Opinion
Who Is Valentine Ozigbo?
By Dr jalarth Uche Opara
I have heard the name before. It rings a bell—a good bell, not the shrieking kind that leaves one uncomfortable. It is a name that, at least from my encounters with him, has come to represent excellence, integrity and resourcefulness.But, for a long time, the name meant little to me. I knew neither the man nor his story.
That changed in 2023.
He took me to His Excellency, Mr Peter Obi, for an official presentation of my book, Obi-Nometrics: Pulling Nigeria From the Deep. That was my first opportunity to meet Valentine Ozigbo.
What struck me was not his résumé. It was his demeanour.He was charming, soft-spoken and seemingly comfortable in his own skin. There was no display of arrogance or self-importance.
He was simple, remarkably humble and easy to relate with. In that brief encounter, he left an impression on me, one that, three years later, remains surprisingly fresh.
Our paths crossed again a few months ago.He had read one of my write-ups and called me.
That telephone conversation opened another window into the man I thought I had already formed an impression about. I encountered someone who appeared deeply concerned about the possibility of a better Nigeria, particularly through integrity, leadership and the empowerment of young people.
I heard a man interested in stirring what he sees as the enormous but often untapped creative capacity of Nigerian youths, turning their ideas, talents and ingenuity into productive wealth capable of liberating them from the grip of defeatism, self-delusion and limited self-awareness.
It was during that conversation that I learnt more about his Valiant Movement.Then came another encounter, only a few days ago.This time, it was from a distance.
I was seated among a large crowd when I noticed a man in a finely flowing, well-fitted regalia walking past me. I saw him mostly from behind. Something about the figure caught my attention. I looked more closely.It was Val Ozigbo.He quietly found a place among the crowd and sat down.Within a few minutes, someone asked him to move to a more appropriate seat. A short while later, he was moved again, this time to the front row reserved for special guests and dignitaries.
I watched.
There was something interesting about the sequence. A man who appeared perfectly comfortable sitting among everyone else was being moved, almost progressively, into the place others thought was appropriate for him.
And it made me think.
People like Val Ozigbo should be part of the light illuminating the dark and often confusing pathways of Nigerian politics.Not because they are perfect. No human being is.
But public life desperately needs people who understand that leadership is not merely about occupying an office. It is about character, responsibility, competence, service and the ability to inspire others to believe that public life can still be conducted with some measure of decency.The tragedy, however, is that our political environment can make this extraordinarily difficult.
Politics is often described as a game. But when politics becomes a game in which manipulation, deception, inducement, rigging and the relentless pursuit of personal advantage determine who gets to the centre of power, people whose currency is integrity can find themselves operating on unfamiliar terrain.That is where my curiosity begins.Why do people we admire for their competence, integrity and resourcefulness so often struggle to translate those qualities into political governance in Nigeria?
Is the problem with the political system?
Is it the structure of incentives that politics creates?Is it the electorate?Or have we, as a people, gradually become conditioned to tolerate what we privately condemn?
Perhaps the answer lies somewhere in all of these.But there is an even deeper question: what kind of society produces political leaders, and what kind of political culture determines which of them ultimately reaches the seat of governance?
I do not pretend to have the answer.What I know is what I have personally encountered.In 2023, I met a man whose humility made an impression on me.Months ago, a telephone conversation revealed another dimension of that impression.
A few days ago, watching him quietly move from the crowd to the front reminded me that sometimes the people we casually encounter may carry ideas, experiences and possibilities far greater than their quiet demeanour suggests.
So, who is Valentine Ozigbo?I am still finding out.Perhaps that is the most honest answer.
Jarlath Uche Opara
jarlathuche@gmail.com