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In search of the real Professor Omo Omoruyi:

A rejoinder

Tony Ogiamien

ogiamien@myway.com

Monday, April 25, 2005

There is the general belief that the objective of any public discourse or exchange of views is, or should be, to present unambiguous ideas designed to inform or educate, persuade, and convince in an effort to provide truth. When write-ups go beyond such proposition resulting in vulgar abuse and unfounded allegations, the objective is destroyed and loses value. Such is the case of Mr. Okechukwu E. Asia’s publication on the Internet in an article titled “In search of the Real Professor Omo Omoruyi” [See http://www.kwenu.com/publications/asia/search_omoruyi.htm]

After reading this article, I concluded that the author was spurred to put it up on the Internet out of personal vengeance on Professor Omo Omoruyi or that he was commissioned to do so by silent warring factions in diaspora for the return of IBB. However, my research shows no connection of Asia and Professor Omo Omoruyi or that the writer is in anyway officially connected to any of the plethora of pro-IBB groups in the United States. The two last paragraphs of his submission gave in for the latter. Asia’s article is not all that it could be. As clearly observed in his write-up, Asia interfered with two relationships in which he has no business whatsoever. A number of themes will support this.

First, by casting aspersions on Professor Omo Omoruyi’s integrity and being offended that he (Omoruyi) has settled with IBB are acts of interference. Asia interfered with the relationship of long-time friends. This is not a part of Igbo culture.

Proverbs 18: 2: A fool has no delight in understanding that his heart may discover itself; and verse 7: A fool's mouth is his destruction and his lips are the snares of his soul. Unfortunately for his soul, Mr. Okechukwu E. Asia has spat and licked it. As a non-public intellectual, he has stood up in front of the classroom like a fool. How befitting, indeed. It is only a fool that laughs and does not know when to stop. As he continues to laugh at his ignorance, the able Professor's laughter will be heard, loud and clear, in the corridor of political awareness and victory for Nigerian democracy come the year 2007 and beyond.

Second, Professor Omoruyi's speech regarding IBB's Game Plan 2007 that was published by the Daily Sun on March 28, 2005 was in order. It was intended for the general public. Yet, Asia should have known that the caliber of people that attended that forum were seasoned democratic elites and politicians, who reverend the intellectual ability of our able Professor. There is no way on earth that Mr. Okechukwu Asia would have been welcomed to such a forum. Far from it!

Third, Professor Omo Omoruyi is never a self-professed expert, as claimed by Asia. For those of us who have known Professor Omoruyi all our lives, he is a man who has dedicated his life to democracy and almost lost his life for what he passionately believes to be the right thing for mankind. Here is a man who believes that every person deserves a lending-hand to succeed. Thus, he puts other peoples' needs before his. To collaborate this, he has and continues to help Asia’s protagonist in the Boston area politically, financially, and with economic empowerment. The evidence is there.

Fourth, Asia’s write-up portrayed an act of interference into a matter that was purely ethnic-based in the Boston area. The matter is of no significance to Imo State. There are more on Asia’s hands to worry about in Imo politics than accept to do a commissioned assignment of this nature.

To those who boast about the fact that they have lent a hand to the learned professor when he newly arrived Boston, we say thank you. But this same people have likewise forgotten his fatherly love, care and kindness to all of them. Professor Omo Omoruyi was always and still there for them in time of need, day and night, rain, cold, and sunshine. He counseled, guided, and supported so many without any reservation. Let it be on record that those low-life friends of yours living in the Boston area are the ones that will forever be indebted to the Professor.

Asia should be advised to read Omo Omoruyi’s Tale of June 12 in its entirety, so as to stop relying on the snippets of ideas and opinions propagated by critics, with jaundiced preconceptions about IBB over the game play concerning the June 12 issues. If he had read the book, as eloquent and as erudite as he claimed to be, he should have understood that the criticism of Omo Omoruyi of the IBB regime was not centered on IBB, but on the entire structure and circumstances, including events and myriads of ! role players who were all actually involved in the direction of affairs at the last phase of the IBB regime leading to the June 12 annulment.

If Asia is to be taken seriously, he should step down from his secured and vaunted position to visit Nigeria; and he should take a step further to visit Abuja and, if he may venture further, meet Professor Omo Omoruyi himself and raise the issues he has taken so much pain to rake up in his vitriolic essay. It would not be right for someone like him to be a puppet and a surrogate of some faceless individuals in the attempts to tarnish the name of Professor Omo Omoruyi.

If he has not realized it, the man Omo Omoruyi has set for himself a solid legacy of hard work, achievements, and enviable profile as an intellectual of no mean standard in the world of academia, not only in Nigeria, as earlier pointed out, but elsewhere.

On the erudite scholar’s expertise, it will be out of place to discuss the full vitae of the legend. However, suffice it say for the moment that it should be left to the intellectuals of the University of Benin, Nigerian Institute of Strategic Studies, and the defunct Center for Democratic Studies for Asia to source! Asia needs to further his research about this political guru at the following top academic institutions in the United States: Harvard, Northeastern, Lincoln, (Delaware) and Roger Williams. He will no doubt be told in clear terms what Professor Omo Omoruyi was and the legacy he left behind.

Professor Omoruyi's loyalty is to the minority in the country. His passion is to assure that the voices of the minorities are heard and accorded equal opportunity. Professor Omo Omoruyi almost lost his life on account of his democratic beliefs, resulting in exile. Where is Okechukvvu E. Asia's loyalty? How far is he willing to go ! for his beliefs? It is obvious from his article that he has no loyalty, but would rather hide behind those who have lost their will to survive on their own in the real world.

Again, add this information to the record that Professor Omoruyi is a beloved child of his people. He is reverend and well-liked. Yes, he contested for governorship once and lost, just as Asia did when he contested the chairmanship of the Orsu local government area, Imo State in the last election.

The political scientist did not shy away from the fact that he did made an attempt and failed. Since Asia has no knowledge of how politics evolves, it is instructive that he be enlightened that there is hardly any leader in the world that ran for an office once and won. They made several attempts to succeed in their political goal. A word of advice: read world history, if you knew how.

Yes, poor Bostonians. Their daddy left them after nursing and nurturing them for so long. It is about time they grew up and learned to fend for themselves. It is just too bad that they now know that life is tough and need to buckle up without the assistance of their only reliable source of support. You may want to ask yourself this question: I! f they were the ones taking care of Professor Omoruyi, as they claimed, they should be on the street of Boston jubilating that he had left them in peace. For those who claimed to be in pain, let me emphasize that you cannot sow apple and reap orange. They sowed the seeds that they now reap accordingly.

On Igbo proverbs, Asia also failed to understand that it is an abomination in Igboland to insult an elderly person. He parades himself as Maazi Okechukwu E. Asia without realizing that anyone bearing the title does not act in the way he acted when he meted abuses and insults on an elderly Edo legend using his computer.

Among the cardinal virtues of Nigerian culture is respect for elders and community fellow-feeling. Respect for elders is considered very important and a child who does not observe this cardinal article of the code of behavior is not likely to turn out well.

Among the Yoruba and Edo young people prostrate themselves before their elders. In Hausa culture it is customary for the young to bow before their elders. The Igbo kneel on both knees as a sign of respect for an elder, but this custom is dying and is now observed only on rare occasions. Asia does not recognize the importance of this culture. He needs to check this information from elderly Igbo people hence the Igbo saying: “What an elder sees sitting down, the child cannot see even while standing”

Asia should never have accepted to become anti-Omo Omoruyi through this medium, since it is not necessarily anti-IBB, and Professor Omo Omoruyi is already on ground there with the man. It is regrettable that he allowed himself to be used as vehicle of destruction by a few disgruntled elements of the larger ethnic group which, by and large, does not concern him. When did Asia become a Bini man?

The Holy Bible says in Proverbs 18:15: The heart of the prudent getteth knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeketh knowledge. It is envisaged that one day he will learn from his mistakes and gain knowledge from the prudent.

Asia, like many of his likes and peers, prefers to throw stones in ignorance, thus exposing themselves to the shallowness and mental deficiencies, which have characterized their level of expressions. In the biblical injunction, ''the voice may sound like that of Abel, the hand is definitely that of Esau" speaks volume here. Asia remains a puppet in the hands of some misfits and irrelevant entities that sought to use Professor Omo Omoruyi to achieve selfish personal ends.

While Asia made attempts to explain the dynamics of a classroom behavior ethics, he failed to inform himself -- a vital obligation of a scholar -- to the need to research and investigate information, to establish credibility before reliance on such information for further opinion, or conceptual development. This, Maazi Okechukwu E. Asia clearly failed to do in his diatribe on OMO OMORUYI.

In search of the real Professor Omo Omoruyi? The political guru resides in Minna, Niger State, Nigeria. He is still the same, today and tomorrow.

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