I am delighted to observe that His Excellency, Alex Ekwueme (GCON), our former vice-president, has written the foreword to the book ‘He Lived For Us All – Biography of Igwe (Dr.) M. N. Ugochukwu (OFR)’ by his daughter, Princess Nikky Ugochukwu.
We have also savoured the spellbinding account of the chairman of this occasion, Lt.-General T. Y. Danjuma (GCON), of his relationship with the late business mogul and philanthropist: “I was at a crossroads when I retired from the Nigerian Army in 1979. I was barely 42 and was wondering what to do as a retiree when my path crossed with that of Ugogbuzuo (the dazzling while eagle) as he was popularly called. He challenged me to become an entrepreneur. He invited me to join his business and made me his ‘partner’.”
Please let us get out priorities right. Our chairman is now a multibillionaire in whatever currency you choose to adopt and it is just possible he may wish to follow the footsteps of his benefactor by adopt ing a partner for his own numerous business ventures. I have brought my CV with me and offer myself as Lt. General T. Y. Danjuma. I believe I deserve to be spared the tedious task of starting at the bottom of the ladder and then work my way up. The general is ample and convincing proof that life at the top is much more agreeable.
For those who may take us to task for devoting our precious Monday morning, at peak period, to launching a book while our beloved nation is literally on fire – the agitation for Biafra has resurrected forty-five years after the cessation of the civil war (1967 to 1970); various ethnic nationalities are threatening to secede; Boko Haram is still on rampage; the economy is in a shambles and, worst of all, the cesspool of corruption and mendacity spewing out of the office of the National Security Adviser is truly mind-blogging, we must confront them with our seriousness of purpose. We are here to reignite hope in our nation and refresh our commitment to a common destiny. Not least of all, Lt-General T. Y. Danjuma has already pressed the “Red Alert” button by warning us: “No nation has ever survived TWO civil wars.”
Perhaps we should seize this opportunity to reflect on the fact that apart from the Igbo who are with us in large numbers to celebrate one of their heroes, we also have northerners and westerners in our midst – to send a powerful signal to the rest of the nation – excellence and exceptionalism as demonstrated by M. N. Ugochukwu do not recognise ethnicity, religion, or gender.
It is not mere coincidence that Alex Ekwueme and Lt-General T. Y. Danjuma have combined forces to launch this book. Ekwueme celebrated his 83rd birthday recently in 2015 and Lt-General Danjuma attained the age of 78 on 9th December, 2015. May I ask you to join me in wishing them happy birthday and many happy returns.
Let me quickly add that they have a common trait – they are (or used to be) avid book readers. While they were in office – Ekwueme as vice-president (1979-1983) and Lt-General Danjuma as Chief of Army Staff (1975-1979) – whatever books one had read and recommended to them would be promptly purchased and devoured. Indeed, as evidence that they appreciated books as gifts, they would personally acknowledge receipt accompanied with a letter of appreciation.
Even beyond that, they were very accommodating of whatever criticism of government policies, actions or inactions one felt compelled to bring to their attention. It was the same with whatever suggestions, solutions or alternative strategies one offered. In my own case, even though I was living in Kano, at my own expense I would travel almost on a weekly basis to discuss the affairs of the nation with Lt-General Danjuma and this is an excellent opportunity to place on record that he was ever so accommodating and appreciative of one’s youthful exuberance idealism or even patriotic zeal. One’s reward was that the advice would either be accepted or rejected (and sometimes deferred) without any recriminations. In any case, I was not chasing contracts. Neither did I ever volunteer my CV with a view to seeking political appointment or patronage.
Here I must confess that I was somewhat taken aback when at one of General Danjuma’s birthday parties (I think it was his 70th), Prof Nkandi Damachi without any provocation stood up to give testimony that although he had not been invited to the party, he had turned up to specially thank the general for changing his fortune from being a struggling lecturer in Labour Relations in Switzerland to a Swiss millionaire. It had something to do with facilitating a perfectly legitimate procurement of a military vessel. For me the lesson is: if you do not ask, you do not get!
No one can justly blame the general. Anyway, many more would testify to General Danjuma’s generosity of spirit. Amongst them would be Joseph Wayas (former president of the Senate), late Alex Ibru, and a host of others.
What is relevant and instructive is that by the time he retired from the Army in 1979, he had a wide network of friends and well-wishers who remain steadfastly loyal to him till today. He had invested massively in goodwill which remains an essential commodity in human and business relationships. That he retired from the Army with modest assets is a fact to which I can testify as I signed his Asset Declaration Form when he retired as a member of the Supreme Military Council in 1979 and power was handed over to Shehu Shagari, the new civilian president of our country. That was thirty-six years ago and if my memory serves me right, the retiring Chief of Army Staff had only a little money to his credit plus a modest house in Kaduna which was financed with a mortgage from the Bank of the North. I was the auditor of the bank and its managing director, Baba Duna, provided a letter to attest to the fact that the property was funded by the bank.
Being an address at the launching of the biography of Igwe (Dr.) M. N. Ugochukwu (OFR) at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos on Monday, 14th December, 2015.
