I have always known that public service in Abia and other States in Nigeria is not a tea party especially if you are occupying a strategic position.
You would be faced with lots of issues especially from those who feel threatened by your position, moreso when you refuse to compromise your integrity and play to their self – serving rules of engagement.
Having served different governments outside Abia State in the past, I have always enmeshed myself in the Supreme God as the only true God who saves.
My trial moment came around April 2018. It was a weekend of Vanguard Newspaper Awards. The governor was among those awarded at Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos. After the event, I left the following day being Sunday to Enugu to see my kids who were returning to school after their mid term break.
We had landed safely and I bade my children goodbye as they left with same flight to Abuja . When l got home, tired and exhausted from the all night event, I headed straight to bed for a well deserved siesta .
I was woken by torrents of calls and text messages from people I didn’t know too well. Some of the messages read “you will not die” “It will never happen”, “God will see you through”, among others. At this point, I decided to put a call across to one of the callers, the late Tony Ogbokiri. He explained how in their church located along Faulks Road Aba, a guest minister who came from Calabar for the church annual anniversary called out all government officials in the church for prayers.
Rt. Hon. Cosmos Ndukwe and the wife were among the government officials that attended the church that very day as the General Overseer is his personal friend.
The preacher was said to have asked about the Commissioner for Finance or if anyone knows him. Mr .Tony Ogbokiri, (God rest his soul) stood in the gap for me among many of them who wanted to do so.
I gathered that in the course of the prayer, the man of God had asked the entire church to pray for the Commissioner as there are plans by some unknown forces to ensure he does not survive beyond Tuesday that week.
The revelation, l guessed elicited the barrage of text messages that inundated my phone that very Sunday as most people in government were part of the Sunday Service.
The information did not bother me one bit because as a believer who has understanding of the word of God, I know the Bible said that surely they must gather but God will raise a standard against them and knowing my foundation, I handed everything over to God.
On Monday morning, being spiritually aware of my environment, I had asked my driver to play Nathaniel Bassey’s songs back to back throughout the journey to Umuahia as he is one of the gospel artists whose songs minister to me.
Before we got to the NNPC by Ohuhu junction, I called the Deputy Governor, Rt. Hon. Sir. Udo Oko Chukwu who was supposed to anchor a meeting with the Nigeria Union of Teachers.
All through the journey, I was fully alert and conscious until we got to Abia Tower, when all of a sudden I got a strange devastating and thunderous slap on my two cheeks, In quick involuntary reactions, I shouted very loudly; “JESUS!!”… which startled my driver and my police orderly, forcing the driver to pull over in order to investigate the reasons for the abnormal scream. I was lost as the world was revolving around my head and gradually unaware of my environment.
My stomach got swollen as I was going to mess my self up in the car. The driver was rolling the car entering Umuahia township until we got to (Agriculture Development Programme) ADP office when my neck seized and could not turn either left or right. It got stiff on the left side of the cheek.
I had earlier told the man that represented me in the church (Tony) to be in the office from Aba before 9 am, to give me a first hand information of what truly happened during the church service.
The journey from ADP to my office was like two hours based on how my system was changing fast while in the car. A thought told me to jump out from the car as the monster that slapped me was by my side. On getting to my office, a Special Adviser to the Governor, Hon. Chima Chukwu and the member representing Ugwunagbo State Constituency, Hon. Munachim Alozie were at the car park waiting for me as we agreed on earlier appiontment.
They rushed to the car when they saw how both my driver and the Police jumped out of the car to my side.
I refused to come down but entered into serious prayers and demanded that Tony reached out to the guest preacher on the current situation. The Government officials who were surprised and scared at the situation were suggesting that I should be taken to FMC Umuahia.
I told my driver to call my friend who is a doctor while he reached out to my wife and family members on the situation. I also asked them to take me to the Government Guest House, Emeka Omerua, where I normally stay. On arrival to Emeka Omerua I lost complete consciousness.
I remember many close friends advising that I leave some of those reform programmes as some forces have ganged up against me and they may kill me like others before me. I have always told them,provided all these reforms are for good and my hands not soiled, God who protects will not allow such evil plans to happen.
Whatever happened from that moment was unknown to me as I was told that after 2 hours I sneezed 3 times spontaneously to the excitement of my friend and doctor who noted that the “storm was over “as prayers were fervently going on, on my behalf from different quarters.
Few hours later, I regained consciousness, at this point about four doctors were monitoring me; checking my BP and pulse rate.
I was very weak and what is called water-for-injection was administered to enable me gain some strength.
Meanwhile, the Governor who left for London from Lagos didn’t know what was happening but called to ask why I was not yet on air at a radio station in Aba, Magic FM, to address an important issue.
Without further ado, I informed him I will do so the next day which I did. I was told at the end of the programme that some people never believed that I was the person on air as the news was out that Oriaku was very down health wise.
Our God is faithful and ever ready to save those who put their trust in him . Government service especially in Abia requires you take position on the God you worship. No seating on the fence.My firm believe in the Almighty God and foundation as a seminarian saved me while in government. I thank God am alive to tell this story .Many never had the opportunity of being alive to tell the story and I don’t take His grace for granted . We are not discouraged at all.
Ekwe Dike
09/01/2023
Culled from my book “My Memoir as Abia Commissioner for finance 2015/ 2019.
