In Udenu of today, one man is offering a refreshing contrast to the political culture often characterised by flamboyance and a certain insatiable thirst for attention. A situation which makes it rare to encounter a public office holder whose presence commands admiration not for loudness or largesse, but for modesty, restraint, and the elusive quality of humility.
Aka Eze Aka is this figure.
From the onset of his leadership journey, Aka has stood out, not merely for his administrative style, but for the quiet philosophy that guides it. His emergence as Chairman of Udenu LGA was not marked by ostentatious claims or headline-grabbing antics. Instead, it was defined by a subtler, more enduring brand of character.
It was during the 2024 Enugu State Local Government election campaigns that this character first asserted itself. Onyekachi C. Ugwu, who coordinated Aka’s media team, had introduced a jingle challenge to galvanize creative energy around the campaign. Among the entries submitted, one stood out, not necessarily for its melody, but for its message. The lyrics, composed by Kelechi Obetta (Kelycool), carried a refrain that many have come to associate deeply with Aka’s essence: “Aka bu nke anyi ooo, nwa mar’ akwukwo, mar’ ihe” which loosely translates into English as “Aka is our own, a man versed in wisdom and erudition.”
Now, mark those two words: “erudition” and “wisdom.” Are they not the same? The truth is that they are not. This is aside from the fact that no two English words are the same. Erudition pertains to being “learned, scholarly, with emphasis on knowledge gained from books.” But “wisdom” speaks to “the discretionary use of knowledge for the greatest good.” It also defines “the ability to apply relevant knowledge in an insightful way, especially to different situations from that in which the knowledge was gained.”
From above illustration, it is possible that one can be an erudite without being wise. Of course, our society has numerous examples of academically sound personalities that lack the natural wisdom that befits their age and status.
And so, to be both wise and erudite is to be a complete leader, and in Aka Eze Aka, Udenu appears to have found one.
His conduct in office has consistently echoed this fusion of intellect and moral discernment. From his early days as a broadcaster and Master of Ceremonies, to his time as Commissioner for Information and Communication, and now as the Local Government helmsman, Aka has remained self-effacing. He has refused to be consumed by the allure of titles and the paraphernalia of power. Upon his swearing-in on September 30, 2024, he made it clear that he doesn’t want prefixes, no embellishments. Not “Honourable,” not “Executive Chairman.” Just Aka Eze Aka, Chairman of Udenu LGA.
He believed, like the celebrated Italian Renaissance political philosopher, and diplomat, Niccolò Machiavelli, that “It is not titles that honour men, but men that honour titles.”
During the 2024 Christmas celebrations, his first as Chairman, he gave his media team time off and insisted that his personal engagements be kept out of the media spotlight. To him, governance is about the people, not the person. A leader’s private joys should not overshadow public service.
On June 6, 2025, when his birthday quietly arrived, he said nothing about it. It took discreet reminders from close aides to rally fellow appointees into organizing a modest in-office celebration. Even then, Aka was away on official duty and had to be urged to return for the event. There were no sponsored pages in newspapers, no staged photo ops. Just a simple cake, heartfelt prayers, and appreciation from his team.
Even more revealing was the episode of May 27, Children’s Day. That morning, the Chairman stood tall on the parade ground, receiving salutes from excited school children in what was the first local celebration of its kind in a decade. Midway through the programme, his phone rang. A devastating message came through, his elder brother, Emmanuel Chimaroke Eze, who was on his way to attend the event and admire Aka receive salute from contingents had a road accident and died instantly.
It was a tragedy that would shake any soul. And indeed, it did shake Aka. But in an extraordinary demonstration of emotional control, he composed himself, swiftly went to the mortuary, wept quietly and returned to the event grounds to conclude the day’s proceedings. He would later bury his brother, the next morning, in a modest christian ceremony devoid of loudness. One month after, he conducted a fairly simple funeral rites for the Late brother. All these with no exaggerated tributes, no political carnival, just a simple farewell to a beloved sibling.
Such restraint is alien to career politicians, many of whom seize any personal misfortune or milestone as an opportunity for public opulence. In this age, where personal celebrations often turn into ostentatious displays, funded from the public purse, Aka’s approach is exemplary. His son’s first birthday, after 21 years of childlessness, could easily have become a statewide carnival. Instead, it was marked quietly in Enugu, with no pronounced fanfare.
In all of this, a consistent thread runs through Aka’s public service: a deep awareness of boundaries. He understands that while his person occupies the office, his emotions do not necessarily have to. All the events mentioned above, are avenues some politicians in his position would have used to lavish the people’s funds in opulence and brazen ostentation. He knows that he is occupying a public office, and until he vacates it, it will be hard to distinguish his personal purse (treasury) from the public one, under his care Put succinctly, Aka acknowledges that the line between personal and public funds is perilously thin in the Nigerian governance system, and that walking it with integrity demands discipline.
That is why some overzealous voices on social media found it difficult to comprehend how someone occupying such an exalted position could willingly assume the role of Master of Ceremonies at State public functions. In response, his Media Team published an article titled “AKA EZE AKA: Why Always Him?” to enlighten the skeptics. We made it clear that what drives Aka Eze Aka, both in and out of office, is nothing other than his irrepressible humility.
Indeed, “Aka mar’ akwukwo, mar’ ihe” (he is a wise erudite). He was meant for our time. He is teaching us, without words, the essence of modesty and moderation in public office.
May daylight spare us!
✍️ Jude Eze
