By CHIEDU UCHE OKOYE

Chief Chuks Augustine Mgbemena was one of the three persons on whom Igwe Chidubem Iweka (Eze Iweka III) bestowed prestigious traditional Chieftaincy titles, the class of which ranks next to the titles of the members of the Igwe Chidubem Iweka’s ruling cabinet.

Igwe Iweka, who is the traditional ruler of Obosi, a town in Anambra state, conferred the title, Ikukuoma Obosi, on Chief Mgbemena when he celebrated his 15th Obiora/Iwaji Obosi festival at the Obosi township stadium on October 24, 2026.

He admonished Chief Mgbemena not to rest on his laurels regarding his humanitarian and philanthropic deeds, which have impacted the town of Obosi and its people, positively, and for which he was given the title.

In his response, Chief Mgbemena said that he was passionate about making contributions for the development of Obosi.

He further stated that he believed in facilitating human capital development as it’s humans who would harness material and financial resources to carry out developmental initiatives.

“I am a philanthropist, who is passionate about the development of Obosi, although I don’t engage in self-praise about it.

“I Sincerely believe in human development, which includes giving scholarships to young people from poor homes and giving financial donations to Obosi Skills Acquisition and Empowerment Organization,” Mgbemena said.

And Mgbemena’s traditional chieftaincy title, Ikukuoma Obosi, means the good wind when its translated to the English language. Expectedly, he is living up to the denotation and essence of the name of his traditional chieftaincy title as exemplified by the financial contributions he made for the fixing of the Obosi ecological disasters, the financial assistance he gave to the under-privileged people, and the scholarships he offered to the young people for their tertiary education.

Again, outside his carrying out of philanthropic deeds, Mgbemena is a maritime guru, who has risen in his job to become the Deputy Director at the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety (NIMASA). The top position he occupies in the organization is a proof of his dedication to duty, mastery of his job, punctuality, and hardwork.

But the robust and quality education he acquired in Nigeria and outside the country, including the overseas courses he took, prepared him adequately for the challenges of his job.

Today, Chief Chuks Augustine Mgbemena, Ikukuoma Obosi, is giving back his job experience and knowledge of the maritime industry to his younger colleagues whose cadres are lower than his by mentoring them.

And his career achievements, philanthropic deeds, community leadership, and possession of admirable personal qualities coalesced to become the lodestar for the Obosi youth. Little wonder, he is the role model of an innumerable number of young Obosi people.

His traditional chieftaincy title, Ikukuoma Obosi, is, indeed, a fitting epithet and befitting tribute to him as his wind of philanthropy, exemplary community leadership, mentorship of young people, and unassailable behavioural traits has blown across the entire Obosi landscape with its beneficial effects.

•Chiedu Uche Okoye is a poet and public affairs commentator. He can be reached via 08062220654.