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Good Morning Fam, if you care about me, if we also should make history with a clear message of “Positive Personality Advert”. Let us roll in the “likes” and say something about what you’re about to read.
Come with me,
last night, I lost a mentee. This morning by 3am, my sister gave us a baby girl. She has my dimples. Today, God gave us David Edward Onoja 44 years ago.
You know this sad, happy and happy mood rolled into of emotion? I am trying to understand it.
I would like us to follow.
Edward Onoja is the Chief of Staff to the Kogi State Governor. He goes by the nickname, Araga 1. I think that there’s three body that exists in one soul in him.
1. Intelligent Leadership
2. Emotional Robustness-Intelligence
3. Humanitarian
Unabashed. Undaunted. Fierce. Articulately pierce.
In the nature-junta that truncated genroncratic rule in my state, he was the influencer who championed the cause of installing young people across the face of Governance along with his friend who doubles visibly as his brother, the Governor.
Tombstone of wickedness which has deaths written all over it was what characterized my state in the past. Every news was sad. It came with deaths. Every single news was hollows of death.
Young men stood naked without social protection. Their future pillaged. Thugs were employed as empowerment plan for the youths.
In Dekina, Ankpa, Omala, Okene and even Ejule, many people could point hands to deaths. Young people like you and I sent to the land beyond because of absence of political leadership.
You see Edward? He was the alarm! He rang. Death found another path. “No more thugs ina di home buddy. We youths got another future”.
The old ruled while the poor were thugs. People like myself could have been insignificant without his influence. So we have many others.
Edward cares. He cares into the future. He sees talents, gathers them and begin to nurture. Bested with the right temperament for leadership, he makes hard decisions with piercing intelligence which is evident in reasonable outcome. These decisions are documented actionable plans which indicates: planning, strategic follow through, pin-pointed measurable outcomes and he does this with great depth of dexterity which showcases profound understanding of issues.
His electricity brain is always on the highway. He barely sleeps. Sometimes, I find him restless. Would it be because problem solving puts him into sleeplessness or passion for service?
Leadership acuity comes with problem solving anyway.
2. Emotional Intelligence, EI, has come to surpass IQ as a required condiment for effective leadership. I follow Edward carefully on how he treats his daughter. I see the warmth and attachment to his father and purposely his mother. I see how he holds his family dear. It is the surest fruit for how he treats his friends, old, current and future.
There is something unusual about him. I did my own finding. Those he had continually empowered with his influence in Governance are mostly strangers but then, how many people remember those who stood in heights with them when they were nothing?
Edward remembers everyone and everything in his life. How he does this is something I would have to ask him. There’s this historical knowledge about his encounters with people. I saw him go back to gift a car to someone who had been the rendezvous of help to his community when he was growing up. You know how some people are so nice into expecting their rewards in heaven? Edward help heaven on earth.
For every single person that was in his life before he became COS, he didn’t forget. These stories are like raging inferno across the streets of Lokoja and Kogi state. And then, no social dichotomy comes between your friendship and his because of positions. A man that is friends with children, teenagers, adults and the old. You do not get to feel an aura of invincibility around him. He broke that barrier Nigerian politicians create when they get into political positions.
He is accessible. He engages everyone. He is not the loutish impudent braggadocio who sees positions as opportunities for intimidation, rather, he sees it into service.
That was the vision I saw. That is why I could arrest my future around him and sleep knowing it is safe. That is why many young Kogites swarm around him like bees. Of course, he understands the streets and understands the elite things. Nature’s benefits. They are things I cannot write about his private life here, maybe someday with his permission I may do so.
Summarily, for the first time in many decades, Kogi East produces a leader with strong iQ, high Emotional Intelligence, Street-credo-King, Elite class person rolled into one. And before you forget, he understands without being told. In his head, he plans and creates opportunities for you when you think he has forgotten.
3. Humanitarian.
Ask around. Shout it in the streets. The heart of a man is where the bounty of his goodness lies. You should find out on your own, I do not want to write like a politician. But then, Edward has a good heart. Leadership is service. In latter reign leadership, avarice and stomach-magnetism saturates our leadership environment. It is a stench. Many people forget that influence and power is meant for service. Someone from Olamaboro, Kogi State uses this master stroke to touch lives.
From cars, scholarships, career support, logistics mechanics, social inclusion, fatherly cover, brotherly cover, warmth and love, he goes about fingering lives from non-entity into fabulous entities. Ask those guys driving Ford cars in town, light shone on them. Many of them didn’t imagine that kind of future. It is with them.
For the first time in many years, I found consolation in my state that it is not “everyone who needs to know somebody that knows somebody to become somebody”. You can be somebody without anybody if you’re a message to the world.
What more is kinder than a man who teaches you how to fish than one who gives you the head of his charred fish after every meal? Fortune favors the brave, someone delivers his bravery to your weakness. In humanity we are one.
He believes in “actions” than empty words. He goes after what he says. And that is what I call integrity.
Let us leave other matters. More birthdays would come, probably I shall bring you more news but for this 44th, I feel enthralled to write this.
You know I celebrate my Kogi brother everyday, this one is not for me alone. Humanity has a gift.
Let us unite. I am sad, happy and happy today.
Happy birthday Pa.
Share, let us ring the alarm in many homes. We need more of Edward for Kogi to rise.
– Promise Emmanuel (Kogi Rebel)
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