Grace is the kindness that only God bestows. It is a divine blessing or an unmerited favour from the Almighty.  It is the extraordinary phenomenon that enshrouds a person, making it possible to surmount various life challenges.  Further research indicates that almost all the virtues of life issue from grace.

A look at both the cardinal and the theological virtues; prudence, justice temperance, courage, faith, hope and love reveal that none of the above virtues can be possessed by a person without the special spark of God.  The grace of God becomes the substance mostly sought after for a meaningful life.

Ike Ekweremadu

To this end, a fall from grace is to lose dignity that may lead to a disgrace.  It is a fall from the sacred to the profane, the edifying to the stultifying and from the sublime to the ridiculous.  A fall from grace is the loss of the solemn radiance and a stripping of the divine aura.

Grace is the je ne se pas that explains the mystery behind the profound accomplishment by a few in various areas of life that present enormous challenges to others.  On the other hand, while most men grope in the dark or in their shadows, only the favoured encounter self realization and attain their full potentials in life.

The grace of God is the most suitable vortex that underpins the life of His Excellency, Sen. Ike Ekweremadu, CFR, the Deputy President of the Senate and the Speaker of the Parliament of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

Ike Ekweremadu was born on May 12, 1962 into the royal family of His Royal Highness,Late Igwe Mathias Ekweremadu, the Okwaa Anekeoji 1 of Mpu, Aninri Local Government Area of Enugu State.

Lo, the birth of every child is an epiphany of hope wrapped in a canvass of  diverse possibilities.  As hard as parents may strive for an upward social mobility of the child, it requires the grace of God to twang the transcendental cord that excites the critical elements in the child for self awakening.  Thus, while his peers at a very early age floundered, Ekweremadu flourished with a clear vision of his life mission.  He pursued the vision with incandescent passion, valour, candour and honour.

For instance, Ekweremadu attended and left primary school as the teachers delight. He proceeded to St. Dominic’s Secondary school, Ugiri, Imo State and Boys Secondary School, Umueze Awkunanaw and obtained a Grade 1 in West African School Certificate. He pursued a course of study in Law at the prestigious University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) and earned LLB and LLM; and a BL from Nigerian Law School, Lagos.  He also attended the Harvard, USA and the Oxford University for further trainings.

Only the initiated will appreciate that to achieve a sustainable success and stability in politics requires a combination of vision, passion, courage, intellect, humility, sagacity, perseverance, godliness and character.  It is the consistent application of the above set of variables that incubates grace which is the summary of virtues.

As a little known courageous young adult from a far less known community, Ekweremadu dedicated his life as a change-agent that would transform his abjectly neglected area to national limelight.

Equipped with a frontier spirit and Law degrees, he set out to restructure the psychology and consciousness of his people through the chairmanship of Mpu Town Union.  And later, he was elected the Chairman of Aninri Local Government Council.  His excellent performance earned him the Best Council Chairman of the year, in 1997.

Based on his stellar pedigree, he was appointed the Chief of Staff, Government House and subsequently the Secretary to the Government of Enugu State.  He ennobled the two offices with remarkable skill, exceptional diligence, elegance and panache.  He demonstrated an extraordinary acumen in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles.  In 2003, Ekweremadu was elected a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to represent Enugu West Senatorial District on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), re-elected in 2007, and also in 2011. A peculiar South-East enigma each election recorded less resistance than the previous one.

In the Senate, he was elected the Deputy President of the Senate in 2007 and also in 2011.  He was also elected the First Deputy Speaker, ECOWAS Parliament in 2007 and Honourable Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament in 2011.

A prodigy in Parliamentary practice, Ekweremadu has several motions and bills to his credit.  Furthermore, he is the Chairman of the Senate Ad-hoc Committee on the 1999 Constitution Review.  The widely acknowledged free and fair election of 2011 owes its credibility to the Electoral Reform facilitated by the Constitution Review Committees of the National Assembly.

He is a detribalized patriot whose love, dedication, sacrifice and passion for Nigeria are legendary. A man who canvasses the centrality of morals in the dynamics of power.  A classic public speaker whose incisive contributions in the Senate engender responsibility, nation building and hope.

At the ECOWAS Parliament, Ekweremadu savours with deep emotional attachment that he was unanimously elected as the Speaker, hence the unprecedented unity of purpose in the Parliament.  He presides over the Parliament with finesse, statesmanlike verve, diplomatic élan and consummate consensus.  He embodies the aspirations of the members.  For instance, he has pursued the Enhancement of the Powers of the Community Parliament; Rehabilitation of the Parliament building; provision of office accommodation to all members of the Parliament; institution of Award for Good Governance; Protocol for punishment of coup plotters in the sub-region even after office; capacity building for both the Parliamentarians and staff etc.  To the Parliamentarians it is a major paradigm shift.

Ekweremadu’s quality representation resonates resoundingly with his constituency. He has parlayed his cognate experience into monumental achievements in Enugu West Senatorial District and beyond.  He has transformed his constituency beyond the rust and tarnish of even the least charitable.  He has converted his Senatorial District into a huge construction site with road rehabilitation and construction, rural electrification, solar lights, water supply schemes, health care service delivery, libraries, computer centres, youth development centres etc.

In human resource and capacity building, the Ikeoha Foundation which he founded in 1997 as a council chairman, complements his constituency outreach through scholarships to indigent students, micro-credit and widowhood support schemes, adult literacy centres, quiz and Ikeoha Football Cup competitions among others.

As an Ambassador of Christ, he has strived to mainstream the youth in his community to God through the All Saints Anglican Covenant Church, Mpu.  A church he built and donated to the Anglican Communion.

To his constituents, Ike Ekweremadu is simply a colossus, purveyor of morals, the Angel of history that has been so anxiously awaited, the peoples Prometheus, jinx-breaker, visionary, reflective scholar and a soldier of democracy.  He is the exponent of the popular Enugu sentiment who has enlarged the Ikeoha Sanctuary to accommodate persons of diverse needs from all parts of the State.

To any unbiased observer, Ikeoha’s trajectory is a tribute to courage, service, humility, loyalty, integrity, generosity, resilience, diligence and spirituality.

Senator Ike Ekweremadu has to his credit several awards, honours and traditional titles.  He was inducted as a Knight of the Order of the Good Shepherd, Diocese of Enugu (Anglican Communion); Dr. Kwame Nkrumah Africa Leadership Award; Doctor of Laws, LLD,(Honoris Causa), University of Uyo, etc.  Traditionally, he has been conferred with the Ochiagha Ndigbo (Generalissimo of Igboland) by Eze Nri, the custodian of Igbo culture and tradition; the Ikeoha Ndigbo (Pride and Strength of Ndigbo) by the South East Council of Traditional Rulers, etc.  Ekweremadu holds the national honour of the Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR).

He is happily married to Lady Nwanneka Ekweremadu and the marriage is blessed with four lovely children.

The above qualities foreground the citation for Senator Ekweremadu on the occasion of the award of a Doctor of Laws (LLD), Honoris Causa, to him by the University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.  According to the University orator, Prof. Effiong, Ekweremadu has demonstrated physical prowess, social renown, political mastery, friendly finesse, character comeliness, marital exemplariness, and dispositional humility.

As we solemnly mark his fifty one years on earth, we join all men and women of goodwill to wish Ikeoha many more years of fruitful service to the nation.

Chiedozie Alex Ogbonnia Special Adviser (Public Affairs) to Deputy President of the Senate