AGE is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter. But to friends, relations, and even enemies of Abia State Governor, Chief Theodore Ahamuefule Orji, it matters as he clocks 64. Gradually Governor Orji is stepping into the septuagenarian club, healthy, hearty, resolute and focused. As he ages, it is never a dull moment for a man who has spent the greater part of his life to render selfless service to humanity.

Describing Orji (Ochendo) as a child of circumstances with a great destiny is like stating the obvious. It is often said that  some were born great, while others attained or achieved greatness. For Governor Orji, it is a combination of being born great and working hard to attain greatness. Governor Orji was born on November 11, 1950 into the humble family of Chief and Mrs. Tom Ikoro Orji of  Amaokwe Ugba, Umuahia – Ibeku in  Umuahia North  Local Government Area of Abia State.

During his secondary education at Santa Crux Secondary School, Olokoro, Umuahia, and Holy Ghost College,  Owerri, Imo State, he got married to his best friend and heartthrob, Mrs. Mercy Odochi Orji. It was a feat not many of his peers then who were enmeshed in youthful exuberance could have thought of or attempted. Some people then thought he was kidding, confused or hoodwinked by his parents to marry.

Occasionally, we tried to jokingly make mockery of him by calling him a secondary school married man. But he was never disturbed or deterred by the situation, for he had always believed in the saying that  God gave us the gift of life; it is up to us to give ourselves the gift of living well. So Orji started living well in time, and has continued to do so strongly at 64.

Seeing him, his wife, and five wonderful children today, one can hardly tell whether his children are his younger brothers or children, for they have grown, read well and had remained humble and disciplined; an aftermath of Governor Orji’s living well and remaining focused.

With the unflinching support of his lovely wife, children and caring parents, Governor Orji trudged on and secured admission into the prestigious University of Ibadan, where he bagged a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Language in 1977. During his National Youths Service Corps programme in 1978, he won many laurels as an exceptional corps member at Government Secondary School, Shinkafi Isa Local Government Area, Sokoto State.

On  completion of the youth service in 1978, his flair for public service and selfless service to humanity propelled him to pick a job as an Administrative Officer in the old Imo State civil service in December 1979. This was at a time some of his peers travelled abroad in search of multinational and other white-collar jobs that would enrich them quickly. While in the civil service, he served in various capacities in the Cabinet Office, Ministry of Lands and Survey, Ministry of Agriculture and Imo State Government House.

Upon the creation of Abia State from Old Imo State in 1991, he returned to Umuahia as an experienced and renowned public servant to lay the foundation for the take- off of the new state, Abia. He started his service in Umuahia in Abia Government House, before moving to the Bureau of Budget and Planning, and Ministry of Agriculture. While serving in all these positions, he made a mark through his immense contributions in the development and strengthening of the state civil service in line with the international best practice.

It was due to his humility, diligence and total commitment to work that he was seconded to the  National Electoral  Commission of Nigeria, NECON, now Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Abia State as Administrative Secretary on March 1, 1996, and later redeployed to  Enugu State  in 1997, where he alongside others supervised the elections that ushered in the present democratic government in the country in 1999.

It was from there that he was appointed the Principal Secretary, Government House, Umuahia, and later Chief of Staff to the executive governor of the state for eight years. It was a position he handled with maturity and professionalism to the admiration of many who worked closely with him. While in public service during this long period, little did know that God was preparing him as a tool to liberate Abia people.

But it became clear to all and sundry in 2007 that God has anointed him to emerge the executive governor of Abia State and salvage the state from the forces of darkness that have held the people down for decades. Despite his unjust incarceration by EFCC after his emergence as the governorship candidate of PPA,  the people of Abia overwhelmingly voted for him in the election as he made an unprecedented political history as the first Nigerian to be voted into the office of governor while in prison.

Soon after his assumption of office in 2007, his government was caged and bogged down by the forces opposed to the development of the state and its people. And for four years he silently fought a war to liberate the state. Indeed, it took the intervention of God to break the yoke of the political godfatherism and to finally liberate the state. It was a feat achieved without overheating the polity or shedding blood.

With Governor Orji having laid the first solid foundation for a modern Abia State, which was a missing link since its creation in 1991, the state has since regained its lost glory. His administration’s numerous legacy projects, scattered across the state, is a confirmation of his vision and passion for a great and developed Abia State. Looking at where the state was in 2007, and where it is today, leaves no in doubt that Orji is God’s wonderful gift to the people of state.

He has really demonstrated that leadership is all about touching the lives of the people, irrespective of their status. No wonder, today his style of leadership has become a model and exemplary in the country. Through his numerous people-oriented policies, he has modernized, professionalised and changed the face of governance in Abia State. Prudence, accountability, transparency, infrastructural developments, and human empowerment have become the hallmark of governance in the state.

The conferment of several prestigious awards on him by several international, traditional and national organisations such as Daily Independent Newspaper, The Champion Newspaper, Business Day Newspaper, AIT and the recent conferment of national honour (CON) by President Goodluck is a confirmation of his successes and outstanding performance in office.

While many of his peers are retiring and tiring, Governor Orji is waxing stronger ahead, as it is becoming obvious that at 64 God is preparing him for a more prestigious and higher responsibility in governance to enable him to continue his selfless service to humanity.

Chief Nduka Ogbugwa (KSJ) wrote from Arochukwu Abia State