A highly successful business mogul from Ntueke in Ideato South Local Government Area of Imo State Johnpaul Ochemba, JP (Asi Na Obughi Chineke), has bagged an Award of Excellence, in recognition of his Humanitarian services to humanity, by the International Human Rights Commission.
Receiving the award at Dussel Hotel, near Toronto, MCC Road, Owerri, Ochemba said: “I will not say thank you because you have given me a serious work. If I say thank you, automatically it will seem that it is a good thing you have given me but it is not a good thing you have given me. It is like a punishment. You have given me a very big work load.”
Continuing, Ochemba said: “Meanwhile, I have appreciated whatever you said. There is something you said there. Sorry, I like being simple. From childhood I started construction. I didn’t read Engineering but I am in love with Engineering. So, I have two construction companies; one for road and one for building and I do very well in them. People always think I am an Engineer but I am not.
“That’s number one. I don’t put Chief in my name. I am addressed as Johnpaul Ochemba. If you want to add more, you put Asi Na Obughi Chineke, which means if not God. How bad things are going, if not God this country would have exploded for long.
“As a Chieftaincy title, it was announced by a Bishop. I won’t say much because I have a lot to do. The best thing is to keep quiet and think of what to do. You are not doing me favour. It means that if I am free to go and chop akara, I won’t chop akara again. If I am free to go to a bar to drink a bottle of beer, I have to be more careful. Is that one life? That one is not life. There are so many things I can’t do again. People always tell me go and contest this, go and contest that. I say I don’t want. I enjoy myself more than anything.”
“Because all these loads you people gave me now, you can see my media friends, our communication has limit now. Before I come to say anything, I have to be very careful. Formerly I could talk anyhow; I could say things anyhow, the way I see it. Now, that one has closed. So, you can see why I said it is not a good thing they gave to me. The load is too much but I know that Asi Na Obughi Chineke, I believe and it is true, God will see me through in carrying the load.”
Johnpaul thanked the Special Monitoring Commission (SMM) team of the International Human Rights Commission (IHRC), who brought the award to him, for finding time to come to Imo State, in spite of their crowded schedules, to present the award to him.
He bemoaned the sufferings in Nigeria presently but cautioned that the citizens, especially the youths, should embrace dialogue to find solution to the problems, instead of indulging in actions that will worsen the situation. “Everybody is hungry. We are not in good shape. Whoever says that he is enjoying now is not telling himself or herself the truth but if you want to quench fire, you cannot jump into the fire to quench it. The best thing you can do is to stay outside and use water to quench that fire. There is fire already. We have to use diplomatic measure to quench it. If you jump into fire because you want to quench it, that fire will consume you,” Asi Na Obughi Chineke maintained.
Furthering, he said: “It must not be the President that will plan and the country will be good. It cannot be a Governor that will plan how the state will be good. It can be an individual or a person that will be bringing an idea how this country will be good. You don’t need to become a Commissioner or Minister. Even if we want to come out to demonstrate, you know how we demonstrate here. Before we know it hoodlums will come and join us. Before we know it, things will be destroyed. That’s my fear. So, let us not go there. Let’s tarry for a while. You know my talk is now being controlled. With your permission, you give me a date when I will come to talk.”
Earlier, the National Coordinator of Special Monitoring Commission (SMM) of the International Human Rights Commission (IHRC), who is also the Multinational Coordinator for Africa, Engr. Comrade Elijah Vitus Uchendu, who presented the award to Ochemba, extolled his virtues, saying that Ochemba single handedly picked the bills for the Summit Organized by IHRC in Imo State recently.
Uchendu said that he presented this gesture to the Global Council, which not only approved the award to be given to Ochemba but approved the appointment of Ochemba as National Adviser to the Special Monitoring Commission.
“We are here to celebrate him and give him an Award and to give him a letter of appointment as National Adviser. Haven said this, he is entitled to all Diplomatic privileges and Rights that every diplomat in International Human Rights Commission is entitled to and he will have right to represent IHRC anywhere as a Global Actor, to make decision on behalf of the International Human Rights Commission,”
“The IHRC is a transnational Intergovernmental organization that is based in Switzerland, our Word Headquarters. It is not an NGO like a group that was formed by one person in Nigeria.
“We believe in dialogue and negotiations. We have partnership with the Interpol and other International Transnational organizations: The United Nations; the European Commissions. We are all working as stakeholders. What the International Human Rights Commission believes is to globally protect people; to engage Governments in solving the problems of humanity. Our work is beyond going to Police Stations to bail people.
“That is why we have our volunteers in our states. Our volunteers can report Human Rights atrocities; rape, violence, encroaching on rights and the rest. Anywhere there is conflict in any part of the world, we have trained negotiators. We don’t compromise. We go into negotiations. We stand between countries and bring peaceful resolutions.”
While introducing their team, Head of Communication for the International Human Rights Commission, Fidelis Onakpoma, said that they came from the International Human Rights Commission in Abuja to present an Award of Excellence to a worthy Nigerian deserving the award, Johnpaul Ochemba, JP. He introduced a member of the team, Comrade David Otubaje Oluwagbenga, the South West Regional Coordinator, who is from Lagos State. He also introduced Comrades Linda and Joseph, who are Volunteers from Imo State.
Onakpoma said: “His Excellency Ambassador Dr. Duro Hezekiah brings compliments to the Governor of Imo State His Excellency Senator Hope Uzodimma and to Johnpaul, on behalf of the World Headquarters in Switzerland. He thanks Johnpaul for his collaborations with IHRC.
With regard to the proposed youth protest in Nigeria, Onakpoma said: “Ambassador has urged Nigerians, especially the youths, to embrace dialogue, which he said is an avenue where agitators come together and negotiate and agree. The Ambassador agreed that hunger has been much, which has excalated in Nigeria.
“He urged President Bola Tinubu to establish what he called Federal Dialogue Committee, which he said will give room to dialogue. He begged Nigerians to give President Tinubu time to land with his numerous policies to better the plight of Nigerians.”
The Head Communication for IRHC Fidelis Onakpoma congratulated the newly inducted National Adviser to the Special Monitoring Commission Johnpaul Ochemba, JP (Asi Na Obughi Chineke), adding that the Award offered him by the National Human Rights Commission comes once in a while.
