My father worked.
For several governors.
In Anambra State.
Since the creation of the state in 1991 before he stepped down from service in 2012.
And before he did Mr. Peter Obi was the last governor he worked for.
My father was in charge of the power sector in Governor’s Lodge at the time.
In 2007 when Peter Obi was in court.
His Deputy Governor at the time Mrs. Dame Virginia Ngozi Eitaba.
Became the governor from November 2006 to February 2007.
Which made her the first female governor of Anambra State
During this period my father barely came home to us because of his busy schedule at work.
Sometimes, we saw him once in 6 months.
My father being someone who doesn’t like to stay away from his family wrote a letter to the Office of the Governor.
Told Governor Eitaba in the letter that he had been away from his family due to his job and he would want his family to stay with him in Governor’s Lodge, he is writing for her approval as the governor.
Governor Eitaba approved his request immediately and spoke with the House Officer to give my father a house in the Governor’s Lodge for his family.
Same February 2007 we moved into Governor’s Lodge, we were there when Peter Obi won the case and assumed back the position of the governor of Anambra State.
And it happened that Peter Obi was the best governor my father ever worked for.
Reminds me of waking up to prepare for school, and shifting my bedroom curtains, Governor Peter Obi was the first person I was seeing.
Because just across where we lived, is a table tennis court.
As early as 5 a.m. Peter Obi was already up, exercising, and playing tennis with his Security Chief who was with the State Security Services (SSS) or any of the SSS Operatives on duty.
If he wasn’t exercising with his security operatives, he was exercising with his friend while SSS hung around the security cordons.
He did this every morning before he went to work.
A few times Governor Mr. Peter Obi would meet me going to school and he would quickly say.
“Nna, how are you? You leave late o.”
I would laugh and nod.
“I will meet up in school, sir. Good morning, your excellency.”
“Good morning. Have a great day in school.”
And so there was one morning I was rushing to school, he was power walking around the Governor’s Lodge with four SSS Operatives, most of them are my friends here on Facebook.
Two at the back.
And two in front.
As I was coming out of the house, one of the security operatives asked me to wait for the governor to pass before I move.
I was really going late to school.
Peter Obi saw what was happening and screamed.
“Emeka, he is rushing to school, leave him. It doesn’t matter if he passes before me or not, we are one.”
The security operative smiled, I smiled back, thanked the governor, and rushed to school.
But they were only doing their job and there are a lot of security protocols guarding a governor or a president.
I accumulated all these and some other protocols all that period we were still living with the governor.
I witnessed when President Goodluck visited Anambra State while he was on seat during his campaign.
My father was extremely busy at the time.
The security detail was beyond imagination.
He was lodged in the Presidential Villa inside the Governor’s Lodge.
Living with the governor for six years inspired my books The President Is Dead and Black Out.
Even though the books are fiction but the security descriptions and details in the books are facts.
My father who had been in charge of the power sector and making sure there was a 24/7 power supply in the Lodge.
Had a little complication in his job one day and there was a blackout in the Lodge.
It was one night at around 8 p.m. I was with my father in the living room when the power went off.
For five minutes, the power didn’t come up.
It had never happened in the history of Anambra State Governor’s Lodge.
Fortunately, Governor Peter Obi wasn’t around at the time.
So my father called one of his workers and he was told that the standby generators were not coming up.
Barely two minutes after he called him.
My father started to receive different calls.
From the PA to the governor.
And then the DSS or SSS Control Room of the White House.
(White House is where Governor lives in the Governor’s Lodge)
Asking what led to the blackout, my father told them the generators had refused to come up.
So my father rushed down to the generator house.
I could remember I went with him.
The workers couldn’t do anything to start up the gen.
They were still at it, Governor Peter Obi came back with his convoy.
He was shocked to meet darkness in the Lodge, this has never happened before.
Immediately after he got down from his Land Cruiser SUV, he asked the DSS (SSS) Operatives what happened.
They told him what my father told them.
He said.
“Please call Mr. Offor for me, this is a serious issue.”
His security chief went to my father’s office and called him.
“His Excellency is calling you, sir.”
My father left his office with some documents and went to the White House where Governor Peter Obi was.
I was there.
Peter Obi turned and asked him in Igbo even with a smile.
“Mr. Offor, what happened. Light has never gone off in Governor’s Lodge before. You are in charge of the power sector. I hope all is well.”
His PA was there including the DSS Operatives, Police, and the drivers.
My father smiled and said.
“My sincere apologies, your excellency. Nepa has had issues with their power for the past five days, so we have been running on generators according to my workers. But the whole standby generators have broken down which resulted in this blackout. My people are trying all they can to bring back the power, but nothing.”
Governor Peter Obi said to my father.
“Ha. The generators were they having issues before now?”
“Yes, your excellency.”
“Mr. Offor, but you being in charge you were supposed to write in a request for new generators even.”
My father responded.
“Governor, you won’t believe it if I tell you that I have been requesting new generators for the past two years to no avail. I have been writing to the Office of the Principal Secretary.”
My father showed Peter Obi the document to back up what he said
“He never replaced the generators?”
“Yes, Mr. Governor.”
Peter Obi quickly picked up his phone and called the Principal Secretary.
And expressed his disappointment.
Also told him that, if he wasn’t the kind of governor he was, this could cause a problem for my father.
Not knowing that my father was doing his job.
When he hung up.
He turned to my father and said.
“If anything happens to power, or if you need anything at all, don’t write to the Principal Secretary, come to my house and tell me directly or call me on the phone. You and I live here with our families, right?”
“Yes, Mr. Governor.”
“So you have access to me anytime you want, even at the midnight.”
They both laughed.
Governor Peter Obi assured him that the generators would be replaced.
But they need to fix one of them to serve them for the night.
My father brought out his phone and said he had wanted to call the repairer before he demanded to see him.
He quickly dialed his number.
When the man picked Gov. Peter Obi quickly asked my father to give him the phone.
And he spoke with the repairer directly.
“Hello, this is not Mr. Mike Offor, this is Mr. Peter Obi.”
The moment the man heard the governor’s voice instead of my father’s.
He was amazed.
“Your Excellency, good evening, sir.”
Peter Obi responded.
“Good evening. As I am talking to you there is no light for Lodge, abeg you fit come now and fix our generators at least to serve us this night?”
“Yes, sir. I am on my way already.”
Peter Obi said.
“Oya hurry o, governor and him people dey for darkness o.”
They all laughed.
He handed the phone back to my father.
An hour after that conversation power was restored.
All the days my father worked with Peter Obi he never had any issues with him, unlike some other governors of Anambra State.
Today I personally congratulate him.
And wish him good luck with his presidential ambition.
I have lived with Peter Obi for six years and I will tell you this for free, he is a good man.
#PeterObi��
Kyrian Chiemelie Offor
