Reminiscences with Alhaji Ibrahim Idris

Alhaji Ibrahim Idris is an astute businessman, a philanthropist and former governor of Kogi State who has tremendously impacted on the lives of people not only in his state but in other parts of the country in both private and public dealings. The 71-year-old shares his childhood and other experiences.   Could you tell us […]

Alhaji Ibrahim Idris is an astute businessman, a philanthropist and former governor of Kogi State who has tremendously impacted on the lives of people not only in his state but in other parts of the country in both private and public dealings. The 71-year-old shares his childhood and other experiences.

 

Could you tell us about your childhood and growing up experiences?

I was born in Idah, Kogi State, but grew up in Onitsha, Anambra State. When I was very small, we were all living at Onitsha. When my mother was about to give birth to me, she went back home in Idah to give birth and after that, she returned to Onitsha to meet my father who was a petty trader. He had an engine boat that crossed from Onitsha to Asaba and from Asaba to Onitsha. He used it to carry produce from Onitsha to Asaba and somehow from Asaba to Onitsha. My father used to be the chief of the Igalas in Onitsha and most of the people from my place at that time and from all Igalaland used to stay in our house to do their businesses, before going back to their respective towns in Igalaland. I started my primary school at Holy Trinity School Onitsha. I was then in Standard 4 to 5. It was about the period of a little crisis in Nigeria and I decided to follow my uncle, Labaran Audu, to Kano where he was transferred as a produce inspector. So, I went to stay with him in Kano. But before then, even in Onitsha, my father, though not rich, he did all he could to make sure we were well brought up. I had some experiences there. We were all working hard to make sure that we succeeded. You know the characteristics of a typical Igbo man, they are very hardworking people and we took to that and were all working very hard, making sure we went to school, making sure that we had ideas of how businesses were being run mainly, they like trading in most cases. The idea of business for me started from there when I was young.

How many are you in your family?

We are thirteen.

How would you describe your parents, what kind of people were they? 

I was born into a Muslim family. My mother used to trade in petty items like biscuits, cola-nuts and bitter cola in the front of her house but my father mainly owned an engine boat that went between Onitsha and Asaba, carrying foodstuffs.

What kind of training did you receive from them?

Well, it is quite an interesting story. In our compound where we lived, we had somebody called James Nwanne. This man was from Ubuluku in Delta State. We were living in the same compound but this man took a special interest in me out of all of us in the family. There were other children in the compound but  James took special note of me which made me feel that probably, he hated me with the way he treated me. He took a special interest in me to the point that if there was an examination and I didn’t take the first position, he would flog me. Even when I took the fourth position at one time, he flogged me. To him, it was because I was playing too much, that was why I took the fourth position, not that I failed. And at that, he flogged me right in front of my father and mother. Let me tell you an interesting story; in that compound, we were many like I said. Then, there was a place they used to call European Quarters, which is our GRA now. In the European Quarters, they had a club for only whites, they used to show cinema in that club. Black men didn’t go there, it was only for the whites. But you know, young people usually went to hide in the bush to have a glimpse of what was happening, to watch the cinema. And each time the children from my compound went there, they would come to tell me interesting stories about what they watched. They would tell me, today’s film was fantastic. I didn’t go with them because, if I did, that James Nwanne would deal with me and for that reason, I made up my mind that I wouldn’t go because the man didn’t spare me at all. At the time in question like I said, I felt probably because he didn’t like me, if not, why was everybody  doing what they liked but he would never allow me to follow them? I never knew that he was actually training me to be a good child. I never knew what he saw in me anyway. One day, I told myself I would be stubborn today to this man,  whatever he would do, let him do, and I decided to follow those children to go and watch the cinema, which they used to come tell me stories about every day.  So, I followed them.  They normally closed very late in the night, about 10 or 11 pm. Then, that day, as we all came back, unfortunately for me, in front of our house, we had tinkers and carpenters’ workshop. All of us came together to the house from the cinema and everybody returned to their respective houses. But this man brought this old chair in front of the main door where I would follow with a cane waiting for me. Others came and passed but nothing happened. He didn’t talk to them, he was just waiting for me. When I came, he held me and shouted, “Where are you coming from?” I couldn’t say anything but he already knew where I was coming from. That very day, he just tapped my head and said, “I will deal with you tomorrow,” and truly, the following morning, in the presence of my parents, while they were preparing to go about their businesses, this man brought a cane and started flogging me. And my parents were just watching him and didn’t say anything. I was just wondering, my father could not talk and this man was just flogging me? Why? I didn’t understand that the man was giving me a good training which I would never forget till I die. When I went to bathe, he would ask, “Have taken your bath?” When I said yes, he would say, “Come, come,” and would check to be sure I took my bath properly. If I did not take my bath properly, he would ask me to go back to take it again. You can see the kind of training he gave me. I will never forget it till I die. He watched me in everything I did. In those days, I would help my mother to sell kerosene. I would go around hawking kerosene and when I returned home, he would ask me, “Have you come back? go and read your book.” All I’m saying is that I got this training from that man. I wish he was still alive.  So many things still happened anyway. I am the type that didn’t like disturbing my father to give me money to go to school and the rest of them. I was somehow very creative. I would look for something to do to earn some money no matter how small so that I would save my family the trouble of asking them for money when I wanted to go to school. That was how I came about the idea of  making money. And how did I do that? I went round with  bags and collected small used bottles around the streets and from the gutters. After collecting them, I would buy soda (soap) and put it in water, boil it in a pan. I would then put the bottles inside, boil them for some hours, after that, I would re-wash them properly and put them in cartons and take them to the front of the General Hospital in Onitsha which is about eight miles from our house and sell them to the women selling bottles to patients. You know, the popular medicine we had at that time was quinine and laxatives which you couldn’t get without bottles. You needed those bottles so they would serve you in them. I took them and sold to them. Whatever they gave me was in order. Sometimes, I made two or three shillings after selling the bottles. After getting home, I would give the money to my mother.

While in Onitsha, how did the people receive you? 

To me, I was one of the most loved boys among the children. I behaved very well. I didn’t do things anyhow. Like I said earlier, I had no time messing around. When I returned from school, I would go and sell for my mother till evening in  the kiosk. I was one of the little boys respected in our community.  I enjoyed cordial relationship with the people.

Was James Nwanne educated?

Yes, he was educated and was the gardener and cleaner of late Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe’s flat. That was his job then and he owned a bicycle which every morning, when I woke up, I would wash  and even clean the spokes with braso.

Are you still in touch with his family?

Well, time will come when we will talk about that.

From Onitsha, you moved to Kano, what happened in Kano?

From Onitsha, I followed my uncle, Labaran Audu, to Kano. He was transferred to Kano as a produce inspector. They were the people dealing with groundnut pyramids in those days. They inspected the groundnuts to make sure they were of standard, that was his job. There, I continued my primary school, Standard 5 up to Standard 6 when I completed.

Can you still remember the name of the school?

The school is called UNA Primary School and it is between Kano Brigade and Sabon Gari.

What was your stay in primary school like?

It was quite interesting. You know, when you attend a Roman Catholic school, no matter your religion, they must make sure they teach you  their own style and you have to do everything that every other child does. Funny enough, there was a time we were forced to do catechism and I passed, my elder brother called Shuaibu, passed the catechism and we needed to pay just one shilling to get baptized. As a child, I was just growing up, then, I came back home and told my mother that I did baptism test and I passed together with Shuaibu, and that I needed one shilling to pay for my baptismal card. My mother said, “You want to be baptized?” and I said yes, I said many of us took the examination and I passed. My mother said over her dead body and I said ahah! I told my father too and he also objected, that I was born a Muslim and I would die a Muslim. This was one shilling that they required for baptism but yet, I controlled pounds from which I could just take one shilling and go and do the baptism without telling my parents, that is, by stealing it. But I knew that stealing was a sin and how would I steal money without telling her? The religion taught me that I shouldn’t do that and for that reason, I saw the money but I didn’t take it. Let me tell you, my senior brother, I didn’t know how he did it, I wouldn’t say he stole it, but I didn’t how he got his own one shilling to go and pay (laughs). After being baptized, he returned to  Islam after some years.

How did you feel when you were not allowed to be baptized?

I felt disappointed.

Do you speak Ibo, and how fluent are you in it?

I speak Ibo. One important thing is that I did not learn to speak Ibo. I grew up to speak Ibo like any Igbo man. I’m so fluent in it like any Igbo man.

What would you say was one major impact  growing up in Onitsha had on you?

To the best of my knowledge, Igbo people are a wonderful set of people. They are hardworking people. And you must learn to be hardworking too because, if you are lazy, there is no place for you in that place. They are very hardworking. At that time, we believed in honesty. We needed to be trustworthy and we needed to believe in God. The fact is that you are bound to take the path of their reasoning, especially as it concerns commerce.

You were at the Kings’ Commercial College, Buguma in Rivers State, tell us about your experience there.

My senior brother that took me to Kano was posted to Nguru in Yobe State. It is very close to Chad. After my primary school, I followed him to Nguru. Then, I was looking for admission into any of the secondary schools available but fortunately, my uncle had a vey close friend and that friend was from Buguma in Rivers State, he was called Lawson, a locomotive engine driver. The man loved me so much seeing the way I behaved. He said I needed to go to his hometown where they had a very good school. That was how I found myself in Buguma. He was able to convince my uncle. But let me tell you another funny thing; because he loved me so much and wanted me to go to school in his hometown, he decided to pay my first term school fees. He gave me a ticket from Nguru to Port Harcourt because he was a locomotive driver. So, with all that, my brother had no choice than to allow me to go with him. Initially, I was to be admitted at KNC-Kalabari National College, but later, I was able to gain admission into Kings’ Commercial College in Buguma.

What was it like in Buguma?

At the time, those people were very fantastic and nice people. They welcomed strangers very well. In fact, I didn’t feel like I was in a strange land. They made me feel at home, like I was just part of them. I had always been lucky about people loving me and accepting me. In fact, I ate from my principal’s pot because of the love they had for me. During my first and second terms in school, I didn’t pay school fees and yet, they allowed me in my third term to finish and come back. What I normally did when I was in Buguma was that during holidays, I followed my friends to their homes and sometimes I followed them to towns like Degema, Abonema, Tombia and Okrika.

Why did you follow them instead of going home for holidays?

I followed them because I could not afford to enter train from Buguma all the way to Nguru in Yobe State. The trouble of going there would be too much for me. Each time, during short vacations, I followed friends to their homes and I enjoyed it because each I time I got home with them, whatever they were given, they would give me my own share too. But in most cases, I usually went with the prefect of the school called Pasota Minisota, I learnt he is dead now. That was his nickname. He loved me so much. In fact, I stayed in his room. So, I really enjoyed my stay in Buguma. They gave me all that could be given to their people.

How was your academic performance?

I did well. In Buguma, I was taking first position in the examinations each term.

Where you bullied in school?

No, no… like I said, I was very lucky. My fellow students loved me and I loved them. I had no problem with anybody. I did not quarrel with anybody.

How much was your school fees then?

I think our school fees then was about 10 pounds, both boarding and everything. But it was not small money at that time, and I managed.

While in Onitsha, you had an encounter with the late Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, can you tell us what transpired?

Like I said, when I was small, I was creative. Whatever I do, I get a result out of it. I thought about collecting used bottles to wash and resell, I did it and I succeeded. James Nwanne was a gardener and cleaner in Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe’s flat. Mr. Nwanne was the one that took me to Dr Azikiwe’s place. I followed him there. When I got there, I noticed that Dr Azikiwe had many cows, goats and rams and so on which were kept in pens. So, a thought came to me that those goats and rams would need grass. What if I got grass and supply to them, may be, they would give me something. I went to the bush and cut grasses and gave to James Nwanne to feed the goats and rams in Dr Azikiwe’s house. It was then that Dr Azikiwe began to notice that there was a boy that was bringing grasses to feed his livestock. And he called the attention of James Nwanne one time when I was there and requested to see me. I was introduced to him and the first money he gave me, I still remember, was five shillings. That was after so many times that I had been sending grasses to his livestock. That money to me was not small. I took it straight to my mother to keep. I told her to use it any time she wanted to do something. I had always wanted to be independent all my life. I don’t want people to do things for me because I believe I can do it. It had always been like that from my childhood.

People know you popularly as “Ibro the Carpenter”, can you recall the circumstances that made you venture into furniture business?

Fantastic, that’s a very good question. In the real sense, it is not that I’m a carpenter, but my elder brother Shuaibu I earlier spoke about, learnt carpentry in Onitsha, in fact, in front of our house. And when all of us went back to the North, I was with my uncle in Nguru. My elder brother came from Onitsha to visit us and said he had already learned how to do carpentry jobs and he was very good in it. He asked my uncle to give him money to establish but because my uncle so much trusted me, told me about what my elder brother was requesting for. He said as far as he was concerned, he was not ready to give a kobo to him but if I was interested, he was going to help. Then, I told my uncle that he if could give us some money, a sort of loan, I would be able to manage it with them to make sure something came out of it. He said how would I do it? I said if he agreed, I would manage it. But remember that my elder brother was far older than me. My uncle trusted me just too much. I wouldn’t say he trusted me more than his wife but he trusted me so much because of the way I lived with him. There were times if  was washing his clothes and found money in his pocket, he would tell me to keep it. So, each time I washed clothes and found money, I would keep it. Once, he forgot that he asked me to keep the money until he was broke, then he called me and said what happened to the money I said I was keeping? I said it was there. I took him to his bedroom and climbed a stool and brought the money from where I kept it inside a nylon bag in the ceiling. He said how much was it and I said I didn’t know. When he counted the money, it was 105 pounds. I didn’t even know how much it was because that was not my interest. My interest was just to be keeping the money until he needed it. There were certain things I did in those days that I begin to wonder if the younger generation today can still do the same. Because, how can you imagine you are keeping money and you don’t know how much it is and even by the time you bring it, it is still intact. It was he who counted it and said it was 105 pounds. He looked at me and was amazed. He asked me how much I needed out of the money and I said I didn’t need anything. I remember that he brought out five pounds and gave it to me. I just asked him to keep it for me until I needed it. Our young people of this generation need to be honest and faithful. These are two important virtues a child needs to imbibe in his character. It went a long way to help me even when I had grown up and was on my own. Honesty, tolerance, forgiveness and the desire to achieve are very critical. These were some of the characteristics that helped me to be where I am today. Each time I advise people, I tell them to imbibe these virtues. With that, you will get there. Always try to remain within your capacity. I always do things within my power and don’t overdo things.

Where you eventually given the money to establish the carpentry business?

O yes! He did. He gave me 100 pounds, that we could use it to set up a carpentry workshop, hence I agreed to manage it. And as young as I was, I called my elder brother and asked him that we should go to Onitsha so that we could recruit other carpenters to join us, and how to manage that money, I would do it myself. Those doing the jobs were my seniors but I was the one controlling them. I told them what to do and how to do it. And let me tell you, I didn’t learn carpentry, it was a gift, I could design and tell them, look, this is what I want and they would do it the way I wanted. Those days, there was what we called radiograms–inbuilt radio and changer. They were of different sizes. People who could not afford to buy the ready-made one would come and we constructed locally made ones for them. That was how I sprang up. When I convinced them and we started making the radiograms, people started showing interest in  radiograms. If you brought your radiogram and your changer, we would dismantle them and build them into a box which looked like ready-made radiogram. It would not cost more than five pounds for the materials we used but we sold it at 20 pounds and sometimes, we built about four in a week. So, you find out that that was how I sprang up. After giving them their own shares, I had my own share. That was how I made it initially. At the age of 18, I bought my first car, a Volkswagen 1200 beetle, brand new. I also married at the age of 18. That was when I moved to Minna. While in Minna, I named my workshop ‘Ibrahim Furniture Factory’. I used my brain and made money out of it. Anything I touch always yields result. While I was there, people called me Ibrahim Furniture, not carpenter. People knew me by Ibrahim Furniture because I had about five workers and they were my entire seniors. In Minna, I also opened a hotel called Golden Spot. It had about six lodging rooms, a normal area for drinking. My hotel prepared the best pepper soup in town then. All the big men in town had a special room where they stayed. They would come, eat their pepper soup and go and I was making it. Right then, I opened a boutique where we stocked all the best and latest dresses and other items. I should be about 20 years of age at that time. I already owned a hotel, a boutique and the furniture business, all in Minna. I was doing very well. Due to the creation of states after the war, those people who were in Minna as provincial secretaries and magistrates, some were moved to Sokoto as magistrates, directors and permanent secretaries. Look, the lesson I want people to learn is that it is good to be honest and it is good to be good. Because they loved me, each time they came around from Sokoto to Minna, they would ask me to come down to Sokoto. When they continued disturbing me, I decided to go to Sokoto because I believed there was something they had seen there. Among them were the likes of Justice Usman Mohammed, who was then a judge. People really encouraged me in Minna when they created North-west State in 1967. They encouraged me to come to Sokoto as the capital of that state then. Such people include Alhaji Aliyu Abubakar Maisongo (the elder brother of the present sultan), Idris Koko (a former minister and commissioner for trade and industry in Sokoto), Alhaji Musa Tanko (a former permanent secretary in the military governor’s office) and a host of others who were in Minna but moved to Sokoto to hold very important positions and encouraged me to come over to Sokoto and establish there. They played very important roles in helping me to succeed. For instance, Idris Koko influenced my getting a loan of 4,500 pounds from the state government to build my factory, the Ibrahim Furniture Factory.   They all encouraged me to move. Then I moved to Sokoto and asked my family to remain in Minna. When I got to Sokoto, I said wao! These people have seen something for inviting me here. When I got there, I asked them to look for a house which I could turn into a furniture factory. Truly, they got a house for me and I established the furniture factory. I moved all my workers from Minna to Sokoto but my family remained in Minna to manage my other businesses. When I came to Sokoto, they all accepted me. They stood by me. They gave me a big land where I built a hotel which is still there till today. Because of the love they had for me, they gave me the loan to finish up my factory. That was how I built my first factory, Ibrahim Furniture Factory. That name, Ibrahim Furniture, was very popular. Anything you needed, you would get there. I was the one that built the first indigenous furniture factory in Sokoto State and the Sokoto government supported me. Then, I was supplying furniture to schools in the four states in the then North-west.  Money was just coming in and work was not my problem. That was how I sprang up.

Is the factory still there?

No, no, no, it has been closed long ago.

Why did you close it?

I wouldn’t have time to manage it again. Like I have always said, you do things within your limit. If you exceed, you will have problems. Right from Sokoto, the idea of building a standard hotel came to me. Then, I built the first Grand Ibro Hotels in Sokoto, which was one of the best privately owned hotels at that time. I owned the largest electronic workshop in Sokoto. I was into building, I went into so many businesses and they were all thriving well and I was being patronized by the people of Sokoto. I will tell you, I was loved. Some people used to say if I were from Sokoto, they would have elected me their governor, not knowing that God had plans for me to be a governor of Kogi State.

You clocked 71 years in April this year, how has life been with you generally at this age?

Let me tell you, I’m a very happy human being. I’m a very grateful and contented human being. I’m grateful to Almighty Allah for what he has done for me. I don’t know how to thank God. I don’t have anything to appreciate God that will satisfy what Allah has done for me. And for now, I believe Allah has been so kind to me and each time I look around, I start asking myself, what can I do to appreciate God because I cannot pay Him. I don’t have what it takes to pay Almighty Allah for all He has been doing for me in life. At my age, I have to thank God who has kept me to this time. At 71, I should be grateful to God and everything has worked out very well for me. It was what brought about my decision to say, look, I must have to appreciate God and there must a way to appreciate God. And what came to my mind is, one, to start building churches and mosques. I would say in earnest that because of what God has done for me, and in appreciation of what God has done for me, the first mosque I built in my life was the Ejule Central Mosque in Igalaland. Then, I wasn’t a politician, neither was I vying for any political office. I was only a businessman in Sokoto. They had built the mosque to a certain level and asked me to help them finish it up. That was my first mosque project. At the time in question, there was nothing like politics in my mind. That was my first attempt to appreciate God. After that, then another thing came up to me concerning the Idah Central Mosque. They had been trying to build the mosque right from when I was small and it had gone nowhere as if God had planned that I was the person to complete it. As I was about leaving office, I decided that I must build it and by Allah’s grace, I was able to build it to a standard. That was Idah Mosque, all to appreciate what God has been doing for me. Thirdly, the Abejukolo Mosque where I hail from was single-handedly built by me. Then, I was no longer in government. The fourth is the Anyigba Mosque which is under construction now. It is nearing completion and I believe by God’s grace, it will be one of the best mosques in the whole of Kogi State when completed. Before the end of the year, I will finish it by God’s grace and we will do the opening ceremony. All I am doing is to appreciate God, not that I have money. But by doing that, there is special satisfaction in me. Mark you, I’m not doing it only for Muslims, I support some churches to help them in their church buildings. In my hometown and all around, I help them. Anything that has to do with God, that is my concern. Whether Islam or Christianity, I believe we are all praying to one God.

What are your happiest moments in life?

My happiest moments are when my three daughters survived the ADC air crash, when I succeeded in helping to save the life of the fourth girl who survived the air crash by taking her along with my daughters to Germany for medical treatment. Another happiest moment was when I won election to become the executive governor of Kogi State.

Do you have worst moments or regrets in life?

My worst moments were when my parents died, when my factory got burnt in Sokoto in 1976, but it was rebuilt within two months with all the equipment, also when the first Ibro Hotel in Abuja collapsed due to structural defect in 1989, the building was on the 4th floor when it collapsed, and I had to scrap it up and start a fresh one through the help of Julius Berger.  I don’t have regrets. I’m always happy with what God has done for me. I don’t have any problem because I’m contented. I’m so contented with what God has done for me. I don’t bite more than I can chew. I really have nothing disturbing me in life. I have been blessed by God in so many ways. I’m not interested in grabbing everything.

How did you receive the news of your daughters’ involvement in the plane crash?

We were all sitting down and then, they said there was a plane crash involving an ADC aircraft and that everybody died. Then I said, look, nothing is going to happen to my children. I sat myself down and said, I had not done anything to anybody that would make God allow that happen to me. I want to tell you that I sincerely believed it and I had that faith. My faith was not shaken at all. I said, let’s wait until when we knew exactly where the plane crashed and we waited. When they told us it was about Abuja, I said okay, everybody get ready let’s go to where it crashed so that we could pick my children. The mother and everybody were crying but I told them not to worry because I knew nothing would happen to the children. I was very confident. What gave me that confidence was nothing else but God. He gave me the confidence and it happened that way. On our way to Abuja, before we get to Abaji, they told me they had seen one of them alive, as we left Abaji on our way to Gwagwalada, they told me they had seen another one; I said they should continue searching. On our taking the bend from Gwagwalada Junction to the Airport Road, they said they had seen the third one. I said I told you people. So, I said, let’s drive straight to the National Hospital. All of us drove to the National Hospital and found them all alive. The best we did was that they took my blood and my children’s blood which was the same with those of my daughters and that was all. There are so many things which I will think about and say that God has been good to me.

Tell us how you felt when you became governor and your experience.

You see, I never planned to be a politician, neither I’m I a politician. The true story is that while I was in Sokoto, I was doing well. At that time, people like us were those they called the money men. I can tell you that then in Sokoto, I was counted as one of the rich men because when we were giving aid to South Africa, I was one of those that gave donations. The money I donated then with a few others was N25,000 as at that time. So, there is one thing I believe in like I have said earlier. What I enjoy most is when I help people or communities. I enjoy it when I help my people. I was just doing it voluntarily from my heart that I needed to help my people. Let me tell you again something that I’m proud of; when they were looking for Igala House in Anyigba, I was the one that donated N1 million for the project. It was carried in a Ghana-must-go bag. At that time, I wasn’t a politician but I enjoyed doing it. That is why I’m telling people, for everything you are doing in life, always try to be straight forward. Always try as much as possible to be honest. Try as much as possible to help those you can help irrespective of where they are from or who they are. Do things out of your mind. My being a governor, God knows and the people at home know that I was not doing what I was doing because I was expecting anything in return. I never knew that people were taking notice of all I was I was doing at that time. Ordinarily, but would say I was just wasting my money on people but a lot of people were really taking note of all I was doing.

What would like to be remembered for as governor?

Just to mention but a few, I would like to remembered for leaving Kogi State better than I met it, especially in the area of peace and brotherliness among the different ethnic groups in the state.  I would also like to be remembered as a worker-friendly governor who did not owe workers their salaries or entitlements. In more specific terms, my administration impacted in every sector of the state economy in the area of roads, we dualised all the major roads in Lokoja, Ankpa, Ayingba, Abejukolo and other places. We contructed about 2000 blocks of primary schools and paid requisite attention to tertiary education. In fact, we succeeded in the full accreditation of all the 29 academic programmes of the  Kogi State University within 29 months. At the time we were leaving office it was rated the best state university in Nigeria by the NUC. We had several landmarks, people may want to remember the Greater Lokoja Water Scheme with capacity to deliver 50million gallons of water per day, and several other projects. Others are the specialist hospital in Lokoja, the 40,000 capacity Confluence Stadium, Lokoja International Market, the Confluence Beach Hotel, College of Education Technical Kabba, construction of housing estates and all the 21 local government areas, the second state secretariat (Phase 2), new governor and deputy governor’s office and all the state ministries. Our attention was simply how to make life better for the people. For the nine years I was in office, we borrow a dime from anywhere.

What legacy do you want to be remembered for?

Good stewardship for the people, building of mosques and churches.