Honestly, there is poetry in the back-story of Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele. You take everything in and get caught in its speechless rapture. There is a sparkle in the narrative too.
Indeed, an understanding of Emefiele’s story is essential in knowing the forces that shaped his life and moulded him into the man he has become. Every time you hear it, you realise how little you know of it and the gleaming metamorphosis of the brilliant economist.
In his back-story, you encounter the musical embracing of history and rhythm, race and rhyme, melody and passion in an actual stunning event of a life unfurling. Even in this age of ubiquitous hyperbole, it can safely be said that he is one of the most inspiring forces of nature that you will ever see.
More importantly, it is essential to celebrate him and the immensity he signifies. Unlike too many individuals stuck in the role of minor casts or fleeting characters in their own stories, Emefiele leaps from the pages of history as a fully formed and rounded character; he conceived, wrote, and stars in this breakthrough masterpiece, cementing his place as one of the most daring and phenomenal creative minds of his epoch.
A veteran general on life’s battlefield, Emefiele is indeed a man of many parts; the natural splendour of each part pulses with wonderful vistas of enchanting manhood. Each vista reveals a separate history and intricacies of a life fully lived amid shifting landscapes, loyalties, and love. To set foot in his manly pad is to be dazzled by his brilliance.
His incisive, clinical mind is tempered by compassion and consideration for others. His amiable, sociable nature stifles hostility and clearly negates the tales of boredom of the super-rich who are wired by cutthroat experience into tedium and rigidity. His perceptive, humane leadership of the army is complemented by his warm, affectionate relationship with the officers and troops. He is a powerful reminder that greatness comes from unlikely places.
The native of Delta State emits a rare shine that imbues the day with light and hangs upon the cheeks of night, like luminous beams of lighthouses in Nigeria. Like the proverbial shiny jewel in an Ethiop’s ear, Emefiele emits an uncommon glitter too rich to be ignored and too dear to be squandered. Little wonder he is fondly regarded as the jewel of Nigeria’s economic and socio-political milieu.
Emefiele’s industriousness reunites what carelessness and common use had rendered unremunerative; for instance, his great exploits in the hitherto saturated and beleaguered financial sector mesh and resound enviably, further affirming his acclaimed acumen, invincibility, and poise.
As the CBN governor, he epitomises that extraordinary, untrammelled civilisation that dispels every objection to belief in humanity. He unfurls as a life force, powered by extraordinary empathy, gleaming intelligence, cool discipline, humaneness, and ambition. Nobody underestimates him because it is unforgivably foolhardy to do so.
Unlike many of his peers, his rise to eminence was as much a product of providence and his astounding capacity to pirouette himself from obscurity to acclaim, by the bootstraps. Emefiele, by dint of hard work and valour, has redefined the Nigerian economy and imbued it with a passion that is at once melodic and didactic with timeless lessons in diligence and perseverance.
Perhaps he took to economics to prevent his world from slipping into dystopia by enriching it. Through his exploits, he seeks to rid his immediate world of poverty and enrich the lives of compatriots living on the fringe.
It’s hard to unlock the very core of who Emefiele is and what he represents; notwithstanding, readers might draw satisfaction from the fact that a man like Emefiele arrives as a rare phenomenon and gift to every generation.
There is no recipe for genius but, one can see the disparate elements that he has miraculously seized and synthesized, embraced and celebrated, to create his persona and life so profoundly moving and original. In his story, everybody discovers anew the brilliant manifestations of remarkable zeal and ambition.
Knowing Godwin Ifeanyi Emefiele is never as cathartic as experiencing his exuberance and dazzle up close. It is as delightful as the bloom and rewards of the most tasking yet, successful endeavour. His wit would be intimidating if not for his natural and infectious charm.
Ask those who have been fortunate to encounter him; however brief or protracted the encounter, they all have joyful stories to share – great thanks to Emefiele. The facts of his story are not so easy to relate but this surely passes as a concise record of the turbulence and intrigues that moulded him into the man that he has become.
Some folk may simply not understand the depths he had to plunge and the heights he had to climb to achieve his unparalleled glories. But this is no false narrative with a contrived ending. Perhaps it will, among other things, lay him bare and awaken the dormant heroes in everyone discerning and ambitious enough to impact positively on their world. Who knows, like Emefiele, they would see through the smog and smokescreen of the rough and graceless to discover that truth is handsomer than the most beautiful hyperbole.
In his story, everybody would find that goodness must have some edge to it and the doctrine of passionate industry is best preached through the rivulets of a man’s shiny sweat.
But, wait a minute, is Emefiele ready to shed as much sweat for Nigeria as he had in the last eight years to strengthen and stabilise the economy through his headship of the CBN?
Will Emefiele accept to lead the charge in 2023 as being widely clamoured and canvassed by Nigerians from all over the world?
Nigerians wait with bated breath!
