It was Julius Caesar who, after a swift victory during the battle of Zela, wrote to the Roman Senate in these words: “Veni, vidi, vici”—translated as “I came, I saw, I conquered.” The Battle of Zela was crucial for the Roman Empire and had to be crushed quickly to guarantee the continued stability of the Republic.
Just like Caesar, Ernest Ezeajughi emerged in Awgbu as the highest government official in its history at a time when infrastructural degradation was ravaging the town and needed to be defeated for the sustainance of the town.
Understanding the effluxion of time, he wasted no moment and, in four years, delivered a masterclass in infrastructural transformation. The Mbaukwu–Awgbu–Amaetiti–Okpeze–Ndiukwuenu road, which had once been only a resident’s imagination, became a tangible reality. From the gully of swivels and swirls that had once ravaged the roads from Akwuabor down to Ndiagu Abor, all traces of decay disappeared under his oversight, replaced by a transformed beauty.
The potholes that once dotted the Awgbu–Amaokpala road, turning it into scattered plot were leveled and restored to their original design under his supervision. The Amaugo erosion was checked before it could grow wings. Primary School Awgbu, the oldest in the town, which had been left to age without care, found a new lease of life, receiving a modern building—the first of its kind in Awgbu. The Ezinato–Isiakpu road is now beginning to tell its story, with its new drainages standing as a vision and ambition of one man determined to rewrite the narrative of a once-derelict town.
For the many graduates, both skilled and unskilled, Ikenga came through, giving them a chance to confront the twin challenges of hunger and joblessness. To his credit, more than 30 Awgbu indigenes now have meaningful employment.
In four years, Mr. Ezeajughi took Awgbu’s issues personally and has created a myth that will outlive him, a shoe anyone would find difficult to fill.
As Chief of Staff, Mr. Ezeajughi brought professionalism to a role long abused by megalomaniacs. He understood the first rule of power: never outshine your master. He operated quietly from the shadows, never competing for power in his LGA despite his de facto recognition as the party leader there. As a former mayor of the London Borough of Brent, he remained humble and gracious in the discharge of his duties.
We are grateful to Governor Charles Soludo for giving Mr. Ezeajughi the opportunity to serve. We might have asked for more, but we understand that it is the man with the yam and the knife who decides. We are proud that Mr. Ezeajughi has executed his responsibilities with utmost professionalism and dedication.
He has created a new standard for the office of Chief of Staff, moving it away from glamour and administrative recklessness to humility, selflessness, and off-camera effectiveness. It is our hope that the standards he set will become a reference for future chiefs of staff in Anambra and across Nigeria.