The race to 2019 general elections in Nigeria is set as many political office seekers are jostling to outdo one another but youthful looking Henry Okere Obinna in his early 30s is quite popular in his Etche Constituency 2 Rivers state House of Assembly where he also resides and engage in serious business of Civil Construction, Oil Tools Supply and Maintenance, Real Estate Consultant, Surveillance and Waste Management and General Contract all under the umbrella of Eze-Henz Company limited with Corporate Affairs Commission registration number RC:940712..
Henry Okere Obinna is such a good example of hard working youth who irrespective of not having University education at age 24 became successful by hard work and diligence as he later acquired higher Education at Abia State Polytechnic Aba where he graduated. As a student he paid school fees for indigent students and his humanitarian services earned him a chieftaincy title by the academic community of Aba, Nigeria’s most vibrant industrial and commercial centre. At no. 10 Umuebulu -1, Etche is a sprawling one storey building house Eze-Henz Company and his hotel where he played host to Towncrier Media Team as he reveals his intentions to contest election into Etche Constituency-2 of Rivers State House of Assembly under the platform of All Progressive Congress-APC. READ ON
EXCERPTS
Que: May we meet you?
My names are Comrade Okere Henry Obinna.
Que: What do you do for a living?
By the grace of God I registered as a contractor with Shell Petroleum Development Company-SPDC, Niger Delta Development Commission-NDDC, OANDO Nigeria Plc. And I am into Civil Construction, Supplies of Oil Tools and Maintenance, Real Estate including buying and selling of Land and property. Majorly these are the things that I do that keep me going.
Que: As a youth how did you start to develop interest in business?
I became independent when I was 19 years old. When I was in secondary school I had always wished to become an Engineer this is because I have always associated myself with some friends who happened to be Engineers and they were paying them about half a Million naira, and some, one point something million naira monthly as salary. And I said ‘ah!’ I wish I can become an Engineer if somebody who have SHELL PETROLEUM DEVELOPMENT COMPANY EAST –SPDC in my community here with not less than 65 crude oil well-heads. In my community we have slumbeger OIL Company. We have Gas turbine here, and we have AGG here. And Afam electricity Power Station and it is from our Gas station here that powers it. So, I was thinking that as a Mechanical engineer, I can fit in anywhere here. But as time goes on, educational challenges because of the background that we come from it became a challenge for us to further to higher education. So, at a point I decided to go into business. Because it is a developing area, my people are into sharing and allocating land to individuals, so I decided to take advantage of it. By buying from them and reselling to people. I started it from the scratch, gradually and it began to grow.
Que: One of the disadvantages youths have today is not having initial cash flow to start business, take us down how you did your first business?
One thing is not to matter about age, age is just a number, I remembered how I started as when I started I didn’t have up to one thousand naira. But because of the kind of my personal self discipline and the way people see me and because of how I presented myself, they gave me a kind of trust, as the first person who bought land from me did not even see the land just because he heard that Henry can buy land and secure for us a genuine land and they will pay money into my account. So, with the money into my account I was able to use it and I spread it as I deposited some here and I deposited some there. By the time I pay you 50 percent of the cost of your property. And when you come back to say you want your balance then I must have sold it. And I will still pay you and still have my profit. So, before you know it I was hitting more than enough Money. So, sometimes people will not see me and they will ask me ‘do you have property to sell and I will say, “yes send me your account number”’? And before they will come down they will see their property.
Que: Give us the name of your community?
My community is Umuebulu under Igbo-Etche, in Etche Local Government Area. We have other little communities like Umu Onwa, Umu-Ala and Odudu- Nwoke all in Umuebulu community. That Umu-onwa is made up of Okoro-igbe family the largest family and that is the family where I come from.
Que: How long have you been into this business?
I started this business in 2008. And by 2009 I decided to expand my business, as I went into collaboration with one company that was registered with Delta State Crude Oil Producing Area Development Commission-DESOPADEC in 2009. A friend of mine then was so close to Governor Dr. Uduaghan and we were able to achieve our contract of executing the Library of Delta State College of Education, through their Commissioner of Education. Then I was still very young at 24 years and I was privileged to meet with the Governor of Delta State Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan. From there we came back and we registered with NDDC and it has not been easy with all the fraud and all the rest but I thank God for today’s Government we keep trusting God.
By 2011 I decided to register my own business which is Eze-Henz Company Limited. This road from Shell Well 18 location I was the one who opened it up, including marking, grading it and making it access road in the area of Real estate and developed it and I was compensated with land by the community. And I have also done it behind County Grammar School Etche, between the boundary of Ikwerre and Etche. I was the one that did it. At Umuakuru here I am the one who did it too. At Igwurita Ali I did one there too. These are jobs given to me by the communities. They contact me and when I verify how genuine that land is before I will move in my machines. By the grace of God we are able to execute all as it was not physical cash paid but I was compensated with land. So, all I do is once they compensate me with land I can now start selling after execution.
Que: How old are you now?
I am 33-years old now.
Que: Are you married?
Yes, I am married with 4-children.
Que: Do you have any charity Foundation as a philanthropist?
First of all there is a character someone can develop, right from time when God started blessing me, I am this kind of person that hate to stay in an environment where people cry, complaints, and people need help. So, whenever they come to me I will do what I can do to assist in my own little ways. So, at a point I decided to go back to school. And it was a challenging one as I was married with kids then with business and schooling at the same time. Because this business it comes once in a while as it is not always that it flows. While I was at school I found out that some people in school were going through hell for them to survive. And I never liked politics in fact because of the godfathers and what they do. So, I never liked politics. But when I got into school I never had any other options than to join Students Union Government-SUG although it was outside Rivers state. And I saw Rivers state students and saw how most of them were not organized and I told them that it is better we unite to see how we can help ourselves now that there is an already registered body called National Union of Rivers State Students—NURSS (Abia State Polytechnic Aba). So, I joined them and with my contribution then as a school community, they give me NURSS king of Abia state Polytechnic Aba. It was like a coronation, so I invited people as I had the coronation like a traditional chieftaincy things. So, I managed to build a house and some of the students if they have school fees challenges I will assist them as I might pay 60 percent of their school fees with me being at a tender age as I was doing business by then and some of them I pay 100 percent of their school fees. I found out that some of the people from Etche were still there and when they come to me as my brothers I paid their school fees. Whenever we were doing one or two programmes in school I contribute I finance it to make sure that we make it a colourful one. So, the kingship was supposed to be yearly but because of my contribution I took it for 2-years.
Que: Gives us your educational background?
I attended Abia State Polytechnics-Aba. I was a Public relation Officer-PRO of NURSS Etche students nationwide as such I can visit any higher institution nationwide for any issue that I know that I can intervene. Whenever they want to go into elections it used to be very tough whenever I am chanced and free I used to intervene and make sure that the elections are successful.
Que: How can you be able to succeed in politics without someone like godfathers backing you?
When I came into politics through students Union we now found out those days we were being invited by politicians because they want students to endorse them and they want the youths to support them. So, we were able to visit some Senators, House of Representatives members, Governors that want to contest election during the 2015 General elections. One thing about me is that I am this kind of a person that tries to be bold enough but I respect people and I am not afraid of people. So, I ask them questions “why is it that students are being neglected? “ and I ask them many questions which sometimes If we meet at neutral grounds they will point hands at me saying “ I think you were at my house the other day and I will say ‘Yes’.” They will always remember how I tackle them in their house but if they invite us they want to tell us where they want us to go without me telling them what they want. But if you tell them what you want they will know that you know what you are saying and that you cannot be used. So, it was after the Student Union something that I started engaging myself with politics.
Que: Who is your role model?
Before I went into politics I have always liked the style of our present leader Minister of Transportation Rt. Homourable Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, as I like his courage and his styles until I associated myself with Honourable Chief Allwell Onyesoh the two terms Commissioner in Rivers state as he is from Etche-2. I like his style and his courage. Why I don’t like godfather is when you see things bordering your people with your position you can’t speak because of who placed you there. But Chief Allwell Onyesoh is not that kind of person as he speaks for his people anytime anywhere not minding who and who is there. As he will not insult you but he will tell you “this is what my people want”. So, I like this kind of people. I used to like life-style of Activists. I don’t want to take a position where I will be sidelined. I want to be where I can speak for my People.
Que: So, now what are your intentions as General elections is by the corner in the country now?
Yes, I never wanted to speak but today, be you business man whatever you are doing politics controls the society today and everything we do. So, we don’t need to sit at home and allow people who don’t care about us to take positions. I think we need to contribute. If you say you don’t want to contest or you don’t want to vote and you stay in your house and the wrong person will be voted for. He will go there and tell you how you will live your life in your own house. If you think that you are a businessman, it is also the business to regulate your business that you are doing. So, why not you contribute in their emergence so that if you see that this person’s attitude is not really paving way for the society to survive contributes in the election?
Que: So, which way are you looking at?
I think I have decided to aspire for the state House of Assembly where laws are made though sometimes I found out most people do laws to favour themselves because of their own personal interest. But I think inside there is the first place that you need to capture if you want to affect the lives of people.
Que: looking at the politics of Etche Constituency-2 by zoning it might not be your turn?
By zoning it is our turn, we have somebody who has gone for first tenure of 4-years as he is supposed to make it 8-years so, we are still on it. Other people who are trying to come and contest we are still telling them that we have not completed our tenure.
Que: who is the person at the Rivers state House of Assembly for Etche Constituency-2?
He is Honourable Tony Ejiogu, he is my cousin and he is of Peoples Democratic Party-PDP.
Que: As a politicians what are your targets for aspiring to represent your people?
Presently I feel that the people of Igbo-1 presently are not being recognized by the present Government. What is keeping the allocations and whatever going is the oil which all of us know and my community is contributing a lot into it. We are supposed to be recognized. As I am talking to you now if you try to pass through my road your car will break down before you will get to my house. The road is very bad. It is no more pot holes and not just bad roads it is pits with water filled up. And you cannot tell me that a house of Assembly, member is there at the House of Assembly and his house is located at one of those bad roads and the governor passed through it during his campaign and promised to do it for us and then he fails. And he has been working and attending to other areas in Etche and all the rest but he has refused. What is the problem that is what I don’t know? Like when you want to ask for something you don’t need to it beg for it. It is our right. This is what I am contributing, in Etche my community contributes the highest voting strength… then come to mineral resources we contribute the highest too. So, I think in terms of recognition for development we should be recognized. If you go round you will not see either Federal or State presence in my community. Not one. And everyday our brother is there and I have not seen him move motion on the floor of the Rivers state House of Assembly. And I have not seen him telling the Governor anything concerning the community.
Que: You are host to Shell Petroleum Development Company -Well 18, what are their Corporate Social Responsibilities to your community?
We know that Shell has not been a good company in terms of communication and development in Nigeria. They have not been good compared with other companies. Before Shell will accept to do half kilometer and not one kilometer road, you have to shut them down for more than ten times.
Que: You don’t have good road, no higher institution?
No anything I say nothing at all and not even one good primary School. We don’t have one good Primary school. The state one we have there those kids are sitting on the floor during lessons and no window, no doors and no anything.
Que: Then how about NDDC?
The issue of NDDC… what I have found out is that if you don’t have somebody there to speak for you nobody will speak for you. But if you want them to hear your voice you must speak out. You need somebody to speak Out. One thing that is wrong with us here is that you cannot go and when you see somebody going to speak out they will fight that person.
Que: Is Umuechem in Etche Constituency-2?
Yes, it is in Etche Constituency 2. Looking at it the production of Mineral resources is in Etche is in Constituency-2. Odogwa is in Constituency-2, where we have SHELL Flow Station. Umuechem is under constituency -2 where we have Oil Flow Station. This is Umuebulu constituency 2, where we have SHELL FLOW Station. These places I called out for you now, go round and see things for yourself and you will cry for us in terms of government infrastructure.
Que: Despite the fact that you have someone representing you at Senate, Federal House of Representatives and Rivers State House of Assembly?
There is no positive impact.
Que: Etche has vast fertile arable land and you are aspiring to go to Rivers state House of Assembly, What roles are you going to play to guarantee prospective investors in the area of security when you get to the House of Assembly?
In the area of security the problem there is that the leaders we have today have found it difficult to relate with the grass root. If we can relate with the Grass root my dear I guarantee you security. We are peace loving people. Etche people are peace loving people and they are accommodating. What has led to this insecurity in my place is negligence of the youths. When you think that they are not relevant as they are only being used in elections and when you get to the position you abandon them. That is when they will want to do one thing to spoil your name. But if you can relate with them in the grass root I think there will be peace.
Que: How do you intend to relate women and alleviate poverty if elected into the Rivers state House of Assembly?
Without holding any public office on my own naturally, I used to do this kind of thing in my church Winners Church, Widows & Orphanage DAY we use to have this hospitality day in the church so, when it is time I will prepare my things. And I will make sure that I will attend to the widows. I will have to invite some of the widows in my community to cone to the church that day. I will give them what I have to give them. Some of the youths that want to learn one or two things I pay for them to go and learn as some of them learn welding, Mechanic, some of them say they want to go to school and I can give them money to buy forms. I know through me some persons have gotten admission and some of them have graduated from various training centres from learning welding and the women some of them whose husbands are late I give them little money to empower themselves. …because I know that I may not always be there to give them what they want. If there business is not strong some of them will come to say “ah my son is out from school for this reason” and I will say Okay which school is that I will call the owner of the school please I don’t have money now allow the child and by next week I will pay the money and I will pay.
Que: Recently, there was this agitation by Etche ethnic nationality that one of their sons should go and contest for Rivers East senatorial seat, what is your take on this?
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