, portrays Ohakim as a primus inter pares in African cultural reorientation,whose acceptability as a leader of diverse idiosyncrasies is not in doubt.
Lessons at 69
At 69, Dr. Ohakim embodies several lessons for our generation:
1. That leadership is about vision – see tomorrow before it arrives.
2.That service is about sacrifice – put the people first.
3.That power is transient, but legacy is permanent. What you build will outlive you.
4.That education and ideas matter. A state can not rise above the quality of thinking of its leaders.
Birthday Wishes For a Repository of Ideas
On this 69th milestone recorded by His Excellency, Dr.Ikedi Ohakim :
We thank God for the gift of his life.
We thank His Excellency for his contributions to the socioeconomic, infrastructural and political development of Imo State.
We thank His Excellency for the roads we still ply, for the ideas he planted, and for the example of graceful leadership.
We pray that God Almighty continues to grant Dr.Ikedi Ohakim good health, wisdom, and long life. May his days be filled with joy, and may his experience continue to be tapped for the good of Imo, Igboland, and Nigeria.
On a personal note,as Your Excellency blows out the candles on August 4,2026, know yea that Imo people remember your novel accomplishments ; they appreciate you . They are proud of you and earnestly yearn for your return one more time because “one good turn deserves another.”
In unison with all the Ohakim Support Groups (OSG) namely: Team Ohakim, Bring Back Ohakim(BBO)’27, Keep Imo Moving ’27,Ohakim Personified,10,000 Jobs Beneficiaries of Imo State, Bring Back Ohakim Movement, Ikedi Ohakim Vanguard, Lifelong Ambassadors of Ohakim, 2011 Councillorship Forum, Imo Youths Movement for Ohakim,Notable Leaders Forum,and many others – Imolites wish Your Excellency, Dr. Ikedi Ohakim – a man of Ideas and builder of a new and prosperous Imo that we all desire,a remarkable 69th birthday.
