THE town and gown controversy has been on for many years. However it has since been settled that professionals and men of the ivory tower in fact contribute their wisdom, expertise and vast knowledge to the growth and development of their environment, their community and their nation.

There may be one or two instances where these people have failed to live up to expectations while in community service. But a good number of them have been outstanding role models in community leadership.

One of such professionals is Chief Boniface Chikelue Omesuh, Omenyi Enugwu Ukwu na Umunri in Anambra State whose remains was committed to mother earth on Thursday March 12, 2015. Educated at the Christ the King College (CKC) Onitsha, he was admitted at the School of Survey Akure and later at the Yaba College of Technology. He graduated in Land Surveying from the College in 1963. Destiny was later to change his career from Land Surveying to Quantity Surveying when he relocated to the United Kingdom in 1965. He studied the course in record time and passed the examinations of the professional bodies -Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and The Institute of Quantity Surveyors (IQS).

On his return to Nigeria soon after the Nigerian Civil War in 1970, he joined the firm of Osigwe Nwogu & Partners, Chartered Quantity Surveyors and Construction Cost Consultants. The firm had a working relationship with the then pioneer architectural firm in Nigeria,Ekwueme Associates. From benefit of hind sight, one can easily assume that the decision of Alex Ekwueme to plunge into partisan politics at the beginning of the Second Republic in 1978 influenced both Osigwe Nwogu and Chikelue Omesuh. I recall that while Dr. Ekwueme was eventually picked as the running mate to President Shehu Shagari in the 1979 General Elections, Osigwe Nwogu contested for the Nkwerre/ Isu Federal Constituency in Imo State while Chikelue Omesuh ran for the Enugwu Ukwu State Assembly Constituency in the Old Anambra State. The three candidates contested under the platform of the defunct National Party of Nigeria (NPN). Dr. Ekwueme was successful in his bid while both Osigwe Nwogu and Chikelue Omesuh failed in theirs, apparently due to the then “Zik factor” in Igbo Politics. The National leader of the Nigerian Peoples Party (NPP) was the reverred Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe and the NPP virtually swept the polls in the former East Central State.

Chikelue Omesuh had earlier in 1972 been elected President General of the Enugwu Ukwu Community Development Union (ECDU) Pundits at this time saw this “green horn” in Enugwu Ukwu Politics as a square peg in a round hole as the politics of the town had been dominated by a combination of the Traditional Ruler the late Igwe Osita Agwuna and members of his cabinet led by the Traditional Prime Minister the late Chief D.A Nwandu, the Oba of the town. Incidentally, the said Traditional Prime Minister had been the President General of the town Union for several years before the outbreak of the civil war and until 1972, two year after.

Chikelue Omesuh fought relentlessly to extricate the town union affairs from the grip of the traditional ruler and his cabinet. It was a very fierce battle which cost the town dearly in terms of development projects. The fight was so bitter that the launching of the millions of naira Development Projects for the town held in 1978 to which many prominent personalities were invited and had already arrived the town for the occasion had to be aborted on the morning of the historic event. It was a very sad day for Enugwu Ukwu and her people.

But the President General Chikelue Omesuh was not daunted. He faced the difficulties, tensions and disappointments of the period with stoic equanimity. Because he believed he had a vision and mission for progress and development of the town, he managed to convince many like-minded indigenes, inlaws and friends of the town to make significant contributions to the town’s development projects, especially the Enugwu Ukwu Civic Centre. Chief Omesuh’s dogged spirit and immense financial contributions of the late Chief R. O. Nkwocha made this possible within a record time. The Civic Centre was eventually officially opened in 1982 by the then Vice President Dr. Alex Ekwueme. The Civic Centre eventually hosted the first Anambra State House of Assembly on the creation of the new state in 1991.

Chikelue Omesuh’s tenure as President General of the town union also ensured the construction of Enugwu Ukwu Girls Secondary School which has turned out many successful Old Girls. The Enugwu Ukwu Boys Secondary School was also established during his tenure through the contributions of some patriotic indigenes of the town who donated classroom blocks. His Administration constructed a Police Post in the town and handed it over to the Nigerian Police Force as well as ensuring the establishment of many ECDU branches in various parts of the country.

There is therefore no gainsaying the fact that a well grounded professional can also give unquantifiable service to his community. It is not only politicians especially those begged by their people to serve who in many cases end up serving themselves that can serve their people successfully . A leading example of an outstanding community leader from the ivory tower is the late Professor Chinua Achebe. An internationally acknowledged author, he served his town union the Ogidi Union meritoriously for many years. It was while in this service that he was involved in a tragic vehicle accident which confined him to the wheel chair for the rest of his life. Chikelue Omesuh belongs to this category having rendered outstanding service to his community for seventeen years. Chikelue Omesuh has written his name in gold in the annals of the history.It shall remain everlasting.

Mr. Sam Ekpe, a  media  consultant, wrote from Abuja.