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I drove kabu-kabu to survive -- Egwu
KENNETH OFOMA, Abakaliki
GOVERNOR Sam
Egwu of Ebonyi State on Monday recalled his trying times when he said he once
drove kabu-kabu (taxi) to survive.
The governor said he was forced to do the
odd job by the difficult circumstances he found himself during his university
education at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) where he combined teaching
with schooling.
Egwu disclosed these at the Government
House, Abakaliki, chapel during special prayers organised by members of the
State Executive Council (SEC), political office holders and the governor’s
friends as part of activities to mark his 50th birthday.
According to Gov. Egwu, he drove the
kabu-kabu so as to pay for his Masters degree programme at the (UNN).
"At a time I had to sell the empty crates
of mineral water in my house so as to buy baby milk for my first daughter. I
also used my Peugeot 305 car to sell chicken parts to one poultry farmer," he
recalled.
Governor Egwu, however, thanked God for
what He had given to him so far and for also sparing his life.
In his sermon, General Superintendent of
Old Path Revival Commission, Enugu, Rev. Alfred Itioghe attributed Gov. Egwu’s
success in life to the grace of God.
While describing grace as an unmerited
favour from God, Rev. Itioghe said, "a man of grace is a man of immeasurable
possibilities, a man that cannot be suppressed or intimidated. It takes one to
enviable heights, and nobody is worthy of God’s grace."
He said it is the grace of God that makes
the least man to be the greatest, the poorest, the richest, the weakest, the
strongest, and the rejected stone, the cornerstone of the edifice.
"Grace of God does not come to you because
of your work, it does not come to you because of your sanctimonious attitude,
your faith in Him, your morality, or because of your ingenuity. It is an
unmerited favour," he said.
Rev. Itioghe thanked God for making it
possible for Gov. Egwu to turn 50, recalling that legendary figure as Alexander
the Great, Julius Caesar and others died on their birthday.
The thanksgiving service was attended by
many personalities including the former Military Administrator of the state,
Navy Captain Walter Feghabor, Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Hon.
Christopher Omo-Isu, and the Methodist Bishop of Abuja Diocese, His Lordship
Ebere Nze.
According to him, God also made him escape
possible death thrice.
The first, according to him, was when he
was a little boy and was knocked down by a Mercedes Benz 911 lorry, but survived
to the surprise of those who witnessed the accident.
Egwu also recalled how a bomb missed him
during the civil war (1967-70) as well as how out of intuition, he refused to
enter helicopter which later crashed, killing two persons and wounding one
during his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) period in Maiduguri, the Borno
State capital.
The governor also recalled the difficult
times he passed through during his secondary and university career and how as a
teacher at Nsukka, Enugu State, he was forced to do part-time kabukabu (taxi) so
as to pay for his Masters degree programme at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka
(UNN).
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