Uche Secondus: It Took Me 14 Years  – THISDAYLIVE

to Complete My New House

Prince Uche Secondus, former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, opens up on life after leaving office, his private-sector roots, and the story behind the sprawling house that has stirred public curiosity. Chuks Okocha brings excerpts of his candid conversation on power, perception, and personal legacy

How has it been since leaving office in 2021?

I thank God. God has been kind to me. I have been able to fit in because, all my life, I have been a private-sector person.

Talking about being a private sector person, not many Nigerians know this aspect of Uche Secondus, can you throw more light on it?

The truth is that, yes, I am a politician, but I am a politician with a second address. I have been involved in businesses for over four decades. Pere Ajunwa and I ran the Port Harcourt Chamber of Commerce, having been trained by the London Chamber of Commerce. We ran the chamber for five years. Pere and I were business partners who were granted an import license to import chemicals and other components that we supplied to NAFCON and other companies. I agree with you, most people do not know my background and that is largely because I don’t make noise like others God has done well for me. and is still doing in my life.  For instance, my first house in my hometown is a large two-storey building housing the entire extended family. I moved into the old GRA Port Harcourt, a place regarded as a European quarter, in 1986. I bought the house from Bata Nigeria Limited that year.

How have you been able to combine politics with business because most businesses usually go down the drain once their owners join politics?

For me, I think my story is different. It is not by my power, but the Lord’s doing. I have been around for a long time during the military and political era. My business was running while I was active in politics. And once I left office, I returned to my business of real estate, retail, insurance, oil, and gas services. Rome was not built in a day. I applied that philosophy to my life and it has really helped me thus far. In politics, even if you are a saint, because this is Nigeria, you’re tagged and blackmailed. In all the offices I have held, I served meritoriously without blemish. And the records are there for anybody to cross-check.

As journalists, we hear stories of how party officials collect money from prospective candidates during primaries and you supervised quite a number of them. Are you saying nothing exchanged hands during those periods?

To answer you straight away, all those I supervised in their primaries and handed over tickets to them are still alive. Go and ask them. I never collected anything from them.  Governors like Seyi Makinde, Bala Mohammed, and even Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso during his second coming among others can testify. Go and ask them. As the chairman of the biggest opposition party at the time, from 2017 to 2021, ask the governors if I was collecting money from them. I was never found wanting. In 1999, I was elected unanimously even against my will as the state chairman of the PDP to take over from Marshall Harry. I spent nine years in office because the election was not conducted on time. After my tenure lapsed in the state, I was offered the position of the national organising secretary. I did very well and that led all the governors and stakeholders to make me the deputy national chairman. While I was acting National Chairman after Adamu Muazu left, I was invited by the EFCC, based on a petition written by one Kassim Afegbua, they investigated me thoroughly over campaign logistics, vehicles, and all that. But nothing was found on me. I was given a clean bill of health. Again, when the then federal government’s spokesman, Lai Mohammed published what they called ‘looters list,’ and my name featured, I was bold enough to approach the court to challenge it. After two years, I won the case. It was well publicised. There was no evidence against me. It will interest you to know that I was the only one who challenged the FG and Lai Mohammed among all those whose names were on that list.  Look, not all politicians are dirty. My own is totally different because I am dependent on my faith and the direction God leads me. This is how I have been all my life.

But you have also held other positions like board chairman and the like, are you saying you don’t also take kickbacks from the award of contracts?

I have never. Go and check all the agencies where I have served. I was chairman of Port-Harcourt Flour Mills for 12 years, and I was a member of the School to Land Authority under the military as well. The agency was primarily set up to train young school leavers on how to be on their own without necessarily seeking white-collar jobs. I was the chairman, National Insurance Commission. Once I was appointed, I resigned from my position at the International Energy Insurance, where I was a co-founder and first chairman. I was a member of the board of directors of Nigeria Railways  and I was also the first chairman of the National Identity Management Commission, where I even forgot to collect my allowances. I have never occupied any executive positions where contracts are awarded. I had nothing to do with the day-to-day running of the places. I also served with retired General TY Danjuma on the Presidential Committee on North-East Initiative.  I have served this country meritoriously without blemish. I am a different species of politician.

So, in all of these, how did you come about the sprawling building, which many say can compete with any Government House in Nigeria?

It took me 14 whole years to build that house you are talking about. At one time, people were asking me, are you not going to finish the house? And I told them, Rome was not built in a day. I supervised that house myself, building it step-by-step, and one thing at a time. I did not give it to any big contractor to help me build. So, anybody putting any figure to that building, is merely telling a lie. Look here, I am a totally different politician. I don’t do what most politicians do to survive. I don’t blackmail. I am a politician with a difference, I do charity, and I offer scholarships. But you will never hear me make noise about them because I am doing them for the sake of God. I am an elder in my church, and I believe in laying good examples for the younger generation to follow. It will interest you to also know that I served as a consultant to the Bayelsa State Government during the tenure of Col. Edor Obi, the last military administrator before the return to democracy. His administration provided a conducive environment that helped attract and harness funds to the state. So, I have been around for a long time.

 I started politics early in life. But even at that, I made my money before going into politics to operate at the highest level. I started as a youth leader during the NPN days. In NRC, I was the state Publicity Secretary and later emerged as the deputy state chairman. And during the days of Abacha, I was the state chairman of DPN in Rivers State.  Ask any reasonable politician in Port-Harcourt, I usually come in with my finance to support my preferred candidate. Chief Rufus Adah George and others will testify to this assertion. I served under Peter Odili as the state chairman PDP, he asked me what I wanted and I told him to pave the road to my village- Andoni, and Opobo, and those roads were constructed to the glory of God. In taking that decision, I was only imbibing the philosophy of our leader, Melford Okilo. He said ‘Don’t go after money, go after what will benefit the people.’ I went after infrastructure for my people, against any personal interest.  My parents too did very well for the country. My father, a police officer, fought in the Congo war in the 60’s and my mother, a grade 2 teacher served meritoriously without blemish. So, I have a name to protect. We had lived in Osogbo and Lagos before the war broke out and we relocated to the East. The places we had lived also helped in shaping my life and in having a broader perspective about life and Nigeria. I am a totally different Nigerian politician, who believes in service to humanity. I left the office in 2021 and returned to my business. Mere looking at me, you know God has been good to me. Not many people out of the office five years ago will still be looking this way. And perhaps because of my approach to life, God too has been faithful and kind to me. To God be the glory.