Unarguably, life is the biggest and most complex teacher humanity has ever had. Its style of imparting its lessons differs significantly from the mundane and esoteric knowledge that man exemplifies. Which wisdom is, therefore, greater than that that comes from above? That is why it is usually said that man’s wisdom is foolishness in
the sight of God. Even the Psalmist agrees with that position when he said that “what a foolish man lacks is knowledge and a stupid man understanding.”
The reason for the crisis that has engulfed
humanity stems from the simple fact that they lack knowledge. It is knowledge that guides your mind to accomplish unusual tasks. Without knowledge, you are like a rudderless ship – at the mercy of turbulent winds. And so, for me, life has taught me many lessons: some bitter, some sweet. It is
the combination and application of these
numerous lessons that has made me the total
man I am today. Unbelievably, many people have failed to draw wisdom from the lessons that life has taught them, and instead found themselves in messier situations. In the 53 years of my earthly existence, life in itself has been my most dependable teacher – the moral compass that guides every action I take.
The irony of my life constitutes in the fact that I grew up under very difficult environment and learnt early to be a ‘man’. This is why my mind works at its fittest every minute of the day. Again, I learnt early in life that it is God that can never promise you anything and fail to fulfill it. I have been betrayed in several business and political
relationships, not as a result of a fault of mine, but because of the unreliability of man. In business, where I have made modest progress, I have relied totally on my instinct, which has never failed me. Before I embark on any venture, my mind will first reveal to me whether it will be successful or not. And if I follow my mind (or instinct) it will always turn out successful.
On some occasions, I have had to bite my fingers for the unavoidable mistakes I had made. Last Sunday, my 53rd birthday, I tried to spend quiet time ruminating over my life – how far I had come and what is left to accomplish – and I marvelled at what lay ahead. Before then, I was thinking I
had completed at least 70 per cent of my tasks in life, not knowing that what I thought I had done was just a drop in the ocean, compared to what is yet undone. For instance, I realised that the most daunting task is the emancipation of my people
(Igbo of Eastern Nigeria) who have been
oppressively treated since the end of the civil war.
Though I have championed this cause since my days as governor, the urge to get done with it became increasingly pressing during that quiet time I had last Sunday. Indeed, it was the thought of how to redeem my people that gave me the fillip to go out to address the British Parliament on Thursday last week on the marginalization of Igbo in Nigeria.
I knew the burden of taking up this rare task, but I was encouraged by one of the lessons life taught me that cowards die many times before their death. Those who think about their lives will lose it, but those who sacrifice it for the sake of the kingdom of God will regain it. I know that my people are somewhat skillful politically. Some of
them are even self-centred when it comes to the general good. But I did not mind all that in the pursuit of what is right for them. The lives of great statesmen such as Nnamdi Azikiwe, Obafemi Awolowo, Ahmadu Bello, Aminu Kano and, of recent, Sam Mbakwe and Ken Saro Wiwa, have inspired faith in me.
These were men that led their lives for the good of others. Zik returned home from the comfort provided him by the United States to join theindeterminable struggle for Nigeria’s
independence. His contributions to the emergence of today’s Nigeria are legendary. The same goes for Awolowo. Awo was generally believed to be an ethnocentric person, but those who saw him in that light were crassly ignorant. What Awolowo saw several years before his death in 1987 was
never seen by any of his peers. He saw that
Nigeria, despite the much-touted unity-in-diversity, was an endemically, ethnically polarized nation held together by only a thin vulnerable thread.
And so, he began early to imbue in his people a sense of autonomy and belligerency.
This is why the presence of Yoruba has always
been felt in the nation’s socio-political life. He
also gave his people reliable leadership, and
unconsciously designed a succession plan for
them. This is why after his death there has never been any serious crisis over succession. Chief Abraham Adesanya (the late leader of Afenifere – the Yoruba socio-cultural movement) did not hesitate to step into Awo’s shoes at his death. He led Yoruba through the crisis-ridden period of the annulment of June 12, 1993 presidential election –
believed to have been won by Chief Moshood
Abiola. His leadership inspired the emergence of a new crop of leaders in Yoruba land. One of them was Senator Ahmed Bola Tinubu. Tinubu became governor of Lagos for strategic reason – to galvanize support for the strengthening of the political muscles of Yoruba and hoist their flag permanently on the national map.
So, on the death of Chief Adesanya, he naturally stepped into his shoes with nobody raising the lid. And since his emergence as unofficial leader of Yoruba, he has displayed sound judgement on how his people should survive in a complex political family called Nigeria. He was the brain behind the formation of Action Congress of Nigeria, which won back four of the sates they
allegedly lost to PDP in the 2007 governorship
elections. Even though the PDP governors had
settled into office, Tinubu wrested their seats
from them through the legal process. The rest is history. Aminu Kano’s simplicity of life has taught me a huge lesson in humility. He led a life entirely devoted to the poor (talakwa). It is his life that has moulded mine to be simple and charitable.
Though we didn’t share the same business
ideology, I think he was simply a man who came ahead of his time. The major difference between my life and Aminu Kano’s is in what he did and what I do. All the wealth he made was devoted to serving the poor and needy. I do the same, but in multifarious and diverse ways. Ahmadu Bello, though a northerner, was a pan-Nigerian. He held puritanical views about Nigeria, which was why he offered his own life so that Nigeria might remain one. He gave the North leadership built on trust and strength of character. He did not quiver in
the face of the huge challenges that faced him. It is believed that the monolithic political hegemony in the North was inspired by his selfless leadership style. Then enter Ken Saro Wiwa. He was a literary giant and an accomplished administrator. He championed the cause of his Ogoni people.
He pursued the struggle with unequalled courage and determination. For his audacity, he was brutally cut down by the military by hanging. He paid the supreme price, alongside eight others of his kinship. He was succeeded by Ledu Mitee who has sustained the struggle, though at a reduced pace. So, you can see from where I drew the inspiration to fight for my people. If these men could stand up and be counted when it mattered most why not me? I have never shied away from any struggle in which I am engaged. From business to politics, culture to religion, it is the same disposition. Life has also taught me that mankind is made up of the good, the bad and the ugly. For this reason, you should be wary with how you deal with people. I used to trust so much
until I was stabbed in the back. Those I lifted
politically have suddenly turned their back against me, for no justifiable reason. I trusted them even with my life. See how they have jumped the ship, because of greed and avarice.
As I have always said, I have nothing personal
against them. I pray God to forgive and make
them turn a new leaf so that they would not
perish in their sins. The modicum of trust I still have in people is inspired by the faithfulness and loyalty of a few of my aides who have stood by me, no matter the circumstances. I must confess that God has blessed me with a number of others I can
trust. And these reliable and trustworthy aides have stood as a pillar of support behind me. My parents and siblings have been quite supportive.
It was my mother, for instance, who gave me the N5000 with which I traded in palm oil when I was living in Maiduguri. It was this seed money that has metamorphosed into a huge tree as we have it today.
Therefore, I owe her a debt of gratitude. Some of those who attacked me when I was governor for being very close to my mother (as if it is a crime for a mother to love her son so dearly and vice versa) now have their mothers, sons and daughters dictating to them how their governments should be run. Let me make bold to say that my mother never lived with me in Government House while I was governor. Each time she visited Umuahia, she was always housed at the Old Presidential Lodge. And I can count on my fingers how many times she did so in the 8
years I held sway there.
No matter the machinations of the evil ones, I will continue to love my mother and be close to her.
Her counsels and support are invaluable. Do I
need to recount all the good things God has done in my life? This will take the whole newspaper. Let me, however, highlight a few of them. The most memorable achievement of my life was the winning of the elusive African Champions Cup back-to-back by Enyimba Football Club of Aba in 2002. I personally revived Enyimba when I came
into office as governor and saved it from
relegation in 1999. After that fearful near-drop into Division 2, I embarked on a systematic revamping and repositioning of the team. We recruited new players and hired a super coaching crew.
I served as the unofficial technical adviser of the team. Our collective effort culminated in the victory recorded in Egypt and the subsequent lifting of the trophy Nigeria had longed for fruitlessly for 38 years. We repeated the feat in 2004. Enyimba seem to be wobbling since we ceased managing the team. For me, I would not like the team to die. Rather I wish it would continue to soar to greater heights. However, if the government wants the team to perform efficiently, it should insulate it from politics and ensure that the right attitude is adopted by both
the coaching crew and the players in the
prosecution of the challenges before them. As
much as I have many things to be thankful to God for, so also there are numerous things that bother me.
The most visible of them is the future of Nigeria. I read scary stories daily about the cannibalization of Nigeria. Will it ever be possible to balkanize a huge and heterogeneous nation such as Nigeria?
Those who harbour this agenda are simply wicked. What will it profit anybody to destroy Nigeria, which our forbears spent their time and energy to build? They say Nigeria has a lifespan of 100 years and should cease existing by 2014. Who told them that? Nigeria is not 100 years old. Nigeria is as old as the ground on which it stands today. All the stories about 100 years and the rest are mere
administrative conjectures to keep life going.
We will be celebrating 100 years of amalgamation of North and South of Nigeria, and not the 100 years of Nigeria’s existence. Before the amalgamation, which nation did the British administer? Was it not the same Nigeria that was so amalgamated? Let us discountenance this simplistic political configuration that has set us on edge as a people. I am sure that the issue of ethnicity would not have been as rife as they are today if the amalgamation had not taken place.
Anyway, this is a matter for another day. Let me use the occasion of my birthday to appeal to our politicians to adopt a different attitude to the way we administer Nigeria. As things stand now, Nigerians are not getting the full dividends of democracy.
Instead of serving the Nigerian people with
dedication, we spend precious time amassing
wealth we do not need. The primary reason for joining politics is to serve, not for self-enrichment.
It is sad that while the masses whom we were
elected to serve are getting more and more
impoverished, we their servants are getting richer and richer. Is it fair? Now that 2015 is
approaching fast and politicians have started their usual horse-trading and electioneering, how will all these pan out in terms of dividends for the people? I have asked this question because I see politicians playing the same old tune as usual.
The masses must be vigilant and shun such
politicians whose central objective is to make
money from politics. INEC must rise up to the
occasion and do what is right to deliver untainted elections in 2015. History will not judge them right if they fail to salvage this nation from its continued slide into anarchy. Above all, life has taught me to place all my hope and trust in God.
It is only He that promises and does not fail. Man can fail you but God can never fail you. I am alive and doing well today, because of the awesome grace of God, His hands have continually guided me on the path of peace and righteousness.
I will continue to thank Him for the life He has
given me, for the wonderful family and friends He has given me. They have remained a pillar of support in my life. I pray for our country, Nigeria.
I bring Nigeria, specially, before the throne of
mercy for blessing and liberation. There is no
doubt that evil forces are at work to destroy
Nigeria. They will never succeed. Instead, Nigeria will continue to grow in leaps and bounds.
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