Olisa Metuh @55 … The Journey of a man- By Ikechukwu Emeka Onyia
Brief biography of Olisa Metuh :
Olisa Metuh is a native of Otolo in Nnewi , Nnewi North in Anambra State of Nigeria, born to Chief J. N. Metuh and his Headmistress wife.
Olisa attended University of Nigeria, Nsukka, where he obtained a Bachelor of Law degree and was afterwards called to the Nigerian bar in the year 1988.
After his call to bar, Olisa began his law practice in Olisianunba Chambers, a law firm founded by his father.
Olisa Metuh proceeded to Rivers State of Nigeria, where he did his mandatory one year National Youth Service program in the state’s Ministry Of Justice.
In the year 1990, he teamed up with one Barrister Okafor to form a partnership law firm called Metuh, Okafor & Associates, where he served as the managing counsel.
In the year 1991, Olisa Metuh got appointment as the chairman of Legend Properties Limited, a property management company. Olisa later registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as an investment adviser.
Before joining politics, Metuh was already one of the best INVESTMENT LAWYER, managing portfolios in billions of naira .
In the year 1996, he floated another law firm called Olisa Metuh and Co.
Olisa Metu who was already one of the best INVESTMENT LAWYER in Nigeria, ventured into politics which he begun as the coordinator of the Igbo United Congress.
He was also a member of the finance committee of People’s National Forum (PNF). He was a pioneer member of the national finance committee of the People’s Democratic Party.
Olisa was elected as Ex-Officio member the National Executive Committee (NEC) of Peoples Democratic Party in November 1999, during the first National Convention of the party. He later became the Secretary of the National Peace and Reconciliation Committee of the party, a position he held for two years.
He was the Chairman of the Cross River State Electoral Panel in the year 2002.
He was a member of the People’s Democratic Party constitution review panel.
In the year 2006, he was the Chairman of Abia State Electoral Panel and took active part in the supervision of all the primary election conducted in Abia state in that year.
Olisa was appointed as National Auditor and member of the Peoples Democratic Party’s National Working Committee (NWC) in the year 2007. He later became the National Vice Chairman of the Party for Southeast zone, and the National Publicity Secretary of the party.
Olisa was the longest and the youngest serving elected member of Natinal Executive Committee of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
As I celebrate the birthday of this great man, permit me to reflect on some of his positions as PDP spokesman especially as opposition party .
Metuh’s statements were issues based. He set the pace, his responses were swiftly delivered with accuracy and punch. Metuh used facts and figures to drive his messages home which some of them are:
(1) “We will not resort to insults, blackmail and lies with the aim to distract or ridicule the person or office of the President. However, we must state in very strong terms that we will not allow them to lead the nation astray. So we will firmly oppose any anti-people policy and programmes as may be introduced by the APC.”
~ Olisa Metuh
PDP will Not Insult The In-Coming President .
21 April ,2015 .
(2)
“The APC must fulfill its promises for which Nigerians voted for them… Were the promises only intended as carrots to mislead the people and deceitfully win their votes after which they are dumped?”
~ Olisa Metuh
APC Misleading Nigerians .
26th May , 2015 .
(3)
“The PDP underscored that as a party that has nurtured and sustained democracy in the last 16 years, it would remain committed to the democratic ethos as well as the unity, stability and prosperity of Nigeria at all times.”
– Olisa Metuh
PDP Congratulate President Buhari
29th May , 2015
(4)
“Finally we are aware that President Buhari has directed security agencies to be more vicious in dealing with our members and has continued to subtly coerce the Judiciary to convict those being charged to court. But what gives us joy is that President Buhari is not God and we will not worship him”
~ Olisa Metuh
1st January, 2016
(5)
“Nigerians are no longer in doubt that they have been scammed with long list of empty promises which the APC government has no intentions or capacity to fulfill…allowances for discharged Corps Members, N5,000 monthly allowance for indigent Nigerians, free houses, bringing the dollar to the same value as the naira and other bogus promises for which they were voted into power, have become streams of mirage.Instead, what we continue to witness is the outworn excuse of clearing the so-called Augean Stable, loud propaganda and artful move to appropriate the achievements made by the PDP-led administration; such as the effort in ending polio, the improvement in power supply, the reopening of the refineries, among others which are a dividend from numerous investments by the previous administrations”
-Olisa Metuh
August 29, 2015
(6)
“The shambolic state of the nation’s economy within the period, which represents the worst in the nation’s contemporary history, is a direct fallout of uncertainty created by the inability of the Buhari-led government to chart a clear-cut economic policy, worsened by abuse of regulations, and flagrant violation of constitutional provisions’ –
-Olisa Metuh
August 29, 2015
Quotes from the statement:
Nigeria Economy Worse In 90 Days Of APC – PDP
(7)
“Unlike the APC that denigrated the office and person of former President Jonathan by wrongly depicting him as ‘clueless and incompetent’, the PDP remains the most decent, mature and constructive opposition party in our democracy and we have evidenced great respect for the person and exalted office of President Muhammadu Buhari.
-Olisa Metuh
January, 2016
(8)
“During the Goodluck Jonathan presidency, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, while in the saddle as interim Deputy National Secretary of the APC, in a post on his twitter page, described President Jonathan as ‘lazy, docile, incompetent, clueless, hopeless and useless leader.’ Other APC leaders made raining abuses on Jonathan a past time.
“The PDP is a very responsible opposition party; our leaders are mature; and we have demonstrated so in our critique of the President’s responses during the maiden Presidential Media Chat. We have reviewed President Buhari’s performance and concluded that it was uninspiring”
-Olisa Metuh
January, 2016.
(9)
“The entire world listened to President Buhari during the chat and went away with different impressions. We did and came up with the theme of our initial reaction that portrayed him very appropriately as a tyrant. And for purpose of clarity, a tyrant is a ruler who has complete power over a country and who uses the power in a cruel and unfair way, which was why we recommended the suspension of the operation of the constitution so he can rule for the next four years as a maximum ruler.
“In its reaction, his party National Chairman, John Oyegun magisterially and dictatorially warned that ‘we (APC) may not condone such anymore.’ Our position in the PDP is that we are in trouble as a nation. All we hear from the APC regarding our freedom is ‘we won’t tolerate’, ‘we won’t condone.’ Are these words used by democrats or tyrants?
“So, the PDP too is being warned and coerced on what to say as opposition party. The PDP must be commended for the civil, responsible, mature, issue-based opposition it has played. The nation knows how the APC rained insults on former President Jonathan and that the PDP, during that time, never used words like ‘it would not condone…’’
-Olisa Metuh
1st January, 2016
These quotes are from some of Olisa Metuh’s statements as the then Opposition’s spokesman. They were geared towards strengthening our democracy. But some think otherwise.
Happy Birthday to Chief Olisa Metuh …
Happy Birthday to this great Lawyer …
Happy birthday to one of BEST INVESTMENT LAWYER…
Happy Birthday to this Nnewi born Political Strategist …
Happy Birthday to the Former National Publicity Secretary of PDP…
Happy Birthday to this son of a Lawyer …
Happy Birthday to a boss …
Happy Birthday to Leader of the people …
Happy Birthday to the man APC led Fed Govt needed to cadge in order to protect their regime against Olisa Metuh led Issue based PDP Opposition …
Happy Birthday to the husband of a lovely woman …
Happy Birthday to the father of four …
Happy Birthday to a mentor that mentors many …
Happy Birthday to most neglected political strategist …
Constructive opposition against APC led Fed Govt died with your exit as PDP spokesman, happy Birthday Sir …
The world used to wait for Olisa Metuh’s reaction on any given issue of our dear Nation until APC led Govt in their deliberate effort to protect their regime moved against you with all known lies and propaganda to the extent of jailing you, but history will be kind to you sir .Happy Birthday …
When it started, some believed that Olisa Metuh who NEVER held any govt position in Nigeria, is the problem of Nigeria .
The war against Democracy started with ‘Stop Metuh by all means’ directives of APC led govt in late 2015 and after that… the rest in history.
Today, many that clapped when Metuh was arrested are also crying and calling for help .
I remember Sowore and his Sahara Reporters which was recruited and used for damaging Media trial against Olisa Metuh.
May God also help Sowore that our Federal government having released him from detention, still refused to let him leave Abuja not to talk of traveling abroad. My dear ‘born again’ Sowore has even invented #RevolutionNow, yet revolution no gree come now.
Happy Birthday Akajiugo Nnewi !
#OlisaMetuh@55
Ikechukwu Emeka Onyia ©2020
Nnewi, Anambra State
