Andy Uba: The Cheerful Philanthropist

His close associate describe him as 'the cheerful giver', deriving from what they consider his palpable pureness of heart and smiling mien when he lends a hand or dishes out favours as he is often wont. Senator Nnamdi (Andy) Emmanuel Uba's benign mien also seems to lend credence to the cheerful giver tag. But the 55-year old Senator representing Anambra South senatorial district draws his strength and essence from the modern philosopher, Steve Pavlina who posited that:

"What determines the goals one sets (or do not set) is one's context. Your context is your collection of beliefs and values. The most significant part of one's context is one's co1lection of beliefs about the nature of reality, which includes one's religious, spiritual, and philosophical beliefs. Actions dictate results."

Senator Andy Uba's trajectory shows clearly that he is a student of context. The Uga, Aguata local government indigene who schooled and worked abroad never lost sight of his goals, his projects and the results he wanted in life. After his studies at Concordia University, Montreal Canada; the California State University in the USA and Buxton University, in the United Kingdom, arming himself with degrees in Geological Studies and Bio-sciences, he begun a rich work and business venture life.

Living most of his adult life in the United States, he worked for the Golden State Mutual Insurance of California. For seven year, between 1985 and 1992, his duties involved conducting evaluations for the US government on workers' compensation claims. Teaming up with some associates, he was later to build a very successful chain of health clinics in different parts of the United States.

A man of context, all this while in the Diaspora, he never took his eyes off the home environment, its politics or his people. He stayed in touch, reaching out, playing active roles, albeit, from afar. It was his commitment to his homeland and his quality intervention during Nigeria's return to civilian rule in 1999 that eventually earned him a place in the emergent government. A man of immense tactical and philosophical depth, the new president, General Olusegun Obasanjo (rtd) found in him, not just a special aide, but a most resourceful thinker, tactician, strategist and manager.

Certainly the closest aide of President Obasanjo, Dr Andy as he is known by all, was rooted in the inner recesses of the Obasanjo Presidency for all of the two terms of the eight years. This surely speaks volumes about unwavering loyalty, trustworthiness, commonsense, presence of mind and most of an, diligence and mental acuity. Friends of Dr. Andy would note that in the heat of presidential activities, the president would often communicate with Andy with the eye and not verbally. In fact stories are told of how in the hurly-burly of high executive situations, divergent presidential messages were coded and passed with the eye contact, the mouth (verbal) and the lips. It was a mark of the deep connection between the boss and the special aide and especially, the perceptive and high-minded nature of the aide.

Further, not only was Dr. Andy at home in Abuja, in the epicenter of national politics, he was at home in his home state, touching base and giving cheerfully. He had a scholarship fund which has given free education up to the tertiary level to over 200 students mainly from Anambra but also across the country. This metamorphosed to The Andy Uba Foundation which he formalized in 2004. He also founded the Philip Uba Foundation (PUF) in memory of his father. In 2006, the Andy Uba Foundation built a Mass Communication Auditorium with an FM Radio Station at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, (UNN).

The sitting Senator who also won the Anambra State governorship seat in April 2007 out was nullified on technical grounds, says that lessons from his parents influenced his humanitarian nature: "My parents always said that it was better to give than to receive." It may be for this reason that the PUF has been devoted to propagating charitable activities. Apart from awarding scholarship to indigent students, there are regular visits to the inmates in prisons and patients in hospitals across the country. There was also a feeding programme for ex-servicemen who roamed the streets of Abuja a few years ago. The foundation also organizes feeding intervention for the poor every now and then.

Well loved in his home state Anambra and his Uga community for his kind¬heartedness and good- nature, Sen. Uba may yet have a destiny not just with the people of Anambra but with Nigeria. And there within him, is embedded a large heart of gold to bear the cross.

June 08, 2013