Community, Church applaud Idimogu for giving freely

 ….Organises welcome home ceremony  

By Ugochukwu Ezurike and Ambrose Nnaji

The Abueke community in Ihitte/Uboma Local Government Area of Imo State cannot wait to stage a welcome home ceremony for one of their illustrious sons, and a true ambassador, Honourable Dr. Jude Chukwuemeka Idimogu.

Idimogu is a Member and law maker of the State House of Assembly in faraway Lagos representing Oshodi/Isolo constituency II of the state.

The Law maker, though not too popular at home due to his early sojourn in the city is however aware of the needs of the people of the community. His frequent home visits in the recent times has already started changing the lives of some people of the community positively.

That’s why both the Church and the community are yearning for a welcome home reception for the lawmaker to honour him for achieving so much feat in the faraway Lagos state as well as to familiarize with the rest of the people, adding he’s a source of pride to the community, Imo State, Igbo nation and Nigeria at large.

Earlier, Idimogu had funded the registration of no fewer than ten students in the community for the West African Examination Council (WAEC) freely and has also made promise for university scholarship to some of them.

The Administrator of the Holy Trinity Parish, Umuezeala, Abueke, Catholic Archdiocese of Okigwe, Rev Fr. Celestine Okezie who confirmed this also said Idimogu had been a great sponsor to the building project being carried out by the Church.

“Idimogu is a very strong parishioner and he has been supportive to the church’s new building project. He comes home regularly with his wife and he is well entrenched. He came for thanksgiving in December 2019 where one of the recipients took the reading of that day”.

Fr Okezie recalled that during the last 2019 general election, one of the women from the area recontested for the Imo State House of Assembly for a second term and lost while Idimogu secured a second term in the faraway Lagos, it’s amazing, he added.

He commended Idimogu who is a Knight of St Molumba in the Lagos Catholic Archdiocese for his love and immense desire for the work of God and humanity in Lagos and everywhere he goes.

Idimogu is also the Chairman of the Lagos State House of Assembly Committe on Employment and Wealth Creation, however Okezie believes the lawmaker could assist the community in replicating such in the area to reduce rural-urban migration, thereby limiting their search for white collar job which he noted is nowhere in the streets.

“There are many youths that are seeking for job, we wish the lawmaker could help to bring such good ventures nearer home”, adding there are other talented and artistic persons that could also tap from the good venture.

His Royal Highness, Eze Wilford Mbagwu, Abu II of Abueke community agreed plans were underway to reaching out to sons and daughters of the community in the diaspora. Mbagwu who came to the throne about three years ago was elected as Eze in 2018, however he got his staff of office in 2019.

According to him, the community had scheduled to have a meeting last December to discuss the modalities, though certain issues that cropped up including the COVID -19 pandemic put that on hold.

Eze Mbagwu said, “But definitely before my coronation this coming December, we will have a meeting of all our sons and daughters especially those who had distinguished themselves in the various fields as politics, civil service and the military among others.

Prof. Ejiogu

“They include Prof Aloysius Ejiogu of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Prof. Godson Osueke of the Federal University of Technology (FUTO), Owerri.  Those who had distinguished themselves in politics including Hon. Idimogu who is an ambassador of sort, who has distinguished himself in the Lagos state House of Assembly, Dr. Mrs Uche Ejiogu, including my wife who is the most senior Director in the National Population Commission as well as those in the military, among others.”

According to him, “there’s presently an elders forum in the community, where all of them will come together and decide on what we needed to do to move the community forward and we will look for a way to pursue such things, we need such illustrious sons and daughter in our midst to harness their potentials,” he explained.

Eze Mbagwu

The monarch who retired as a Deputy Director at the National Orientation Agency (NOA) said There’s also need to bring in their wealth of experience in making the community move forward in terms of employment, development. Seek way to recruit or influence recruitment for their people in their various areas of specialty.

“We really need them to come home and identify with the people of the community that is what we are talking about. When the younger ones see such people, they will take courage, their morale will be heightened such that they will see the importance of education.

“They will see a role model in them, they will find out that such feat is not achieved by being half baked, it’s not achieved by being a school dropout”, he expressed.

“When we were growing up there were people we looked up to, I said these are the people I wanted to be like, and that assisted me in choosing my course in the university. We need such people to come out and identify with the community in several ways.

“When I look back to see such heavyweights from this community I feel highly elated. We need their visits home to assist, they are doing wonderfully well, contributing to national development and the cities they reside in. Their services are highly needed in their home of origin also,” he stated.

He went further to say, “as the Royal Father, we are working towards a reception for our illustrious son Hon Idimogu, we are looking at giving him a tittle soonest.

Hon & Lady Idimogu

“We want to set a standard in our community, we want the youths to know that education is the key, an educated man cannot be ridiculed. We want them to know that this age and era is that of the educated elites. We want them to know that an educated man is more knowledgeable.”

President, Abueke Development Union, Hon Felix Okezie also noted Idimogu was a very religious man from his grassroots adding that he always sent words across, seeking prayers for guidance and protection from God.

“He never takes any step without asking for prayers. Indeed, he is a humble, religious and dedicated son of this community, we are indeed proud of him.

“He is a blessing to our community, the state and Igbo race. A highly detrabalized Nigerian. His wife who is of Yoruba extraction is indeed a wife and supporter who has shown her love for everything about us, we are proud of them.

“We have received him in our village, but that is not enough. As the Eze has spoken, we are planning something big at the community level.

“We need help to raise the morale of our youths, change their ways of thinking, and their way of life, for them to know that driving Okada is not the best for them.

“We need you the media also to help us in this crusade. With all these on our side, the sky is our limit,” the town union president insisted.