Ihejirika at 70: Integrity and Tinubu development drive in the south East- Umahi’s message

Umuahia stood still on Friday as statesmen, military leaders, and political figures gathered at the Abia State International Conference Centre to celebrate one of the Southeast’s most distinguished sons, Lt. Gen. Onyeabo Azubuike Ihejirika, Rtd, as he marked his 70th birthday.

But beyond the tributes and warm applause, there was a moment of reflection, truth-telling, and political clarity, driven by a deeply personal address from the Minister of Works, HE Senator Engr. David Umahi, CON.

Speaking as a family friend who has known the celebrant across decades, Senator Umahi painted the portrait of a soldier defined by courage, fairness, and an uncommon sense of integrity.

He recalled how General Ihejirika became close to the Umahi family through his elder brother, Major General Obi Umahi (rtd), describing the former Chief of Army Staff as “a perfect gentleman” whose rise to national responsibility came at a time when many in the Southeast felt locked out of opportunity.

That sense of exclusion, Umahi noted, was real. Yet when Ihejirika assumed office as Chief of Army Staff, he confronted it directly, choosing merit over sentiment.

“What he did to the South, he did to the North. And so a lot of people that were denied promotion, they got promotion by merit…”

One of those beneficiaries, Umahi revealed, was his own brother, whose career might have ended without becoming a general in the army but for Ihejirika’s insistence on fairness and merit.

The Minister then turned to a defining episode that, in his words, captured the very soul of integrity. During the heated Edo State governorship election, when political pressure mounted on the military to tilt the balance, Ihejirika stood firm.

Despite serving under a PDP government at the time, and despite intense lobbying from powerful interests, he refused to interfere.

The result was a neutral security environment that allowed the will of the people to stand. According to Umahi, that singular act did more than secure an election victory. It strengthened democratic culture and laid foundations that later benefited the APC.
“When you posted my brother to be the Brigadier General in Edo, it was at the time that Governor Oshiomhole was looking for his second term, and that’s ACN. But you were serving a PDP government, and I was a deputy governor in PDP. And so the re-election came up, and there was this issue of the army to provide security, and the army security was very key in maintaining neutrality and the government of PDP wanted to take Edo State, they approached me, and I used to stay in the Federal Executive Council meeting each time I went to represent my governor, with Governor Oshiomhole, very brilliant governor, and he performed very, very well. Very good speaker, not now, when sometimes he gets off. That time, he used to speak very, very well.

“And so I looked at a very brilliant performing governor at that time while we were still in charge. And they were calling me, “Very prominent people, talk to your brother, talk to your brother.” And they put a lot of pressure on General Ihejirika, and he didn’t call my brother for one day. He said that justice must prevail. That’s how my brother stood his ground and provided security on the basis of neutrality, and Oshomhole won because he had worked very well for his people. And that’s integrity for you, sir. Without that, maybe Oshomhole wouldn’t have. And so it has strengthened our base as APC. “

Reflecting on leadership values, Umahi summed it up with a timeless line:

“When wealth is lost, nothing is lost.
When health is lost, something is lost.
When character is lost, everything is lost.”

Turning to Abia State, the Minister praised Governor Alex Otti, describing the bond between the people, their governor, and the President as organic and genuine.

“The Biafra we are looking for is what you are doing in Abia State.”

In one sentence, Umahi reframed development as the true answer to long-standing grievances, arguing that roads, jobs, infrastructure, and inclusion matter more than angry rhetoric.

He urged Southeast leaders and citizens alike to draw a line under old divisions and move forward together.

“Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound, God forbid… Sentiments, bitter words, and great speeches will not help us.”

The Minister commended Southeast governors for their collective stand against sit-at-home orders, describing them as self-inflicted wounds that harm ordinary people far more than they advance any cause.

He was unequivocal in his support for Bola Tinubu, crediting the president with dismantling long-standing structures of marginalization against the southeast.

“The president has done a lot for the Southeast people. All the marginalization against the South East has been done away with.”

Umahi urged the region to be wise, strategic, and supportive of a leader, he said, who has shown genuine commitment to inclusion.

“Whom God has elevated, no man can stand against him.”

In a moment that drew nods across the hall, the Minister contrasted past neglect with present action. As a former governor of Ebonyi State, he recalled eight years without a single federal project. Today, he said, the story has changed.

Across the Southeast, federal roads and major infrastructure are under construction, not as temporary fixes but as lasting assets.

“They’re going to last between fifty and hundred years… In the past, people were constructing roads, but President Bola Tinubu and Governor Alex, they are building roads.”

Earlier in the programme, the Minister of Defence, Christopher Gwabin Musa, captured the spirit of the gathering with a striking analogy:

“Southeast is the Japan of Nigeria. You need to put the past behind and forge ahead.”

He also acknowledged Senator Umahi’s legacy as governor, drawing parallels with the visible impact currently being made in Abia State.

Distinguished personalities who attended the event included President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, represented by Dr. Kingsley Udeh, SAN; the Governor of Abia State, Alex Otti; Former Chief of the Defence Staff, Lucky Irabor the General Officer Commanding, 82 Division, Nigerian Army, Major General Oluremi Fadairo; the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Community Development, Barr. Chioma Nweze, among others.