By Sam Nwaobasi
4th of August, 2011 was a Thursday. I had gone to the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation to see the SGF on the directive of my benefactor, Sen. Ken Nnamani. Before I was ushered in to see the SGF, his then secretary, whom everybody called ‘Auty Kate’ on hearing my name said to me, “I have a letter for you”. I walked up to her table and she opened a big notebook and asked me to sign an acknowledgement for the letter. I did and she handed me a fat brown envelope. In a hurry I tore it open. Lo and behold it was my letter of appointment as Special Assistant to the President in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation. As I was gazing at the letter with my mouth open, a young man, who I later got to know was the Chief Security Officer to the SGF, Peter Afunanya, opened the door to the office of the SGF. My boss, our boss, Sen. Anyim Pius Anyim briefed me on what my responsibilities would be.
Being a Thursday, I requested the SGF to give me up till Monday the 8th of August to resume, to enable me tidy up at the place I was working. Sen. Anyim granted my request but asked me to join a meeting of his aides and Heads of Agencies under the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation which was about to start. I was led into the conference room of the SGF to meet many people bantering and laughing while waiting for the SGF to come in. I was shown a seat on the side where the aides to the SGF were seated. I sat down. The only person I could easily recognize in that room was the then Corp Marshal of the Federal Roads Safety Commission, Osita Chidoka. He waved at me from the opposite side of the table. Shortly after I sat down, not knowing any person on our side, one neatly dressed man with an imposing personality, stood up from about three seats away from mine and walked up to me, offered his hand for a shake and said “my name is Ferdinand Agu” and went on to introduce his office. I immediately recollected that he was the former Director General of the then National Maritime Authority, NMA. I stood up, took his hand with two of mine. I felt very honoured and privileged to have such a man as my colleague. Ferdi’s warm welcome and friendly disposition steadied my nerves at that meeting. I was later to discover that friendliness, generosity and loyalty were natural to Ferdi.
Ferdinand Agu was a bomb of a human being. Very measured in his speeches and calculated in his actions. I am yet to come across any person who is as rounded as Ferdi was; intellectually sophisticated, a personification of humility, extravagantly generous, and modesty walking on two legs. Ferdi was a very cultured man who always talked to and treated everyone with respect. An architect by training, and he was such a brilliant one, Ferdi was at home with almost every subject. To say that Ferdinand Agu was a brilliant man is to understate the fact. Ferdi was a walking ‘school’. You could not have a conversation with Ferdi and not learn something new. There was a contradiction about Ferdinand Agu. He was very brilliant and highly intelligent yet very collected and organized. While I am not questioning God’s decision to take Ferdi away now, I am beginning to wonder, if Ferdi had to go so soon and suddenly because he had almost everything going for him; a contented man, blessed with a wonderful wife, responsible and brilliant children, a happy home full of life, love and joy, a man of honour and integrity to whom money and material things meant nothing, a truly happy family man, responsible, accountable with the fear of God. Ferdi cherished friendship and companionship. A role model who was genuinely interested in the wellbeing and progress of others. A loyal friend who would go the extra mile to help a friend or brother in need. I am a proud beneficiary of Ferdi’s kindness, generosity, brotherly love and sacrifice. I am still indebted to him.
Ferdi exemplified modesty and simplicity. A man of outstanding accomplishments, Ferdi never allowed his social standing, economic status, experience, capacity, intelligence, knowledge, exposure, wide contacts and connections to get into his head. At the Presidency, where Arc. Ferdinand Agu served as Senior Special Assistant to the President, in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, our boss, Sen. Anyim Pius Anyim was stunned by Ferdinand Agu’s uncommon humility and resourcefulness. After the end of the that tenure in 2015, Ferdinand Agu remained loyal and available for any assignment that Sen. Anyim would want him to handle for him. In 2021 and 2022 Sen. Anyim Pius Anyim campaigned for and contested in the presidential primary election of the Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP. Ferdinand Agu was the arrow head of that effort, throwing in every energy, resources, goodwill and connections at his disposal. So, when Sen. Anyim said on that dark day of 7th of June, 2024 “I have lost a pillar and a brother” he spoke the truth from his heart. Ferdi was vast in many subjects with a profound knowledge of history. He was logical in his presentations and persuasive in his arguments. I recall one occasion when our boss, Sen. Anyim wrote a caustic piece in response to a press briefing by one of his political associates in Ebonyi State, in which the individual made wild and unfounded allegations against Sen. Anyim. Ferdi and I listened to the press briefing and read the response written by our boss. We both knew that there was no way we were going to allow our boss to release such a response. Sen. Anyim was a bit adamant at first and told us he only wanted us to proof read the piece for him and not to edit it. Ferdi, as was characteristic of him, shot a question at Sen. Anyim “sir, are you available to be persuaded”? Sen. Anyim calmed down and listened with rapt attention. By the time Ferdi was through with dissecting the piece, Sen. Anyim was indeed persuaded that what he had written was not fit to be released as it was. From that day, we adopted “are you available to be persuaded” as our in-house phrase to mean different things at different times and circumstances.
It is indeed impossible to imagine what the death of Arc. Ferdinand Agu means to different people. Starting from his wife, a humble and devoted help mate who, despite her rather intimidating profile and accomplishments, remained a loving and submissive wife, caring mother and committed home builder and who lives alone with her husband in their happy Maitama Abuja home now that the children have all left home, this is a rude shock. To Ferdinand’s wonderful children, they have lost a father, a teacher, a role model, a defender, a shield[DA1] and a provider, this is hard to take in. To the many friends of Ferdi who enjoyed his sweet company and benefited from his large heart and open hands, this is unfathomable.
Ferdi was a man of the people. He was loved and cherished by his friends and associates. The outpouring of grief and encomiums from all over the country and beyond since he passed-on on the 7th of June, 2024 testifies to the kind of person Ferdi was and the quality of life he lived. Ferdi believed in Nigeria. He was incurably optimistic that Nigeria would overcome its challenges to re-emerge a peaceful, secure and prosperous country. He loved Igboland and Ndigbo. He devoted his time, energy and resources to helping in making Igboland the home of peace, progress and prosperity. It is difficult to believe that Ferdi will not be around to see Igboland bounce back, very soon, as the most prosperous, most cohesive and most secure part of Nigeria, an aspiration and dream he invested heavily in bringing to reality.
Ferdi’s death is a tragedy of unimaginable proportion. Permit me to borrow and paraphrase these lines from Milli Vanilli’s 1989 hit song ‘I’m gonna miss you’ to attempt to sum up my sorrow at this huge and unquantifiable loss of a man who touched my life and my family in a way I cannot describe “It’s a tragedy for me to see the dream is over. And I never will forget the day we met “Ferdi” I’m gonna miss you” We will sorely miss you Ferdi. All of us.
Ferdi, since you had to go, and there is nothing we can do about it, please go in peace. And please know that your family, friends and associates will remain devastated for a long time by your sudden departure. Go, but remember that the vacuum your absence has created in the lives and affairs of so many people will be near impossible to fill. Go, but don’t forget that the assignments you left uncompleted in various fronts may remain just that ‘uncompleted’. Go, but bear in mind that as we gather on Friday, 2nd of August 2024, to commit your body to mother earth, that will be one of the most uncomfortable and inconvenient task all of us would want to participate in or witness. Ferdi, for weeks I struggled to write a tribute to you. I am not sure I am making sense. I was not prepared for this now or any time soon. But what can I do or say? My dearest brother, boss, teacher, inspirator, motivator, role model and benefactor, go and rest with the Lord who loves you more. May your sweet soul find solace in the bosom of the Lord. Amen.
Sam Nwaobasi, wrote in from Government House, Owerri, Imo State.
Photo caption: Late Dr Agu.
