CHIEDU EBIE: 55 Garlands To A Rare Breed Of Human - By Jerome-Mario Utomi

Some persons are born as a special breed of humans. Chiedu Ebie, Chairman of the Governing Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission, (NDDC), is one such person.

In fact, at 55 Ebie encapsulates Menachem Mendel Schneerson’s postulation about people born as a special breed. Schneerson: “Because time itself is like a spiral, something special happens on your birthday each year: The same energy that God invested in you at birth is present once again”.

When you look at Ebie’s career trajectory, his exhilarating performances in all the public offices he has held, his contributions to making Delta state a dream state for Deltans, and his current efforts to saturate the Niger Delta region with socio-economic, infrastructural, and human capital development as NDDC chairman, you won’t but agree that he indeed, as submitted by Menachem Mendel Schneerson, belongs to a rare breed of humans. Born January 2, 1970, Ebie’s birthday is a huge celebration of excellence.

Though he wears no airs and does not sound his own trumpet, anyone who encounters him will readily see in him a personality whose life is characterized by remarkable, legendary, and exemplary feats.

A thorough breed attorney and oil and gas exploration executive, before he was appointed NDDC Board Chairman in November 2023, Ebie had served as Delta state Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education and, later, Secretary to the State Government.

Private and public sector stakeholders share common refreshing commentaries about Ebie’s eventful and impactful 55 years on earth and his salutary accomplishments.

The common denominator, however, is that this “birthday boy,” this illustration son of Ika ancient kingdom who had contributed immensely to the Realization of the Smart and Stronger Delta agenda of the Governor Ifeanyi Okowa administration,” is worthy of commendation, emulation, and celebration as he turns 55 today.

Late American President, John Quincy Adams was probably talking about Ebie when he argued that “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader”. Indeed, in Ebie, you see a man whose knack for hard work, honesty, integrity, purposefulness, and excellence has been a source of inspiration to his subordinates and admirers.

His amiable and genial attributes, his traits of transparency and rock-solid integrity as well as his goal-oriented nature, are arguably traceable to his grandfather, who was the first ordained Reverend of the Anglican Church in Ika nation and whose two sons later became ordained Reverend gentlemen themselves.

As Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education from 2015-2019, for instance, Ebie achieved unprecedented set goals, which included the massive renovation and rehabilitation of schools and the revamping of grassroots sports through the Zenith Bank Delta Principal’s and Headmaster’s Cup.

In 2019, he achieved a record-breaking and, of course, the transparent recruitment of 1,000 teachers, posted across secondary schools in the state. This merit-based and high-level transparency recruitment exercise made it possible for most of the beneficiaries to scale through without knowing anyone in the Ministry or government. In recognition of his rare attributes, then Governor Okowa made the following elegant statement about Ebie during his inauguration as SSG: “Mr Ebie is a fine gentleman who served meritoriously as Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education in the first tenure of his administration. His civility, analytical intelligence, communication skills, and diligence are essential qualities needed for the office of the SSG. In addition to these, modern statecraft, with all its complexities and challenges, requires team players, proactive leaders, and men with a large appetite for work. Mr Ebie meets these criteria, and I am convinced that he is well equipped to enrich the social, political, and economic narrative of our dear state.”

And in just one year as NDDC Board Chairman, the Board under his leadership has turned not just the Commission around for the better but also the entire Niger Delta region through purposeful and result-oriented superintendence.

Today is not just Ebie’s birthday but also the dawn of a new year for him, the beginning of another cycle of 365 days of rendering quality, humane, deliberate, intentional, and transformational service to Nigeria and the people of Niger Delta in particular.

Happy birthday, sir!

Utomi, a Media Specialist writes from Lagos, Nigeria.