A group, Anya-Ndi-Igbo, has used the occasion of grand reception organised by Abia State governor, Gov. Alex Otti, to celebrate Dr Uma Eleazu at his 95 birthday.
Speaking at the event, the President of Anya-Ndi-Igbo Engr. Chris Okoye, said,
"What we are witnessing here today is fidelity in its most elegant form".
According to him, It is not often that political leaders keep faith to their promise, not when there is no risk of a consequential political injury if such a promise is observed in the breach.
"But Dr Alex Otti, the governor of Abia State, is a special breed of politician.Of course, today is not Dr. Uma Eleazu’s birthday. That historic date, 95 years ago, was on June 16.
"His appreciative children, together with associates, friends and well-wishers celebrated him in Lagos on June 14. Governor Otti was at the event, where he profoundly averred that while it is good for children to honour their parents, Elder Eleazu, having ascended a venerable leadership position in the country.
"And still need to be honoured at home, in Umuahia and today’s occasion is a fulfilment of that promise," he said.
He said Anya-Ndi-Igbo expressed gratitude to to Otto for setting unprecedented standards in governance, part of which was honouring accomplished Abians such as Elder Eleazu for their lifelong service to humanity.
The gesture, he said, was in sync with acclaimed Igbo worldview of giving honour to whom it is due and showing respect, recognition, and appreciation to individuals based on their accomplishments and contributions to common good
"This is more particularly when nothing is expected in return, is the hallmark of transcendental leadership.
"But this is hardly surprising. Both men are kindred spirits. Even when some Abians were not yet convinced about candidate Alex Otti, Elder Eleazu was one of those who were unwavering in their support.
"He was convinced that through his governorship, the much-yearned liberation of the State from leadership inertia and governance paralysis will be accomplished," he added.
Okoye explained that Otti’s sterling performance in office had vindicated the grand old man, adding that he was happier for it.
"It will be no exaggeration to say that Abia has witnessed more development in the less than three years of Otti’s stewardship than in the 24 years that preceded his governorship".
In an interview with TheNiche, an online newspaper, in June 2025, a highly elated Elder Eleazu said:
“Since Dr. Alex Otti became governor of Abia State, I have started having hope that things can change. What has changed under Governor Otti? It is simply somebody who takes his policies from what is written in the constitution.
"Someone who recognises that public funds will be used for public purposes. Simple! Whatever money they have given him from the federation account, he husbands it well and uses it in making sure that the people enjoy the benefit of having a government.
"That is what we call bringing government closer to the people. But the other people who came before him brought corruption, not government closer to the people.”
He described Elder Eleazu, a man whose incorruptibility, an uncommon feat in a country where corruption was worn proudly as a badge of honour by many, makes him an oasis of moral rectitude — a shining example of character and decency, in an otherwise ocean of moral turpitude.
"What is most fascinating is Elder Eleazu’s humility and graciousness. He has that uncanny ability of taking a laugh at himself and hardly gets agitated even when discussing the most pernicious injustices Nigeria metes out to those who hold the wrong end of the country’s patrimonial stick.
"That, perhaps, is the reason why God has blessed him with long life. In a country where life expectancy is in the lower 50s, becoming a nonagenarian – mentally alert and physically fit – cannot but be a blessing from above.
"But the real essence of his life is not in its longevity, incredible as that is, but the fact that his is a life of legacy, defined by the uncommon zeal to live deliberately. He has used every single day of his 95 years to pursue full-heartedly what he desired to experience, feel, learn, and do," he said.
He stressed that Eleazu placed public good over and above self-serving interests, Imbued with the sterling qualities of diligence, foresight and pragmatism.
The president equally said that Eleazu was a study in patriotism as his belief in both the greatness of Nigeria and the noble cause of Igbo renaissance had secured him a comfortable place in the venerable pantheon of national leadership.
He said even at 95, his exceptional dignity and humility stand him out as an extraordinary leader.
"He is the son of a Methodist catechist, who desired, as a young man, to be a pastor — an ambition which circumstances disposed — the young Eleazu’s brilliance took him to the pinnacle of the academic world.
"He graduated with a first degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from King’s College, University of Durham, in 1962. Two years later, he earned a Master’s degree in Applied Economics from the same University.
"In 1965, he bagged another Master’s degree, this time in Public Administration from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and subsequently a PhD in Public Administration in 1968.
"Coming back to Nigeria immediately after the civil war — a period he regrets not being around to defend Biafra as most of his age mates did — he, nevertheless, served Nigeria fervently in various capacities in both the public and private sectors. His life is defined by service.
"When he failed in his presidential bid in the ill-fated General Ibrahim Babangida transition due to the ugly role played by money politics, he deployed his prodigious intellect into writing and public commentaries in a bid to refocus Nigerians, who as travellers had long encountered a fork in the road to national rebirth and were pondering where to go next.
"His goal was to redirect their footsteps to the less travelled road of fidelity to truth, justice, equity and fair play.
"In his magnum opus, “Nigeria, As I See It: Reflections on the Challenge of Leadership,” which he wrote at 90, Pa Eleazu lamented Nigeria’s precarious state:
“It looks as if we are in a vehicle that is going downhill, and the driver and the conductors are fighting so that they cannot even apply the brakes and they don’t even know that they are not just drifting downhill, but there is a precipice, which they are going to fall into. The state of the nation is very precarious," he explained.
He added that he was not only worried about Nigeria but concerned about Alaigbo, and the seeming lack of perception by both the political and socio-cultural elite.
"And as the doer he is, he is not sitting on the fence lamenting the predicament. Instead, he joined hands with like-minded patriots to found the non-partisan, socio-political and economic development-oriented organisation, committed to equity, peace, unity, justice.
"And progress of Nigeria – Anya Ndi Igbo. His chairmanship of the Board of Trustees at 95 speaks to his selflessness.
"It is no exaggeration, therefore, to say that the elder statesman from Asaga Ohafia, in Abia State, is among the last of a vanishing breed of patriotic, honest, compassionate Nigerians that still lay stock on the pristine human values of respect, justice, integrity, and responsibility.
"A national icon, community and religious leader, whose ability to mentor the younger generation is unmatchable, at 95, Pa Eleazu is a national treasure, an encyclopaedia of sorts and conscience of the nation.
"On a day like this, Anya-Ndi-Igbo felicitates with our chairman, Dr. Uma Oke Eleazu – economist, policy scientist, administrator, primary school teacher, labour officer, lecturer, author, editor, and Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON).
"While thanking God, who in His infinite goodness has preserved him thus far, we pray for his continued sustenance in good health," he concluded.