Ndubuisi Nwobu, Chief Executive Officer, De Geogold Hotels, and Suites, Awka, in his secondary days sometimes accompanied his father to political meetings. In the strict sense, his father wasn’t a politician, nor a card-carrying party member, but had friends who are into politics. His house used to be a rallying point for politicians across parties in the Second Republic.
Such experience offered young Ndubuisi the
chance to meet some political bigwigs of the Second Republic that he proposed
to get involved in politics to influence whatever level he finds himself. He
takes good leadership to heart.
For that reason, he studied political
science,
and straight from his youth service, he contested for councilorship of his
Agulu ward in Awka, later becoming his ward chairman. On his third time running
for the chairmanship of his local government, he won. That experience built
tenacity in him. He sees challenges as an instrument that paves the way to
attain a goal. He believes and advocates that any noble cause is worth
pursuing; however, the challenges it poses.
For Sir Nwobu, growing up was fun, and still
shudders with some nostalgic memories. One such was in his secondary school
days, along with his schoolmates on their way to Nike Secondary School, Enugu
from Trans-Ekulu, Enugu stopped at a cashew plantation to pluck some fruits.
“We knew it wasn’t allowed, but we always found a way to climb the trees to
pluck the fruits. On this particular day, as I was up on the tree plucking
fruits, the next thing I saw was the farm manager coming with dogs, and they
were throwing stones at me.
It was a scary moment for me, I can’t
remember how I jumped down, and while pursued by dogs, I scaled through and ran
for my dear life. I can’t forget that incident. Hence, I said to myself, never
go to any place where I wasn’t welcomed. I never fathomed that there could be
something like bringing dogs and throwing stones when you are up there.”
Hon Nwobu has evolved from his childhood days
to who he is today. He described his parents as the most significant influences
in his life, “They instilled in me the trait of honesty, decency, inculcating
decency in me and my siblings and me, moral and Christian values, always telling
us of the need to be hardworking. From my infancy, their style of upbringing
was a great influence in my life.”
“Growing up I met some teachers like the late
Chukwuemeka OC Edozie; he was my principal at National Grammar School Nike,
Enugu. Edozie pushed me to make me understand the relevance of hard work. He
ingrained it in us to take our studies seriously.
He instilled discipline in us growing up in our secondary school days. Then after my tertiary education, I had an uncle,
Prince Jazz Obiegbunike, he would not give you a fish but teach you how to
catch a fish.”
“He helped me secure my first employment
after my youth service. Those virtues of the family and the school
environment were a great influence on my life. On the political front, I would
say Alhaji Abubakar Atiku, who I regard as a mentor. I would also like to
mention people like Shehu Yar Ardu, Senator Ben Ndi Obi, and Chief Ralph Okey
Nwosu. These people have been a great motivation; they are people I would say,
I look up to.”
Chief was a former Chairman of Awka South
Local Government Area and an indigene of Awka. He was born in Sapele, Delta State, and because of the war, came back to Awka during the civil war. He started his
primary school education at St. Faith Primary School Awka. Sir, Nwobu said his
growing up in a loving family was a stabilising factor in his life. He helped
his mother in her business. After school, he would take his bath, eat and join
his mother in her business.
He maintains he imbibed the spirit of
entrepreneurship from helping his mother in her business. His father was more
of a public servant; he worked at African Timber and Plywood, (AT and P) in
Sapele as a personnel manager. Later, as a personnel manager in his uncle’s
construction company in Enugu.
Hon. Nwobu did his secondary education at
National Grammar School Nike. The hunger to further his education took him to
the University of Benin, and Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, studied Political
Science and bagged Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees respectively.
The call to serve his fatherland in the
National Youth Service Corps took him to Calabar, Cross River State. As a corps
member, he served at Police Training College Calabar.
Immediately after his youth service year, he contested for councillorship in his Agulu Ward, Awka, on a non-party basis in November 1987. The drive behind my involvement in politics was to exemplify what I studied and the push that made me contest for election.
“I didn’t win, though I should have won, but
for the older ones who showed me the stuff they were made of. I thought I had
everything under me, but somehow they could buy over some of my agents and
change the results at some polling units. I lost the election, but it was a
great deal of experience. When people support you these days in politics, they
bring out their money to support you; they bring out their money to support you
not like what they want to gain from you like we have today. They like your
personality, and it’s like letting us give him a chance.”
Hon. Nwobu's guiding principle for elective
positions is that those who aspire to governance should understand the
environment they want to lead effectively. “They should keep in mind that any
aspiration is for service. In offering quality service, people will appreciate
you. Where I feel bad these days is that people go into politics because they
want to make money. That’s wrong and a very wrong narrative. People should play
politics for the common good, not for personal aggrandizement, and more
importantly, I believe that all you do in life you should put the Godhead
first.”
Nwobu temporarily took a leave of absence
from politics. Through his uncle’s help, secured employment in the federal
service as an administrative officer in the Ministry of Labour and Productivity
in Lagos. “I was there for almost four years when I resigned due to pressure
from home. My people insisted that I come back to contest for an elective post.
That was when Gen. Ibrahim Babangida started experimenting with Option A-4. I
had a deluge of support. My people wanted me back home to contest for
counseling.”
He resigned from his administrative work at
the federal ministry of Labour and Productivity, returned home to contest for
councilorship under the Social Democratic Party (SDP), and won. That was where I
started my learning process in politics. After that I contested for Awka South Local
Government Area chairmanship under the Democratic Party of Nigeria (DPN), I won but
was rigged out. The power players hoisted the National Consensus Party (NCP)
candidate on us. I took the case to court. There was much pressure on me to
collect money and forget the election result, and I told the alleged winner
that I wouldn’t.”
“I became Chairman Awka South LGA by dint of
tenacity. My third time running for the chairmanship I won under PDP in 1998
and I won in all the wards, but it came with a huge challenge to serve
diligently. The experience was quite rewarding and worthwhile. People of Awka
South will testify of what I was able to do rather than me talking about
it.”
His entrepreneurship spirit conceived
the idea of having a hospitality outfit, which led to the De Geogold Hotels and
Suites’ establishment. Before then Awka lacked standard hotels, as a
well-traveled person, he wondered why he couldn’t find standard hotels in
places he had visited. But the satisfaction in building his hotel is incomparable
to the staff working for him, “I derive joy when I look around and see the
number of staff that working here gives me joy, they are employed and able to
fend for themselves and their families. The whole idea was anchored on trying
to build hospitality that meets the standard in other places.”
Sir. Nwobu, one-time President of Awka
Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines, and Agriculture anchors his work
ethic, to be honest with oneself. “When you are honest with yourself, you will
understand that there is no need to be late to work. You will understand that
there is no need to cheat where you earn your income.
When you are honest with yourself, you will put up the hard work to generate your salary and maintain the facility. I believe
no one will not know when they don’t know or when they are doing what’s wrong.
As long as you are honest with yourself, you will put in your best, and as a
result, not only will the enterprise grow, individuals within the enterprise
will equally grow.”
On the Nigeria of his dream; Hon. Nwobu
wondered why the country is far behind. He wonders why we have a crop of
leaders who often visit other parts of the world, see what leaders in those
countries who took upon themselves to develop those places out of patriotism
have done and why can’t they replicate the same thing here.
As an Anambra man, he wants the Igbo person’s
ingenuity fully expressed beyond the manufacturing hub of the Southeast but
Nigeria, “In Anambra, I want to see that which will spur further the ingenuity
and entrepreneurship of the Igbo person. Education is also key to that. We need
to emphasize the importance of education to our children. The more they are
educated, the best for us.”
The level of divisiveness in the country
worries him, if he finds his way in power, one of his priorities would be to
bring together the diverse people’s potentialities. He believes the
amalgamation of Nigeria was for a higher purpose. People who exaggerate what
they are not put off Hon. Nwobu, it irritates, “whatever you are, keep it to
yourself. You shouldn’t carry yourself around branding that with you. The sheer
strength in humility yields more.”
Life to him is transitory and much purposeful
that one is at peace with God through Christ. He argued that you would
appreciate the need to love your neighbour as you love yourself when you are at
peace with God through Christ.
At home, he thanked God for blessing him with
a wonderful wife. He describes his wife as God sent, “God gave me a wife who
understands me so well. I doubt if many women will tolerate my inadequacies
with the amount of time given to business, politics, and the groups I belong
to. She still holds the family together, making sure that they are in
order, and sustains the respect she has for me.
“She works hard on her own, full of humility.
She is not the kind of person that sits at home that her husband has all it
takes to take care of the family. She is true to herself, she doesn’t
exaggerate who she is, and Godly.” He is married to Ifeyinwa Joy Nwobu, who he calls
‘stainless,’ married with children.
Sir Nwobu would want to be remembered as
someone who had a great passion for service, someone who could mentor many
leaders, besides someone who was God-fearing and honest.
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