By Mokwugwo Solomon
Anambra State Town Union Council (ASTUC) has celebrated a prominent Catholic priest, Very Rev. Fr. Basil Ekwunife; as well as notable industrialists, Chief (Dr) Ebuka Onunwko and High Chief (Dr) Chinedu Umeadi as Anambra community role models, 2025.
The ceremony, which took place on Saturday, November 22, 2025, at the ASTUC secretariate, Old Government House, Awka, and presided over by Governor Charles Soludo, drew prominent personalities from all walks of life, as well as youth leaders from the 179 communities in the state.
In his opening remarks, the President General of ASTUC Youths, Comerade Ken Okoli, noted that the election process started in year 2024, when the group decided to project those values they identified as their articles of faith in the Anambra project.
According to him, “ASTUC Youths have guiding principles, which we identify as our value system. They include fear of God, patrotism, self reliance, discipline, life, truth, liberty, justice, community, dignity of labour, religious/ethnic tolerance, and love.
“There was need for us to get individuals whose lifestyle symbolize those values that we identify. That was what made us to embark on this journey in search of role models.
“Anambra has 179 communities. We asked youth leaders to get an individual who will stand as role model from each town. After that circle, we narrowed it down to one role model per local government area. Finally, youth leaders from 7 LGAs in each of the three senatorial districts elected one person to represent their senatorial zone.
“At that final voting, High Chief (Dr) Chinedu Umeadi emerged as role model from Anambra Central, Very Rev. Fr. Basil Ekwunife emerged from the North senatorial district and His Royal Majesty, Dr. Ebuka Onunkwo emerged from the South senatorial zone. That was how we came about the 3 role models for 2025. It was not what I did alone; it was a collective agreement of all the youth leaders in all the 179 communities in the state.”
Okoli, who congratulated the trio on their election as role models for 2025, said that the three personalities distinguished themselves in various areas of human endeavour, and urged youths of the state to copy from the newly elected role models.
Describing the unique attributes of the three, the ASTUC PG said that the role models, besides distinguishing themselves in their areas of calling, and becoming rich through hard work, stand out in the life of charity, benevolence and selflessness.
In his speech during the ceremony, Governor Charles Soludo congratulated the three for being elected as role models for youths.
Represented by the Hon. Commissioner for Information in the state, Dr. Law Mefor, the governor noted that in a world where many have resorted to kidnapping, advanced fee fraud (419), Okite rituals and all sorts of evil means to enrich themselves, the three role models have become rich through hard work, as well as traceable and humble means.
While urging the three not to deviate from the right path, Soludo also urged youths of Anambra state to copy the examples that have separated Onunkwo, Ekwunife and Umeadi from the crowd.
He said that the lives of the three role models typified the 4th key pillar of the Solution Agenda, which he said, bothers on good governance and value system.
Speaking after receiving his plaque as role model, Dr Ebuka Onunkwo, who is a top APGA contender in the August, 2025 Anambra South senatorial by-election, hailed the youth body for organizing the programme, while assuring that he would continue to promote such values that made youths consider him as their role model – including massive youth employment, scholarships to indegent persons, building houses for widows, and most importantly, getting rich without cutting corners.
On his own, Fr. Ekwunife urged Anambra youths to embrace hard work, shun get-rich-quick syndrome, and to embrace every opportunity at their disposals, so that vices like kidnapping, Okite rituals and ritual killings usually traced to youths, will be a thing of the past.
Also, High Chief Dr Chinedu Umeadi, represented by his younger brother, promised to uphold values that made the youths to nominate him as role model.
