When Cross River State, ‘The People’s Paradise’ became ‘The Nation’s Paradise’, it wasn’t by mere words of rhetoric, but a combination of individual foresighted inputs, relentless hard works and efforts alongside the vision and result driven policies of the state’s government that created the paradise that every Nigerian, home and abroad now reckon with.

In this transformation, Ugi Augustine Ugi, the CEO and Founder of Nugi Technologies, an indigenous technology and digital infrastructure company, who recently clocked 40 is one of Cross Rivers State’s Persons of Significant not only through his impacts in the digital technology reform of the state, but also his input in building community and empowering the present and next generation of excellent young minds and creatives.

How so? Nugi Technologies played a vital role in reshaping Cross River State’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) performance through digital systems, automation, transparency and re-engineering. This resulted in a structural shift from manual, fragmented revenue processes to a scalable, technology-driven revenue ecosystem – delivering historic growth, improved accountability and sustainable revenue expansion for the state.

Thus, when Ugi Augustine Ugi combined his 40th birthday celebration with Nugi Technology’s 10th anniversary and the unveiling of his book, ‘Blood of the Phoenix’, the great people of Cross River State showed up at the city of Calabar penultimate weekend to celebrate the icon.

The highlight of these three-milestone in one celebration was the revelation of Augustine’s genotype as a sickle cell anaemia carrier through his debut book, ‘Blood of the Phoenix’ a Memoir of Sickle Cell, Faith, and Service by Ugi Augustine Ugi, which is available for order on Amazon and at local bookstores across Nigeria.

How did a boy born with sickle cell anaemia pull through the pain, tussles and constant fight to stay alive from childhood become this changemaker, a creative revolutionary and builder at age 40? The Book Reviewer, Sir Gabe Onah (PhD) who is the Chairman of Carnival Calabar briefly took the audience who graced the event from all walks of life through the journey.

Blood of the Phoenix chronicles the making of a man who learned early that survival alone is not enough – that meaning must be built, even in suffering.

Sir Onah stated while reviewing the book ‘Blood of the Phoenix’ a memoir stitched together from fragments of struggle, survival, faith and purpose by Ugi Augustine Ugi.

“Ugi writes as someone who has bled, rebuilt, apologised, learned, and chosen growth over bitterness. The book confronts hard truth – about systems that fail young people, about mistakes made in desperation, about the cost of becoming – and then shows us what redemption through responsibility looks like.

“Blood of the Phoenix is not just a memoir – it is a testimony of survival, purpose and becoming. In this deeply personal and unflinchingly honest book, Ugi Augustine invites us into a life shaped by pain but forged by belief. Born with sickle cell anaemia and raised amid poverty, his story begins where many would expect it to end – in hospitals, in hardship, in limitation but this book refuses that ending, instead, it captures how Ugi’s pain which he perceives as both a disruptor and catalyst that forces reinvention, discipline, and perspective shapes his life, his leadership journey and the future he is building.

“Across pages we walk with Ugi through childhood illness, loss, betrayal and moments where hope seemed irresponsible. We see a young boy grappling with sickness and stigma, a student learning resilience through rejection, and an entrepreneur failing repeatedly before finding his footing. We encounter mentors who opened doors, friends who stood firm, and loved ones whose belief made the impossible bearable.

“At its core, this book is about choice – the choice to prepare when the odds are against you, to build community instead of resentment, to choose integrity over convenience and purpose over profit,” Sir Onah stated.

He however noted that what makes Blood of the Phoenix compelling is its range: a story of living with sickle cell in Nigeria, a chronicle of entrepreneurship forged through failure, a meditation on leadership, service and nation building and a love letter to resilience, faith and community.

“The title ‘Blood of the Phoenix’ is no metaphor stretched thin. Like the phoenix, this is a life that rose not once, but many times – each rebirth more intentional than the last.

“This book is for the 15-year-old searching for direction. For the builder who has failed and is tired. For the reader who needs proof that pain does not disqualify purpose. Blood of the Phoenix reminds us that ashes are not the end – they are often the beginning.”

In his parting shot, Sir Onah noted the morality/spiritual angle of the Blood of the Phoenix by directing his remarks to the author of Blood of the Phoenix, Augustine Ugi Agustine who was not physically present at the event as he was undergoing treatment in the hospital at the time.

He said: “Dear Augustine, rise like a phoenix from the ashes and emerge, renewed after a disastrous/destructive circle. Blood Of the Phoenix reminds us that if the Jews during the trial of Daniel knew that God would make Daniel the friend of the lions or a third person would emerge from the heated oven, they wouldn’t have attempted what they did. Equally the devil thought he was burying Master Jesus in a tomb, but God was planting Him for the resurrection as the light of mankind. Life’s situations will always throw stones at you, don’t throw the stones back, rather gather them and build an empire of hope. There’s a fable told of a Farmer and his Donkey. The Donkey fell into a well. The poor animal cried for hours as the Farmer stood helpless, thinking what to do.

After a while, the Farmer made a hard decision and said the donkey is old, and the well needs to be closed anyway – it’s not worth the trouble to rescue. The Farmer called his neighbours to help bury the donkey alive.

They began to shovel dirt into the well. The poor donkey cried out even louder at first but after a while, something strange happened. The crying donkey ceased. When the farmer peeped into the well to see if the donkey had died, what he saw stunned him. With every shovel of dirt that landed on the donkey’s back, it would shake it off and step on it. Dirt came and he shook it off and stepped higher – and before long, that same donkey they had given up on, walked out of the well alive. It’s my thought that Ugi’s Blood of the Phoenix found support in the story of the Farmer and his Donkey. In drawing the socio- religious curtain, our attention is drawn to Apostle’s Paul in 2 Corinthians 4: 7-15 where he declared to the Corinthian church, specifically in verses 8-9: ‘We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed, perplexed; persecuted, but not forsaken, cast down but not destroyed’.

“We are admonished to trust in God. Life will throw dirt on us, people will betray us, situations will bury us, pain will fall heavy on our backs but we should not let them crush us. Instead, shake them off as the donkey did and don’t let them disqualify us. But step up, stop crying, and don’t settle in the hole. What was meant to cover you will become the ground beneath your feet,” Sir Onah said.

The Governor of Cross River State, Prince Bassey Edet Utu who was represented by Commissioner for Science and Technology, Associate Professor Justin Atiang Beshel unveiled the book. Among those present at the event are: Secretary to the Cross River state government, Prof. Anthony Owan-Enoh; Commissioner for Establishment, Training, and Pensions, Lawrencia Ita; Commissioner for Women Affairs, Edema Irom; Commissioner for Sports, Agnes Atsu; Commissioner for Wealth Creation and Employment, Patrick Egbede; Nigeria Travel Business Consultant, Tourism Developer and Convener, Akwaaba African Travel Market, Ambassador Ikechi Uko and other high profile personalities in the country.

The event also featured close friends, families and colleagues who gave testimonies of Ugi’s journey from grass to grace and his relentless effort to constantly make new impact in Cross River State, a nation builder they called him.