Sweet Melodies As Prominent Nigerians Join Ika Nation To Welcome Irabor Home

As the homecoming ceremony for Gen Lucky Irabor got to a climax last Saturday, at the Public Field, Agbor, Delta State, when the immediate past Chief of Defence Staff, CDS was called for his speech, he rose and walked briskly towards the rostrum as he was wont to as a soldier.

However, this time there were remarkable differences. Instead of a gun, he held a walking stick. Instead of a military camouflage he wore a traditional Ika attire. Behind him were not soldiers giving covering fire, but his wife who managed to trudge behind him.

As he mounted the rostrum and realized that his wife was still managing and lumbering behind, he thought for a moment, came down and went to fetch his wife, Barrister Victoria. He held her hand and helped her up the rostrum for his speech.

The action indeed, drew cheers from the overwhelming crowd of dignitaries that cut across the political and military class at the homecoming organized for General Irabor by the Ika Nation.

His action in walking back to pick his wife appeared to summarise what many of the dignitaries at the homecoming said about Irabor – a forthright soldier and at the same time a, Gentleman Officer.

General Irabor was one of about five young secondary school graduates who were handed the Nigerian Defence Academy, NDA forms by one of the serving military officers from the area when they finished secondary school in the early eighties. Of the lot, only Irabor made it into the NDA and subsequently moved through the ranks to the topmost position in the nation’s armed forces.

Following his extended service of 37 years without any shade of controversy, the Ika people spread across Ika North East and Ika South Local Government Areas of Delta State with sprinklings here and there in Edo State formally welcomed him home at a rousing reception that drew dignitaries from near and far to Agbor.

Irabor’s successor, Major-General CG Musa with his wife who also hails from Delta State led the cream of the top military brass to the ceremony. They were there, as they subsequently said, in appreciation of the job done by Irabor which had considerably smoothened the way for them.  

Former CDS, General Alex Ogomudia (rtd), General Azubike Ihejirika who Irabor claimed exposed him to the fundamentals that led to his yeoman’s job in the Northeast were also there. Irabor served as Ihejirika’s Principal Staff Officer, PSO when the latter was chief of army staff.

The chief host was of course, Governor Sheriff Oborevwori who led his deputy, Sir Monday Onyeme, speaker of the House of Assembly, Emomotimi Guwor, the immediate past governor of Delta State, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, Group Managing Director of Zenith Bank, Dr Ebenezer Onyeagwu, Chairman of Thisday/Arise News, Prince Nduka Obaigbena; Chief Nduka Irabor, the Dein of Agbor, Dr Benjamin Ikenchukwu, the Obi of Owa, Dr Emmanuel Efeziormor, Senator Emmanuel Aguariavwodo, Senator Uche Ekwunife, General Nicholas Aigbogun, rtd. Rear Admiral N Agholor, Dr. Festus Okubor, among other dignitaries.

The dignitaries in their remarks paid glowing tributes to General Irabor.

The Group Managing Director of Zenith Bank, Dr Onyeagwu, said the the Ika Nation has produced more than a proportionate number of dignitaries in the professions, sports and arts in the polity that surpass its estimated 600,000 population.

Onyeagwu who noted that he had a touch of military regimen having been a part of an earlier NDA course said that the celebration of Gen Irabor’s feat in rising to the apex of the nation’s military architecture was with utmost discipline on the path of the erstwhile CDS.

“For you to get to the rank of general you must have passed through a lot of discipline, a lot of regimentation. You don’t get there by mere announcement, you work your way through.

“So, today we celebrate a man who has worked assiduously, meritoriously, dedicatedly to become a Chief of Defence Staff of our nation, Nigeria.”

Dr Onyeagwu spoke of the dignity of men and women of Ika land that has given birth to the emergence of prodigies from the region in the professions even as he joked about the great disappointment from Irabor in going to Ika Grammar School, Agbor instead of the Saint Columbus College that he Onyeagwu attended.

While noting that Irabor must have excelled in discipline and military prowess to have risen to the top of the armed forces, the banker said:

“For you to get to the rank of general you must have passed through a lot of discipline, a lot of regimentation. You don’t get there by mere announcement, you work your way through.

“So, today we celebrate a man who has worked assiduously, meritoriously, dedicatedly to become a Chief of Defence Staff of our nation, Nigeria.”

Senator Okowa while noting the general acclaim on the military prowess of General Irabor also harped on the discipline that his wife, Barrister Victoria helped to bring on the family while the general was in the field of battle.

Okowa perhaps recalling the encomiums poured on his children for not brining disgrace to his family while he held office as was harped during his homecoming a month earlier praised Mrs Victoria Irabor for the discipline with which she marshalled the home front.

According to him from experience if a wife does not maintain the home then the husband would not be able to excel in the work place.

Prince Nduka Obiagbena in his brief remarks spoke of the dignity and capacity that Irabor brought to his duties as CDS and commended him as worthy of emulation.

Governor Oborevwori in his own remarks expressed pride that the erstwhile CDS was from Delta State and particularly commended the Ika Nation for the unity that they showed in bringing themselves together to throw the welcome reception.

He said that the unity of the Ika people was one that should be commended to the other ethnic nationalities in the state.

Admiring the turnout of dignitaries across the nation and the presence of the different clans in Ika Nation at the ceremony, Governor Oborevwori said:

“You can see that this is not a hired crowd. You can see that the unity of the Ika nation has brought about this hosting. God will bless Ika nation.

“As governor it is my duty to encourage other ethnic nationalities to continue to unite and to host their own and that will spur them to continue to do more. A lot has been said about our brother Gen. Irabor. As a speaker in the 7th Assembly, the lot that he has done I am aware and he was upgraded and almost at the point of retirement he was made the Chief of Defence Staff and putting another 29 months

Oborevwori did not end his speech without noting that though the former CDS is from Delta, he also observed that his successor also has a link to the state being that the wife is from the state.

In his own speech that brought the about three hour ceremony to an end, General Irabor decked in Ika costume with a walking stick as he mounted the rostrum with his wife beside him expressed his joy to all present and the organisers.

Asserting that the peace of the nation was guaranteed with the appointment of Gen Musa and the new service chiefs, Irabor said:

“I am glad that your pedigree is well known and I am happy that no other person was chosen to be the chief of defence staff at this time. Let me use this opportunity to assure the nation that with CG Musa as CDS we certainly are well pleased and the security and defence of our nation is in good hands.

“The growth and development of the armed forces is in good hands and so be rest assured that Musa along with his team of service chiefs will do the best to ensure that they increase or escalate the approaches that we have established to ensure that within our nation that there will be no problem of insecurity.”

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