So, Kennedy Okechukwu Onyenma, the Great Lion of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, UNN, and scion of Ngwaland is a year older ? January 31 was the day.
It’s like yesterday, that is when Kennedy, me and the rest of us UNN English Class of ‘’95 met, spent five years of strikes and academics together, formed formidable friendship from 1990. So, Ken and the rest of us have been together for 32 years!
Few of us in the English Class of ‘’95 decided to honour the poet, novelist, scholar, preacher, church leader, adviser to Governor of Abia state Okezie Ikpeazu, journalist etc with a special birthday ceremony.
According to one of the class members, Mr. Charles Abah, a former senior journalist with the Punch in Lagos, “Kennedy Onyenma has been a catalyst that glued our class together though the years. When we were scattered without knowing where we were
The celebrator; Elder Kennedy Okechukwu Onyenma with his wife (2nd left), celebrating his birthday with family and friends in Umuahia recently.
Kennedy reached out to us, gathered us together and brought us into one platform. He went on again to bring us together on Whatsapp. He deserves this celebration.”
Another female member, Portia Echendu, based in Port Harcourt, said, “Kennedy is our chairman. He is a good guy, and deserves the honour.”London based classmate, a linguist and an academic, Ifesinachi John Ethelbert, alias, Bishop, described his friendship with Kennedy as “worthy” and felt honoured to be part of it.For Onyenma’s US based medical practitioners and scholars and writers, Chika Unigwe, Chinweuwa Egbule, Eddy Archibong, Goodhead Dokubo, and Damian Uzoukwu, Onyenma is a friend, brother who feels deeply attached to his friends and others.Egbule described Onyenma as a brother from another mother he has no regret to have had all these years.”
But Onyenma thinks otherwise. He said he did not have a defined purpose in life at the UNN. But looking back, Ken had a defined ideology ingrained in his head, though he did not know how it would pan out later in life. That ideology was formed in his early years at the UNN, and he crystallized it with a mantra which I still remember till now, which is, “Consistency is the hallmark of a man.” Anywhere Ken was, he would repeat the mantra till it became his personal slogan, “Consistency is the hallmark of man.”
Meanwhile, has Ken remained consistent all these years, even when life is inconsistent, dynamic and impermanent thing?
Ken did not have problems with his early life, having come from a middle class background. His only regret was that he didn’t start university earlier than 18 because he was unable to cross the JAMB cut off for Law. His father who was an accountant provided well for his first son,Ken, his other three younger brothers and three older sisters. His mother dotted on him. Both are still alive and live in their village. So, Ken had no serious lack in those days. So, you can understand his carefree attitude to life then in the university.
Elder Kennedy Okechukwu Onyenma
I remember quoting some literary stuffs from the big two volumes of Norton anthologies and two American Tradition in Literature, Vols One and Two, four volumes that were like bibles to the UNN English students to him recently. Ken smiled, looked at me and shook his head.
“ Ï don’t remember much of those works. Do you think I read some of those works? I read those I could. You guys were more serious than I was. I was just enjoying myself. If I had a defined purpose in life then, I would have made a better result,”he responded.
Kennedy was the ladies’ man. Young, fair, average height, well built with a bounce of a gait, and a good pocket, Ken was fun among the campus ladies who found him difficult to resist. To think he escaped impregnating any of those ladies is still a wonder.
Perhaps, Ken attracted so many friends to himself because of the nature of his life. Ken was never angry. I have rarely seen him angry. He always smiles. He never cheated or torpedoed his friends. Whenever he saw a conflict he could not handle and which would lead him into a confrontation with that person, Ken would tactically withdraw to himself and still maintained his friendship with the person.
Ken is wise and humble person. One day, we were on our way to Isiugwu, in Ohafia LGA, Abia state for the funeral ceremony of the mother in law of Ozioma, one of our classmates.At Nguzo Edda junction, close to Abiriba, we came face to face with military checkpoint. Commuters were to disembark from their vehicles. I did while Ken drove through the barricade. At the end of the barricade, a young soldier asked him to pack his car by the side, trek back to the first end of the road and carry the log of wood and replaced it on the road. The log was outside the road and the soldier wanted it used to block the road. Ken did not argue with him. He did not even flinch. He came down from his car that hot afternoon sun and trekked down the road to perform the task.
I was amazed. This is man close to the governor but did not flaunt it. He has his contacts and connections that can sack the soldiers. But he obeyed them.
It was a wise decision. It reminded me of Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe’s aphorisms, “Only a fool argues with man who has a gun.”
Killings by state and non state actors have become common place in the South East and in Nigeria. Only the wise will survive this precarious situation, and Ken understands the times.
Ken is not a crowd person, and cannot be bought by material things. After all, he too is okay. But he is committed to friendship. At the UNN, he befriended both the junior and te senior students. He seems to care for the lowly and weak more than for the strong, true reflection of what leadership or an artist is. I remember some moments he walked out of flamboyant and ostentatious gatherings that neglected the weak and the vulnerable. Even in those parties, Ken would always make provisions for the weak and unwelcome guest.
Yet, the question is, has Ken lived up to his UNN mantra, “Consistency is the hallmark of man,”, in an ever changing world?No, he has not. Rather, it can be said that he has remained inconsistently consistent. What do I mean? No man remains consistent or he will not progress. Those that stand without bending to the times and seasons get easily cut down, like the iroko. But the pine tree bends to let the storm pass and rises again. Stock characters, in literature always end tragically, unlike dynamic characters, which is what life is-dynamic.
Ken has been many things in life in these past years that his profile looks like an inconsistent man. He was the English Association’s Director of Social and was exposed to various people–the good, the bad and the ugly that some people even thought he was a member of many of the ravaging bad societies. His friends included those bad boys. But Ken was not a member, nor did he tolerate them.
After his compulsory one year youth service in Portharcourt, Ken initially worked in a service delivery company as Sales Executive. It was not an easy work. “That was when my eyes opened,”he said. There he discovered a way in business. His company would get a requisition to supply Industrial gas to some oil and gas facilities. He later joined a Procurement company. The oil firms would give out requisitions to supply companies which would source these items and supply to the oil firms, and then smiled to the banks. It was easy. Go to the oil firms or they would come for you. Get requisitions. Source the materials locally or international and supply. Then get paid.Ken learnt his trade there. Five years after his service year, he left to start his own supply firm. He had built his network, and contacts. And in his usual magnanimity,he built his business around friends of like minds. He accommodated them and gave them a platform to excel. That was the beginning of a millionaire.Then he married.
Ken is a committed husband. Shortly after his marriage, he began a business for his wife as a NASCO distributor . He bought buses for the business and had workers. The business spread across other zones n PortHarourt Rivers states.
Unfortunately, the business collapsed with over twenty million naira sunk in. The oil crisis also affected his oil and gas supplies. He branched into construction and engineering services ,particularly, fire fighting equipment maintenance, he went further.
Ken had always loved being a writer. He had written some creative works and was the editor of a faith based magazine ” Waymarks” in Portharcourt. Now, he wanted to write in the media. He had wanted to contribute to national debate on burning issues. So, he went back to school. To the UNN, to study journalism. He got a PGD in mass communication. And became a journalist. Writing became easy for him. He started contributing to the newspapers, utilising his literary background in his journalism. Readers loved his works. A new Ken was born. He wanted more, like Oliver Twist-to be an academic. He went back to school again, and was humble to learn under the feet of his friend and classmate, Fidelis Okoro, who just died.
Ken got his MA in English and is almost done with his PhD, using The Black Sisters’ Street, a novel by our classmate and friend, Chika Unigwe.
In fact, Ken’s birthday is not a one day event. While he is being feted by friends, classmates and well wishers, he is planning a creative and academic package- a novel, poetry and completion of his PhD this year. So, it is like a whole year birthday package.
So, Ken has been consistent even with all these changes in his life? Yes, Ken has remained consistent all these years. He has remained the social person that he has been. At Nsukka, Ken was so social and friendly that some people thought he was a member of a cult group. But looking at it now, it seems as if God had mapped a mission for him, preparing him to go out and befriend all kinds of people. This way, Ken is enabled to go to all peoples, the sinners and the sinless, and bring them back to God, like bringing the lost sheep back to God, just as he himself was brought back to God after being in the sinful world. Today, he uses his experience to work for God.And that explains his commitment to friendship.
Ken, for 32 years, has been the centre, the nucleus and magnet of our class of ‘95. Our class members, wherever we are, are not too far away for Ken to reach. He later brought us together on Whatsapp. And together, we have become friends again, forming stronger a network and bonds than ever before.
Ken’s commitment is beyond social media. He has been the most penetrative of our friends. He finds time to visit us in our homes and offices whenever he can. And we make out time to enjoy our company. I remember in 2016, Ken had called me from Port Harcourt, just to say hello, only for me to tell him I was in Aba. Ken was shocked. He came, visited me in my bush factory, and with loaf of bread. He has continued to be close to me, helping in everywhere possible. Like he does to many others.
He is full of advice and activities to make better life for everyone. He is mentor to many young people. I met youth groups, secular and none secular, saying he is their leader, and this is not political group but career, faith and leadership. Ken is actively involved in his church activities. He makes sure his Port Harcourt and Umuahia and South East church is active. He brings his ideas and wealth to make a better church.
Ken is also involved in his community development. He has helped in some ways to bring democratic dividends to his community using his position in government.Whatever Ken gets, he gives back to the people. Not that he is wealthy but even from the least in his pocket, he will share with you.
In government, Ken discovered the lacuna between the MDAs and the government-the sponsor. Using his supply chain background, he got Governor Okezie Ikpeazu to establish desk, Strategy and Development Communication to track MDAs and their activities . Due to the efficacy of the desk, the governor has upgraded it to a ministry .
Ken is a team worker. And that means an open minded person. We can say it comes from his formative years as a social person that welcomes views from all shades of opinion. And from this spirit, great works are done. I remember when we were doing book for the governor, Ken took back seat and allowed our ideas to flow. That made the book a success. But Ken can tolerate criticism and act on it.
For us in the English Class of ‘95, we are grateful to God for giving us Ken, a man who typifies the motto of our department: “To refine the sensibilities of man.”
Ken is a refined gentleman, cultured, god fearing, humble and respectful, a jolly good fellow and a good friend.
Happy birthday, Golden Boy!
