Ndaa Paddy Obinna At 80
By Nze James Chinonyerem
Ndaa Paddy Obinna is a man of great drives, phenomenal and devoted to great noble values. He loves nature and prefers serenity of life which rural environment offers to the hustling and bustling of urban setting. Make no mistake about it, he is bucolic in spite of cosmopolitan profile. A visit to his Umuocham Emekuku country home will tell you more about this.
He is a remarkable phenomenon whose presence is always felt in every gathering. Given the circumstances of his noble family census, he could have easily been eclipsed by the larger than life towering presence of his younger brother, the indomitable Archbishop Obinna, the emeritus Archbishop of Owerri Archdiocese. Ndaa Paddy chose a line of duty that is also evangelical which more than anything, defines his natural creative imaginations. As a curator of arts and culture, he established his own personality and acquired an autonomous identity. In the world of arts and culture, he is well known not just for his marvelous art works but also his rich and inspiring pedagogical contributions in the discourses of arts and culture. That his His Excellency, Sen Hope Uzodimma, Governor, Imo state appointed him as a Senior Adviser on arts and culture is not just an act of mere political patronage but more of the reasoned recognitions of his knowledge and capacity to contribute to the deepening of the layers of arts and culture in the state. He proved his mantles in the office with critical visionary roadmaps that aided the sector in all practical consciousness.
As a politician, he is a tactician and strategist. A deep thinker, his vision of politics sometimes times led to collusions with others who mistake politics as as mere means of self gratifications. He is a man who is not afraid to speak out even when it is not popular to do so. His rich mind, strong voice and demonstrative gestures are the eurhythmy that complement his scholarly presentations of ideas in lucid and clinical precision.
As the foremost Owerri North Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, he brought fineness of thoughts, discipline, robust participations and inclusiveness where the party worked as one and ensured victories in all the elections then. He transfered the same sense of duty, discipline and light to the All Progressive Congress, APC when joined the party. It is also on record, the APC has done remarkably well in all elections in the local government and beyond.
Ndaa Paddy is a team player, a vision bearer, a quintessential kindred spirit, community leader, motivator, mentor, sagacious and resilient leader who has provided opportunities for many people to excel. Beyond this, he is a jovial mixer and lover of good music. Young at heart, he finds the congregation of decent people attractive. In our political gatherings, we respect, honour, admire him for his powerful memories and recall of history, intellectual depths and touches as well as trouble shooting abilities. He is not a man who is afraid to step on toes if needs be for the right thing to be done. He seems to be guided by Mark Twain’s dictum, “If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.” We call him “the ancestor” as mark of respect and appreciation of his diamond age and sagacity.
No doubt, he is blessed with a good family which has assured the needed tranquility of his mind and spirit to continue to age in such a graceful, noble and happy manner. At 80, the natural contours of his built are intact, he is neither wrinkled on the face, bent, nor has any of his faculties weakened. He is agile and athletic. This is a product of grace of God and personal devotion to disciplined life styles.
As he is celebrated at this special milestone, I key into his grace and pray for God’s continued blessings upon him.
Happy birthday once more Sir.
