A prophet, it is said, is without honour in his own land. But not so for Kenneth Emeka Nwabueze, whose town, Ogidi in Anambra State, treated to a civic reception recently.
The people of Ogidi had trooped out to receive and honour one of their illustrious sons, a former adviser to President George W. Bush of the United States of America at the Ogidi town hall.
Members of the prestigious ruling class of Ndi-Ichie Ogidi, the town union, women group and other eminent personalities from the community and across the border were in attendance.
Nwabueze is a top ranking African American Scientist who served in former George Bush administration in the United States of America. Oriental News gathered that on December 12, 2001, President George Bush appointed him as a member of the Presidential Advisory Council on Science and Technology along with high-tech luminaries like Michael Dell of Dell Computer Corp; Gordon Moore, the ex-Chairman of Intel Corp; Carol Bartz, the CEO of AutoDesk Inc and Charles Vest, President Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The members of the council were in charged of advising the President on the role of Science and Technology towards achieving national goals.
According to his citation, he is also the founder and CEO of SageMetrics Corporation, a Science and Technology firm and a leading outsourced business intelligence provider with emphasis on industrial and manufacturing engineering. He is also the founder and CEO of E-Kenneth Nigeria Limited, which is currently the technology consultant to the Nigeria Police and other government and private agencies and companies in the Nigeria.
The occasion held amid tight security took off with the display of cultural dances showcased by various groups who entertained the audience with magical demonstrations.
The occasion was, in fact, used to showcase the rich cultural heritage of Ogidi which is known in the traditional circle with the popular Nwafor festival.
The President General of the Ogidi Union Nigeria, Chief Chuka Onukogu opened the flood gate of speeches and tributes by extolling the virtues of the scientist as a true son of the soil who always think home with a view to contributing his quota for the wellbeing of his people.
Onukogu noted that Nwabueze who was listed among the most 50 influential African Americans in the field of science and technology by Howard University in 2002, has made huge impact on humanity, adding that his achievements at the global stage moved former President Goodluck Jonathan to recognize and confer on him the national honour award of the Member of the Federal Republic, MFR, in 2014.
Also speaking, the president of Ndi-Ichie Ogidi ,Chief Akuebuo Ndirika described Nwabueze as a wonderful human being and another son of the soil in the mold of the late Prof Chinua Achebe who made huge impact at the global level in general and Ogidi in particular, noting that the former President George Bush aide was the second person to be specially honoured by Ndi Ogidi after the late Achebe in the history of the town.
Chief Ndirika who said that it was a milestone for a town like Ogidi to honour an individual also noted that the scientist was the second person from Ogidi to receive national honour award after Achebe even though Achebe declined to receive the award during the era of President Olusegun Obasanjo on account of his disposition against Nigerian leaders.
The leader of Ndi-Ichie while thanking God for blessing Ogidi with wonderful people, pointed out that Nwabueze by his achievements at his age has set a standard of a role model and called on the youths in Ogidi, Anambra and Nigeria in general to emulate his style of life in embracing hard work and passion to be useful to humanity.
Also in his tributes, the traditional ruler of Mbaukwu in Anambra State, Igwe Peter Anugwu described Nwabueze as another great man from Anambra State, adding that he was overwhelmed with the intimidating profile of the Ogidi-born scientist and most interesting to him is that he is at home with his people in the village.
Igwe Anugwu said the civic reception was well deserved because Nwabueze is worth celebrating, adding that he was impressed to see that the top-ranking scientist not only thinks home but also made huge investment at home by establishing a five-star hotel in Ogidi.
According to the royal father, seeing such a high profile personality along with the villagers is a morale booster to the people that cannot be over-emphasized.
The monarch urged other Anambra natives to emulate Nwabueze in thinking home and bringing down part of their earnings to invest in the villages thereby creating jobs and reducing unemployment and crime related activities among the youths.
In his remarks, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Ogidi Divisional headquarters, Mr. Hassan Musa, described Ogidi as peaceful and a crime-free town, noting that the people have been very supportive of the police operation in crime fighting in the division.
Musa said that people like Nwabueze was evidence that Ogidi was blessed with powerful people and praised the people for their effort in embracing unity which has enhanced peace in the community.
In his response, Nwabueze, who was accompanied by his wife, mother and other relations, said that he was happy to have been singled out among the people for the civic reception, adding that he was fulfilled by the honour from his own people.
The scientist gave account of his upbringing in the village, noting that he left for the United States immediately after his secondary school at Boys High School at the age of 17.
He said that on arrival in the United States he vowed to always remember where he came from, adding that he has kept to that vow by putting Ogidi at the centre of his life.
He reassured the people that he is at home with them and would always contribute his own quota for the development and progress of the community.
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