By Ejiofor Agada, Enugu
The month of April used to be just another month of the calendar for some of people until recently. That was until we started with the realization that there was more to this month than it was ordinarily supposed to be.
Yes the death and resurrection of our savior Jesus Christ usually falls within the month of April: Yes the notoriety of a day dedicated to ‘Fools’ can be found in this month: Yes this month houses the International Day for Mine Awareness: Yes this same April has a day dedicated to National Maritime: Yes unique days within this same month are dedicated to both World Health and World Homeopathy day(s): Yes the World Heritage and Siblings day(s) still fall within this month…but
Some of us have realized that in all these, we should have been advocating for World GOT Day as well.
Why? Because the 10th of April is also the birthday of a great man. A youth in the true sense of the word, and one that have set Enugu state political environment on its head. A man with a rare mix of conscience and humility in politics, community development and youth empowerment.
This man has set the stage for other politicians to look up to by clearly redefining the concept of politics in Nigeria, and especially Enugu state and Igboland, that quest for political power is a means to an end and not an end itself.
George Ogara Tabugbo (GOT), a young vibrant lawyer, from Unadu in Igbo-Eze south LGA of Enugu state, was born on a day like this 47yrs ago. As the first lawyer in his community, a lot was obviously expected from him by his family and the whole town from get go. Taking the bull by the horns, GOT have so far become the yardstick for measuring the impact of an individual’s wealth in their community.
Though his first today into politics has just been of recent, when his almost assured landslide victory into the Enugu state government house, was truncated by some professional politicians without principles or conscience, he has neither quit or wavered in his determined quest to use political power to change the face of his long forgotten community and State at large.
The Ikenga of Unadu…the one and only Iyi An’g Ataata of Enugu state, GOT deserves to have 10th of April solely dedicated to him. Not only because a great man was born on such a day, but it happens to be a man that is so committed to the aspirations of the youth that he opened and runs the only Football academy in Nsukka zone, Aspire Football Academy in Unadu. A great man that revolutionized the concept of community development using community effort only by helping to establish a community-based construction and skills transfer company, UCC Limited, to design and construct infrastructure for the community like water schemes, roads and bridges using 100% local skills.
A great man that opened cottage industries in the areas of bread and confectioneries, fish farming, bee-keeping and transport line, all to give employment and alleviate the poverty of his people.
April 10th of every year should be dedicated as Social Crusader day aka GOT Day. This will be the day to acknowledge other people that have so dedicated their lives to the development and well being of their communities without recourse to their own personal gains, that their names alone have lifted their immediate environment to national prominence. George Ogara Tabugbo exemplifies what a dogged fighter ought to be in his professional life as a legal social crusader that have intervened for the downtrodden and cheated communities especially in the niger delta region and his state, as well as his unwavering belief in his political ideology of fair play and patriotism.
Aside helping environmentally scarred communities get adequate compensation from imperial capitalists, he has taking up legal duels to defend communities in Enugu state shortchanged by the gread of some politicians that have left communities worse-off through abandoned federal projects.
In politics, GOT is a phenomenon as he is regarded as the lone legal voice for the All Progressives Congress in the whole south east region with multiple court cases on behalf of the party in Anambra, Enugu and Ebonyi states.
Ironically, all his legal battles for poor communities, including his hometown Unadu, are pro bono and at no cost to others except himself. Seen as the political saviour for Enugu state in the coming years, GOT is remarkable in the fact that his busy schedules hardly interferes with his timeout with youth and widows in his country home on a monthly basis. Seen as a mecca of some sorts, his White House country home is always a beehive of activities for any and everyone.
The GOT Day is therefore a celebration of a social crusader and man of the people. GOT Day is today, April 10th and Ikenga Unadu’s birthday. Happy birthday Iyiii!
Ejiofor Agada writes from Enugu