Elaigwu Abutu: Retiring in a blaze of glory by Igba Ogbole

Dim!! Dim!! Dim!!! The sound echoes slowly, gathering momentum till it reaches a crescendo.

It’s not the sound of a the local ‘ground gun’ (egbe aje) which usually announces the passage of a great ‘masquerade’ in the village. No, not at all. It emanates from the heavy bags of cowries dropping from the lips of people of goodwill.

It is a historic, bright Thursday afternoon. Even the gods are present in their numbers, in response to a call from a son of fate. Chief Elaigwu Abutu called his kinsmen, friends and well-wishers to be witnesses to the Public Presentation and Launch of his book, Ec

hoes of the Times, a collection of his news commentaries on radio over the years. It is part of activities marking his exit from the Civil Service.

Empire Suites, venue of the Launch, is filled to the brim, and over. The sight reminds me of fresh, bubbling Orokam palm wine luxuriantly spilling out of the keg in foams.

Elaigwu has paid his dues in the service of his country. The people agree and they fall over themselves to honour him. They are from far and near, undeterred by even Covid-19.
The gathering can easily be mistaken for a political rally given that the who-is-who in Benue politics is present, albeit in representative capacity.

From the State Governor, his Deputy, the three Senators representing the State, Minister of Special Duties, former President of the Senate David Mark, to the State ALGON, responses pour for Echoes of the Times and the man behind it.

The Media Community, Elaigwu’s primary constituency, led by the DG FRCN, represented by the Zonal Director, North Central Zone, showed copious solidarity.

Members of the Benue State Chapter of Association of Nigerian Authors, ever ready to support any and every writer, are everywhere, ensuring that all goes well. They are led by the Acting Chairman, Paul Ugah.

Speaker after Speaker pay glowing tribute to this seasoned Journalist.

From the corner of the hall where I perch, I watch him move around with the confidence of a peacock, playing the dutiful host. A disarming smile is permanently plastered on his face.
Then comes the Dim Dim sound.

I adjust further on the seat to read his reaction; the earlier smile broadens as he nods to each Dim! You could see his pupil dilating and effusing satisfaction, happiness and contentment all rolled into one.
My take away? Simple.

Hard work pays. Like Prof. Jerry Gana would say, whatever you are doing, do it well. Elaigwu is passionate about his job. And people took notice. And they are all over to publicly testify to his hard work.

Elaigwu may be retiring from Service, but Journalists do not retire from the professional service they offer. He will surely move to fresh opportunities to further serve humanity.

Congratulations, my friend and brother, on a superlative outing.