|
Listen to article
|
In the Imo State political landscape, there is a rare personality in the arena that is making disruptive waves and fast gaining momentum with every passing day. Despite not being a member of the ‘old brigade’ of politicians in the state, the man called Tony Ejiogu has miraculously become a frontline candidate as far as the upcoming Imo governorship election is concerned.
For many years, Ndi Imo have been desirous and eager to have a leader who understands what leadership really entails. They have ceaselessly clamoured for a leader who clearly understands the gravity of the problems they are faced with and how to solve them. They were already giving up hope when Mr. Ejiogu agreed to volunteer himself to stand in the big gap on the familiar platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA). That singular decision has restored hope to the faces of Ndi Imo – their prospects of having a young governor who has the build and training for leadership, creamed with a sound intellect and garnished with impeccable integrity is now as valid as it has never been.
Mr. Ejiogu is a young, perfect gentleman whose life has been completely dedicated to offering selfless services to humanity. His actions and deeds clearly place him as a man that came far ahead of his generation. He is one of the very few individuals around who managed to get themselves to the pinnacle of their careers with their integrity, prestige, and reputation intact. Ejiogu is a clean man by all ramifications and by all intents and purposes offers a breath of fresh air as far as Imo politics is concerned.
His entrance into the ring to contest the Imo governorship is particularly gracious owing to the depth of his knowledge, unassailable integrity, and impeccable pedigree. As a technocrat endowed with a copious profile as a financial management and business development guru, Ejiogu brings over two and a half decades of experience in the industry to the table.
Just like Mr. Peter Obi who was the Presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the last Nigeria election, Mr. Ejiogu appears to have struck a cord among Imolites. Young and old, rich and poor, educated and non-educated, everyone appears to have caught this fever of a young man dynamic man who is determined, motivated, and prepared to change the face of leadership in Imo State by raising the bar of performance to amazing heights and upping the ante of solid people-oriented governance as never witnessed in the state.
His rich educational background, sound economic policies, and unmatched commitment to improving the living standards of Ndi Imo have made him a candidate that even his opponents in the race are anxiously looking to.
Born on the 23rd of March, 1974, to Sir Ambrose and Lady Maria Ejiogu of Umuakuru, Emekuku, Owerri, Tony Ejiogu is the third out of nine children. He attended Imo State University Primary School in Aba and St. Peter Claver Seminary at Okpala for his secondary education before migrating to the United States to pursue further studies.
Through painstaking diligence, Mr. Ejiogu obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Management from the University of Akron, Ohio. He didn’t stop there, he kept his academic pursuits blazing and soon, he earned himself a Master’s degree in Administration from Bowie State University and subsequently an MBA in Finance from the University of Maryland. Anyone who has followed his educational journey will easily agree that his desperate thirst for knowledge evidently demonstrates his ability to apply diverse perspectives to solving complex problems as well as his dedication to personal growth.
Mr. Ejiogu started off his career as an Investigative Business Consultant with a firm known as Dun & Bradstreet Corporation. There, through strong commitment and dedication, he was able to gather credit information on businesses and became conversant with how comprehensive reports widely used for business assessments and government transactions were provided.
Read Also: Imo Guber: Anyanwu Blasts Uzodinma Over ‘Childish’ Comments
From there, he went on to join Booz-Allen & Hamilton Corp as a Program Financial Analyst. Here, he was able to provide technical details that were instrumental in supporting the U.S. Naval Sea Systems Command in financial management and data analysis for Department of Defense systems.
Ejiogu embraced the investing, financial, and consulting industries and offered clients all around the world investment services, including mortgage-backed securities. Additionally, he managed programmes in the Middle East and North Africa region while supporting electoral democracy as a Programme Financial Consultant for the International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES).
In order to spur economic growth, he founded E-Horizon Consulting Limited in 2011. The company provides financial management and business development consulting services to clients around the world.
It was eye-catching exploits and ground-shifting contributions in the Western world that caught the attention of Dr Ikedi Ohakim when he was Governor of Imo State. Desperate to tap from the overflowing wealth of experience gushing from this illustrious Imo son, His Excellency, the then Governor had him ferried back to his fatherland to come and contribute his quota to the development of the state.
On his arrival, he was deployed as Special Assistant in charge of government administration. Almost immediately, he showed the stuff he was made of and left everyone in awe. Notwithstanding his short stay in office, he made indelible marks in that administration. He injected rare sanity into the system, revolutionised transparency, and unleashed technology to fight bureaucratic inadequacies.
That stay in office in Nigeria afforded Mr. Ejiogu an opportunity to understand how governance really works in his home country. He spent most of the time juxtaposing what he saw on the ground with what is the ideal. That experience was a baptism of fire that afforded him with a deep understanding of governance which in turn propelled him to develop a desire to enhance efficiency and productivity.
Away from his stellar exploits in his professional career, Mr. Ejiogu is a complete man. He is a deeply cultured man that respects noble tradition, cultural heritage, as well as the diversity and views of others. Through his well-spread philanthropic gestures, education projects, manpower capacity development, and other forms of timely social interventions, Mr. Ejiogu has been able to demonstrate his unalloyed commitment to the growth and development of his Emekuku community and the testaments are everywhere.
Talking about the race to Douglas House to end the present melodrama of mediocrity and painful underperformance, Mr. Ejiogu stands out from his opponents. His promise of a better life for common Imolites backed by sound economic policies and well crafted developmental agenda clearly sends a strong message to everyone interested in saving Imo that he is a man on a mission.
His manifesto and his engagement with Imolites so far, evidently show that he is a man that understands the pressing needs of the devastated population whose life has been ruined by wicked politicians. Mr. Ejiogu does not just understand the problems, he is the candidate with the most realistic solutions to the issues that have become quite existential to Imolites such as insecurity, poverty, unemployment, collapsed infrastructure, and poor living standards.
Mr. Ejiogu is a young man that spent many years abroad digging and researching the cause of Imo’s problems. Thankfully, he now has all the solutions ready, waiting for the mandate of the people to implement them for the betterment of the State.
Today, the young man from Emekuku, in Owerri zone is on the roll. He is determined to lead this state out of its present woods. He has the knowledge. He has a clear vision. He has global experience. He is the only person among the contenders that possesses the cerebral content, the theoretical and practical valves, the international exposure and immersion, and the impeachable and verifiable track for leadership.
If Imolites are looking for a decent and integrity-woven leader, then the search should be over in a few months if they do the right thing by voting for the young and bubbling APGA candidate.
