04/07/2022
"HE IS MY FATHER OH"
On June 9, 2022, I attended a function in Anambra State. After Mass, I went to drop my vestments in the car and was waiting for my travel companions at the car park. After waiting for a while, I decided to go look for them in the church.
As I walked back towards the Church, I heard a group of people hailing someone. I looked to see who it was, but there was no special air around the person they were hailing and I wondered who it could be. Then I looked closely and saw him clearly. It was His Excellency, Mr. Peter Obi, former Governor of Anambra State and currently one of the top presidential candidates.
Wow! A man of this status walking so simply? No heavily armed policemen, no large number of "followers", just himself and two young men in suit, obviously his aides.
So I walked up to him to greet him. As I did so, one of the men in suit tried to turn me away. When His Excellency saw me, he said these exact words: "No, no, no, no. Don't stop him. He is my Father oh." And then he embraced me and we greeted and chatted as we walked.
I asked him for a selfie which he obliged, but he said, "Father, I have a flight to catch shortly, so we will be doing this selfie as we walk. I hope you don't mind." How could I have minded, even if he wasn't in a hurry. Selfie na selfie, weda we stand or we dey waka. And so we took the photograph attached to this post.
One thing that struck me most about this encounter was the simplicity with which he surrounded himself.
And before you'd say it's because I am a priest that he was that warm towards me, let me quickly add that as soon as we stepped into the church compound, a group of women who were clustered together saw him and one of them asked loudly, "Is that not Okwute?" She quickly answered herself equally as loud with "It is him oh" and instantly, there was an eruption as they, together with others in the church premise all went handshaking with him.
It is not very common to see people who have attained his status in society to be clad in such simplicity and be so easily accessible in public. We know how it is difficult to get close to even a Local Government chairman in some quarters, but here was a man who was not only governor of a state, but presently a presidential candidate exuding such grace, warmth and simplicity.
Na man like Peter Obi I want as president and I pray that God will make this happen for Nigeria and Nigerians. Amen
I am an Catholic priest
