Excerpts:

On godfatherism in some states:
In some states? Since you've decided not to be specific, the issue of godfatherism is an issue of extensive debate. I believe that the essence of governance is security and welfare of the people. That is the main issue. That is the main palaver. When people vote, they have expectations for giving us that mandate. These expectations are to improve their lives, to make tomorrow better than today. As far as leaders who take that mandate to lead put a priority on the welfare and security of the people, the effect of godfatherism will be highly minimal and reduced. This is in the sense that once you deliver to the people you will retain their mandate at least for four years, and the Godfather can wait for another four years.

The priority is the welfare and security of the people and it also includes roads, water electricity, free qualitative access to primary health care, education, and an enabling environment for the private sector to thrive, wealth creation, commerce, access to justice. These are the issues, and as long as those issues are your priorities, the issue of godfatherism will be submerged.

What role beyond 2007?:
I can say that after eight years as a governor of a state, for a kid who aspired just to make a difference to his people, I think one can go home saying 'To God Be The Glory'. But I can still say that for each man God has a portion. And that portion that God has for each man, He will provide it to the person as at when due. When I rule Enugu State successfully as governor for eight years I am sure God will provide me my own portion.

Igbo agenda for 2007:
Listen to me carefully. I think it is highly irresponsible and unjustified. I think it is unpatriotic and a moral subjugation of the intellect of the Igbo man for that issue to be discussed, for that issue to be on the table. It does not arise. There was never a Hausa/Fulani agenda for the Presidency. There was never a Yoruba agenda for the Presidency. There should not be Igbo agenda that has to do with Presidency. It begs the issue and it is an insult to the intelligence of the Igboman. It is not on the table and it is not under discussion, it certainly does not arise at least to me. I repeat it is an insult, a distraction and an attempt to denigrate our people.

It is an inalienable right of any Nigerian to aspire to the highest office in the land. It does not have to be begged for or negotiated. There is no need for any genuflection to anybody. Once you are a Nigerian you have an inalienable right to aspire to the highest office in the land. It has absolutely nothing to do with any agenda and has absolutely nothing to do with any apology to any body. There is no excuse, no negotiation no rigmarole, or diplomacy. It is a right. There is no difference between a Nigerian of Hausa/Fulani extraction aspiring for the Presidency of this land, a Nigerian of Yoruba extraction aspiring for the Presidency of this land. For the Igboman there is no difference. It is a level playing field. No apologies. So I believe that Nigeria has to bring a closure to that issue. I believe that the press has to take the high road and bring a closure to that issue. It is an attempt to distract us. There is no need for an agenda. So I am glad you asked me that question. I am appealing to Nigerians and the press to stop insulting the Igbo intellect.

I am appealing to them to stop causing unnecessary distraction, to stop confusing the issue or mixing it. There is no excuse to anybody or apologies to anybody. I belong to a generation that is proud and tall, unbowed to anybody. There is no excuse or deficiency or inadequacies, there is no discussions that has to be discussed. Nigeria is a multi-ethnic state, the sons and daughters of Ijaws, Itshekiri, the Hausa/Fulanis, the Tivs, the Yorubas, the Gwaris, have equal rights. We do not have a group and then we start to negotiate it as if there is something on the table. I call for a total end to the discussion about Igbo agenda or no Igbo agenda, because there is no discussion about the Yoruba agenda or Hausa/Fulani agenda, there is nothing like that.

Igboman just like any other Nigerian has an inalienable right to aspire to leadership. It does not have to be tied to any agenda. So those who have excuses to make, can go and keep talking. But I tell you there is nothing like Igbo agenda, there is only one agendum and that is the Nigeria agendum.

Why abandon medicine for politics?
Thank you, remember that I said that for every man or women God has a portion. The portion that God have is not for you. It is for God's children; in which case the difference between man and animals, is that animals vegetate and if it rains, it rains. If they see food they eat. But man tries to make rain fall man and tries to stop rain from falling. Man tries to produce food. So the greatest contribution you can make is the contribution you make for public good. This is because there is nothing you have done for yourself that has not been done. There is no type of house or car you drive that has not been driven. So the important thing is that when you are gone how would you be remembered what did you do to affect the society?

And having been in the path of democracy for many years, I realized that the easiest way to make change to the greater society and definite contribution is through the acquisition of political power. Political power to do good, because in my area of specialization, it is not going to be easy to practice in Nigeria. It does not even arise because we leave in a nation where the mortality rate in the teaching hospitals is about 1,400 per 100,00 which means that of every one hundred thousand women who go to deliver, one thousand, four hundred die.

And you know that pregnancy is a physiological process. A pregnant women is not sick. But because of our level of poverty, one thousand four hundred women who went to deliver die out of a hundred thousand. Ten years ago it was about 300 hundred per 100,000. Are you following me? So I cannot come back to Nigeria and talk about fetal medicine or fetal abnormalities, etc. when we are not delivering the normal babies, when we do not have enough midwives or even enough immunization. So I now felt that the easiest way to make greater impact is to acquire political power. And that what I did. But I thank God that as you said the new crop of politicians, if you look at the present National Assembly and even those in the Executive you see professionals. The joy in that, is that we are taking our destiny in our hands. When Nigeria talks about political class, the political class in Nigeria is recurrent, it is the same people, group of jobbers since the sixties and late fifties because you know that we went from colonialism to neocolonialism. So effectively the colonial masters handed over power to a few who were ill-prepared. Some who essentially never even worked in the process of liberation. They were never liberation fighters. There were few liberation fighters. But those who cornered the main trust of powers were jobbers, they were neocolonialists and that was why the process failed. So we have the same set of jobbers either in uniform or out of uniform all these years. Recurrent political elites, recurrent cabal, recurrent oligarchy. But what is now happening may be due to globalization. You have professionals joining the political process and I believe that it is healthy. The more professionals join, the more globalization continues, the less we talk about ethnic or national agenda.

Role model in politics:
It is a very difficult question.

Because of where you are sitting:
No, no, no. I'm not that trivial. I must say that this is the first time I have ever been asked that question about role model in politics. But certainly since I have tried not to classify myself as a typical politician, I am not going to give a political answer to that question. What I may say is that role models evolve. It is a continuum. Like I said, I met the Alaafin of Oyo and he made a solid impression on me. I can tell you that I left Oyo a changed man. I can tell you that seeing the Alaafin of Oyo really changed me. A very very brilliant, very erudite combination of power and humility. I met an artist. A man of the world. A historian. Listening to a monarch quoting Zik in 1947 for four or five minutes left a great impression on me. I was confronted with the reality of the Oyo empire, with the realities of sons and daughters of Oduduwa. The reality of a great people who had a way of life which was rudely interrupted by the colonial authorities. So in a way you can say okay today I have a new role model. Yesterday, I was at the Awolowo's, I saw a lady who is 88 years old very alert. Highly alert. Humble, very cerebral, conscious and strictly aware of her environment. So every day, you pick up new and new things. But I do not think I will be honest with myself if I just point to somebody. Is it the President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo? Somebody I think has been completely misread by the polity. Somebody whose strength in many ways is what people think is his weakness, highly cerebral, highly intellectual, highly effective. Vibrant. So where do I go? Is it Gowon, or Azikiwe or Okpara or Obafemi Awolowo? I am sure you know few of them, who you expect me to mention but I will not mention them.

On 'To God Be the Glory':
When I say to God be the Glory, I mean every word of it, because I am where I am today not by my personal ability or intelligence but purely by the Grace of God. It was my portion by God, because He put me in a position to realize my dream. God also made it possible for me to survive my first four years in office as Governor.

There is no way you can understand it. But I can say I was a kid from Enugu who went to the United States to study gynecology in New York. Maternal and fetal medicine is an area of study where you deal with the foetus. Loma Linda University is the university where there was a Baboon transplant. The heart of a Baboon was transplanted into a baby. I don't think I went through all that because of my intelligence or because of my knowledge. I believe it was my portion by God. Coming back to Nigeria, my first job was being Governor of Enugu State. The first house I lived in was the government house, the first car I used was the staff car. God put me in a position very early in life to fulfill my dreams. I don't know about you but my basic dream is to make a difference in my environment and in my society. I believe my God helped me in many ways to achieve that dream so early and I say To God Be The Glory.

If you understand the tribulations we were subjected to in Enugu State where an impression was created that they were insurmountable. It was a thunderstorm. It was only God that made me survive. When an indictment is created, the whole world is against you even the church will be against you. It was only God that made me survive. So when we say To God Be The Glory in Enugu State, it keeps us human, it keeps us humble. It reminds us of where we are coming from. You don't start getting confused that you are too smart or too bright and you now start looking down on others that maybe they are not moving along or that they are not working hard or that they are stupid. It is a wrong idea. To keep us humble and focused, we have to keep giving God the glory. Moreover, God said he is a jealous God and He will not share His glory with any one.

Frequent Lectures:
You know these lecture series started almost like an accident. We had the Southern Governors' Conference. We had the first conference in Lagos and the second one at Enugu. My then Commissioner for Information prepared an address for me to read. I happened to run into a publication titled "Idea". I read it around that time.

I called the commissioner and we started reviewing the entire nation. How the Benin kingdom had representatives all over the world. We looked at the migration of the Nupes. We looked at the trans-trade migration. We looked at the slave trade. We looked at Ogun State, the Yewas and the Aworis. As we started discussing, I got more interested in federalism,, resource allocation, state police and I got interested. I can tell you right now, we have two lecture invitations per week. We have invitation from Ondo NUJ. We have invitation from Law students at Akwa Ibom. I am expecting a visit from political science students of the University of Ibadan. Also from students of B. U. K., lecture on Ndigbo. So it is just an area of interest. I guess it helps me in many ways. As to what I achieve, self enrichment, intellectual exercise and I am going to have my words on marble.