Yesterday, 4th February marked exactly 2 years when ndi igbo in China lost an iroko, an untiring leader, a visionary and great igbo man whose determination to change the story of Nigerians in China knows no match.
Late Osita Emmanuel Ojukwu an erstwhile leader of the Nigerian Community in China, was a man of honour and leader per excellence who proved to the Chinese with his actions that the black man is capable of honest and committed leadership.To his eternal credit,the gap of trust that existed between our people and their Chinese hosts are now closed. Nigerians are now owners of thriving businesses including factories in the Asian country and they're well respected as job creators and contributors to the country's economy.
As the leader of Nigerian community in China, he fought cultism to a still and restored the image of Nigerians through consistent advocacy. According to the late sage, he stated in one of his interviews that he knew from the outset that having a deep understanding of the Chinese law would give him leverage as a leader in a foreign country and as such stopped at nothing in equipping himself with the knowledge of these laws and made Nigerians see reasons to abide by them for their collective benefit .
This decision has now birthed the strong cordial relationship which exists between the authorities on one hand and Nigerians on the other hand. His intervention has equally led to the relaxation of some punitive regulations that hindered their smooth operations while doing business.
It is a great pleasure to praise a hero in remembrance but it is so difficult to imitate his footsteps. Ossy left a very big shoes in leadership; others may try but it will be hard to perfectly fit into it. There are few leaders in his mould; his life is one of those undisputable testimonies that leaders are born. Among his exceptional qualities,he possessed very large dosage of emotional intelligence; was an extremely disciplined individual with an analytical mind; very humble; simple; hardworking and progressive. Ossy Ojukwu while he was alive did not speak above whispers and you'll hardly hear him speak ill of anybody. This assertion is not a hyperbole.
His life as a leader was dedicated to building a good society and he gave his all including prodigious amount of hard currencies, his health equally suffered, and even his family in the course of his service to his people. He was a reformer who personally brought to life so many organizations that were already gasping for breath with his uncommon wisdom and courage and they became alive again. His commitment and dedication no doubt earned him groveling respect and yet he did not abuse his office enriching himself and friends.
Anybody close to him is aware he was so mindful of his image that he even jettisoned a lot of genuine opportunities that would conflict with collective interest. In that sense, leadership made him poorer.
The African legend will continue to remain a study in leadership and it behoves our people in China to start looking for ways to immortalise this giant who worked all the days of his life to bring them glory. In so doing,the Chinese will take us more serious as a people with sense of history.
The commitment shown by the late Osita Ojukwu towards building a peaceful and respected Nigerian community in China will not be forgotten soon and his honesty, transparency, simplicity, dedication to all his endeavors should continue to be a guiding light to successive leaders
Late Ossy Ojukwu will forever remain in our memories because he showed direction to our people.
Our prayers and thoughts are always with him. We pray God to forgive his short comings and equally pray he gives us the fortitude to continue to bear his loss.
Mazi Ndugekwu Okechi(Zima)
Writes from Guangzhou, China
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