You know him as Udom Uko Inoyo, the Vice Chairman of ExxonMobil Companies in Nigeria (2018-2020). His friends and classmates in the University of Calabar, simply call him Udome till date and he loves it. So two days ago, Udome did what he does best. He honoured a teacher. This teacher is a rare breed. He is a professor of General Stylistic and Literary Criticism as well as Dean, Faculty of Arts, University of Uyo. This teacher is Joseph Akawu Ushie. Both Udome and Joe are my bosom friends and Malabites, as we UNICAL students love to call ourselves.

Although they belong to the same generation of UNICAL students, they met closely for the first time during the presentation of my book Village Boy early this year. I remember Udome had described that event as “the gathering of village boys”. He bought a large quantity of the book for the University of Uyo and since then the university has never stopped reading the book, even approving it as a textbook for three departments, so far.

But that’s not the news. The news is that Professor Ushie, an award winning poet and protégé of legendary Professor Ime Ikiddeh of blessed memory, was last week honoured in Abuja as a Fellow of the Association of Nigerian Authors, ANA, and Udome, the legendary lover of teachers, did not want the historic event to simply peter off as a whimper. No!

Udome got in touch with me and a few other friends of his. He said to me: “Look, Da, this man has spent 36 years of his life teaching and raising mostly Akwa Ibom and Cross River States children. We must honour him and you must be there”.

I was three hours away in Port Harcourt but I knew it was an order because teachers and their products, the students, are the apple of Udome’s eyes. I have never seen anyone yet so passionate and even emotional about the welfare of teachers, not to talk of the mentorship of students.

For the past 14 years, Udome has invested enormously in Inoyo Toro Foundation, a leading education NGO he set up to recognise and reward hardworking teachers and principals of public secondary schools through annual awards for teaching excellence; a strategy that uses teachers as the focal point in enhancing the quality of education in Akwa Ibom and beyond.

Now, Professor Ushie, to Udome, is not just a teacher but a pride to the profession and people of AkwaCross, having emerged as the first AkwaCross author to be named a Fellow of ANA, a choice crown that is on the heads of just a few iconic Nigerians, including Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka and JP Clarke.

And so Udome, in a solo effort quickly gathered us together in the beautiful ambience of Ibom Tropicana, Uyo, where we dined and wined, and of course poured additional encomiums on the Obudu village boy turned professor. It turned out to be as much a gathering of village boys and professors as it was that of Akwa Ibom cabinet members, authors, writers, journalists, publishers and lovers of books.

The consensus was singular: Professor Ushie may not have deposited a lot of money yet in his bank, but he has deposited quite a fortune in the bank of knowledge. Congrats Prof. Thank you Udome. So thoughtful of you as UFAN MME TITIA YE NDITO UFOK NWED

To quote a line on Udome’s Inoyo Toro Foundation billboard: “IF YOU CAN READ THIS, THANK A TEACHER. And may I add this: IF YOU CAN READ ANYTHING, LOVE AND REWARD A TEACHER LIKE UDOME