Ben Etiaba: Sometimes being former governor’s son can be baggage

Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, Chief Ben Etiaba, is the archetypal lad of erstwhile Anambra State politician Dame Virgy Etiaba.

In this chat with FRED IWENJORA, Etiaba gives penetration into his ever gregarious beingness arsenic a erstwhile two-term Chairman of ICAN, United Kingdom and District Societies; Chairman of Nnewi Community Association, Great Britain and Ireland; Chairman of the London Group of Nigerian Professionals successful UK; Chairman of Enugu Sports Club; and arsenic a young Traditional Chief installed by Nigeria’s longest serving monarch HRH Igwe (Dr) Kenneth Orizu 111 CON of Nnewi successful 2003.

He besides shed much airy into the beingness and quality of his mother, Dame Virgy Etiaba besides fondly known arsenic Mama Anambra, whose widowhood astatine 43 years of property aboriginal transformed into a large nationalist fig successful Nigeria, raising a young household of 4 sons and 2 daughters and now, Matriarch of 27 including six spouses and 14 grandchildren.

Etiaba besides discusses the circumstances down his mother’s emergence arsenic lawman politician and aboriginal politician of Anambra State adding that sometimes, being a erstwhile governor’s lad tin beryllium a burden.

How bash you consciousness to beryllium archetypal successful galore things; a young Nnewi accepted Chief astatine the time, archetypal and lone 2 word Chairman of ICAN, UK and more?

I judge that we are each actors successful life. Even earlier we are formed successful our mother’s womb, our publication has been good written. We conscionable travel into this satellite to play retired these scripts. Nature and nurture arsenic good arsenic happenstance volition ever play their ain roles. Above each we person each been destined to play definite roles successful beingness but if we take by ourselves to derail, we each indispensable fulfill those roles successful life. These are the basal tenets that person guided maine successful life.

These are my thoughts astir life. I judge that if 1 is superior minded and honorable enough, prayerful, dedicated and altruistic that 1 volition unrecorded retired immoderate God has willed retired for us. And successful His ain time, the aforesaid mode helium brought america into this world, He volition telephone america back. That is beingness for maine successful a nutshell.

I became Ifennia Nnewi astatine 40. What I recovered absorbing successful that was that Igwe Orizu, the longest reigning monarch successful Nigeria contiguous was crowned successful June 1963 and I was calved successful September 1963.

I was told that my parent was heavy large erstwhile she attended the Igwe Kenneth Orizu of Nnewi coronation. I heard that my parent was truthful dense with maine that she remained successful the car and couldn’t articulation the pomp and pageantry of the coronation event. Now interestingly, erstwhile Igwe Orizu was 40 years connected the throne, helium chose 40 salient citizens of Nnewi to grant and I was 1 of them. I was 40 years aged astatine the time.

Now becoming a revered Chartered Accountant

I chose my nonrecreational way arsenic a Chartered Accountant and became a Fellow of the UK assemblage earlier becoming a Fellow of ICAN successful Nigeria. I besides became Chairman of ICAN, United Kingdom and District Societies and would astir humbly accidental that I was the lone elected Chairman of ICAN UK who served retired 2 terms. I won my 2nd word unopposed too.

When successful 2021 I decided that radical should perceive my dependable and my governmental ideology, I joined the governorship contention successful Anambra State. I americium rather pleased with that governmental outing arsenic I learnt truthful overmuch astir the murky waters of Nigerian authorities and mislaid thing rather frankly. My governmental bent and ideology is present precise good known. Unfortunately successful Nigeria, governmental parties are vehicles to seizure power. But I person done my spot and cognize that you bash not person to beryllium a politician to marque a affirmative interaction successful society. That is wherefore you spot maine and accidental I americium gregarious.

A person of galore years lasting erstwhile told maine helium has ne'er understood however immoderate quality being who isn’t holding immoderate nationalist office, immoderate vote, subvention oregon allocation of funds attached to immoderate office, wakes up mundane telling everyone that nine indispensable beryllium better. What we deficiency successful Nigeria is enactment that is honorable and selfless. I judge that leaders should process thoughts otherwise and that this quality successful enactment pathway is what Nigeria lacks and what Nigeria needs due to the fact that we request to person leaders who cognize that enactment is not business. We request leaders who recognize that leaving affirmative legacies down is acold amended than leaving abdominous idiosyncratic slope accounts and monies for yourself which your generations whitethorn n...