Sir: Anioma, loosely translated as ‘good land’ is situated in Delta State and precisely forms the Delta North Senatorial District in the present-day Delta State, South-South Geo political zone, Nigeria. The people of Anioma are predominantly Igbo speaking. In terms of population and landscape, Anioma nation as it is usually referred to could be likened to a dot in the map of Nigeria. But the people, in material terms, have through hard work, planning and improvising, established themselves in all critical sectors -finance, science/technology, sports, education and most importantly public leadership.

This piece acknowledges the silent, salient and outstanding public leadership exploits at the global stage of a yet to be celebrated Ekuku Agbor born, Grand Knight Emeritus, president of the Organisation of African Unity South Carolina, a member of the Board of Trustees of the Knights of Columbus, a notary public, a team leader, community leader, cultural enthusiastic   and, Quality Assurance Bureau of the South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.

His clamour for good governance, and creative approach to people focused public leadership recently came to mind after reading a news report on how the city of Columbia, headquarters of South Carolina, United States of America (USA), came alive as Tonna Okei-led Pan African Inter-Nation, an umbrella socio-cultural organisation of all Africans resident in South Carolina, held its second edition of Jollof Rice Competition in South Carolina.

Aside from being an annual event by Okei-led African residents in South Carolina, to among other objectives, celebrate the African continent’s rich cultural heritage, particularly in the area of food, very newsy about this year’s gathering is that it had the Ghana Ambassador to the U.S., Hajia Alima Mahama, who was on a state visit to South Carolina, in attendance among other dignitaries, and fundamentally provided  an avenue for bilateral talks between the members of the South Carolina Organisation of Africa Unity, Pan African Inter-Nation and the Ghana Embassy in the United States.

Okei was born on January 16, 1975, in Surulere, Lagos State, few days after the Udoji commission pay increase started and his mother collected her first payment and thus named him Tonna (Praise God). Tonna was born in the family of Lady Felicia Okei and Barrister George Okei, a former commissioner of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affair in the now rested Bendel State.

In keeping with his development oriented culture, Tonna, a detribalised Nigeria, who is married to Dr Oluwatoyin Okei (Yeye Asoju Oba), from the South Western Nigeria and blessed with six children and a granddaughter, recently facilitated a meeting between key political figures in Delta State and management of South Carolina University, aimed at seeing the Delta State-owned universities in Asaba and Agbor, establish affiliate relationship with the Faculty of Education, South Carolina, USA, where anyone graduating from Department of Education in Asaba or Agbor would already have passed their state exams in South Carolina and qualify for teaching job in South Carolina.

In recognition of contribution to the black race in the United States, a special guest of honour and representative of the Haiti community in South Carolina at a recent function in the United States declared that Okei be known and addressed as the Kwame Nkruma the second, a motion which was whole heartedly adopted.

Jerome-Mario Utomi, a media specialist wrote from Lagos.