Metuh, accompanied by his wife, members of his family and friends, made their way to the remote village called Wassa, where he celebrated his birthday, cutting the cake and sharing meals with the displaced persons, mostly women and children.
It was a dramatic and touchy moment to behold as the people broke out in joyful celebration on sighting a big truck fully loaded with various food items, including bags of rice, cartons of tomatoes, salt, beverages, soft drinks and water, approaching their temporary homes.
Most of the women who along with children received food items and drinks expressed gratitude to the Metuh family for remembering them, especially at a time when they are in great need.
Speaking to journalists who were there to witness the philanthropic gesture, Metuh said he felt the need to use the opportunity of his 50th birthday to come and commune with the persons driven from their home states in the north-east by insurgents.
Earlier the politician shared his life and times in an interview. The excerpt:
Olisa Metuh is widely known in political circles as the National Publicity Secretary, of the now opposition Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP, but there was a time he loathed politicians, believing they were ‘efulefu’ as the Igbos would say, or were people who could not be trusted, or those who have not been able to find something else to do. Now an ‘accidental’ politician himself, his initial dreams had been to become a lawyer, which he achieved, and make a mark in corporate law. Born in Otolo Nnewi in Anambra State 50 years ago, Metuh studied Law at the University of Nigeria Nsukka, Enugu campus, and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1988. He underwent the one year compulsory service at the Ministry of Justice, Rivers State and started his law practice in his father’s firm, Olisianunba Chambers. In 1990, he established Metuh, Okafor & Associates in Lagos, alongside four other lawyers and rose to become the Managing Solicitor. In 1991 he became the Chairman of Legend Properties Limited, a property management firm which is still active in the real estate business.
In 1992, he registered as an Investment Adviser with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and was active with the Nigerian Stock Exchange. In 1996, he started his own law firm, Olisa Metuh and Co, dealing in general legal practice, real estate, share acquisitions and other investments in the capital market. Olisa is a member of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, International Bar Association, IBA, and Association of Business Lawyers of Nigeria. He is also a Fellow of the Institute of Corporate Administration of Nigeria. He holds the traditional title of Ugochidebelu Nnewi from the ancient Kingdom of Nnewi. Damilola Oyedele explores the other side of the well known politician as he clocks 50 today
Not Clinking of Glasses Alone
Attaining the golden age is about merry making. For him, while there would be some merry making, he is also commemorating the day with visits to a motherless children’s home and a camp for the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) on the outskirts of Abuja. But his visit to the less privileged is not one where the photographers will tag along. Unknown to many, one of Metuh’s four children was actually adopted from a motherless home.
“But what about the other children from motherless homes?” He asked. “People like that who had never had the opportunity to see a different a side of life. Being close to them, showing them that they are actually loved and that they are human beings keeps them going. Some may be pushed to engage in things that could lead to the termination of their lives because they live on the edge. But when they are shown love and care, it will help them to be cautious and have some hope in life,” he explained.
As he presented pictures of his family, he wouldn’t say which one of his children is adopted. But in the course of the interview, while it is clear he loves his family, it also became clear he doesn’t spare the rod. Drawing from an experience with his father which helped shape him, he has adopted same method to make sure his children grow upright as model citizens.
“One day, my father came to my school during prep hour but I was playing football. He grabbed me and took me to the hostel where he also saw my bed was not made and my box was not properly arranged. I had thrown everything all around my corner. He flogged me in front of the whole school. It was so humiliating and I could not raise my voice for the next few months. I was never untidy after that.”
Metuh has done the same with one of his daughters, flogging her in school when she misbehaved. He was also going to do the same with his son, until he got to the school and discovered the younger Metuh did not commit any offence and that turned out to be some sort of scandal eventually.
“At the end of the day it turned out to be some scandal; that I went to my son’s school and took the principal and put him in the boot of the car. It was not my son’s school and he was not in that school and we never had anything to do with the vice principal. It was all politics,” he said.
Experiencing the Bad Side of Politic
As the voice of the PDP, he gets to endure insults hurled at him on a constant basis, describing it as very depressing especially when issues are not responded to, but uncharitable remarks are thrown at his person instead. It also hurts more when it is from people on the same side of the ideological divide, who feel he should be insulting President Buhari or who feel a harder stance should be taken on issues.
“The PDP will issue a statement which we believe is well thought out and quite constructive for an opposition party. Then I look at the comments, if there are 40 comments, the first 20 or 30 comments are not actually addressing the issues we have raised, but would be insulting me as a person. Some say ‘idiot, foolish man, thief’. And they are really insulting you. I don’t know whether that is really the pulse of the people or they are being sponsored by some people who keep people in some room or some office and their job is being targeting such statements,” Metuh said.
Away from the uncharitable remarks, he has however noticed renewed respect and admiration for the PDP gradually adopting the role of a formidable opposition, in a constructive manner.
He smiled as he paussed before describing his relationship with the former spokesperson of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Mr. Lai Mohammed, now minister of information.
“Lai Mohammed has done well for himself and especially for his political party because I think he has a passion for his job. I have no problem with Lai Mohammed. And we have exchanged banters and have exchanged calls. We have ridden in the same car several times, so we have no problem. No, we are not enemies. But he represents a brand of politics which is not very attractive to me.”
Out of Public Eye…
Clad in a grey striped T-shirt and fitting blue jeans and leather slippers, it was hard to reconcile the same man, Olisa Metuh, whose face graces televisions and adorns the pages of newspapers almost on a daily basis. He was able to make this reporter feel at ease instantly, even though they were meeting for the first time. This writer observed as he stood up to receive guests who came in to see him, ushering some to their seats by himself. In the course of the 42 minute interview, he smiled and nodded to visitors, acknowledging them, while not interrupting the interview. Perhaps this was the politician in him, or perhaps it was because he is a ‘people’s’ person, as he said.
Being a peoples’ person developed in him while growing up. Born in Abakaliki town, his home always had relatives visiting or residing.
“I learnt communal living then. We had a situation where all our cousins would come to our house in Abakaliki, our house in Enugu and we were spending time together. So I grew up yearning and wanting people around me, having a lot of people around me. I like a lot of people coming to my house; I eat with all my people, my staff, my friends. Each meal is a feast. I enjoy the company of people and I like being with people.”
He went further: “You can learn from anybody and you can make friends of any kind of person; you can never tell by looking at them. There are people who I have given so much too and they have betrayed me and there are people who I have helped a lot and they betrayed me. And there are people who I have never done anything for and they have been very good to me; they have been very loyal to me.”
With an ability to laugh at himself, he shared several pictures too ‘unserious’ for public consumption with this reporter and his visitors at the end of the interview. Perhaps he was a comedian in another life. He however finds it hard to tolerate people who constantly make excuses or manipulative persons.
Olisa the Family man
Metuh’s face maintained a smile all through his talk about his wife, who he described as his cover. He recalled how she was about two hours late to their wedding ceremony on January 14, 1995.
“That was the happiest moment of my life. I was so excited and so happy that I was marrying my wife that even when she came two hours late, I was still smiling sheepishly. My friends were really upset with me; they were very angry with me that I was actually laughing at this girl that kept us waiting.”
But his wife, Kanayo, has proven her worth and he still considers her his best friend with whom he speaks almost every hour, no matter how busy he is.
“When I got married, I was particularly close to my wife and we used to go to work together, ride together and do everything together. I did not have friends for about five years, even male friends. My only friend was my wife and it got us quite close. We are soul mates. Her passion for God has been able to sustain me. My wife loves God and I think if I make heaven, part of it will be because of the closeness of my wife to God. She covers me, secures me with prayers, my safety, my challenges are well taken care of because of those prayers.”
Not disputing that his position in his party and society would make women flock around him, he credits his closeness and passion for his wife love for handwork, and passion for politics as those things that have kept him grounded and away from mischief. He also believes that because he often frowns and is considered serious minded, he doesn’t notice any advances towards him.
When he is not working, he is at home with his wife and their children: Derrick, Chidera, Chidiogo and Chidubem.
A Widower’s Sacrifice for His Kids
The older (his father) Metuh’s love for his family was so deep that he did not remarry after his wife died while Olisa Metuh was still in primary school.
“My father never remarried because he felt having a new wife would affect his love for his children and take away his focus and attention from us to a new family. He never remarried because of that fact. And we owe him that. He showed us so much love. I haven’t seen someone that would pay that much attention to the needs of his children rather than his own happiness or joy.”
His father moved his family to Enugu so that his sister could take care of the five children his late wife, who was a headmistress, left behind. He was, however, affected by the loss of his mother to whom he was close to, being the first son. By the time he entered secondary school, he spent more time in cinemas than any other place, watching Chinese movies, but his father was able to whip him back into shape. With the experience, he therefore cannot take his family for granted.
Foray into Politics
With a lawyer dad, it is no surprise that he wanted to practice law, but how did he venture into politics instead, especially since he despised politicians? He grew up hearing his father’s clients talk about Awolowo and the Great Zik but he still didn’t think much of it, despite his admiration for the nationalists. But somehow, he joined politics in 1998 as the director of the Igbo United Congress, IUC. He became a member of the finance committee of People’s National Forum (PNF), the umbrella body which facilitated the integration of the South East into the PDP and he later became a pioneer member of the national finance committee of the party
“I changed my mind on politics. I have seen people who made sacrifices; I have seen people who used their money to attempt a change and I have seen people who used all their earnings for their societies. I have also seen people who have served their people, people who have turned towns, remote areas into civilized areas because they are in politics. I have seen people who have inspired a lot of young people to be who they never knew that they were going to be because of politics. So I have changed my view about politics and I have seen a lot of decent people who play politics in Nigeria.”
At the first National Convention of the party, he contested and won a seat as an Ex-Officio member of the National Executive Committee, NEC, becoming one of the youngest officers ever elected till date. He has since held, contested and won several positions including National Auditor and National Vice Chairman (South East) of the party. In 2012, he contested and won the seat of the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, which thrust him into public light. Metuh is the longest serving elected member of the party’s NEC having been part of the leadership since 1999.
He, however, does not believe politics is a profession. This is buttressed by the fact that when ‘career’ politicians are out of office for a few years, their fortunes decline. He counsels young people who want to go into politics to make sure they build a solid background professionally. His advice: you must have a second address before you can play politics.
Lowest Moment? Surely not Mum’s Death
He has had low moments in his 50 years on earth, but one of them is not the death of his mum, because he was too young. His lowest moment was in 2008 when because of politics, he did not realise shares were crashing. He had taken an active interest in the stock market in 1992 and registered as an Investment Adviser with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), making a kill in the sector. He had borrowed from the banks to buy shares, which suddenly became worthless.
“I just discovered that all I had in shares had crumbled and crashed and I got to Dubai and the properties I was doing there had crashed too. I was supposed to pay some money which was due, but I couldn’t find money to do that. I was left with bills to pay and bank debts to pay. Then I suddenly realised why people could crash, after some great depression, people would commit suicide.”
Again, he gave credit to his wife’s love, his kids and faith in God for sustaining him at that period.
Another low moment for him was when his sister residing in Italy lost one of her twins. “I felt so sad for her; it was like her life came to an end. When we all traveled for the burial there, it really left a mark or a scar in our lives.” But being a staunch Catholic, he was able to find solace in his faith and relationship with God.
“No matter what you read about Olisah Metuh in politics, Olisah Metuh is close to his God and I am a Catholic as I was born a Catholic. I am close to my church. In Abuja, for instance, I belong to a church and I am a trustee. I am an elder in the church and I play a lot of roles and they keep me going. The fact is that I strive to be close to my God and worship him in truth and spirit.”
Football Lover
It is easy to know which foreign club he subscribes to as Arsenal crest adorned the gate of his home. Also a picture at the foyer showed him and his son, clad in the red and white jersey of the club. But he is also an avid fan of Ifeanyi Ubah United of Nnewi.
“I used to love Enugu Rangers before, but now it is Ifeanyi Uba United and I actually take off here and travel to Nnewi to watch their matches at the weekend, and then return to Abuja.”
He also loves Nigerian music and believes in playing it out loud.
And Clocking 50
“I have to come to see the other side of the world in terms of the struggle, the challenges, the strives and for me at 50, life has taught me that as long as you have faith in God, nothing is impossible, you can surmount anything. And He has taught me that the arm of flesh will always fail you.”
Perhaps, that is why his birthday celebrations (if at all there will be any) will not be complete without a visit to that motherless babies’ home. Such visit will make him realise how lucky to have a parental love. This is what these children lack. Through no fault of their…
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