Relationship Is More Valuable Than Gold, Bayelsa Governor’s Media Aide Says After Chairing Abuja Book Launch
By Mercy Tula, Abuja – A Technical Adviser to the Bayelsa State Governor on Media and Public Affairs, Hon. Wisdom Oniekpar Ikuli, has described meaningful relationships, service to humanity and acts of kindness as treasures more valuable than material wealth.
Ikuli made the observation while reflecting on his experience as chairman of a book launch held in Abuja, where he had the privilege of sharing the occasion with three prominent Catholic bishops.
The event, held yesterday at Merit House, Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama District, Abuja, was organised in connection with the literary work of Rev. Fr. Kenneth Ogonna Agwu, an indigene of Ebonyi State and a Catholic priest of the Archdiocese of Abuja.
Fr. Agwu, who was ordained more than a decade ago, previously served as Assistant Parish Priest at Ikuli’s parish more than six years ago. Their relationship, according to Ikuli, grew stronger over the years, particularly because of the priest’s affection for children and commitment to their welfare.
Ikuli recalled a tragic incident involving a Block Rosary Crusade child which, he said, profoundly affected both him and Fr. Agwu and ultimately strengthened their bond.
According to him, the child, aged between 10 and 12, had reportedly gone to school hungry and wearing only slippers because his family could not afford proper footwear.
A teacher was said to have seized the slippers and flogged the child. The boy subsequently became ill and, after being taken to a nearby clinic, allegedly died following a reaction to an injection administered on an empty stomach.
Ikuli said the incident left him and Fr. Agwu devastated.
“When we got the whole story, Fr. Kenneth walked to a corner and started crying. I couldn’t hold back my own tears. We both cried uncontrollably,” he recalled.
The experience, he said, forced him to reflect on his own childhood and the hardship he and his siblings endured growing up in poverty.
It also prompted him and his wife to begin identifying vulnerable children in their community whose families struggled to provide school fees, uniforms, books and other basic educational needs.
Ikuli said that after more than 30 children were identified, his family decided to provide support within their capacity, stressing that the intervention was undertaken without publicity or unnecessary attention.
Against this background, Ikuli said he was particularly surprised when Fr. Agwu later contacted him and requested that he chair his book launch.
He noted that as Editor-in-Chief of the Good Shepherd Newspaper, the principal weekly newspaper of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja, Fr. Agwu had relationships with prominent personalities who could have easily occupied the position.
Ikuli said he initially tried to avoid the responsibility, likening his hesitation to Moses’ response when God called him to a great assignment.
However, Fr. Agwu’s persistence eventually convinced him to accept the responsibility.
The event subsequently became a major gathering of Catholic leadership, with the presence of His Grace, Most Rev. Dr Ignatius Ayau Kaigama, Metropolitan Archbishop of Abuja; Most Rev. Dr Anselm Umoren MSP, Auxiliary Bishop of Abuja; and His Eminence John Cardinal Olorunfemi Onaiyekan CON, Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja.
Ikuli disclosed that Cardinal Onaiyekan had recently returned from visits to the United States and Kenya and returned to Nigeria in time to attend the occasion.
For Ikuli, the gathering represented far more than the successful launch of a book.
He described his opportunity to chair the event in the presence of three distinguished Catholic prelates as a priceless experience and a reminder of the power of relationships built over time.
He said the experience was particularly significant because Bishop Umoren, an indigene of Akwa Ibom State, was pleased to see a young man from the Niger Delta successfully undertake such a responsibility.
Reflecting on the experience, Ikuli said the blessings and goodwill he received from the bishops were worth more to him than gold or material wealth.
“What I got yesterday was more than gold and other material riches put together,” he said, adding that he received “unquantifiable Episcopal blessings” which he had not anticipated.
The Bayelsa media aide used the experience to urge young Nigerians to deliberately cultivate genuine relationships and invest in people rather than measuring success solely by wealth and material possessions.
According to him, relationships built on trust, service, compassion and sincerity can create opportunities and blessings that money alone cannot purchase.
“Money cannot buy relationship,” he stressed, urging young people to understand the long-term value of treating people with kindness and maintaining meaningful connections.
Ikuli also expressed appreciation to his wife, whom he described as “The Only Lady (TOL)” and “Deputy Governor of the Hon. Wisdom Oniekpar Ikuli Dynasty,” for attending the occasion and contributing to the memorable atmosphere.
He concluded by attributing the success of the event and the blessings that followed to God.
