Chioma Umeha
18 October 2009
analysis
When we met at the Sheraton Hotels & Towers Ikeja on September 6, 2009, during the birthday bash of Ambassador (Elder) Godwin O. Mbatu, and his wife, Grace, little did I know that it would be the last. You told me that evening that I should ensure that I interviewed the General Superintendent, Assemblies of God Nigeria (AGN), Rev. (Dr.) Charles Ogbonnaya Osueke with full length photograph.
I was expecting to brief you on what I did, alas, it was not to be. I also thought it was a dream when my husband called me on phone to say you were sick that fateful Tuesday. It is too painful for me to say good bye to you at this time, (ND as fondly called), you were too prized to be missed by us, members of the media ministries, the entire Church and internet community both within and across the world. You would also be greatly missed by your immediate family and others at this time. It is with heavy heart and tears that I write this tribute.
However, we are consoled that the life of a man is not measured in the number of days he spent on earth, but on its quality in terms of the number of lives he touched for good before his death. On this note, enter Engineer Ndukwe Kalu as one man that maximised his 38 years on earth in such a manner that it was as though he lived a century.
His enormous achievements are an eloquent proof to this. Little wonder his exit was heralded days before his departure. It is no overstatement to say that a rare gem is gone. Those who are living will therefore celebrate the life and time of a great man who initiated a paradigm shift from the usual and which rippling effect whose legacy lingers thereon.
Kalu was born into the family of Elder & Mrs. Obumayi. Ogbogu. Kalu February 3, 1971. His rare display of brilliance, perhaps, made his parents to enrol him into school very early as he started with Onward Nursery & Primary School in 1973. He completed his primary education in 1979 with a distinguished result that afforded him a place in the prestigious Kings College, Lagos. He completed his secondary education with flying colours and was admitted into the University of Nigeria, Nsukka(UNN) in 1988 to study Electronics Engineering.
He graduated 1993 with a Second Class Upper Division (B.Sc. Hons), after which he obtained an MBA from ESUT Business School and a certificate from the Institute of Data Processing & Management in London.
Kalu was an ICT professional to the core and his dedication, expertise and doggedness brought a huge revolution within the Nigerian ICT industry. Until his death, he was the pioneer president of the Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NIRA).
Under his leadership, Nigeria recently recorded the successful full re-delegation and local management of Nigeria's country code top level domain name, the .ng in May 2009. This is a major milestone in the annals of Nigeria internet community in particular and ICT industry in general.
The passion for his chosen career spurred him into so many designs and installations of networks that span over a decade. Prominent among which was the Enugu State Wide Area Network. The network linked the State House, State Secretariat, local government and parastatals whose first phase was executed in 1992.
Worthy of note is that ND pioneered Information Technology (IT) publications in Nigeria. "IT WATCH AFRICA", published in 1994, was the first of its kind. From here, he revolutionised newspaper IT reporting. Firing on all cylinders, Ndukwe conceptualised and commenced the first robust IT section in Nigeria news media in 1998.
He was a member of several professional bodies, among which were the Nigerian Society of Engineers, (NSE), Nigeria Computer Society (NCS), Nigeria Institute of Management (NIM), Chartered Institute of Administration, Institute of Data Processing and Management (IDPM) London.
Ndukwe as a Country Project Manager midwived the Adesemi project, a $5million Telecommunications firm. He served on various boards including Amsco Telecoms Limited, Amsco Nigeria Limited, Admiral Insurance Company Limited, Pricehouse Communications Limited, Alphastream Solutions Nigeria Limited among others.
He also served in the joint committee of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and Internet Service Providers Association of Nigeria (ISPAN), on developing a suitable regulation for the use of the Industrial, Scientific and Medical (ISM) band. In 2004, he was elected the national vice president of ISPAN. He also served in the NCC industry committee set up to advise on Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) Regulation.
He was a member of the National Cyber crime Work Group, set up by the President Olusegun Obasanjo to fashion out effective legislation and system to fight cyber crime in Nigeria. Ndukwe had recently spearheaded several initiatives to improve teledensity and internet penetration, one of which is the Naijawifi, an alliance of Nigerian ISPs set up to blanket the entire Nigeria with Wifi Internet access. He was also the chairman of NCC/Presidential Committee to actualise a sustainable Internet Exchange for Nigeria.
No doubt, the mission of ND's Life in God's plan, was made clear to him early in life. So, he did not hesitate to discover and follow God's plan. He remained a role model and a 21st century patriarch to youths and a source of inspiration to the elderly.
He became the youth president of Victory Centre, Assemblies of God (AG) Church, Clegg Street, Surulere, Lagos, in 1999 till 2002. By virtue of this position, he also doubled as the sectional youth president and the then Lagos District president. His tenure witnessed tremendous growth in the spiritual, physical lives of youths in the church. ND, brought the same vigour and drive he used in secular business into God's. He believed in the best and hated mediocrity. This saw him organising so many seminars at both the district and section. His sole aim was to empower the youths of AG for greater impact in the 21st century and beyond.
His administrative prowess saw him discovering new talents in the youth ministries who are today champions for the Lord. He sacrificed everything including time and money to the propagation of the gospel. Under his leadership, the annual youth confab at the youth camp blossomed to the extent that every youth in the district looked forward to that moment of refreshing with the Lord.
As the pioneer leader of the Media Ministries, spear-heading every innovation in the department, his ingenuity could not be over emphasized. ND committed everything into the Media Ministries to ensure to beat others in the Christendom and secular world. We are motivated to actualise every dream and aspiration of his. It shall be told wherever man lives that the light he kindled has turned into a conflagration whose good tiding is burning to the end of the earth.
ND became the Men's president of Victory Centre in 2008. Before this time, he was the assistant secretary and later secretary. When he assumed the leadership of the men, ND brought that same vigour that he was known for into the Men's Ministries. In his short time as president, he gave attention to the well-being of the total man vis-a-viz health, finance, soul and spirit. Under his leadership, he mobilised funds for the heart surgery of the daughter of a member of his local Church, Praise Duru, in India.
In his community, Abiriba, ND committed himself to the development and support of people, providing job opportunities, for many who needed it. In his quest for the Greater Abiriba, ND joined the defunct Abiriba Advancement Group (AAG), and rose to the position of vice president in 1999. Despite this, ND never gave up on the Abiriba dream. At the birth of League of Abiriba Professionals (LeAP), ND, who attended only a handful of meetings (four in all), was like a Trojan Horse, committing time, ideas etc to the realisation of the LeAP mission. It is regrettable that his commitment to the pioneer project of LeAP, a business seminar, organised to educate Abiriba businessmen on the best practices and repositioning, will take place after your departure. ND lives on. Your dreams are all coming through.
ND, a great man, lived a short but fulfilled life. No wonder, God blessed him with his wonderful wife, Dr. Nnenna and three boys, Ogbogu, Eke and Ikechi. We will miss you, but we are comforted with the Biblical understanding that those who die in Christ shall live again and so it will be when we shall meet at part no more. Sleep on, my beloved brother and friend.
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