EMMANUEL UKAEGBU: I HAD SERIOUS OPPOSITION WHEN I JOINED THE MILITARY

Wing Commander Emmanuel Ukaegbu (retd) was the former military administrator of Anambra State during the Gen. Abdusalami Abubakar government. He equally served the country in other capacities, at home and abroad.

In this interview, Ukaegbu, who is from Igbere, in Abia State, related his experiences in the military, family and life in retirement.

Could you give us an insight into your childhood, parental background and upbringing?

I am the third son of Mr. Steven Okeke Ukaegbu. He was a businessman, who plied his trade at Ihamufu, in the present day Enugu State. That was where I was born. I did part of my primary school there. As a kid, I would say I was a roving child more or less. I attended so many primary schools. I schooled partly at Ihamufu, Makurdi, Enugu and then ended up at Port Harcourt, where I eventually sat for my First School Leaving Certificate. In secondary school too, I also moved quite a bit. I was at Abak, in the present day Akwa Ibom. That was where I started my secondary school, which was, however, disrupted by the civil war. After the war, I moved to Obollo High School, Enugu. After two years, I went to Emenem High School, now known as St Patrick High School, near Enugu. That was where I did my School Certificate Examination. I later went to Federal Government College, Enugu for my higher school education. It was from there I joined the Air Force as a potential pilot.

How would you describe your childhood?
It was very lovely. Though we faced some difficulties along the line, I must confess that I enjoyed my childhood. I think my moving from one place another with my uncle actually exposed me. Those experiences, no doubt, helped to shape me today.

What influence did your parents have on you?
Honestly, they tried in shaping my life, with the view to ensuring that I have trust in God. They taught me to be comfortable with whatever I have, at any particular time. I was taught not to be anxious more than necessary. In fact, it was a very positive influence, I would say.

How did you join the military?
When I was at the Federal Government College, Enugu, where I did my higher school, the advert came up requesting for those interested to join the Nigerian Air Force as potential pilots. I applied the first year, but when the invitation came for the entrance, I did not follow it up. So, I didn't go. The following year, I applied and some events made it possible for me to attend the entrance and the interview. There were many of us who applied but they only needed 20 people. Luckily, I was successful. Of course then, things were properly handled, unlike what is prevalent these days, whereby you must know somebody. So, after my medical check up, which is a major obstacle, I was selected among the 20 intakes. I was a member of the 20th Course intake of the Nigerian Defence Academy, in 1976.

What inspired you into the military?
It was the urge to fly. That was what they meant by being a potential pilot in their advert. So, the urge to fly was what attracted me.

Did you get your parents' approval?
Incidentally, my elder brother, Bishop Ukaegbu, was the one in charge of my training then. When the invitation came for the entrance examination, our school was shut over a riot. There was a great opposition from my brother because there were many university entrance examinations I was supposed to write. Again, I was also preparing for my higher school exams. He was a bit bothered why I was leaving all that for the military. Somehow, I was able to prevail on him to let me go. Immediately after the entrance exams, we were flown to Kaduna for the interview. And the whole process took almost a month. By the time I came back, the university entrance exams I was supposed to write had taken place. So, if I hadn't been successful, it would have been a bitter one year loss for me.

Where was your first military posting?
After a short time at NDA, we went to Air Force Base to start the flying course. After that, I went to College of Air Training in Southernton, Britain. I trained there for about a year and three months. We trained there up to commercial licence level before coming to Nigeria. Thereafter, I was posted to the Primary Flying Training Wing, Kaduna, where I did conversion course and the sky servant, which was D2 then. Shortly after that, I went to the United States for further training, as a navigator on the C130 aircraft. I stayed there for another one year and three months. When I came back, I was posted to the Air Transport Group, which is the main transport unit of the Air Force. That was where I operated for a long time because it was my major operational unit. In fact, most of my career in the Air Force was spent in that unit.

Occasionally, I went on other assignment. I taught briefly at NDA, which was a relief for a colleague, who was on course. After that, I went for junior command course at Command and Staff College, Jaji. On each occasion, I usually returned to Air Transport Group, Ikeja. I also served in Ibadan for a year, under the same ATG. Before then, I was posted to the headquarters, NAF, in 1990. By then, they were still in Lagos. I was the Staff Officer, Training. I spent a year and nine months there. It was from there I went for my Senior Staff Course at Ghana Armed Forces Staff College, Accra. It was an 11 months course. Thereafter, I was posted to CSC, more or less, as a lecturer. I served there for almost three years.

What ugly experience did you have in your military career?

Well, there were brushes here and there, but you cannot say they were ugly experiences because that was what our jobs entailed. Everybody knows that military exercise is full of risk; so you are trained to face such risk. Therefore, whatever difficulties I faced were part of the job. And I don't regret any of them.

Sir, let's say that your turning point in life was when you were appointed the military administrator of Anambra State. What was the experience like?

Well, I don't think it was my turning point because it was just part of my posting. However, my experience as the administrator of Anambra State was an interesting one. I had a great time, because I had very good people to work with. Specifically, my SSG was sound. So, since I worked with very experienced people, I didn't have much problem. Of course, there were challenges in governance and the highest being the paucity of funds to operate with. During our time, oil, which is our main source of income, was selling at eight to nine dollars per barrel. So, being a very hard time for the country, it affected the states. You find out that there was so much to do but the funds were not there. And in terms of generating revenue, there was a limit you could push people to. So, the greatest challenge we had was that we didn't have the fund to do much.

How would you assess your tenure?
Our tenure was a transitional government. The main focus was organising free and fair elections that would usher in a civilian government. We also had the mandate to do whatever we could to alleviate the sufferings of the Nigerian people. That is, by keeping the machinery of the state running. But the main focus was to conduct credible elections, which we did.

How did you manage the stardom associated with it?

From my own Christian experience, I have learnt to know that humility is the best way of life. So, whatever position you find yourself, just know that it is through the grace of God. You must not allow it to get into your head. Relate with people because when you are in a leadership position, you are there to solve people's problems. You must have a listening ear. Listen to whatever they bring and find out what you can do to alleviate their problems. So, to manage stardom, you must manage the people well.

Women are known to have flair for fame and glamour. How did you cope with their temptations?

It depends on individuals. During our tenure, I was not so much exposed for women. Whatever they came there to do was at the official level. I didn't have the time for the social aspect of life. As I told you, our period was short and our mandate was to organise election and hand over to civilians. So, we didn't have the time to socialise, which would have given room for their interference and influence. Yes, women that had business to do came around but our dealings with them were also at that level.

What were your major achievements in government?
First, we were able to keep peace in Anambra State and ensuring that the state functioned, which enabled us to deliver to the people the much they expected from us. Again, we conducted the elections that brought about the present democratic system. The elections were peaceful and there were no killings. I think they were great achievements.

What are those things you would have loved to do but could not because of your short tenure?

In governance, you can never do everything. That is why it is a continuous process. That is the mistake our people are making. They get into power and think they can do everything. It is not possible. You are supposed to govern the people within the resource available to you, the circumstances involved are different. So you have to achieve the best within your own conscience. Use the resource that comes in judiciously. See what you can do within that limit. It is when you want to go beyond what is available that you would have problems.

How is life in retirement?
I must thank God for everything because life has been okay so far, especially for those of us who survive on retirement benefits. It's not pension benefits, as a governor, but on the rank we retired. So, we thank God that we are able to survive within that limit and from other things you are able to do to support yourself. At least, we are able to eat and have a roof over our head. We are eternally grateful.

Sir, are you not supposed to be receiving benefits as a former military administrator?

Unfortunately, that is not the case. It is only the former heads of state that enjoy such benefits. It does not apply to former military governors and administrators.

Many military officers usually turn to farming after retirement. Are you one of them, Sir?

I can say I am a farmer but not at that level you are talking about. Moreover, it is ideal that everybody should turn to farming because we have land and there is hunger everywhere. I think it is necessary that everybody should be involved in whatever capacity. It would serve the nation real good.

Do you consider yourself a fulfilled man?
Of course, I am fulfilled. And I am grateful to God for that. If I said I am not fulfilled, it then means I have a problem with my creation. It is God that maps out everybody's life. If He says this is where you should be at any point in time, you cannot question Him. So, I am fulfilled.

Have you ever had close shave with death?
Yes, of course. One of them was a car accident that happened to me not quite long. It happened during fuel scarcity. I woke up that morning and decided to drive to a nearby filling station to buy fuel. I was behind a truck driver and there was fog everywhere. It was like the truck ahead of me did not know that there was a stationary tanker parked on the road. By the time he realised it and pulled out, I was left to face the tanker headlong. As I tried to put my car under control, another lorry coming from the side of the road ran into me. Though the car later came to a halt it was a total write-off. Luckily, I came out and didn't have a single scratch. The people who saw it could not believe it. That was the closest. The others were the risks involved in flying, which is a normal thing, as far as military service is concerned.

Tell us about your family.
I am married to Helen Odoma Ukaegbu. We have four children, two boys and two girls. They are all in the United States, where they are studying. Their mother is also with them because of the younger ones among them. So, I am the only one here.

How did you meet your wife?
We were introduced when it was time for us to get married. We were ready at the time. So we met and became friends. From there, we started seeing each other. After a while, the marriage negotiation started. We have a regimented process of traditional marriage and because she is from my place, it was easy for us. The process took almost two to three years before we could actually consummate the traditional marriage. About four months later, we had our Christian wedding. That was in 1982.

What attracted you to her in the first place?
When I met her, she had all the qualities I needed in a woman. She does not have time for too much talking. We love quiet life. She is not somebody who wants to place her hand beyond her reach. She is humbly accommodating and shows a lot of love. That is why I always advise young people, who are planning to get married to always look for a perfect companion who they can share their problems with. When you have anything bothering you, she is the first person to relate it with. However, trust must be there. Share whatever you have together, be it joy or sorrow. It is God's plan for everybody.

How do you relax?
I engage in sports when I have the opportunity. I played table tennis, snooker and other related games. In my service year, I used to go to the Mess to relax with friends. But in this technological age, I now spend much time with my computer.

What could weigh you down and make you cry?
Well, when somebody is in a terrible condition and I cannot help, such situations could make me feel so bad.