The Man Prof. Greg Ikechukwu Ibe: Abia Gubernatorial Candidate For APGA

The Man Prof. Greg Ikechukwu Ibe: Abia Gubernatorial Candidate For APGA

By Ugochukwu Asiegbu

Abia has not been fortunate when it comes to a government devoid of corruption, and that seems to be a nightmare to Abians, but hope is in the offing, and light will surely shine at the end of the tunnel, because the messiah of Abia has emerged as Abia Gubernatorial Aspirant on the platform of APGA. Obviously, a new political dispensation is approaching with surprises, and that will pause the activities of self-centered politicians, who have impoverished the masses, thereby leaving the State in a messy state.

The emergence of a Professor Greg Ibe as Abia Gubernatorial Aspirant is a convincing proof that God has answered the prayers of poverty-stricken Abians, who have been bereft of basic infrastructures. His resounding personality can no longer be shrouded in a political setting that had been, before now, plunged into obscurity of some kind, and his interest to salvage Abia from the shackles of mediocrity is what has rekindled the light of hope that will shine across Abia and beyond. He has come with a message of hope for Abians, and has readied himself to break the chains of setback occasioned by some dubious politicians, who are stupendously wealthy at the detriment of Abians. Little wonder Abians are grateful to Prof. Greg Ibe for taking the bull by the horns, at this time of economic hardship, when the rate of unemployment has hit the rooftop.

It is worthy of note that Prof. Greg Ikechukwu Ibe has grown into a political giant, and has become a force to reckon with in this space. And it is important you know of him and his academic background, and his achievements that speak volumes about him. This, of course, will enable you celebrate this distinguished Abian, who belongs to a circle of intelligentsia, and has attained admirable heights in life, with mind-blowing results to his credit.

Prof. Greg Ibe is a Nigerian Business Executive, whose legendary or iconic profile has remained a wonder to mankind. He is an entrepreneur par excellence and, without mincing words, has championed educational transformation in Nigeria against all odds, adding that his philanthropic and humanitarian works have bettered the lives of indigent Nigerians. Calling him an indefatigable crusader, who is in the frontline of a crusade against bad governance in Abia, is a name that suits him down to the ground.

Born on December 10, 1963 in Kaduna, Prof. Greg Ibe had had a raw deal with poverty in his early life, and that was God’s plan of preparing him for the task ahead, which Abia emancipation is part of. Growing in the North under the parental care of his parents didn’t make him to forget his nativity. He, at one time or the other, had visited his village, Uturu, in the company of his parents, and had prayed God to give him the grace to make his community proud, a prayer God has continued to answer till date.

The interesting thing about this genius of a man is that he never allowed poverty to truncate his voyage to academic professorship. He completed his secondary and tertiary education without toeing the path of indolence. He had worked tirelessly, and had contributed immensely in his school fees, and that in itself was a training. And because he was once engulfed by poverty, and had paddled his own canoe, he has always filled the hiatus caused by disparity between the poor and rich, a quality that, hitherto, helps him to accommodate poor Abians and proffer solutions to their mundane problems. The work of charity has triggered the mushrooming of his finances, certainly.

Narrowing his profile down to academics, Prof. Gregory Ikechukwu Ibe had attended Boys High School, Ihube, Imo State, and he went further to acquire more knowledge at School of Accountancy and Management Studies, Aba. In his quest to know more, he attended Enugu State University of Science and Technology, Enugu, and later travelled to the United States of America to further his academics. There, in the States, he attended California Coast University, Santa Ana, CA where he obtained his Master’s Degree in 2003 and Doctorate Degree in Management in 2006. It is clear that this man, who is the epitome of humility, is grounded in the field of Management. He is the quintessence of academic excellence, and had climbed to the top academically by dint of hard work.

His intervention is currently transforming the teaching of Science, Technology and Mathematics in Nigeria at all levels of education. He has implanted entrepreneurship as a curricular innovation in education, particularly in Business, Engineering and Technology/ Vocational education. His landmark achievements in the field of entrepreneurial education, having been recognized by national and international organizations, recently elevated him to the distinguished class of Professor of Entrepreneurial Studies. That was no mean feat, and should attract a volley of applause to him. His intellectual acumen is the pillar of his immeasurable personality, and his professional knowledge of Entrepreneurial Studies will definitely go a long way in shaping the future of many an unemployed Abian. In fact, it is far from arrogance, if one says he is the only person that can fix Abia, given the high level of unemployment that has hit Abia state and, by extension, the Nigerian state.

Putting the knowledge he has acquired into practice, Professor Gregory Ikechukwu Ibe established a private university, which has become the fastest growing university in Nigeria. Gregory University, Uturu, the brain-child of Prof. Greg Ibe, was established with a focus on applied research, entrepreneurship and a work-based university education. The University mantra is: “Knowledge for Tomorrow”. It is evident that the professor is created for greatness, having grown from a poor little child to a proud owner of a private university, and the grace of God in him will lead him in the voyage of Abia liberation, adding that his savvy of politics, which is targeted at bettering the lives of people and rendering selfless service to humanity, is a differently-nurtured ideology.

Because of his love for humanity, and considering the milk of human kindness in him, Prof. Greg Ibe went further to establish Gregory Iyke Foundation as a humanitarian medium to reach out to the poor and the helpless in Nigeria. The Foundation is affiliated with World Medical Relief Inc. in the United States of America for execution of medical aid programmes in Nigeria. The Foundation has influenced the lives of people positively, and because he has diplomatic leverage, the Foundation has continued to thrive to the amazement of a people. This, to a large extent, has shown the transparency of an academic guru, who has gone extra mile to carry the burdens of others on his shoulders, without an iota of grudge in his mind. This is commendable, in fact.

In the Abia state, the Abia State Advisory Council had deemed it fit to confer on this astute Administrator the Enyi Abia title (The Elephant of Abia), and Nigeria, under the watch of ex-president Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, had recognized him as a Nigerian, whose resounding personality Is intimidating, and the ex-president decorated him with the distinguished Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (OFR). Quite encouraging!

Professor Greg Ikechukwu Ibe, no doubt, is a blessing to his generation, and posterity will definitely be kind to him, for his selfless service to humanity.