Nigeria, March 24 -- It is not for nothing that the birthday of Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha is being heralded by a bouquet of eulogies. The story of the day is not that he turned 60 today. The catch, instead, is that the man has an uncommon story behind him.

Even his tomorrow evokes pulsating possibilities. But then, we must admit that 60 years is significant in the life of every human. It is the beginning of ripeness. But the fanfare of the moment, as we have already underlined, is not anchored on this remarkable new age. More than anything else, we are being reminded of the unique political journey and experience of this effervescent political actor.

As someone who has been on the trail of Ihedioha and his politics, I have a lot of recoll...