The one-handed Erudite Scholar And Seasoned Administrator, Dr. Sam Ugwuozor Was At The Weekend Hosted To A Platinum Birthday Celebration. Magnus Aluma Who Saw It All Captures The Minute By Minute Proceedings Of This Great Event
At exactly 12:27 pm on Saturday, the prestigious arena of the Holy Trinity Catholic Parish, located on Bishop Eneje Street, in Independence Layout, Enugu, had been filled with different types of posh cars. The function was the 70th birthday celebration of Dr. Samuel Ifeanyi Ugwuozor, a distinguished scholar, astute technocrat, and seasoned administrator.
The event was a real celebration of a life sufficiently fulfilled, and no fewer than fifty-seven Catholic priests, including seven Rev. Sisters from within and beyond Enugu Diocese, were on hand to celebrate an accomplished scholar, Dr. Sam Ugwuozor, who currently heads the Department of Political Science and International Relations at the Godfrey Okoye University, Enugu.
Notable among the dignitaries who were present at the memorable event include: The Most Rev. Dr. John Ifeanyichukwu Okoye, Catholic Bishop of Awgu Diocese, The Most Rev. Dr. Thomas Ifeanyichukwu Obiatuegwu, Auxiliary Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Orlu, and the Vice Chancellor of Peace Land University, Rev. Fr. Professor Leo Ilechukwu; while the Homilist was The Very Rev. Fr. Dr. Peter Damian Akpunonu.
Others were; a former gubernatorial candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in Enugu State, Hon. Chijioke Edeoga, the House of Reps member for Enugu East/Isi-Uzo Federal Constituency, Prince Cornelius Nnaji, a one-time chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Enugu State, Chief Ikeje Asogwa;Â the Vice Chancellor of Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), Professor Aloysius Okolo, and the Traditional Ruler of Ibagwa-Nike, Igwe Dr. Emmanuel Ugwu, and a host of other dignitaries.
In a homily at the  Church Service that preceded the unique celebration, the Very Rev. Dr. Akpunonu extolled the efforts of Dr. Ugwuozor in setting standards that would guarantee a truly egalitarian society.
He described the celebrant as a man of “proven integrity,” whose life is “devoid of greed and the quest for acquisition of material wealth”, but exemplified by “self-discipline, resilience, and service to humanity.”
Akpunonu said : “We thank God for the life of the man we are celebrating today, we pray God to continue to bless him because ordinarily, this event would have taken place in a hall, outside here but he has to bring it to the premises of God.”
The cleric also said: “Dr Ugwuozor’s decision to host his birthday within the church premises means that he knows that God is the owner of his life and that he appreciates God for sustaining him up to the age of 70.”
Akpunonu enjoined the younger generation of Nigerian leaders to emulate the exemplary leadership qualities of Dr. Ugwuozor, who, according to him, “has left some indelible footprints on the sands of history.”
According to him, “Dr. Ugwuozor’s life is packed with lessons for the people, especially the younger generation of our leaders. That is why you cannot mention the name in Enugu, without someone telling you positive stories about him.”
ln a word of appreciation, the facilitator of the program and younger brother to the celebrant, Rev. Fr. Professor Felix Ugwuozor, expressed gratitude to the teeming guests, especially the clergy, who came to felicitate with his elder brother, Sam at his glorious age of 70 years.
He noted that his brother, Sam has remained a great source of inspiration to many who have come close to him, and urged young and aspiring leaders, to emulate his sterling leadership qualities.
“There is nothing else we can do to my brother who is a special gift to our family, rather than to celebrate him while still alive and that is exactly what we are doing today,” Fr Ugwuozor explained.
He further said: “I urge the younger generation of our leaders to learn from the good examples of Dr. Sam Ugwuozor, who is today widely noted for humility, hard work and service of selflessness.”
In an interview, an indigene of Awhum Community, Nze Uche Okolie described Dr. Ugwuozor as a philanthropist of note, who according to him, has impacted positively on the lives of many indigenes of the community.
He said: “Ugwuozor is a rare character and deserves all the accolades. I am personally one of the beneficiaries of his philanthropic gestures, and as a matter of fact, we are lucky to have him in our community. He is my teacher, my boss and our overall boss.”
According to Okolie, “Barr. Dr. Sam Ugwuozor is an embodiment of knowledge, a true disciplinarian, and above all, he is also a personality of unique integrity.” The celebrant, Barr. Dr. Samuel Ugwuozor who was visibly overwhelmed with joy, told our reporter that he never expected a day like this in his lifetime, because according to him, he never did anything to be eulogised, as he experienced during the celebration.
“This is just the Grace of God, and I thank Him. I wasn’t doing most of the things I did for me to be praised. I thought I was only doing the things I was supposed to do, having been brought up by a father and a mother who were morally sound,” he asserted.
Ugwuozor also said, “For my siblings, I thought I was only doing the things I naturally supposed to do, having lost my father early enough, and as one who desires to offer what I have for the growth of the society.”
He urged his younger siblings to always look to him as a model and live a life of dignity and resilience, in spite of the challenges they may have to contend with.
“I am not boasting,” he said, “what I am saying is that in life, there will be troubles, there will be trials and tribulations, but the issue is, how do you handle them?”
“When I lost one of my hands in an auto crash, people thought it was the end of my life. But look at me, I was the chairman of Udi Local Government Area, a Permanent Secretary of the Enugu State Executive Council. I have remained in government since the era of Governor Chimaroke Nnamani.”
Ugwuozor further said, “Sometimes, I begin to ask myself questions, because I registered to read law, in the Enugu Campus of the University of Nigeria. Because I was combining it with so many other engagements, I was having reseat in year 1, year 2, and in my year 3. But look at me, today I am a lawyer.”
The event was also used to unveil a book of over eight hundred pages, titled *’Sam Ugwuozor the Philosopher-Technocrat’, written by Rev. Fr. Professor Felix Ugwuozor and co-edited by Professor Chidozie Chukwuokolo, and Ezechi Kingsley Chukwuka, who were Chairman and Secretary respectively, of the Local Organising Committee of the historic celebration.
A Special Rendition and Documentary composed by KC Best and Mekanand Musical Enterprise, which was directed by Excel Festus Chu Mba, added glamour to the event and entertained the highly dignified audience.
