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We sensed dad was disappointed about Nigeria before his death –Zik’s son

Published

6 years ago

June 23, 2019

I am an Onitsha man , born and bred in Onuiyi, Nsukka . I am also an American -trained lawyer and called to the Nigerian Bar. I worked many years in Abuja with the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission and now , I am the Special Adviser to Governor of Enugu State on Special Duties.
I am a father of five and a husband of a wonderful woman. I am a sports lover and an Arsenal fan . I am an easygoing person. I love making friends and enjoying life.

Is any of your siblings in politics ?

None is in politics. Though some tried to run for elective offices ; they were not successful . The only thing close to political office is one of my elder brothers who was in the foreign services and later became an ambassador. I don’ t think you can actually call that politics . I can say I am the first person to have delved into politics even though I am the last born .
But I will say that in 1991 when I was going to the university , my father advised me to do Political Science or Law, but I refused . I told him that I would want to be a doctor ; but you can see I ended up being a lawyer. Maybe if I had taken his advice and studied political science , one of us would have been interested in the career long ago but none of us did .

What fond memories with your father can you recall while growing up ?

Wonderful memories! We are very lucky that when we were growing up it was about the time he was not as busy as he used to be in the 70 s . He was always around . Even when he was busy , he would always make sure we ate together – breakfast , lunch and dinner . Through that , he would have an opportunity to tell us stories about when he moved a motion in parliament , when he said what he said , and funnily enough , my father used to remember a lot of things he said in the 50 s and 60 s .

Your father was reportedly born in Zungeru , Niger State . Have you visited his birthplace?
I have not been to Zungeru, though I have heard a lot about it . I have been invited several times by some of my friends that come from there and also in Niger State . Going there ( Zungeru) – the place he was born – is going to be inspirational .

How would you describe your father ’ s politics considering the fact that the nation’ s political space was peopled by tested politicians during his time ?

From our interactions and things we did, my father ’ s main focus was always people and the country – Nigeria at that point . One of the things he was fighting for was Nigeria’ s freedom. It didn ’ t really matter to him who was around then ; all he knew and the goal was to fight for Nigeria’ s independence. At earlier stages , there were principles he had about African renaissance which became a national one in ‘ Zikism ’ .

How did he like to relax ?

He relaxed by reading newspapers and talking in our compound in Onuiyi , but mostly talking and reflecting on the past . He could eat maybe for 30 minutes , and talk for two hours . Even me that he told the story cannot recall everything he told me but he remembered all he said . He liked to talk to people so they would know what happened in the past and learn from it . That was basically how he relaxed but of course when we were a bit younger , we used to take a drive from Onuiyi to Opanda in Uzo – Uwani where he had land ( at Pandorosa ) . We used to go there to appreciate nature

That is the reasons while he picked Nsukka for a university . That area is flat , breezy – you just see trees and it is somewhere you can really go and think and get ideas. That is basically how he relaxed .

Did you ever follow him anywhere for bonding?

We used to go to some events with him . One of the main ones we went with him was in 1983 during electioneering . I don’ t know if it was because we told him we wanted to or he felt we should , but we went around with him in the now present South- East geopolitical zone , especially Imo State . We went on campaign with him and of course , as kids , we were not sure if we really understood what was going on , but we knew that our father was involved in something that he had interest in and that he had many people that liked him .

When we went there , he would sit on the arms of the chair. We talked; we met all the big politicians such as Sam Mbakwe , Paul Unongo , Jim Nwobodo and many of them that were in the Nigeria’ s Peoples Party then . It was a way to bond , and also when he went to other events he was invited to .
I remember in Enugu when he was invited to meet Nelson Mandela , we accompanied him . We also came with him to meet the Prince and Princess of Wales , Charles and Diana . When he started getting older , we were always with him whenever he travelled and of course , we enjoyed the excitement that our father was a popular man , Zik of Africa . We wanted to also enjoy the limelight with him ; so we took time to bond with him .
What was his favourite food ?
His favourite food , like a typical Onitsha man , was ‘ inri oka ’ i . e , corn meal and okra soup.

What kind of father was he ?

He was a wonderful man . I will say many things about him not known to the world . As a politician and government official ( but we were lucky) , we felt that God just blessed us to know him as a father . Like I said , he had more time when I was born in the late 70 s ; so , he spent lots of time with us and I can say that we saw him more as a father than as a politician .

He was at home with us every day . In fact , at some point , my classmates in primary and secondary schools did not believe that I was seeing my father every day . They said no , how could you be seeing Zik of Africa every day ?

On every November 16 – his birthday, he would always celebrate it with his whole family . We were not taught to be elitist; everybody was a human being . Even those that worked for us – guards , gatemen, drivers , my diver ’ s children – I grew up with them and we are friends till today . My father just made sure that we had good childhood .

What values did you learn from him?

I learnt humility, being compassionate and patriotism . Till date, any time I hear a national anthem , chills still run down my spine. It is like after prayer to God , the national anthem is the next and it is because of how my father appreciated things. We watched him as a role model – the things he was doing. The national anthem was one of them . Sometimes , we would be watching the television and hear the national anthem .
My father would stand up and , of course , who are we not to stand up if Zik of Africa stood up . I went to school in the US . I spent 12 years there and I can tell you that every day in the US , I usually thought about when I would return home to see what I could contribute to make Nigeria better .

How does his name open doors for you when people know you are his child ?

His name has opened many doors for me. My father ’ s name is not just opening doors , it has opened doors widely . At a point in my life, I told people that my name was Uwakwe because I knew that once I mention my last name , the whole discussion would change and we might decide to start talking about my father or about the past . His name is a door opener but it is also one that puts pressure on one . If the door opens , one must not work in there and misbehave , one has to also show that the apple didn ’ t fall far from the tree .

What type of music did he listen to ?

Well , my father was an old school person. He listened to Jazz and it affected us too because that was what we listened to in the house . Even , we listened to bongo music . We were always watching old movies – Jesus Christ Superstar , the Roman Empire . I knew more about the Roman Empire than I knew of anything else because my father had all those movies of the Roman Empire about Jesus Christ .

What did he tell you about Nigeria and its style of leadership ?

I will say that Nigeria was his all and all whenever he talked politics . Everything he talked about was about Nigeria – the way forward , how things could be better – and of course , about Nigerians, what was the best for Nigerians . He always believed that the best was what Nigerians deserved and that was why he put his life on the line to get independence .

And after that , he still believed there was much potential in Nigeria. He might be crying now ( because before he died , in some discussions we had with him ) , one could sense disappointment , even though he did not say it to us . One could sense that he was disappointed about how things were going before he died .

How close were you to your father?

Very close . We were with him regularly . Some people used to say we were the retirement children even though he still came out of retirement and entered politics but basically we were with him all the times . I would see him in the morning . I would go to school , return and see him . If I wanted to go out , I would see him and of course , he made life fun for us .

Your father was known both within and outside the country . How do you and other family members view him ?

Apart from the fact that we are his children , we are also his admirers and he is our role model . I can say he was my mentor. God gave me one package that covered everything . Sometimes , one has a father and a role model and mentor. But in my case, I had everything in one and I had him in the same house with me.
I went to Tanzania for training and there is a street named after him there . In the US , when I went to Lincoln , the oldest building in Lincoln is named after my father and Kwame Nkrumah ( Azikiwe – Nkrumah hall ) . One of my professors in Law School , University of Bolton , was an admirer of my father . Immediately I started school there and he saw my name , he looked for me and when he saw me, he said to me, ‘ Your father was a good man . ’ He said he was going to make sure that I finished law school and got all the needed knowledge to follow in my father ’ s footsteps .

What stage is his mausoleum being built by the Federal Government ?

It has been completed and inaugurated . It was inaugurated a couple of months ago by President Muhammadu Buhari . It has yet to take off ; the structures are there but at present , all the items were kept waiting for the mausoleum . The ministry of works approached us to know the items that we would give them – his personal belongings , awards, books and other things – to put there .
It is ready . Of course , they are also planning on the administration – how to run the place , who will be on the board of governors or council and who will run it .
The planning stage is ongoing but the structure itself is completed . We are very happy because if you went there since my father died in 1996 , you would cry. I used to cry sometimes if I went there and I wondered that the man that loved Nigeria so much and they allowed where he was buried to be a construction site . He died in 1996 and the mausoleum was inaugurated in 2018 .

How do you feel that your father ’ s contributions to the country have been acknowledged with the monuments named after him ?

Anytime I see monument named after my father or hear of any street named after him , I am overjoyed. When I entered the airport, of course , people acknowledged me, not because of who I am , but because of him ( Azikiwe ) . When I got to the Enugu stadium , I was inspired that it was named after him . Whenever I go to places and I see his name , it inspires me. But you know it also makes it difficult for me – every father wants his child to be greater than him .
I remember when they put his picture on the Nigerian currency ( N 500 note ) , I was still in the US. I came to Nigeria, took one N 500 note , and returned to the US and showed to my friends . That one ’ s father ’ s face is on his country ’ s currency is a great privilege which I enjoy.

I feel great because when I was younger , I used the N 500 note to show people the kind of person my father was . I am happy and sometimes when I see people with N 500 note , I would jokingly ask them , ‘ What are you doing with my father ’ s picture ? Give me my father ’ s picture or money ’ .

Which of your father ’ s books on social issues and Nigerian project have you read and what did it tell you about his thoughts on Nigeria ?

I have read lots of them but I have not completed all of them . The only one I have completed is his ‘ Odyssey ’ about his lives and I forced myself to read it to know what my father went through because when people see the accolades he gets now , they don’ t know what he went through to get to that point .

He would always tell us that he was a son of a clerk – son of a poor man , but that did not hinder him . He fought to be where he got to and that while you read his Odyssey , you see where he talked about how he worked as a potato piler and a car cleaner . The funniest one that we used to laugh at then was when he told us he was also a boxer.

What was his favourite drink ?

There was a particular drink, Benedictine ; it is sweet liquor , and there is another one , Benedictine and Brandy ( B &B ) mixed . He never lacked that bottle and everybody that knew him , knew it was his favourite drink. Anytime he came back from a trip, he would bring bottles of the drink home .

How did your father feel being the ceremonial President in the First Republic as the Prime Minister was then seen as being in charge of government ?

You know it was very clear he didn ’ t care . My father was not someone of position of benefit; his selfless aim was for Nigeria to be independent . There is a video clip where he told them “ I don’ t care who becomes the prime minister, whether myself, Awolowo , Sardauna or anybody . ” For him , it did not matter whether he was ceremonial President or not ; let Nigeria tastes freedom. That was what mattered to him .

It is believed that some Igbo are of the belief that your father didn ’ t support the Biafran cause ? How would you react to this ?

What did Zik do during the Biafran civil war? When you go there , you will see that one of his poems inspired the Anthem of Biafra.

When Biafra started , he might not have supported them 100 per cent . Do you expect somebody that fought for the country’ s independence to see a divide and support such? Nobody in his right mind that felt the way he felt would want such a thing. Of course , initially , he was skeptical about it , but when it was obvious that there was Biafra, who was the spokesperson for Biafra? He was the one .

He was the one travelling around the whole world to get support . He was the one that was meeting leaders to get them to support the Biafran cause . He was also an adviser to Odumegwu Ojukwu for a long time .
Tell us more about your father that many Nigerians do not know .
There are things that people do not know ; he did not turn into a butterfly and disappear . He never fought with mermaid . He never took mermaid and put it in a bottle . I used to tell him when I returned from school because we used to call him ‘ the eyes ’ . His title in Onitsha was Owalla Anya . One day , I took the anya and called him the Eyes .

Would you say today’ s Nigeria is what your father dreamt and fought for ?

If I say that , I will be lying . There is no way my father will want a Nigeria where people are killed every day . There is no way my father will like a Nigeria where the rate of illiteracy is increasing by the day .
There is no way my father will like a Nigeria where the quality of education is reducing every day . There is no way my father will like a country where corruption exists and is seen as a norm, not that actions are not being taken , but actions are not being taken swiftly.

There is no way my father will like a Nigeria where there is division according to tribes and religion. God has put us together . I am not one that thinks about division or anything. Nigeria has much potential that if we can come together and think about Nigeria first before thinking about ourselves , we get the Nigeria our founding fathers fought for .