Umahi waves 62 garlands

By Chooks Oko

You could feel the heat, pulsating but intense. You could not have mistaken it. Grateful souls, appreciative beneficiaries were determined to give back in whatever form they deemed necessary. That was the atmosphere in Ebonyi yesterday. Friends, acolytes, hangers-on, family and relatives gathered in their own way to thank God for the life of one man who means so very much to different people.

To some, he is a benefactor, destiny helper to some and a boss to many. A way-maker to some, most disliked to others, and the greatest thing that happened, to most. Like him, hate him, David Nweze Umahi, Honourable Minister of Works in the Federal Republic of Nigeria is ebulliently etched in the Nigerian polity as a star player. At 62, an age he attained yesterday, he is everything he could have hoped to be and more.

Healthy, a father, educated, successful businessman, entrepreneur, politician, wealthy and alive, he is a living gratitude to God and all His mercies. For sure, gratitude is one of his strong points. Like his biblical namesake, he sings his gratitude, practicalizes it by being overly generous to all he comes across, and dances when the opportunity presents itself.

At 62, Umahi’s appetite for work is legendary. Waking before 5am every day, he ensures no mail is left untreated on his table; that no job is left at the mercy of the contractors, and that specifications are adhered to, strictly. This is not new to him. As governor of Ebonyi state, he would have finished inspecting project sites before resuming in the office by 9am. At the sites, you will catch him kneeling, measuring, calculating and confirming that agreed standards are being maintained. He would confirm that specified materials are being used and at the right places too. Little wonder he has continued this as minister of works. Cutting corners is not his thing. Woe betide the contractor that will attempt to seduce him to look the other way. From Maiduguri to Badagry, from Calabar to Katsina, traversing the length and breadth of this country does not mean much to him provided achievements are recorded.

Umahi is a leader who knows his flock, and they also know him. Despite leaving the governor’s office two years ago, he still maintains a fatherly protective cloak over his close allies, meeting them at points of need and taking care of their welfare. In this, he ensures a smooth working environment for his successor by insisting that anyone found around him is, first and foremost, loyal to the governor. He does not listen to gossips but fiercely preaches loyalty to his successor.

Recording big successes, and posting verifiable achievements gives Umahi kicks. If the project is big, bold and well finished, his imprint must be there. Even the projects he embarked upon as governor bore these marks. That is why those who know his pedigree see the coastal road project, and the superhighways being planned for the country as already concluded. If Umahi conceives a project, he must see it through. If he dreams a project, he ensures it breathes. If he believes in a cause, he gives his all to ensure it succeeds. No half measures, no partial contacts. That is Umahi at 62.

Those who love to hate him would readily point to the seriousness he takes everything he does, even the things you would consider small. They fail to realize that he is a perfectionist who detests failure and tardiness. He has no room for laziness and excuses. Produce results and you are endeared to him forever. He is practical, hands-on and a workaholic. Those who worked closely with him at one point or the other are full of gratitude for the uncanny skills they picked up from him which is helping them out in their private businesses.

At 62, Umahi cuts the picture of a man on a mission to salvage the infrastructural deficits in the country through the government of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress. It is a mission he understands so well and will deliver on.

Here’s wishing him a happy birthday, and very eventful year ahead.

Oko, a Fellow of the Nigerian Guild of Editors wrote from Abuja.

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