THE MAN SMART OKAFOR: THE VOICE NNEWI DESERVES
By Cornel Osigwe
Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them -William Shakespeare.
Smart Okafor was not born great, neither was greatness thrust upon him, but by dint of hard work, persistence and determination, he has been able to achieve greatness.
The story of Smart is indeed, the story of the people, who made Nnewi great.
A look at the names of people, who achieved greatness in Nnewi, individuals like Sir Louis Odumegwu Ojukwu, Chief Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, Late Chief Augustine Ejikeme Ilodibe (Ekenedilichukwu), Dr. Cletus Ibeto, Chief Dr. Innocent Chukwuma (Innoson), Chief Chika Okafor (Chicason) just to mention but a few, are all people who came from unknown background and poor families but with dint of hard work and determination, were able to conquer poverty and rose to become institutions.
It is important to state here that Nnewi is lacking in the upcoming generation, the quality of these personalities that made Nnewi great.
Such men as mentioned above can rarely be found from the youthful generation. Nnewi can only boast of not too many individuals, who are exhibiting the potentials of achieving the greatness that Nnewi is known and respected for. One of such individuals is Comrade Okafor Nonso Smart.
From a poor background, Smart has risen to become one of the most influential youths, not just in his State, Anambra but also in Nigeria.
As far back as in 2011, Smart was selected among 14 man delegate to the Youth Leaders Strategy Session convened by the Presidency to chat an agenda for youth engagement in government over the next four years.
As an emerging Young Leader, Smart has participated in the following programs but not limited to: Discovering Young Leaders Programme (DYLP) of the Commonwealth Regional Office, Lusaka Zambia; Youth Leadership Programme (YLP) of LEAP Africa, funded by Ford Foundation; Samsung Real Dream (SRD) Programme of the FATE Foundation, Lagos; Microsoft Employability Training of LEAP, funded by Microsoft, Uyo AkwaIbom State and INTEGRITY Institute of LEAP Africa, Lekki Lagos; Leadership, Ethics and Civics Programme, Volunteers Training of LEAP Africa; Paid Internship with Microsoft 4Afrika, powered by IREX and the United States Agency for International Development(USAI); Executive Coaching, funded by Strive Masiyiwa, Chairman and Founder of Econet and Mentorship Programme with Microsoft 4Afrika funded by U. S. African Development Foundation (USADF).
In 2010, Comrade Smart Okafor had already been decorated with 10 Most Outstanding Nigerian Youth Award by LEAP Africa and International Youth Foundation, USA.
In 2011, he was again decked with Henry Dunant Gold Medal/Merit Award by Nigerian Red Cross Society and Red Crescent.
He has consistently won Best SUG President Award by Students Union Governments, Federal Polytechnics, and St. Augustine’s Catholic Chaplaincy, Federal Polytechnic, Oko.
As the Students Union Government (SUG) President in Fed Poly, Oko, in 2006, Smart fought and ensured that tuition fees, which were increased from N11,000 to N30,000, were reduced to N10,000.
Furthermore, in 2012, Comrade Nonso Smart Okafor had clinched and clutched Green Champion Award as a Climate Change Advocate by the United States Government.
In any elective position that needs a representative that will represent Nnewi, Nnewi must and should send their best to represent them. The best person is always known by his past antecedent.
The best person is always known by what he has been able to do in the past. Nnewi does not deserve or need to send someone who doesn’t know his left from the right. Nnewi does not need to have a representative, who doesn’t have the required wisdom for leadership or someone, who has never been tested in/with any leadership position.
Nnewi deserves that young man, who as the leader of students, challenged the school authorities to bring down their tuition fees to not just N11,000 it was when it was increased but a further reduction to N10,000.
Why Nnewi People Will Keep Thriving
Nnewi deserves that young man, who challenged President Barrack Obama, who wanted to enforce African youths at the Mandela Washington Program in the United States, to make demands from their Presidents to adopt gay rights into their constitutions. Smart succeeded in being the lone voice to the most powerful man that gay rights are not the focus of African youths but the primordial enemies of mankind such as; poverty, lack of quality education, sickness and diseases are issues bedevilling the African continent and which should be the focus.
Nnewi deserves that young man, who in spite of his busy schedules as a youth leader still presides one of the biggest Printing and Publishing Company in the state capital, Awka.
Nnewi deserves the young man, whose life never offered many opportunities for success but was able to break the yoke of poverty and rose to become one of the most influential youths of our generation.
Indeed, Smart has the blue blood of Ndi Nnewi and for Ndi Nnewi to enjoy quality representation, he is the representative we deserve to send to State House of Assembly. He is the voice we deserve!
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