By Wilfred Eya
Accord Party governorship candidate in Anambra State, Dr Godwin Maduka believes that with the right leadership, the Home for All would blossom. In this interview, the philanthropist par excellence opened up on his agenda for his beloved state if he wins the November 6 Anambra governorship election.
Can you take us through your early life and educational background?
I grew up in this village, Umuchukwu in Anambra State. I was born in 1959, and in 1982, I migrated to America. I had a rough childhood. For some of us that were born around that time, we didn’t start school till age 11. I migrated to America after gaining a scholarship and I was lucky enough to finish a 4-year course in one year and six months.
You finished a four-year course in one year and six months?
Yes. Because then, for WAEC, GCE, we used to read above and beyond the course of study. Upon migrating to the US, it was so easy to go to class and they were able to test me from freshman to sophomore and junior. In the middle of my junior year, that was when I stopped. So within two weeks of being in the US, I’d already read two and half years. After that I was lucky enough to enter for Doctorate programme in pharmacy and in 1988, I got my Doctorate in Pharmacy. In 1989, I entered the Doctor of Medicine programme and finished. In 1992-1993, I finished my internship. I was lucky enough to enter Harvard School of Medicine to study medicine, which was where I did my four-year course in anesthesiology, critical care, and pain management.
How did you become the renowned physician that you are today?
Upon completion of my course, I went to Las Vegas where I was working as a physiologist and doing minor surgeries. I had to leave after a year and a half to open my own practice called Las Vegas Pain Institute and Medical Center. I was doing most of the minor surgeries, which entails pharmaceutical as well as surgical intervention to pain management. I ended up building six pain hospitals.
One of the things that helped me is that, when I was practising, I was gaining results. One thing that doesn’t discriminate in human beings is health. If you have to get good healthcare from anybody, you don’t need to care about the caregiver’s skin colour. So it was a zeal and I did it very well. At one point, I had to think of home. I decided to embark on developing this place.
How did you start?
I started with my home, my brothers and sisters. All of us were living in a five-story building, which at that point was the tallest in the whole local government. Upon completion of that, I embarked on building homes for the homeless, the widows and widowers and all the less privileged of this town to an extent that the people I built homes for, I don’t know who they are. All I know is that when I see a thatched house, it has to come down. We gave them a new home. In two weeks, they have a five-bedroom house. Also, I had to go into the educational system. At that time, we didn’t have a primary school, so we built a primary school and a secondary school and we gave it to a church to manage. We also built a hospital, which we also gave to a church to manage. We embarked on building a civic centre for assembly and worship. We also built homes for resident priests for the Anglican Church and the Catholic Church in the town. We embarked on building the roads and bridges. We took a while to build this, but from 2016 to 2018, it was a serious development. We started building that 17 floors pain centre about16 years ago. While I was building it, something came up and I had to stop, do what I had to do and continue. It was like one year, one block but within that period, we were able to finish the 16 floors. We are also able to build the police stations with their barracks, the only one we have in Anambra State.
We went on to the Magistrate Court, but the place where it was so difficult to deal with is the High Court. Nobody ever told me that you have to build a high court at the headquarters. I was designing a city, so I had to build the high court in the town of Umuchukwu and it caused crisis. The neighbouring town that was supposed to be the headquarters said “how dare you build a high court in your town.” It took almost two years to open. Can you imagine spending close to N4 billion, to build a high court with majestic looking building for the judge? With the panelling, the US procured items of furniture, it is still the best high court in Anambra. It’s just like what happened to me now in the governorship race, I was humbled. Lucky enough, we were able to open it but after some months. I lost my mind because I was trying to do good; they have congestion at Ekwulobia, cases are not being dispatched fast, so I thought it wise to build a high court to ease the workload but unfortunately, it became political. Anyway, it has been opened. We built the magistrate court too. We built homes for the monarchs, both the dead one and the new one. They are very happy about it and now we have 82 percent of graduates in this town. I grew up in a town where the majority of us are underprivileged. Funny enough, where I built our monastery was where I fell from a palm tree.
Were you a palmwine tapper at some point?
No, but we cultivated the palm nuts. When we cultivate it, we would come and use a wheelbarrow to take it to the oil mill. We had to do the squeezing for the oil to come out. Then we would put the oil in tins and carry it on our head and walk to Umuje, seven miles from here. I fell from a palm tree about eight times because the machine was too big for me and I was skinny. Today, I want to become governor so that no child would have to go through that. Our politicians don’t know that. Think about it, what would motivate a billionaire to come back to Nigeria after having the good life in America as a very successful physician to come back to run for Governor. Is it money that I’m looking for? Is it fame? I’m an internationally acclaimed physician and probably number one in what I do in the world by mere going to these universities and learning all these things, becoming a triple professor of surgery, anaestiology and pain management. When you can teach an international community, whether Korean, China or India; white, black, and fear nobody. What a total liberation. I’m being reminded every day why I have to come home. I thank God Almighty for making it happen.
How did your sojourn into politics start?
I used to be an APGA sympathiser. I was never a member. I watched them over the years. I saw the trend of APGA when they used to take Certificate of Return from people that won an election and give it to somebody else. At that point, I was like this is not happening. So, some of the people I helped during their campaign that they were supposed to make it, didn’t. That is one of the things that made me start looking into this politics. At that point, I decided that PDP is the next thing. I entered PDP, and when it was time, I started running for the position of Governor of Anambra State under the PDP. I had to overcome the stereotype about being from the US, but what happened is that they forgot the fact that I grew up here in the village. They also forgot the fact that I’ve been a philanthropist for more than 20 years. I had to come home more often than ever. I think I come home more often than people that live in Abuja or Lagos because sometimes I come home two or three times a year and sometimes, I stay for one month. I started coming home in 1997 and there has always been construction or something important going on. That is what made it possible for me to coordinate this level of development in this town. So I joined PDP, and I won the primary election going by the nomination, anybody can check it out, I had the majority of the ad-hoc statutory delegate. We bonded, they loved the Okonkwo in ‘Things Fall Apart’ by Chinua Achebe. I made sure that I continued my philanthropy using the statutory ad-hoc delegate. I enlightened them on what I intend to do when I become governor.
What are some of those things you intend to do as governor?
From building pharmaceutical industries without sugar pills to building roads and bridges, modernising and upgrading the airport, bringing the seaport to Onitsha, from the Atlantic Ocean straight into Onitsha; so we can clear our containers easily; no more Tincan or Apapa. I’m also going to build 21 emergency rooms in 21 Local Government areas so that whenever you have an emergency like, heart attack or stroke, you would not have to run helter-skelter; you would have a place to run to where they would recognise the signs and symptoms that would save your life, because nobody is free. If you have a cut in America, they would get the wound and patch the ruptured vessels. In America, if you have a stroke, there is an emergency centre that would take care of it and you would be free. All you need to do is manage and get to the nearest local government emergency centre where there are 24 hours running staff. That is what I plan to do in terms of medicine with all other kinds of stuff that I have been doing. In terms of education, I also promised to build 21 university campuses in 21 local governments in the state by looking at what the local government is known for.
For instance in Onitsha, I would build the department of Legal Studies; they have more lawyers than any other town in Anambra State. So, since that’s what they are known for, we would build it for them. We can build a marine biology campus for people in Ogbaru Area such that ‘Keke’ drivers can go for their formal routine in the morning and in the evening, they go to class. I promise to increase the percentage of literate people in Anambra to a level that surpasses any other state in this country; after all, that is what I’m known for. I also told them we are going to bring technology. Anambra would probably be the first state to create a phone. We all know that if you need a phone, it is possible to go to Aba and get a phone coupled for you. But, why is it that our people would not do that? It is all greed-driven. I also promise that we would have religious tolerance. The white people came here and taught us that instead of going to the Umo, the shrine, instead of circumcising women, and other similar kinds of stuff, like ‘juju’, there are better ways of doing things. Our people went through all that and I feel that we need to change this country for the better. More so, I don’t like the fact that black is being painted as inferior. In as much as I attended college in the US, when George Floyd was killed like a little bird on the streets, our people should have to take note of that so that we can develop our own country. So, religious tolerance should be there. You don’t have to be Catholic, Anglican, Deeper Life or traditional worshipper. As long as you are praying to God, it is all fine and one shouldn’t touch that part. There should be women and youth empowerment but how many other women and youth get that? Sometimes, you feel bad for our graduates; something has to be done. The next mass protest would be worse than ‘EndSars’. I’m telling you. If we don’t intervene now, this nation is going to explode. What is bothering me more is the women; they go to school, do the NYSC and there is no job. What do you expect her to do? It bothers me a lot. The wastage in this country is beyond imagination. That is why I’m here to change things.
Basically, what are the strategies you have in stock to increase the publicity for yourself and Accord Party?
I’m a household name in Anambra State. One thing PDP did for me was that I fought like hell to win and I won. That gave me the experience that I needed. When they swindled the whole process, I had to find another party so that I can fulfill my mandates. I joined Accord because they accepted me. You may ask, why accord? First, that’s the number one party on the ballot paper. The winning party, anyway. Two, I went to check the personalities in Accord. I checked their chairman, their national working committee, and they are reputable persons. I also went and checked one of the candidates in Action Alliance, right now I’m being supported by Action Alliance and Accord Party. Accord is a clean party, and I have the reputation. There is nobody in Anambra State that can say they have done up to what I have done for humanity in Anambra State which is my Motto “Humanity First”. You can carry out a survey, on who is the most popular candidate; I am. Right now for Accord, it is the man that makes a party, not the party that makes a man. The people of Anambra State are in favour of the Accord Party. Today, we had persons from APGA, PDP, APC coming to pay allegiance to say Dr, we would follow you wherever you go.
Are you in Accord Party because it is a means to an end or it is because of its ideology or philosophy?
I checked the party closely. I read through their constitutions. But by the way, all the political parties involved in this upcoming elections approached me, including Zenith Labour Party, but I saw total difference in Accord Party. Their chairman is good and humble just like me, so I found him relatable. We had a lot of conversations so many times. For me, you have to look at what the party represents. They might end up being a major one in the future.
Your project for Anambra State sounds very elitist, you talked about building 21 University campuses for every local government, what is your policy on developing the business aspect of the Anambra people?
These days, business has to move side by side with transport by land, air and sea. So, we have to make sure we have motorable roads. We also talked about airports. I’m not an elitist only. I don’t blame anybody who thinks I’m an elitist. I am a grassroots person. So, our business focus is centred on airports, which Governor Obiano has built, which we would grade and expand.
Also, business is centred around roads. We would no longer have cases of roads built getting spoilt in few days. Also, for sea, we are going to pave Atlantic Ocean to Onitsha and we would clear our goods with ease. In agriculture, we would give people grants or loans to start mechanised agriculture. I don’t know if that is elitist but it is practical. if elitist means trying to go to the next level, then I’m one. Talking about what would survive this country to the next level, mechanised agriculture has to be there.
Also concerning ICT, we are going to build a phone factory. In Anambra we are fearless and we always make difference in anything we do. We would build our phones. I don’t think I’m an elitist because of that.
Concerning empowering traders, even before now, I have assisted people who had finished learning a trade and they don’t have money to set up; I would give them money to set up. So, we have to look at every aspect. Under my watch, Anambra State will soar. This is something I have been doing for the past 30 years.
How do you intend to achieve these ideas and also how do you hope to increase the internally generated revenue to fund this project so it does not become a mere talking point?
I want you to check the history of this country from its inception till its current state. I have not seen any politician, whether a Governor, Senator or President that has done what I’ve done before going into politics. I’m not here to do politics. I’m here to develop Nigeria not just Anambra State. I am not intending to run for president but as a governor I can do more than most people do. Concerning Internally Generated Revenue, the truth is that most of the resources are being wasted. If we make use of them wisely, we might not need to depend on Abuja because Anambra State is the trade centre of the South East.
Talking about wastages of Internally Generated Revenue, what are the practical ways of blocking the loopholes?
It is going to be zero tolerance. This is not going to be cash for cash kind of government. So, our people would get what they need. You know that these security votes can do a lot? If you come to work as a governor, you can do a lot. Most of the wastages and embezzlement are what cripple the government. The act of bringing in family members, friends to run government are bound to cripple the government. If you know me, I’m not going to do that. I have a mission to build this state to a standard that other states in the federation would imitate. So, I’m a successful businessman and medical doctor. When a successful businessman runs a state, you would see how good they are because my profit would be what I could ordinarily do in a state. Also, I plan on reaching out to the foreign community for assistance.
They are a lot of people in Anambra who have enough resources like you and they also influence what happens in this state. Also the ‘church politics’ influences the outcome of elections in Nigeria. Are they all with you?
Becoming the governor of Anambra State, I would change a whole lot in Nigeria. As I said, if I can do all I have done, without being a governor, if I get into government, I would do more because I’m not too big for serving. If you talk about governors, the type of success that I have had in business, medical business, is what most of them would achieve by the time they finish governing. So, the standard they would reach I have already surpassed them. Secondly, Anambra being a state populated by billionaires will enjoy the benefits of these people. I’m not telling them not to invest in Port Harcourt, Owerri, Ilorin, Abuja or Lagos but sensitising them of the need to put something in your hometown. I love the Anambra billionaires. I am going to call on them to come and help. Some of them we would partner with to build institutions. For some of them, we would ask them to help us do this or that; we would pay later. So my strategy is in different forms. I would try to maintain that friendship with them. I have not seen any Anambra billionaire that has not seen me in their house. One of them admonished and said, ‘stop, don’t belittle yourself because you are running for governor’. They respect me and I respect them.
Back on IGR, presently Lagos is the leading state in terms when it comes to IGR. How do you intend to compete with or even supersede Lagos without putting pressure on the people of Anambra?
I can tell you that 30-40% of that Internally Generation Revenue in Lagos is from the Igbo. The point is that our people are taking over the trade in Lagos. That’s why I am trying to encourage our people to come home here and start building the factories here. Let’s start building Anambra. I’m sick and tired of all of us not realising the fact that the more you put the factory elsewhere, our children, siblings, parents, and grandparents, everybody, suffer. Give me the microphone and you would see our people coming back. I don’t mind going from doorstep to doorstep, kneeling and saying ‘please we need you, come back home’.
I also plan on building medical tourism. No more cases of people going to India and dying over there or going to the UK and dying on the plane or in America. The problem is that most of the people that leave Nigeria to America to seek specialist care, I’m one of those that attend to them. I have many Nigerians that come to my hospitals. So that’s why I intend to increase this. From improving trade to making healthcare accessible, and improving medical tourism to Nigeria. In addition, I, Dr Godwin Maduka, have vowed that as long as I continue to live in the country, I’m going to have 24hours light.
In your state?
Yes. We have done it here. This is a parlour study, Umuchuckwu. The hospitals I built have twenty-four hours of light. Guess what they did? They got a small panel, connected it to inverters and batteries; that lab that it is equipped from is doing well, and we have light. The problem with governance is not having people that think like this. If I become the governor of Anambra State, our people would not regret it. My governance would benefit both the opponents, friends and foes.
You said you are encouraging those in Lagos to come back home
Not just in Lagos. Our people everywhere should come and invest at home.
Talking about coming home, you might want to talk about adequate security and infrastructure. How do you hope to curb the state security in the state or at least change the narrative?
Let everybody know that insecurity is birthed from a lack of job and money. Just as women can go into prostitution when they are jobless, men could carry guns when there is nothing else to do. By the time I encourage development in this state, create infrastructures that nobody has ever seen, the kind of IGR we would get from Nnewi, Onitsha is quite enough plus that of Abuja. I already told you that I would get some foreign investors into this country. So, when they come and all these things are combined, insecurity would go down because people would have jobs to do. These boys joining all these cults do so out of hopelessness. Have you seen people who are gainfully employed enter cult? The answer to the insecurity issue is to increase the literacy level, give people jobs when they are done with school, create decency in politics so that people would not have to idolise thuggery; a grown man and a woman trying to convince us that apple is orange. With my emergence, we are going to change the narrative.
You said earlier that you are going to build 21 universities campuses in all the 21 Local Government headquarters in Anambra State. What is the plan to limit issues whereby people gain necessary skills in these campuses and then go elsewhere to practise? We have a lot of medical doctors who are based abroad. How do you combat brain drain system in Anambra and Nigeria.
I’m not only here just for Anambra. I’m not limited in the thinking of the purpose of becoming a governor. I’m here primarily for Anambra but If I can expand beyond the shores of Anambra, I would like it. After all, trying to be a governor of a state is trying to be a real Nigerian. I would do my best to make sure it is comfortable, affordable, and easy for people to stay. Concerning brain drain by doctors, why do doctors leave? You go through that hell of studying medicine as I did only to be paid peanuts. Nigerian doctors are the best trained in the world. At least, I met a lot of them when I was in the US. If we keep building clinics everywhere and they are not getting paid adequately, they would leave. Imagine a doctor collecting N5000 hazard allowance. We have to arrest the condition of the brain drain. I’m a member of the Nigeria Pharmaceutical Association. There are so many things I would introduce that would change the narrative; like the health insurance scheme which I would bring into Anambra State and you pay according to your salary or your level of income. If you don’t earn anything, you don’t pay anything because after all, the purpose of running for governor is to take care of the people. The best people that would make a good governor are philanthropists of a mega level like me. I know I would make a good governor. I’m employing Nigeria to encourage me and encourage the people of Anambra State to encourage me to vote for me as governor of Anambra State. This is a person who struggled here in Nigeria and went abroad to study and work, got a lot of money and came back to help the less privileged in his hometown.
What are your thoughts about god-fatherism in Nigerian politics? Winning a Governorship election is much more than competence. You would have to go to the grassroots and all. How are you carrying along all of those people that matter, the stakeholders, religious leaders, traditional leaders, student union… because ACCORD is almost an unknown party in Anambra State? What are your plans to outsmart these ‘career politicians’?
I’m am one of the main godfathers in Anambra State. Probably, if you count six of them, I’m one of them. But it does not do me any good, so I stepped down from being a godfather to being a father; from king making to be a king. The unique qualities about me are rare to come by in the history of Nigerian politics. I never knew that I would go into politics. Until things started going wrong and instead of sitting down there in the U.S and criticising people, I decided to come in here to do better. Simple. That is what drove me into this.
What are your plans for women and youth in terms of having them in leadership positions?
If you go to the U.S and check the percentage of my employees, it is about 92 per cent populated by women and youth. That’s why I’m very successful in the U.S. When I’m allowed to start building this city, women and youth would have a fair proportion. Secondly, as a professor, I teach more about women and youths. I know the youths and I get along with them; I know their ways and speak their language. I’m on a mission to make a statement in governance in Nigeria.
Do you have a form of timeline to achieve all of the things that you have proposed?
I can’t say that I would not try. I would do my best. History can testify to what I can do. Right from my first day in the office, it is going to be straight to work. I’m going to be an industrious and very hard-working governor. So, I would do my best to do the best. I might surpass my expectation. Who knows, something might make it difficult for me to reach my goal at one point, but I would do the best I can, being aware of the timeline that I have. I have done it in my city, where we built day and night. All the projects that you see here were accomplished by assiduously working day and night. I intend to replicate the development you see in Umuchukwu if I become the governor.
Concerning medical tourism which is one of your agenda, we know that outside Nigeria, in places like Dubai, we know that tourism is where they generate funds like no other. How do you intend to generate or revive tourism in Anambra State?
When you go to places like Ogbaru and all other riverine areas. We have a very cool weather; one of the best in the world. We would invite foreigners to come and tour this beautiful African country. Instead of the flood carrying these people away, every rainy season we would divert that flood to a place, and we would have world-class hotels and casinos in those devastated areas. Once we have our mind positioned to development, we would grow. We would build beautiful resorts and create an environment where we would have foreigners and fun-seekers, who have come for leisure and relaxation unexposed to risks. Once we get Anambra State to a stable position, we would be able to encourage tourism. We would build the kind of structures they would like to come and stay in.
I plan on bringing some of these engineers and casino owners to come and invest in Anambra State. We would build parks, build modern homes. Plan our city for the better. You can’t be driving through Onitsha only to be seeing dirt everywhere. We would have better waste management. I just need the firm support of the people of Anambra State to bring the dream alive.