Upon coming face to face with Senator Jim Ifeanyichukwu Nwobodo, the former Governor of the old Anambra State on Tuesday, December 9, 2014, one Igbo proverb dominated my thoughts- and that is whoever is opportuned to climb an Iroko tree must fetch enough fire wood because such trees don’t get climbed daily . Armed with that, I decided to go beyond what brought me to Amechi, Awkunanaw,Enugu State- the obnoxious act of his children who disappeared with his first son, Ifeanyichukwu’s corpse on the day of his burial. Done with my mission, I decided to play the Oliver Twist by asking additional questions. A very, very interesting session it eventually turned out to be. Below is the result, which I hope you will enjoy. By the way, this was done by AZUH ARINZE, Publisher/Editor-in-Chief, YES INTERNATIONAL! Magazine…
A good politician is one who is sympathetic, who shows humaneness, who is kind to people, who sees their problems as his own. It’s very important. A politician must be seen to show empathy for anybody who is in trouble. Another attribute is that he must tell the truth. Even where you know it’s difficult, tell them you would have loved to do it, but cant; don’t embellish, don’t lie to them. Because the moment you start lying, people will know. If they see through your lie, they will not trust you anymore.
What is the greatest lesson that you have learnt from politics?
Oh! I learnt from Zik o. And it’s that you have to be simple. Zik was extremely simple.
What hasn’t politics done for you?
Darling, can you answer that for me? (Refers to his wife, amidst laughter). One thing politics has not done for me? (Yes!) It’s that it hasn’t given me enough rest. You lose your freedom. Your family suffers. That’s why I said anybody who must be a serious politician must have been x-rayed, lies told about him and when people find it’s not true, they like him. You see, before I contested the election, they said I was born a Northerner (General laughter). Oh yes! They said so. And this was a lie .In fact, they brought a man from Lafia, Kaduna and the man came and said that he came to see his son (more laughter) and when they said who? He said Jim Nwobodo! The man said haba! Jim; are you denying your father? You must be a happy person and then you need a good sense of humor to make it in politics. You must also laugh at yourself. Sit down and laugh at yourself. Don’t be serious about everything.
What is the greatest mistake that any politician can make?
Stealing people’s money. Steal their money and lord it over them. This is a noble profession where people are giving you, handing over to you their welfare, their lives and everything about them. And woe betide anybody who goes in there and be stealing people’s money, making himself rich and impoverishing others.
A lot of people are jumping into politics at the moment, is there really money to be made from it?
Yes! A lot, a lot (Laughter). People steal money; the younger politicians. No service anymore. Okay, how can you explain that 12 people are seeking the position of a governor and they are those who know they will never win? They know they will never win…
Your Excellency, most people attain success in politics, but they find it difficult to sustain it, where do you think they normally get it wrong?
There could be some reasons. One is that they did not make provision for rainy day. It’s very important: you must plan your finances. Even you as a journalist, you have to plan your finances. If they leave without planning their finances and they come out ,they go into poverty .And if they have no other means of livelihood, other than just politics ,there is no way they can make it. So, it’s better for you to have a means of livelihood, something that gives you money outside politics, so that when you are out of politics, you go back to it. So, some of them depend entirely on politics and don’t do anything else. At the end day, they get confused; they don’t even know where to go.
It’s obvious that the Almighty God has been nice to you, what has God not done for you?
Yes! Everything, God has done for me. But do you know one thing which God has given to me? You don’t know what it is to have inner peace of mind. It is unbelievable. Everybody thinks; why am I not worrying so much? It’s just because He gives me inner peace and that inner peace comes from believing in God and being straight and refusing to take part in anything that is not clean or dirty.
If it is possible for you to turn back the hand of time, what are the things you would have loved to change about your life?
One of the things I will like to change is selecting a partner. It is a very important thing. Selecting a good partner. I am telling you, if you are unlucky to have a bad wife or partner, you are doomed. And that’s why I talk about an inner peace, because I really have inner peace.
Right from when you were young, you‘ve been tasting fame, wealth and so on. How have you been able to manage and sustain that till now? From being the Chairman of Rangers International Football Club, you became a Governor, a Minster, a Senator, a member of the National Conference and so on…
There is also the God- factor. In everything you do, there must be a God- factor. You must put God first in everything you do. Truly speaking, that is why when I was speaking to the Bishops on that day, I told them look, are you turning the Bible upside down? The Bible says that children must obey their parents; honor your father and mother. Are you turning it upside down? And I can’t understand them and it shocks me because that’s what the Bible says. So, for me, the Bible is my creed and I follow it. If I’m quarreling with you and you leave, I will go back to see what does the Bible say on it? For me, there may be those who believe in that also. And also, one other thing is: I always put myself in the position of the person I’m dealing with. If I’m dealing with you now, I put myself in your shoes; I ask myself if I were you, how would I feel?
What got you interested in politics in the first instance?
From childhood!
Yes. But what got you interested?
I don’t know (General laughter). But when I was a student, I will gather people together, as in primary school and I will start marching and then start singing. I will say okay, you, you …like that. And then when I got into Ibadan (University of Ibadan), I decided to contest for the secretary-ship of the student union at Ibadan and I was contesting against a Yoruba boy…
(Interruption)-And you defeated him?
Of course! (General laughter). Do you know what is interesting? The boy was my campaign manager. He was my campaign manager. At the middle of this thing, he said he was no longer going to be my campaign manager. That he was going to contest, but I said okay, I am going to defeat you. Carpet crossing (Interjects his wife). Yes, carpet crossing…
So, carpet crossing started a long time ago?
Yes! And do you know why? When I went to the women hall; I beat him…
Ah-ah! Women? Why? (Asks his wife)
(My husband said he got more votes from women and at the women’s hall). Inukwa! (Did you hear that). More laughter from Nwobodo…
His Excellency, women have always loved and voted for you. We remember you were quoted as having said at one time that if the men won’t vote for you, women will vote for you and the late Governor Abubakar Rimi of Kano State?
Yes! And they did! They did! They did! (General laughter). You know some women quarreled with their husbands over us (More laughter).
Now, away from politics, what do you do for relaxation?
Sports; we do a lot of sports and we do a lot of talking. We travel a lot. People have said that there is no time they see me alone. Anywhere Umeh (Victor, APGA Chairman) sees me, he says where is your wife? And many more! ( Turns to his wife). Who was the other person who saw us the other day and said the same thing? Chidoka (Osita, former FRSC boss, now Minister of Aviation). He said where is your husband? Because he says he doesn’t see me without her. We are always together.
What is the greatest lesson that life has taught you?
That you have to be good to people, you must be kind-hearted to people. Don’t treat people as if they are nothing, because you don’t know tomorrow.
We used to know you with exotic safari suits, but you no longer wear them, what happened?
I changed my style. I decided to wear something different.
Unknown to most people, you are one of the most detribalized Nigerians. In the east, you have a cult figure, in the south west; you are as popular, judging from the kind of reception you got when Bola Ige was killed and you went there. Also, you communicate in Igbo, Hausa and Yoruba. So, how did you cultivate this?
Well, I went to school at Ibadan –University of Ibadan; I was born in the north, schooled in the west and my root is in the east. So, I really I’m a true Nigerian and I tell you, when people criticize Yorubas, I tell them they don’t know anything. Yorubas are a very nice people. If you get a good Yoruba person, he is dependable, and you can count on him at anytime. But if it is a group thing, group interest, they represent their group. But if it is one to one, they are very reliable. Individual relationship. Let me also say this: Chief Awolowo loved me so much and I was the first person as a politician that brought Awolowo and Zik together and they ate in my small house in GRA, Enugu. Two of they ate together for the first time after a long time in my house…
What year was this, sir?
That was around 80/81. Exactly! In fact, I brought them together. I called Zik, I said how can it be that …Zik told me the story of Awo; what happened to him. I said but two of you must get together to get power back to the south. So, they said I should arrange it; they came together and ate in my place here. They ate in my place. And at the same time, while I was doing that with Zik and Awo, I was also dealing with Rimi, Balarabe Musa, Ige, Ambrose Alli, all of them. We all got together as progressives. So, there was nothing like tribe then. And then the UPN governors, with PRP, with NPP, we all got together. So, it’s not just about the south, it’s inclusive of the northern radicals.
What would you describe as your greatest legacy during your days as a Governor?
The university (Anambra State University of Science and Technology, Enugu). In fact, that university is the first multi-campus in Nigeria. Today, it has metamorphosed into Ebonyi State University, Enugu State University, Anambra State University, Nnamdi Azikiwe University. That’s my greatest legacy.
NB: First published December 2014