Pen Master's Anioma Man of the Month: Applauding Elder Statesman, Austin Izagbo

 Pen Master's Anioma Man of the Month: Applauding Elder Statesman, Austin Izagbo 

- Emeka Esogbue

From Enuani to Ika; Ika to Ndokwa, the Anioma people have never been found lacking in terms in terms of human richness. In whatever human endeavour you want, the people are readily there for you. 

Austin Nonyelim Izagbo, PhD, Nigerian Elder Statesman, Politician, Businessman, Technocrat, Administrator, and PR Guru, evidences the Anioma human gains. 

Dr. Austin Izagbo hails from Umueze in Ibusa, Oshimili North Local Government Area of Delta State, a community known for its human greatness having the pride to boast of popular living figures in the likes of Prof Pat Utomi, Dame Winifred Akpani, Amb Ignatius Olisemeka, Chief Celestine Okobi, Prof Chris Nwaokobia, Chief Fred Ajudua, Olympian Gold medalist, Kingsley Obiekwu, Zik Zulu Okafor, Chief Sebastian Adigwe, Mr. Frank Atuche and many more. 

Elder Statesman, Dr. Austin Izagbo, the Ide of Ibusa, is one of the greatest figures from Delta State yet almost unsung. In April 2022, Izagbo clocked 70, and in his famous tribute, published in several tabloids, Tony Eluemunor, a seasoned Journalist wrote: 

"Nigeria is becoming increasingly dysfunctional simply because she does not applaud the likes of Dr Austin Nonyelim Izagbo. This businessman and politician should be celebrated by the entire nation for his large social conscience and uncommon example."

Austin Izagbo has given so much to his Ibusa community, Anioma, Delta State, and the country, Nigeria as a whole, and deserves greater applause. To start with, serving the Ibusa community, Izagbo, a communal unifier, has been associated with nearly every form of development in the community and many can attest to it. It is difficult to write the socio-cultural, economic, and political history of the community without the mention of his contributions. 

In the 1990s, Dr. Izagbo came to a favourable limelight in the Delta State administration of Group Capt Ibrahim Kefas as a Commissioner for Sports, Youths, and Social Development and he took the opportunity to leave developmental strides to his people and society. 

Within his short stay in office, State Commissioner, Izagbo had supervised the establishment of the Asaba Arcade, Ibrahim Kefas Centre, Iand busa and restarted the construction of the abandoned Asaba and Warri stadiums in the state in a swift manner that left all pleasantly surprised and was hailed in the state for the accomplishment. His fame then started to spread. 

In Ibusa, his fame had also grown and spread and he had emerged as the socio-cultural engine room; the people's reliable source, channel, and power link between the community and the government. Austin Izagbo was in the mouth and dictionary of nearly every Ibusa man or woman wishing to make genuine progress or render communal development to the society and indeed, he was willing to assist every group and individual with the right agenda to move the community forward. 

In 2015, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), over-paid his company by N75 million and he quickly returned it with integrity. In 2022, a certain Josephine Agu who was a cleaner at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja, was reported to have returned the sum of $12,200 and was honoured by former President Muhammadu Buhari with the Nigerian National Award Federal Republic Medal II but unfortunately, we have not heard that Dr. Austin Izagbo has been equally honoured with a national award by the government for this show of integrity. 

Extremely friendly, always with a show of love for everyone, Izagbo runs an open office to virtually every Ibusa son and daughter, warmly introducing and showing them to colleagues and business partners as his brothers and sisters. 

Eloquent in Enuani and English language, with oratorical prowess, Izagbo is an experienced master of the Enuani culture and proverbs and a modern-day builder of the Ibusa community with whom this author, (Dr. Emeka Esogbue) has nicely and proudly worked within the administration of Ibusa under the auspices of the Ibusa Community Development Union (ICDU) in 2017. 

A mere conversation will reveal that even the most knowledgeable in Enuani's anthology could become lost in Izagbo's profuse amount of core Enuani proverbs since the man is readily armed with different versions of local maxims for different situations. 

Warm-hearted but his friendliness to all irrespective of age and status did not start in a day. Nicknamed "Jaguar," in his goalkeeping days which started at the St. Anthony's College, Izagbo was the first-choice goalkeeper. An extremely brilliant student of the University of Ife (now renamed Obafemi Awolowo University), Ile Ife with high sociability status, together with Mike Ozekhome and Jason Orah, they founded the Scala Football Club. He is further put on record as Nigeria's first initiator of the first acada beauty contest, which was held in the country just as his legendary communal roles in the evolution of the Obuzor system of administration for his people cannot be forgotten in history. 

If for anything, gratitude is owed to his landmark, resource exertion and other remarkable contributions to the Obuzo institution now enjoyed by the people of the Ibusa community.   

Dr. Austin Izagbo is Pen Master's Anioma Man of the Month