By Ferdinand Orji
In the popular story about the six blind men and the elephant, some blind men, on an adventure to experience the elephant for the first time, described the creature based on the part of it they touched. The one that touched the leg said the elephant was like a pillar. The one that touched the tail said it felt like a huge rope. The other who touched the ear described it as a big hand fan. Yet another who touched the trunk insisted it must be a thick tree branch, while the one that experienced the elephant’s tusk swore it was like a solid pipe. But to the one who felt the elephant’s belly, it was like a huge wall. Although none of them captured completely the totality of the elephant’s personality, they were also right about their description of the creature based on their respective individual experience.
So also, are great men like Gabriel Ogbuife Chukwubuikem Ajah, PhD, mni, for they are men of many parts. They are many things to many people, depending on that part of them you experience or their quality that appeals to you most. But importantly, they are men, who have journeyed through the deserts. They are men, who have trudged, with grit, through the proverbial seven rivers and seven forests. They are men who have scaled mountains to arrive at their destination.
Born on 24th July, 1962 in the remote village of Umuika, Enuogu Nkerefi in Nkanu East Local Government Area of Enugu State, GOC Ajah, as he is popularly called, began his quest for knowledge from Enuogu, Nkerefi where he acquired primary education between 1970 and 1973. For his secondary education, he headed to Colliery Comprehensive Secondary School, Ngwo where he studied from 1974 to 1979. He later proceeded to College of Education, Benin, where he obtained a National Certificate in Education (NCE). Between 1984 and 1986, he studied English and Literary Studies at the University of Benin for his Bachelors degree in English Education. He obtained an M.Ed in Education Administration between 1987 and 1990.
Not done, he proceeded to the Enugu campus of the University of Nigeria many years later and obtained a Bachelor of Law (LL.B) and also earned a Ph.D in Education Management from the Enugu State University of Science and Technology. It is also recalled that the Dr. Ajah participated in the Senior Executive Course No. 24 of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru, near Jos, bagging the appellation, mni.
But Ajah’s life is not as smooth as it sounds in prose. Humble and deep, GOC Ajah is a personification of his name, Chukwubuikem (God is my strength). And he is a personification of grace, for as he would often tell anyone that cares to listen, it is only grace that could have brought him this far. Indeed, grace made the difference between the GOC Ajah that is today a renowned bureaucrat and former this and former that and a GOC Ajah that could have been a subsistence farmer or petty artisan in the village.
Ajah was orphaned at a very early age, having lost his parents in primary one. Life was as tough as toughness could be. But he wriggled through by God’s grace. It was while in Benin that he met a man, who guided him to secure his first job as an auxiliary teacher. From that flicker of opportunity, he never looked back, but used every job opportunity as a stepping stone to gain a higher educational ground.
Dr. GOC Ajah has served as a part-time lecturer at the Federal Polytechnic, Oko; part-time lecturer at Our Saviour Institute of Science and Technology (OSISATECH), and lecturer at the Institute of Ecumenical Education, Enugu, among others.
He has equally served as Chairman of Nkanu East Local Education Authority in 1997; Special Assistant to the Secretary to the State Government; Permanent Secretary/Chief Administrative Officer, Office of the Governor; Permanent Secretary, State Ministry of Agriculture; Permanent Secretary, ENSUBEB; Permanent Secretary, General Administration, Office of the Secretary to the State Government; Permanent Secretary, State Ministry of Education; Permanent Secretary, General Administration, Office of the Secretary to the State Government yet again; and Permanent Secretary, State Ministry of Environment and Solid Minerals. He served as the Secretary to the State Government from 2015 to 2019 in the Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi Administration and was later appointed as Chairman, Enugu State Science, Technical and Vocational Schools Management Board.
He was graciously appointed as the Chairman of ENSUBEB by the Dr. Mbah Administration where he served for about a year. Addressing the Board and staff of ENSUBEB and subsequently his ward in Nkerefi at the end of his ENSUBEB odyssey, Ajah, who was full of gratitude to Governor Mbah for the opportunity given to him to lead the foundation of the administration’s smart schools initiative, described the governor as a disruptive innovator divinely ordained to change the story of Enugu State for good. According to him, a time comes in the life of a people when God brings forth that one person with the capacity for extraordinary things that will transform a nation or a people. He rightly described Mbah as the Lee Kuan Yew of Enugu State and South East.
Meanwhile, as in education and public service, Ajah has also paid his dues in philanthropy, ecumenism, and community development. Among others, he spearheaded the establishment of Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Enuogu, Nkerefi, in 2004. That school has metamorphosed into Science Technical College Enuogu. He helped many people in his community to acquire education and to secure employment and political appointments.
Yet, in all his achievements, GOC Ajah has not forgotten where he is coming from. He remains a humble and indeed consummate gentleman. Ever unassuming, he runs an open-door policy and is always ready to listen to and attend to all, irrespective of social status. He is a man of integrity and stickler to due process.
Therefore, as he clocks 62 today, his family, friends, well-wishers, associates, community, and teeming admirers have every reason to celebrate a man, who has remained a blessing to his generation and indeed an inspiration to many, including my humble self. He is an inspiration that one could rise above adversities and challenges of life and still become something. He is a story in determination and grace of God. Happy birthday, Super Perm Sec.
