By David Desbordes
Lokpanta Ancient Kingdom is located within Umunneochi Local Government Area of Abia State, in southeast Nigeria.
The past three years have seen an inter regnum, following the demise, at the time, of the late H.R.H Eze Ferdinand Eke, Udumeze Ii.
All roads will lead to the Palace of Peace, Amaeke, Lokpanta, on Friday, December 30th, 2022, as the people roll out the drums for the coronation of their new king, H.R.H. Eze Sir Ifeanyi Anthony Jude Eke, KSM, MIOD, FCSMP, as Udumeze III, by the Traditional Council, Udumeze Royal Stool of Lokpanta.
H.R.H. Eze Sir Ifeanyi Eke, in his mid-50s, had his primary education at the then Santa Maria Primary School, now Zik Avenue Primary School, Uwani, and the then All Saints Primary School, now Ekulu Primary School, G.R.A, both in Enugu. Going further, Eze Eke attended a seminary school, Marist Brothers Juniorate, Uturu, Abia State, and left in his final year to Christ the King College, C.K.C., Onitsha, where he finished secondary school.
Following this, the young Ifeanyi Eke had a brief stint at the Institute of Management and Technology, I.M.T., Enugu, before moving on to the Anambra State University, now Nnamdi Azikiwe University, where he bagged a B.Sc. in Economics, and graduated in 1991.
He has attended numerous professional, financial and security courses, especially on cybersecurity and HumInt, in Israel, South Africa, Dubai, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.
During his tenure as a Board Member and a Director of the Nigeria Police Micro-Finance Bank, and as the Chairman of the Credit Committee and, later, the General Purposes Committee, he attended other courses at the Financial Institutes Training College, F.I.T.C, in the United Kingdom, and others at the Lagos Business School, and at the Harvard Institute, in Dubai and in the United States of America.
Eze Ifeanyi Eke is a certified security consultant.
He is married to the beautiful H.R.H. Lolo Celestina Nkechi Eke, a top Financial Services Provider, who the Eze fondly calls Odooba, in a union that is blessed with two children, a son, Zikora, and a daughter, Adaeze, who he describes as wonderful children.
H.R.H. Eze Ifeanyi Eke, a man of great personal charm, widely travelled, and possessed of a towering intellect, spoke with DAVID DESBORDES, on Friday, December 23rd, 2022, in Enugu, on his accession to the throne, the priorities for his people, and other topics.
It makes interesting reading, so go ahead and enjoy!
Q: How do you feel on your accession to the throne of your forefathers?”
A: I feel highly elated, and I feel highly fulfilled. Fulfilled in the sense that, for my people, they have a road map under me, and fulfilled again that I was the one chosen, by entrusting me with the throne of my forefathers. The Udumeze Throne is one that every son and daughter of Udumeze will be very, very proud to be associated with. That is how elated I am.”
Q: What will be your priority policies for Lokpanta Kingdom?
A: We will bring agrarian development to my people, attract investors to come in, especially in quarrying and agro-industries.
We will put up a lot of other things that will help the community, like provision of pipe-borne water, electricity, and good feeder roads for the evacuation of produce from my community.
As you know, my community is blessed with a lot of minerals. If properly tapped by the government, I think it will be the bedrock of revenue generation for a serious government.
In my community we have marble, we have limestone, gold, lead, alumina and tantalite. These are some of the minerals that are as yet unexplored and unexploited. In the time being, they are doing crushed granite rocks from my community. We even have feldspar.
The government has to sit up and know what they can do, and come into my community and help them, without spoiling the eco-friendly condition of my community.
Q: Tell us about your businesses.
A: I am basically a trader, so to say, and a realtor, because business is an ambiguous term.
I am basically a trader and a realtor.
I play in the real estate, oil and gas, and security industries.
I consult on security, and provide platforms, nationally and internationally, as far as security is concerned, and I have ongoing projects in the real estate sector, in the Federal Capital Territory.
Q: What led to the naming of a street after you in Gudape, Abuja?
A: The street naming came from the fact that my environment deemed it fit.
The Chairman of the Abuja Municipal Area Council saw my development strides over the years.
They decided to honour me, with a very long crescent in Gudape named after me.
It’s a very wonderful honour, and I am highly appreciative.
Q: What is your first message to your subjects, especially the youth?”
A: I ask them to maintain peace, peace, peace, in this clime of ours.
Peace, first of all. When we have peace, every other thing will fall in place, then we will now start to decide on how to empower the people with acquisition of skills.
Q: How do you unwind after a hard day’s work?
A: Before, I used to hang out a lot. But, most times these days, I have found out that I have suddenly become a semi-introvert.
I unwind by playing a lot of games. I play video games.
I am also a very voracious reader. I read very widely. In fact, I love reading, during my spare time. I am not one of those who ascribe to boredom. I am never bored
I fill in my time with something, especially reading. I read contemporary books, documentaries, I read everything. I read very far and wide. I read any subject that catches my fancy. I watch documentaries a lot, too.
Q: What is your message to Nigerians?”
A: It’s just a prayer, that God will guide and protect this country called Nigeria, for us to have a free and fair election next year, and for God to help us become a nation of civil minded people, and not a nation of tribal minded people.
Q: What is your best food?”
A: Wow! That is a hard nut to crack.
Well, it will interest you to know that my best food is akpu, fufu, with any soup. I am not somebody who likes rice and other things.
My best food is just akpu and any soup. Any soup.