REFLECTIONS ON THE LIFE AND TIMES OF AN UNFORGETTABLE COMET, ELDER KALU UKE KALU (CON).
“Lives of great men all remind us We can make our lives sublime, And departing, leave behind us Footprints on the sands of time.” Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
My first meeting with Elder Kalu Uke Kalu was sometime in 2015 at the Asaga home of Chief Ojo Maduekwe CFR. A new government had just been formed and we discussed the implications of the new government for the Southeast zone given that very little votes came from that zone for the new government in power.
I shared my views on the matter which Elder felt was a different way of looking at the matter and from then we became close. I would engage him from time to time on various matters and we would always have a refreshing discussion. I wish I met him much earlier.
Elder KUK was gentle and self-effacing, but the company of his presence was unforgettable. His genuine smile; his profound thoughts expressed in the most simple and witty manner; his kind spirit; his vision for the progress and development of his society and environment always shone through. He was a master strategist. The precision of his analysis of issues was unparalleled. Though soft spoken, the gravity of his message conveyed in that unique baritone voice was always felt. He enjoyed the company of the sophisticated in thought, yet he
condescended to all men regardless of their estates. Elder KUK was selflessness personified.
He constantly dreamt and envisioned a better and prosperous Abia liberated from the shackles of misrule and maladministration. In my many engagements with him he recalled with nostalgia the group of patriots who gathered from time to time to generate ideas about the development of the old Imo State from which our dear state Abia was carved out.
Elder KUK was a keen investor in people. I am a beneficiary of his kindness and selflessness. In the heat of the insecurity in the Southeast when killings and kidnappings were rife, Elder KUK and his friend Dr. Uma O. Eleazu embarked on a trip from Enugu to Awka in order to make some intercession for me a critical moment of my life.
Elder KUK’s life epitomizes the words of Abhijit Naskar who wrote: “Greatness lies not in ruling a people, it lies in being the cause of happiness in their lives.”
Great and Beloved Elder Kalu Uke Kalu, Commander of the Order of the Niger, Father of Many both Naturally begotten and Selflessly adopted, Fare Thee Well and may the Light of God’s Presence shine upon you perpetually.
