By Ebuka Onyekwelu, Ph.D
On September 6, 2026, Awgbu Progressive Minds will be honouring Mr. Ernest Ezeajughi, who served as Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo’s Chief of Staff between 2022 and 2026. This honour is significant because it speaks to the conviction of the recipients’ kinsmen that he has served. Although I have heard a lot from people who knew Mr. Ezeajughi speak highly of him, I barely knew him till the twilight of his service to the Government of Anambra State. Thereupon, my general impression of his person is not far from what I have heard from different people. Ernest carried with him an unmistakable decorum and calmness. He demonstrated genuine interest in people and also subdued every air of importance around him or his office. But this is not the point of this commentary. The point is that, given our local realities and the brutal speed with which people forget those who had served in public offices, Mr. Ernest is being honoured months after he had left office.
Exactly six months after he served out his appointment to the Governor of Anambra State, Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo, Ernest Ezeajughi is being honoured by his kinsmen. This, again, is remarkable because not only is Ernest not in government at the moment; he also enjoys honour among his people. Not being in government, especially for those who have served, is usually a demotivation for such gestures, but for him, it is different. This should not be taken lightly. First, the fact that he is honoured after leaving office speaks to his merit and the authenticity of the event’s organizers. He is not targeted because he is in a position of governmental influence, as is the case in our experience, where people in government or those who enjoy certain privileges are showered with honour and awards purely for the interest of the awardees. Not that it is wrong to honour people in power, as some of the awards are well-deserved. But in this case, chances are high that the honour is not only meritorious but untangled.
To be honoured by one’s kinsmen is a different kind of honour, usually multiply earned, and it is a worthy celebration in line with the new Anambra mantra of befitting living championed by Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo.
In the spirit of befitting living, I congratulate Chief Ernest Ezeajughi on his grand reception by his kinsmen of Awgbu, in Orumba North LGA. May this honour encourage and strengthen him to offer more of himself in the service of mankind.
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