It's gladdening as well as humbling that by August 18, Ejike Okpa II’s name will make an honorable entry in the archives of Texas as he is commissioned by Texas Governor Perry as an Admiral in Texas Navy based on recognition of his Texas/Dallas community service.

When Ejike was approached for the nomination, they asked him to leave out all his educational accomplishments but show his community services. As the First Black to be so recognized and as someone from Ihe, it is a record he cherishes.

His dad, the late Chief E. E. Okpa said to him, “Son, when you get to US, be part of that community.' Well, Ejike Okpa II is  trying to uphold what being an 'OKPA' stands for!

By Fall 2012, a scholarship in the name Ejike E Okpa Scholarship will be announced at University of North Texas, Denton, Texas, endowed by a group of Dallas businessmen in recognition of Ejike’s service - a first for a Nigerian anywhere in US. Having his name as a Founding Sponsor of Martin Luther King Jr National Memorial in DC, is another milestone.

Ejike did not seek these recognitions, but as his wife says, “Someone is watching.”  He was once Chair of Martin Luther King Jr Community Center in Dallas, appointed by then Mayor of Dallas.

“We must begin to accord ourselves recognition and yield to leadership that deliver collateral values as opposed to the title craze that has besieged our culture and display  of material possessions that often frizzle once the holder passes on,” says Ejike Okpa II.