Dr. Ike Ekweremmadu has been on the political scene in Nigeria for quite a long time. He started his political journey as Chairman of Aninri LGA of Enugu State in the early 2000s. He later became Chief of Staff to the Governor of Enugu State. He was later appointed Secretary to the Enugu State Government by Dr. Chimaroke Nnamani who was Governor at the time. In 2003, he got elected into office as Senator representing Enugu West District. He held sway till today, making it 20 years he has been in the Senate on the platform of PDP. He’s one of the three longest-serving Senators in Nigeria.
Just in late 2022, he was arrested in the UK over child trafficking involving one Ukpo Nwamini from Izzi, Ebonyi State. Ike Ekweremmadu, his wife, personal doctor, and daughter traveled to the UK with the suspect for a kidney transplant for his daughter, Sylvia Ekweremmadu who has been down with kidney disease. On reaching the hospital in the UK for the transplant, the boy raised an alarm alleging that he wasn’t aware of why he found himself in the UK. He further alleged that he’s an underaged person, hence the arrival of the police who arrested Ekweremmadu, his wife, and Dr. Obeta who’s his personal doctor. Since then, Ekweremmadu has continued to be in UK prison custody undergoing arraignment.
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Just two days ago, news had it that the court found him culpable and, therefore, liable to a twelve-year jail term. It’s not known if he’s going to appeal the judgment or not, but I hope we’ll be in the know of his next action in this regard.
As a lawmaker, being formerly Deputy Senate President of the Nigerian Senate, Ekweremmadu has attracted a lot of goodies into his zone which includes roads, water, electricity, scholarship, employment, hospitals, market blocks, a bursary to students, empowerment, succor materials, political appointments and a whole lot of other lifelong projects. In my own judgment, Sen. Dr. Ike Ekweremmadu has performed creditably having seen some of the many roads he constructed in Enugu West. His representation has touched infrastructure-wise all the five LGAs under the zone — Awgu, Aninri, Ezeagu, Udi, and Oji River LGAs. Almost all the communities of these LGAs have his presence well spelt out. But the grouse of some of his people is his holding tight to the seat for uninterrupted twenty years. Many argued that, and wondered if there was no anyone else in the zone worthy of occupying the seat all the while.
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My Judgment:
As a layman, I want to fault the decision of Ekweremmadu to have stayed long on the seat without recourse to some natural tendencies that greet such an action. I know too well that in the legislature, the number of years a lawmaker stays in the assembly is an added advantage to him and the constituency he represents, but many don’t quite agree with that. He wouldn’t have become Deputy Senate President if he didn’t last that long in the Senate. However, he should have diversified a little along the line. Naturally, being at a particular place over time attracts negative forces upon oneself and unnecessary cynicism — and this has been the case with him. What we see happening around him and his family is a result of this. The forces manifest in diverse ways — ones least expected by such a person.
I am bold in saying that the travails of Ekweremmadu are self-inflicted. If he had left the stage when the ovation was high, who knows if he would have encountered the troubles that now face him? He’s 60 years old now. It means that by the time he must have completed serving his jail term, age wouldn’t be on his side to talk about contesting anything else in the future, not to even talk about the stigma that may follow his ordeal.
In our own understanding of his crime here, he didn’t quite do a wrong thing as it’s never out of place to find a solution to the problem of one’s beloved child at that. His only fault here was why he didn’t stay back and allow his doctor to run the entire process and communicate with him thereafter. If he hadn’t joined the travel train, he wouldn’t have fallen victim to any indictment in that regard. It would have been easier for him to work towards the release of anyone else that could have been the fall guy, while he’s at home engaged in national politics.
Ekweremmadu’s travails are multifaceted. It doesn’t end with him getting incarcerated in the UK. Recall that during the start of his now sour journey to the UK, and while he was in the prison already, a federal court of competent authority had passed a judgment that gave authority to the Federal Government of Nigeria to take into possession most of his properties including his village home at Mpu. The court ordered a drastic forfeiture of most of what he achieved in politics over a graft case brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. The list of the properties so seized is quite long such that he’s almost left with nothing to fall back on any time he comes back home, unless the higher courts quash the judgment of the lower one, thereby returning to him the said properties as I learnt his lawyers appealed the judgment.
Whatever finally be his fate, lessons must have been learned by others who may desire to make an eternity out of a given political circumstance. This is because I don’t believe that he was framed by anyone back home. He consciously undertook the journey which turned out against him and his family. When natural forces want to prevail over anyone for whatever reason, the effects are always humongous. Therefore, it’s my earnest prayer that he and his family come out strong and finish joyously the life’s journey back home in Nigeria.
▪︎Nwoba Chika Nwoba wrote in from Amangwuru village, Ekpelu, Ikwo LGA of Ebonyi State.
3 Comments
Most times I pity people in whatever condition, because no one knows tomorrow, he meant to save his dear daughter that’s all.
You are doing well sir
Thank you