World Cup Experience Live in South Africa; Ohakim and 27 Lucky Imo Youths. .......The feelings of excitements were indescribable!.. ... My joy, surprises, confusion, etc were better imagined. It all started like a fairy tale!.. To some of us, it looked more like another political gimmick, until that fateful day; 9th of June 2010, when 27 lucky Imo youths (one from each of the 27 LGAs in the state) jetted out to South Africa. The whole fun-filled trip started with radio jingles, announcing Gov. Ohakim’s plan to take 27 Imo Youths to South Africa, to witness the first ever world cup being staged in an African soil. People like me went to a cybercafé for a different purpose, upon completing the main thing that brought me there, I reluctantly used my remaining browsing time to fill the application for the draws via the Imo State website, and completely forgot about it. Lo and behold, it appeared to me like a dream when I got a call from the organisers that I have won the trip to represent my LGA!.. My joy, surprises, confusion, etc were better imagined. From Multipurpose hall, we were all ferried like governors children that we were, with a government van, down to Immigration Office, Federal Secretariat, PH Road for our International Passports. Special thanks to Mr Chika Ohalete, then PA to the Deputy Chief of Staff, who led us to Immigration Office, and carefully guided us throughout the Passport and visa application processes!.. Then came the D day. As usual, we were driven in a government convoy to Sam Mbakwe Airport, where all arrangements have been concluded to fly us to Lagos via Euro Contractors. At exactly 11:30pm on 09/06/2010, the five and half hours journey from Lagos to South Africa began!... The feelings of excitements were indescribable!.. At Exactly 6:30am on 10/06/2010, South African time, behold, we found ourselves in the beautiful city of Johannesburg, where every logistics like our hotel accommodation, our match tickets, movements around the city have been perfectly arranged. Apart from the very rare privilege of seeing world cup games live, arrangements were fully made for our visits to ALL the places that matter in South Africa. Places like Mandela’s house, Desmond Tutu’s house, memorial centres of all those maimed during the apartheid era etc. We equally visited the Nigerian House in Pretoria, where we had an interactive session with the then Nigerian High Commissioner to South Africa, Brig Buba Marwa rtd. Can’t forget the Leadership Training we had (which the governor fully paid for) in the famous King Lithuli Transformation Centre, Bramley, Johannesburg; which is in my CV at present! The joy and fun of the trip cannot be fully captured in this piece. One thing is very certain; the South Africa trip is an experience that will remain indelible in minds of all the lucky beneficiaries. It was a scheme designed in a way that you don’t need to have any top contact for you to benefit. The transparency of the draws was second to none (conducted in an open field of Grasshoppers stadium). Imagine myself that never bothered to go there; still I was promptly contacted immediately my name emerged from the draws! However, that singular idea, conceived and brought to reality by Chief Ikedi Ohakim, speaks volume of the kind of man he is. A man who has great vision for the youths; genuine desire to actually impact positively on the lives of the youths. I strongly believe that God Almighty will continue to empower him to do more for the youths!.. Writing from Okwudor, Njaba LGA, Imo state.
Posted on: Thu, 27 Nov 2014 22:30:56 +0000
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