Nigeria, Feb. 28 -- It was a delicious surprise when I woke up recently to discover that Senator Udoma Udo Udoma had turned a princely 70 years. The question came unplanned: How did he get there; so fast; unannounced? Well, not so quickly. He has been around for a short while.

The truth, however, is that people sculptured in the mould of Udoma hardly grow old in the imagination of their admirers. They simply exist, make marks for themselves and their environment and refuse to age, physically or reputation-wise.

As the son of Sir Egbert Udo Udoma, the late former Justice of Nigeria's Supreme Court, it was pretty difficult for Senator Udoma to emerge from the shadows of his father and create a separate identity for himself. I assume he su...