Chukwudi Iwuchukwu
Last week, Anambra’s former governor, Mr. Peter Obi, visited the fashion house known as “Toga House,” owned by his long-standing media aide, Valentine Obienyem, to do his shopping and to encourage his aide’s hustle.
Peter Obi identifying with the business efforts of his Media Aide
Here is the thing: Val is still working for Peter Obi, full time as his official media aide and spokesman, but since the former Anambra state governor is a proponent of building human capacity and empowerment, he encouraged his aide to diversify and have his own business instead of depending on a monthly salary of 100K from him.
As I wrote in the past, Peter Obi’s aide owns one of the biggest beer distributor companies in the whole of the south east, a fashion house that sews ready made clothes and a state -of-the-art restaurant.
Aside from this, Peter’s media aide has the franchise to sell and market Four Cousins Wine, one of the few traders in Anambra State that has the franchise.
Peter Obi is a successful billionaire business man, and he has turned his media aide, who originally trained as a lawyer, into a billionaire trader too reminding all of us reading that we rise by lifting others.
Another thing is that he is not envious of the progress of his media aide , as other big men would have done rather he goes out of his way to support and encourage his growth.
I recently met Peter Obi’s first child and his first daughter, Gabriella Nwamaka Frances Obi. Guess what? Peter Obi’s daughter is a teacher at a government public school in Lagos.
You would not even know that her dad was a former Anambra State Governor, as she looks like the daughter of a common Nigerian parent and has no airs around her. Very simple and approachable like her dad.
She told me that teaching is her hobby, hence she chose to embrace the career full time.
“ I like teaching. I like impacting lives! I want to impact the next generation with my knowledge. Even the salary low, I don’t mind doing this for the rest of my life” she told me when I asked her what influenced her to take up the job of a public teacher even when she had options.
As I was leaving, I was reminded that Lion does not give birth to a goat. Though for all simplicity, I must confess that she is a very beautiful girl.
At a time when Nigerian elected public officials and politicians are abusing public trust by appointing their wives, kids, girlfriends, concubines, and relatives to public offices they are not qualified for, Peter Obi is a special breed of Nigerian politician, a radical departure from the norm, a breath of fresh air different from the nepotism we have come to accept as the standard.
That he even empowered his media aide, Val, to be a billionaire just like he is, as a way of paying back his aide loyalty is one of the reasons why he will never do any wrong in my eyes.
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