By Ori Martins
There has never been a champion without bruises. Champions are usually identified with bruises. All champions go with bruises.
Be it in academia, military, sports, politics, religion, business or corporate world, champions generally suffer bruises. This bruise comes in form of scar (injury, wound), psychological trauma (shock), betrayal (sabotage by close allies), etc.
Muhammad Ali’s biographer, Thomas Hauser wrote “In the ring, Ali was the most beautiful fighting machine ever assembled”. Yet, Ali suffered most of the bruises no boxer can ever experince.
Ali’s health was completly shattered that he could not talk audibly again. His once beautiful face that attaracted ladies to him was irritatingly disfigured thereby scaring them away from him.
His jaw was dangerously broken just as his nerves were scattered. His eardrum got busted several times. In all, Ali’s health detoriated to the point that he was a shadow of his real self – he suffered Parkinson disease consequent upon which he quaked and shivered and walked unstably for about two decades before his death.
Boxing aficionadoes insist that Ali is the best boxer the world has ever produced, even as his most thrilling, disgusting fight was his three gruelling bouts against Joe Frazier!!! Ali won two and lost one – the first.
Pele was another champion who nursed injuries as he was brutally bruised in the 1966 World Cup in England. Notwithstanding, Pele, a three time World Cup winner, according to FIFA, is the best player the world has ever produced.
Jesus Christ was a winner, a champion. His Passion – suffering, cruxifision and death was absolutely inhuman; but he bore all and the seed of Christianity had his imprimature.
Certainly, one man whose bruises revealed the true essence of a champion was General Aguiyi Ironsi. Ironsi had a distinguished militray career studded and stuffed with firsts – first captain, first major, first ADC to governor general of Nigeria, first Lt Col, first, battalion commander, first brigadier, first major general, first African to command a UN battalion, and first head of state.
Ironsi, by records, is still the most patrotic Nigerian head of a national government. He ruled with equity, fairness and justice. His Supreme Military Council (SMC) had nine members in which only him and Odumegwu Ojukwu were Igbo. He had 21 permanent secretraies in which only two were Igbo (B.N. Okagbue of health, and T. C. M. Eneli of Establishments). He promoted over 60 army officers and the Igbo were the least.
On April 19, 1966, Ironsi made four critical and crucial appointments and none of them was Igbo. They were: Alhaji Sule Katagum, chairman of the Public Service Commission of the Federation. Ironsi appointed Mr Howson Wright chairman of the Nigerian Railway Corporation. He made Mr A. I. Obiyan, chairman, Nigerian Ports Authority, and, H. O. Omenai, chairman of Nigeria Airways. As Chuks Iloegbunam correctly observed in his well researched book, Ironsi: The Army, Nigeria and Politics, none of those men were from East and none was Igbo.
Sadly, Ironsi suffered the worst form of bruises no other Nigerian head of government has ever witnessed. He was assissinated in a most brutal and maliscious fashion. He, too, was a champion.
Enters His Excellency, The Rt Hon Emeka Ihedioha, CON, KSC, Omenkeahuruanya. During his national service as the deputy speaker of Federal House of Representatives, Ihedioha attracted the biggest federal project to South East – the rehabilitation of the Owerri – Elele Road at the cost of N26b. He facilitated the reconstruction of the Okpala – Igwiritta (Rivers) Road; as well as brought home the Mbaise Ring Road that connected the three local councils. He also made possible the (re)construction of the Ihitte Uboma – Okigwe Road.
As Imo governor for seven months, Ihedioha’s delivery was excellent and superb. Till date, no governor has handled pensioners the way Ihedioha did. His education, sports, health and agricultural programmes were marvelous and magnificient. Of course, his road construction and rehabilitation projects were absolutely sensational. Ihedioha implemented the APC – led Federal Government’s TSA and Imo’s fiscal record was fantastic. He was an opposition governor.
During Ihedioha’s seven month reign, there was no insecurity. In fact, Imo was on the path of freedom, prosperity, progress and greatness.
In spite of these beautiful attitudes and wonderful administrative displays of Ihedioha, a champion, a winner and a leader of men as well as manager of resources, he is being inflicted with bruises of all types. He has suffered scars, betrayals and sabotages of various propotions on account of his insistence on equity, fairness, justice and orderliness.
Those who hate good intentions and who are anti democratic forces are working day and night to pull him down.
No problem because champions like Ihedioha are usually associated with bruises. But he will overcome.