From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
Nigerian socialite and business mogul, Obi Iyiegbu, popularly known as Obi Cubana, who turns 50 today, in this interview, reflects on what life has taught him at 50, his deepest regrets in life, his saddest moments, how he has escaped sex scandal, why he has not joined politics, and on sundry other issues.
He also spoke on what it takes to survive in a hostile business environment like Nigeria as well as the boundless opportunities to make it big in the country.
What does life at 50 year mean to you?
I am super grateful to God for making it possible and sparing my life. It is 50 years of good health, 50 years of strength, 50 years with the best family around me, 50 years surrounded by greatest human beings on earth, 50 years of wealth, 50 years of visibility and prominence. It is 50 years of people knowing me for good reasons and these are little things that money cannot buy.
For all these things, I am grateful to God, not because I am the hardest working human being, the most righteous person, but because God has decided to give me that particular uncommon grace that happens once in a generation. I am grateful to God.
What would you say life has taught you at 50?
Life has taught me that no matter the disappointments you meet in life, the best investments are still in human beings. If you see what has been going on for the past 50 days in my life, people from all over the world, coming to support, coming to show presence, coming to show love, however big or small, not as if they don’t know what to do with their resources or their time, but they feel that they have to connect to this grace and to acknowledge this person.
Some of these things we do might not be physical, and not even there on the social media, but because people we do them for know, they will recognise and that is why everybody took out en masse to say we align, identify with you, or to do things with me, or show gratitude for the things we have done with them.
I think it tells you something that, however it is, whether written or not, whether seen or not, there must be something this person is doing right over these years.
In retrospect, what are those fond memories and sad moments of your life?
The day my first son called me daddy still remains one of my fondest memories, it was so fun and memorable. Then, for the saddest part, I hardly discuss it. I have lost both my parents. I have also lost people that I love so much. I lost my in-laws; and losing my parents made me an orphan right now at 50.
I also lost a great friend, my lawyer, who was supposed to be part of this celebration. He had actually bought his ticket, he had paid for his hotel room upfront since last year we started planning this event, but then sometime in January this year, life happened to him. These are some of the saddest moments of my life.
There are certain things we have lost but there is no life involved, I don’t count those ones as sad moments because whatever we come here with, God provided, and as long as we are alive and healthy, we have always moved ahead. I am not exactly where I was last year, and I will not be here next year.
You threw a lavish burial ceremony for your mum because, according to you, nobody in your family got to that age. Now you are 50, does it in anyway cross your mind that the clock is ticking for you?
My mother didn’t get up to 80 years. She died at 78, but one thing I have understood about life right now, and one thing life has taught me is that it is not about the number of years we live, but the impact we make. I have done everything that I am supposed to do. The only thing I am living right now is for human beings, maybe my children, to see them grow, to touch lives. What else do I want to do?
At 50 I have been known everywhere. There is nothing I have not tasted. I have seen the good, the bad, and the ugly. Any other one now is an addition. I don’t want to count the years as if they matter. I want to count the moments that have been of impact to humanity. I mean things that will live after me. Not the number of cars I drive, but things that somebody will say if Obi was still around…
For me, for every other year I get right now is grace and an addition from God. I might get to 80, I might not get to that year, and it doesn’t matter. But the ones you lived, what were you able to do, what were you able to achieve then? And I think I have done very well in that aspect.
As an entrepreneur, what will you advise many young men that are into Yahoo Yahoo on how to achieve it through dint of hard work?
You can’t take away the fact that the world is evolving. The things we did to get money might not work today because everything we did was physical. You have to be there for it to happen. But today, because of technology, you can be in the office and make as much money as you want. You understand what I am trying to say?
Previously, people had to do farming physically. I built clubs, and restaurants, built this and that. But today, there is Forex market trading, content creation and a whole lot of other things. There are lots of things you do with the device and make money. I believe that the most important thing is to live honestly. You don’t need to take from somebody’s sweat to live large.
There is money in Nigeria. The country is blessed with over 200 million people. You need just 200,000 people, which is about 0.0001 per cent out of the 200 million people to survive. Ensure that they survive every day consuming what you can offer. Why don’t you find out what they are lacking in the society? What do they need to survive, then plug into it and you will be okay.
Obi Cubana has become a big brand. How did you come about it?
It is a business name. I am the chairman and founder of Cubana Empire, which is into hospitality, hotels and recently, real estate, transportation, and lots of things. Cubana is a name I actually first saw in South Africa when I visited during my wife’s delivery of our second son.
It was doing very well, and I told my cousin that I love the name; I love the business and will want to tap into the anointing. I resolved to take it back to Nigeria, which is a bigger market. When people get to South Africa right now, they will say that they copied from me, but, I tell them that I copied from there rather. It is because we have been able to develop our own into a more global brand in outlook. It now looks as if the owners copied us instead of the other way round. So, that is how we came about the name Cubana.
You have achieved so much in wealth and fame. What is stopping from going into politics?
I have not done badly in the area I am now and I know that certain fields are not for everybody. Except maybe I come of age again but for now, I don’t know. However, my elder brother is into politics, and I am supporting him. I support other people too. I support a lot of my friends who are into politics. But for now, I am focused on helping humanity, building my family, and then touching lives as much as I can.
Your state, Anambra is going into a governorship election in November this year. Who are you pitching tent with?
Ndi Anambra know what they want and I am not a politician. However, we have a working governor as a matter of fact. I was in Awka a few days ago and when I entered the Government House, I can confirm that we have a working governor, and I believe that he can scale through to continue and finish a lot of projects going on.
I was there physically; I was not told. I can’t talk about what I don’t know. I was taken round. The governor did some roads, I saw the Fun City, I saw the VIP Clubs, I saw the new Government House.
Anambra State is 34 years since its creation in 1991 till today, but we have not had a befitting Government House like we have today. This year, I went to the old where they have been occupying; I went to the new where they occupy now. For someone to have such visions, I believe that he has a lot of things to offer.
Are you a political godfather?
I am still a boy. Anambra has a lot of big men with a lot of interest and everything. So, you try to be careful in what you do. To me, we have people who have been there and there is respect where I come from. Our time will come, but for now, we will just be there clapping for them and supporting them.
What are those things you remember that will not only give you goose pimples, but you also wish they never happened in your life?
It should be that close shave I had with death. If I look back, I know that God has a purpose for sparing my life on many different occasions. God has a reason for keeping me alive. One of them was the one which took away the life of my friend Emeka. We saw people running and we ran in different direction, but he could not survive it. It could have been me as well. There are a lot of them, but I would like to dwell on the positive things.
What is that strategy you applied to shield yourself from involvement in sex scandals, considering the number of women that want to tap into your fame and fortune?
I have never hidden the fact that I am happily married. I used to have girlfriends, but I chose my wife, and the day I made that decision, I resolved to stay married. Certain things come with grace. If you abuse it, the grace can be taken away from you. I respect and love my wife.
It is not as if I don’t encounter temptation. It happens every second. If I go to my phone, a lot of things happen there with the kind of things I see there. I cannot stop wondering how they even get to put those things there. I will just smile, and sometimes, if I want, I show my wife and if I don’t I just ignore and move on because I don’t want to look at it as something serious.
If you read about great men who have fallen in life, including those in the Bible, you will see what led to their fall. I decide what I want and it is to stay great. I want to be on the positive side of history. I am very intentional about what I do in life, especially with my family.
I don’t play with them, and I am very intentional because I have boys that I am raising, and I want them to be like their father. I know who my father was. I have already resolved to be like him. I also want my kids to be like me. That is why I have laid this solid foundation for them.
They see who I am. I don’t want them to deviate from the foundation I have laid for them. We were raised as children of teacher-parents. We went to the Anglican Church where we were taught catechism. Those times our greatest fear was going to hell fire, and then I grew with that particular fear of God in me.
Then there is this natural justice that you don’t need the involvement of mother or God to know that if I do good, good things will come back to me and if I do bad, no matter how long it takes, it will certainly visit me, if not me, then my children. We try to respect those natural laws, including those that taught us how to forgive.
What are those things that make you sad and the ones that give you joy?
What makes me sad is when somebody is in need or going through a problem and I am not in a position to help. It breaks me. What makes me happy is a good environment, a positive environment, when people are happy, and when I am also the source of their happiness. I love the best food. I love to travel. I love the best environment.
I want to stay in the best hotels with my wife. I want to stay surrounded by my kids, playing together with them, dropping the phones and then being who people do not know I am with my family. Those are my best moments in life.
When you say draw your phones, does it mean your wife has unrestrained access to your phone?
I don’t have passwords. My wife controls everything, including all my email, my social media, every password. She sets up my phone. I am not good with keeping passwords like all those bank transfers. I don’t have one. I don’t do those things as an entrepreneur. She handles them.
What does it take to survive in an environment like Nigeria?
There is nothing we have not seen. But I will tell you something, I have travelled round the world, and I have also met people who have lived abroad, but there is no place like home. There is no place like Nigeria. It has a lot of opportunities. There might be some negatives in Nigeria like pull-him-down syndrome, which is very rampant.
It is not everyone that is smiling with you that is your friend, or that wishes you well. But if you survive it, good, you just have to use that street knowledge and street credibility to navigate certain things. Be nice to people that even when they apply it on you, somebody will say, no, please leave this one for me. It has happened to me several times when some people I have done something with, and I have been nice to… It could be where you have been pencilled down for destruction and somebody rescued you. I have been in that situation several times.
How would you advise Nigerian leaders about the situation in the country?
Who am I to advise Nigerian leaders when they have their advisers? Anybody who is a leader is ahead of you and who am I to advise them? I can only pray for them to make the country better. I know they are trying their best, but mine is to offer prayers.
If any day, for any reason, I find myself in any capacity to serve, I will make an impact, like become a template for people to copy and serve. Right now, what I can do is pray for them and wish them well.
Did you ever dream of getting to where you are today?
I have always been a hard-working guy. I have always been a very focused person right from the school. For example, when I gained admission, I resolved to graduate with either a first-class or a two one. I came out with the latter. I have always known where I wanted to be at any point. When I served I wanted to be in Abuja. But, I was posted to Sokoto, however, somehow I found myself back in Abuja.
I have always known I would be a great guy, but I thought it might be in serving as a civil servant just to create a model for people to follow. I have always said that I am an accidental businessman. There is nobody in my lineage who has been a businessman. We have civil servants, surveyors, engineers, and all those kinds of things.
I have actually been the first person in the family to be so. I have had the best of the times. I have had the worst times. I don’t know how to define my breakthrough, but I know that at every point, I feel that I am on top of the world. Last 10 years, when I turned 40, for me, I had the best club in Abuja, and that was it.
For me as a young man then, I had two cars, a wife, and a young family, just one son and I was very okay. I thought that was it, but today, at 50, people feel I am number one, but I am not. I am just starting. I don’t know how the next 10 years will be and how the next 25 will be. At every point I relish in what I see. I am grateful.
I try to make good use of everywhere I am as if it is the best. I am telling you right now that I may not be rich the way people think I am. People who are 100 times richer than me will think that I am richer than them. Why? Because of what I prioritise, my happiness, and the spirit of giving.
I give as if I have a spare anywhere. But it is about human beings. When you give, it opens doors for you. I have never lacked. That is one thing I know. I have never, ever lacked. I’m not wasteful. I know how to give, but I have never lacked.
What are those things that give you the push in life?
I have friends who are pastors. I have people I look up to as pastors, but I don’t have a personal pastor. I don’t have anybody that prays for me like that. I pray to God because I feel that I have direct access to God. Maybe I can talk to you about things that I want to do, to speak to me more like a human than from a spiritual point.
I know there is a lot of power in prayer. I believe in God, and I know that God created everyone. I believe that I have access to God. And then when I go to my silent room with my family holding hands together, I ask God, if there is nothing, He has not done for us. We have been in near-impossible situations in life as a family, but last second from nowhere, the intervention will come.
As for the marabout, I don’t know what they have and I don’t believe in them. These are just local 419. Some pastors also do that rubbish in the name of God, but that one is left for God and judgment day. My own is that I read the Bible every day and do those natural things God has put for us. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your strength, love your neighbour as you love yourself. This is a natural law and everything. Because when I love God, I cannot destroy what God has made.
God has made man and I won’t destroy man. And when I love you as my neighbour, I will not do to you what I don’t want to be done to me. Once you do these things, you don’t need marabouts.
Appreciate God with more gratitude than asking. I am thankful for life. You know this thing; we used to think life is all about money, but good health is the ultimate. See all this preparation, if I wake up tomorrow, notice a lump, go to the hospital, and the Doctor tells me that I have 48 hours to leave. Do you know that nobody will talk about this birthday anymore? Nobody talks about this mansion anymore, all these cars, all these police.
The air we breathe, if you are on your hospital bed, you know how much it takes to give you oxygen for one hour. But people are not grateful for this because you are asking God why Mr A is driving a Rolls Royce, and you are driving a Honda. And you are asking God what you did to Him, forgetting to be grateful for those little things that He has given us free of charge.
Look at Nigeria, no earthquake, no landslide, no war, and there is nothing like a natural disaster. But we are lamenting that food is expensive. That is human beings for you and one thing about life.
Finally, what are your greatest fears in life?
My greatest fear in life is not death. It is not being able to do the things I am doing today, not being able to provide for my family, not being able to create opportunities for people to thrive, not being able to be that role model in society and not being able to make life better for people.
Those are just my greatest fears. That is why I still work as an upcoming to be able to have resources to sustain these things and then anytime I am tired, I will beat my chest and say I have done my bit. Let other people take it from where I stopped.
As a philanthropist, what are those things you will say that you have done that impresses you most?
That is why I say that most of these things are intangible. You can’t actually place them, but they are happening. I am sure that you see what is happening on social media about the 50 brand-new cars. It has not happened anywhere. I am not buying because I want to contest for any office.
They are not giving it to me because they want me to give them a contract tomorrow. There are also 50 tricycles, though we have given out 20, remaining 30. We might spend billions on this birthday, but I may not spend one dime because people are bringing all these things.
There must be those things we are doing behind the scenes that people are seeing the direct impact on people for them to say that this man deserves to be celebrated. I can say it is the churches we have built or other things we have done. The people who are directly impacted by these things are the ones coming today. They say we are grateful. We love you. Thank you. We celebrate you.
Is this the Nigeria of your dream at 50?
From the time we met it till today, if you watch the adverts of the 1980s, they are saying that they are checking out because there was hunger in Nigeria. It has been the same story from that time. But the truth is that I have been opportune, as one of the few, to step outside this country. I have seen things done in other places. I know we can do better.
We can do better because we have everything in place to get better. But we are still a stable nation. I have seen the worst of the worst. I have visited a country with just one hotel in the capital, and they have every resource.
We have enterprising Nigerians, good-spirited and hardworking people who do their best to support the government in whatever it does to ensure that Nigeria remains great. Nigeria will forever be great, no doubt about that.
Are you a billionaire or a trillionaire?
I am an upcoming millionaire.