I WOULD HAVE BEEN A PALM WINE TAPPER AND CHIEF PRIEST OF OUR LOCAL DEITY
When I visited Emeka Ugwuonye in prison few days ago, he was in his best - smiling and cracking jokes. He received me warmly and ushered me to a chair. When I tried to find out about the progress of his case, he cut in and assured me that the case is moving on well as he insisted that the case is a waste of his time because the prosecution has no evidence linking him to the said crime for which he is remanded.
"Why did you consider it a wise decision to put yourself through all these because of a woman whom you did not even know before her gruesome murder, you have not met her and she was not even a member of DPA yet you've sacrificed almost everything to seek justice for her?"
Ugwuonye looked up from the prison warder who was showing him time and looked briefly at the middle distance before he began to speak:
" Probably because of my early childhood experiences. I hated injustice with passion. I tend to like to stand with David, not Goliath in a fight but definitely not the other David (laughs). My system revolts against any form of abuse of power and injustice" he said.
Ugwuonye maintained that every turn in the trajectory of his life is divinely ordained:
"I am a man who has seen the extremes of life. We were so poor when I was growing up that it was so difficult for us to feed. When I passed the common Entrance Examination to enter secondary school, there was no money and my mum was crying. Indeed, my oldest uncle suggested that i should follow him to learn how to tap palm wine. I would have been a palm wine tapper by now and there would be no DPA or the struggle seeking justice for Cha Cha today (laughs)"
"The only thing that stopped this whole thing was that I happened to be the student with the highest score in exams and my teachers insisted that something had to be done"
"The EFCC once detained me unlawfully for six months yet I won my case against them. Also I have been privileged enough to attend the same school (Harvard) as the former President of America. I have faced the finest judges America has produced. I have been a guest to president of countries" he said.
" Through this case, i'm going to prove to my detractors and indeed to Nigerians that ..............."
I felt a gentle tap on my shoulder, as I turned, I saw my wife already seated for morning devotion. So this visit was in a dream? Oh! God.
Ifeanyi Calistus
Director Of Information
DPA.
Tough Times Never Last But Tough People Do
I have tremendous respect for the man who picks up an idea, stands by it through thick and thin till the idea transforms into reality. That's the definition of a real man. Lily livered individuals capitulate at the least pressure. A person who had no blood in their liver would have no courage and would thus be a coward.
Some of our members who were audacious and loud when DD was around and suddenly became quiet at the peak of the moment should be reminded of the immortal words of Robert H. Schuller " Tough Times Never Last, but Tough People do". Our founder Emeka Ugwuonye will not only come out of this but will come out gallantly.
This trial will also give us the opportunity to profile the real supporters of DPA and those phoney individuals who at best can be described as dissemblers praising DD to high heavens yet they are empty. We do not deserve such people. We are serious minded people with steely determination and conviction. We stand by our conviction even when we are threatened.
Emeka Ugwuonye will soon come out. Efforts are on top gear. One thing you should know is that Ugwuonye has a unique orientation. Something that scare many people does not scare him. He does not have plenty money but does not see that as a problem. To him, "Lack of money is a thing of mind set". In Nigeria as well as most African countries, lack of money is a serious impediment to accomplishing one's purpose but in Western World, it's a different case. You can achieve your purpose as long as you are clear on what you want.
It is this western concept that Ugwuonye wants to replicate here. No doubt, it's taking a huge toll on him. Here, everything is quantified in terms of money. But he never allowed any of these to discourage.
Our members that visited him last week sought his opinion on how he feels about the huge amount of money his trial is gulping and the fact that the resources for efficient defence of his case are scarce which may affect the flow of the trial:
Emeka laughed " Before I took this course, I understand clearly the price that comes with it. If a man of my social standing is standing similar trial in the U.S, he may not spend a Kobo from his pocket. The Legal support system in the U.S is effective. I am highly optimistic that I never considered the lack of money as something that will ever stop DPA from seeking justice for Cha-Cha"
" DPA is set to change the mindset and reorients our people. Nothing stops a man who is well determined. The means will come. I am proud of our members. They have responded in ways I never imagined. I tell you one thing, DPA is unstoppable". He declared.
Ifeanyi Calistus
Director Of Information
DPA
Emeka Ugwuonye is a Mysterious personality
From a philosophical dimension, it now appears that all these tribulations and challenges that the DPA Founder has faced in recent times were precisely divined as the testing process, the crucible that he needed to undergo in order to be prepared for the mission ahead of him and which he seeks to pursue through DPA. History shows that every man on an important mission faces a blistering trial period that almost breaks him. The Lord Jesus faced his trials too. That is the moment when every transformational leader must decide whether to pull back or to proceed into the path of danger.It may be too early to score the Founder of DPA, but we cannot fail to acknowledge the clear things we have seen. He is a tireless worker. His intellect, wisdom and logic are without question. He can sacrifice every comfort for his mission. He is resolute. He does not fear danger. He also does not fear confrontations. Yet, despite his steely qualities, he has extreme tenderness that is totally unbelievable. His demeanor and dispositions remind one of the contradictions of the crocodile. The same jaw that the crocodiles uses to crush bones is the most tender part of its body and that is where it keeps its young for safety, security and protection. Depending on where you stand in the scheme of things, Emeka Ugwuonye could be the most fierce and most ruthless opponent you can have or the cushioning teddy bear that you need for comfort. It just depends. As one of the DPA leaders put it; "He is a great man, loved by all. The enemies are just wasting their time, I tell you" Emeka Ugwuonye is not a government official. He is not a church leader and lays no claim to ecclesiastical or divine motivations. He is not a sports star. He is not a politician. He is not a musical or movie star. But certainly, as you can see, if you cared to watch, he possesses and displays that enigmatic charisma that belongs only to megastars. Yet, when you ask him, he seems not even aware of these things. When asked how he sees the people, his answer is usually short and it depends of which group he focuses on at the time. If he thinks of the children, he would simply reply: "They are adorable". If he thinks of those of us that work closely with him, he will say: "You guys are brave". When he focuses on members in general, he would simply say: "They are smart" or "They are kind". Hardly do you ever get him to give you his complete thought about the people. The most consistent thing he has says has been: "I really love 'em. They are my family". If asked how he deals with the challenges of hostile attacks by those who feel he should be stopped, he shocks you with his answers. There is no iota of bitterness in him toward the people you would expect him to hate. Very strangely, it is as if he believes that those people are helping him somehow. This is where Emeka becomes truly philosophical. He talks about the foil. One day, I asked him to explain what he means by "foil". He said: "The word comes from drama or fiction. A foil is a character who contrasts with another character (usually the hero) to highlight particular qualities of the hero. Satan is a foil character in the story of religion. You need to have Satan roaming the world and wrecking havoc in order to reveal the true character of God. For you to have a hero to put out the fire that is about to burn down the city, you first must have a devilish urchin or a villain who must have set the fire". He comes with this concept of necessary evil. He sees his opponents as necessary for his role. Ironically, he thinks that he should be grateful to them because without them setting the city on fire, he would not have had the opportunity to put out any fire. He thinks that any credit he gets for putting out the fire is owed partly to the evil person that set the fire on. That is the man. DPA is a revolution in the making. Emeka Ugwuonye is an unfinished story. The world should watch out for him. Ifeanyi Calistus Director of Information DPA
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