OCHIAGHA REAGAN UFOMBA
The IDE of St Benedict, Aba Dioceses

On Easter Sunday, the 8th day of April 2012, all roads led to Ntigha in Isiala-Ngwa North Local Government Area of Abia State, to witness yet another epoch-making event by the Lord Bishop of Aba Diocese, Most Rev. Dr. Valentine Ezeonyia. It was the honoring and award giving Sunday of illustrious sons and daughters of Nigeria. The prestigious title “IDE” meaning the foundation was conferred on a Cement Magnet, an astute politician, philanthropist and devout Catholic, Ochiagha Reagan Ufomba.
Ochiagha’s life has been a life of piety, humility and obedience to God as a young Seminarian; a life of tribulation and chestization as a politician; and a life of hard work, honesty and success as a businessman.

The ceremony attracted the presence of Crème- de-la crème of the society, the Clergy, traditional rulers, top security agents and politicians. In his sermon the Bishop called on Nigerians to live a life of truth and service to both God and mankind as it is only by so doing that humanity can be saved.
IDE title is given to all Catholics who have led a life of uprightness and contributes to the growth and evangelism of the Church. This is exactly the case with Ochiagha Reagan who has contributed immensely to the growth of the Catholic Church nay Christianity in Abia State and Nigeria. He is reputed to have been part of several priestly ordinations, building and renovation of Churches and schools, donations, training and feeding of students. In Lagos where he resides and does business as rice and cement importer, distributor and prospective manufacturer, he is said to have donated cement for the building of Churches and priest houses, a humanitarian gesture he recently extended to Abia State Churches.
A chip of the old block, his parents were said to have led a life of piety leading to their being crowned Ezinna & Ezinne respectively. The father served the Church in many capacities – including the humble position of a Church warden. A position he held with joy and humility till he passed at the ripe age of 87. His other brother and sisters were said to have served one catholic priest or the other or passed through the Catholic school.

Ochiagha’s other names are humility and generosity. He is reputed to have 165 students on his scholarship scheme, offered free medical services to his community, distributed free seedlings and fertilizers to rural farmers, donated his Reagan cement brand free to the homeless, widows, and aged, single – handedly renovated the moribund Ngwa Women Hospital abandoned over 15 years ago and declared free medication and child birth, embarked on grading of rural roads and donated handsomely to the poor and needy. In Ntigha, every teenager who passed through primary school in the 90’s is said to have used NASA Chalk, books or ruler which he produced and distributed free to local schools. He set-up the first rural telephony centre for his people before the introduction of GSM. He was rewarded with the title of Ochiagha Ntigha after he successfully spearheaded the campaign for the creation of Ntigha Local Government. He was crowned the Dike Eji Aga Ogu of Ngwaland after he toed the path of peace and honour that doused the tensed political state of affairs by entering into a deal to transfer power to Ngwaland in 2007. Abia was then at the precipice in 2003. But Ochiagha’s wisdom prevailed and peace was restored. When it became clear that Kalu was not going to keep his side of the accord after his re-election in 2003, Ochiagha walked away peacefully from Government.

Described by many as ‘one-man riot squad’, Ochiagha is not new to Abia Politics. Widely loved and admired by his people, he has this to say of himself and his people “If my blood is what is required for my people to be free from want and deprivation I will freely give it. I am not unaware of the ill-conceived attacks on my person arising from this principled position of mine by some ner-do-wells. I am not God, and I am not a saint either, and nobody is, tell them to stop looking for the living in the land of the dead, they can never see me where they are pointing fingers; I have achieved 98% of uprightness in my entire dealings with both man and God. This is why our God that sees the heart of every man has chosen me for this assignment in his vineyard. I will serve Him all my life.”

WHO THEN IS OCHIAGHA REAGAN UFOMBA?
A dedicated family man, RJ is a humble and very caring person. He would give the shirt off his back for someone who really is in need for it. Articulate and deeply religious, Reagan received his early upbringing from his devout Catholic parents. He eventually attended Immaculate Conception Seminary, Ahiaeke Umuahia. He later read Secretarial Studies at the Federal Polytechnic Mubi; Law at the Lagos State University (LASU) and at the Federal College of Education Technical Akoka, he studied Public Administration. He also read History & International Relations at Lagos State University, before proceeding to the prestigious Harvard Business School, Boston USA to study Global Negotiation. Not one to drop a chance at learning something new, he is presently studying Peace & Conflict Resolution at the National Open University of Nigeria.

Ochiagha, as his people fondly call him, went through the rough and tumble paths of life as would anyone. However, his doggedness and steadfastness saw him growing from a young graduate of Federal Polytechnic, Mubi to working as a freelance writer, drycleaner, poultry farmer, medical laboratory proprietor, and with NICOHO, the Lebanese construction firm that built the old Federal Secretariat Abuja. Reagan soon after became one of the biggest cement distributors for Dangote Industries, distributing a minimum of 200 cement trucks every month under a guaranty scheme with a loan from UBA. He is the Chairman/CEO of 1.2million metric tons capacity Reagan Cement plant in Calabar. Reagan was one of the first merchants to import and distribute the rapid HIV Testing Kit and SIM card backup in Nigeria. An innovative business thinker Ufomba was given a license to import 500,000metric tons of cement in 2008 by the FGN; and another license to set-up a 2million metric tons capacity cement manufacturing plant in Arochukwu, Abia State. He later served in a federal government committee on the future of cement industry in Nigeria. Alhaji Aliko Dangote has this to say of Ochiagha’s exploits in the cement business “….I am certainly not surprised at this breakthrough given the highest level of your commitment and support to the cement industry, I am very proud of this achievement.”

His hard work also saw him working for the Abia State Government in several capacities. In the first term of Orji Kalu’s administration RJ was known as the “Memo Master” or “Baker” due to his penchant to penning all his ideas on paper to the Governor. A team player, he played a critical role in the troubled, but successful electioneering campaign in 2003. Till today, Ochiagha’s loyalty had precluded him from publicly impugning the character of his former boss.

Ochiagha’s love for his home State knows no bounds. His persistence to become Governor is to offer his people what no Governor has been able to offer them: a chance to realize the basic hopes and dreams every man is entitled to. He constantly preaches about “a new thing” he wants to do. This persistence led him to APGA where he won the primaries in one of the freest primaries ever held in Nigeria. He later went ahead to win the 2011 governorship election. The same malevolence he has been fighting made sure he was not sworn in as Governor.

Characteristically, Ochiagha had consistently directed his public statements, not on TA’s personal character and his family, but on his adverse policies on the State of Abia and Abia people. TA Orji knows what stuff this man is made of hence all the personal attacks to whittle down his energy. But this man is the true energizer bunny; he would keep going and going until he gets. He truly sees the light at the end of the tunnel for Abians.

Loved by his people, Ochiagha draws his spiritual strength from the Catholic Church that shaped most of his principles as a man. He served as the school regulator, mass server, sacristy boy and master of reader simultaneously while at the Seminary School. Positions held by dedicated students. He has received several titles, honors and awards too numerous to name. Before becoming the IDE of St Benedict, he was the Dike Di Oha Mma of Aba Diocese and Ambassador of Christ of the Diocese. He holds with pride several honors in recognition of his Selfless Services to Mankind and People of Abia State.

Ochiagha Reagan Ufomba is happily married to Mrs. Adanma Ufomba. She holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Public Administration. The marriage is blessed with five children, two boys and three girls.