By Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu
So many years ago, I boarded an Aero Contractor plane for Owerri and I was placed in the economy compartment of the flight as the club tickets were sold out. Before the plane took off, someone walked up to me and bowed down in greetings, I looked up and saw Peter Obi the serving Governor of Anambra State. I stretched my hand and grabbed his with much admiration; how are you, Your Excellency? I asked, and he responded in a very cheerful voice, I am very well my respected leader, thank you sir, he said.
He whispered to me on the spot that he has vacated his seat at the Club compartment of the plane for me and politely requested that I should proceed to take his seat over there. I couldn’t believe that a serving Governor would vacate his seat for anyone in such a manner.
Well, I thanked him for the honour and privilege, but I begged to refuse the offer. I even reminded him that he was bridging the protocol. He pretended he didn’t hear me. I was shocked to my bone marrow, Peter Obi refused to go out of my sight. He made it a very big case inside the plane that even the passengers around started begging me to oblige him.
Noticing that Peter was not ready to give up, I quietly got up and he accompanied me to his seat and then went back to the economy class to take over my own seat. I remember vividly when we landed, I waited for him to come out, I held his hands and prayed for him.
I had yet another encounter with Peter Obi at the burial service of Chief Jereome Udorji the federal Permanent Secretary from Anambra where he broke protocol inside the church once again and vacated his seat for me as a Governor. Peter Obi is an exceptional character, his humility and love for humanity is infectious. May God see him through.
I have also had another beautiful encounter with His Excellency Gov. Peter Obi which involved funds. In 2011, the Governors of South-East under the Chairmanship of Gov. Peter Obi, planned to celebrate my birthday on the 4th of September 2011, but my lovely wife died in August 2011. But before her death, Peter Obi had already raised N10m with the other Governors for the celebration of my birthday.
Upon hearing about the demise of my wife, he put up a condolence call across to me and formally called off the birthday celebration on the account of my wife’s demise. But he did one striking thing, he still went ahead and transferred the whole N10m he had raised to me. In fact, I don’t need a soothsayer to tell me that the spirit of God dwells inside this man called Peter Obi. God has prepared him for what we are seeing today and may the will of God prevail.
Chief Engr. Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu CFR, (Ahaejiagamba Ndi Igbo), just marked his 80th birthday.
