By Our Reporter
Chief Mike Ozekhome, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) will be marking his 67th birthday this Thursday, October 17 at the Continental Hotel in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
He will be doing so in style as he uses the opportunity to do a public presentation of his 50 books at a time.
This man of style and a prodigious record of writing, a son of Agenebode in Edo State, a prolific writer, lawyer, and teacher, is setting a record that will be difficult to beat in a long time.
Already, there is a parade of very important personalities who will be performing different functions at the book presentation. These include former President Olusegun Obasanjo as chairman of the occasion and former President Goodluck Jonathan as Special Guest of Honour.
The Chief Presenter of the book is Prince Arthur Eze who will be supported by Emeka Okwuosa, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Chief Edwin Clark and Anyim Pius Anyim.
The Sultan of Sokoto, Ooni of Ife, Dein of Agbo are amongst the royal fathers of the day while government functionaries lined up for the day are Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesme Wike.
Meanwhile, commendations and eulogies have started pouring in, one of which is “Masquerade of Excellence: Celebrating Prof Mike Ozokhome’s remarkable journey at 67 by CDS Omon-Irabor who writes thus: ‘Chief (Prof) Dr. Mike A A Ozekhome (SAN), is the only masquerade that dances in the farm without cutting a single reed of the yam tendrils.
‘The gadfly is climbing the 67th rung on the ladder. From the hills of Agenebode down the plains of the Iviukwe, the celestials, the principalities and the gods of Weppa and Wano Kingdoms are celebrating this colossus who came in disguise as a little rough village boy but very comely and handsome; his divine intelligence surpasses those of his peers.
‘Taking a sudden flight through primary and secondary schools cascaded him into the land of Oduduwa. He anchored his life voyage at the ancestral home of the Yorubas, Ile-Ife.
‘Here, his progenitors believed to have a temporary abode before sending the last born of the Ogisos Ile-ife (I ran and I became rich).’”