Dr Eme Okoro is a former Secretary to State Government, SSG, Abia State; as well as the pioneer boss of the Agricultural Development Programme, ADP, in the state. In this exclusive chat with Correspondent, STEVE OKO, the renowned farmer and agile elder statesman who recently turned 80, reveals how going to farm regularly keeps him fit.

He also made other revelations including: how his mother mortgaged her box of wrappers to borrow €30 to pay his school fees; how he was born on top of a rock inside the farm; his role in developing over 30 high -yielding cassava varieties ; and why he hated ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo, who, he admitted, ironically likes him.

The octogenarian who fought gallantry on the side of Biafra during the civil war, insists that Nigeria hasn’t been fair to Ndigbo. He also gave some tips on how Abia can achieve food security, and bared his mind on other issues.

I hail from Ozuitem, Ndi Okala compound, Ogboko in Umuobasiukwu Community, Bende Local Government Area of Abia State. My parents were living in Bukuru in  Northern Nigeria when I was born. My father was then, working with Northern Electricity Supply Company, NESCO. I was told that my mother gave birth to me on top of a rock in the farm, where she had gone to work before she went into labour. She was alone but other women in the adjacent farm rushed to her help. She had a safe delivery and we were taken home. My father named me Emelike (not by struggle).

Later my parents returned to the East and settled in Aba. So, I grew up in Aba. I had my primary education in Aba. Later, I went to Government Secondary School Afikpo in 1959 – that’s where I cut my teeth in everything I can brag about that I am today. I was there until Lower 6. My Principal, Dr G. C Akabogu,  said I knew enough English and literature to do Arts but I wanted to do Science, Botany and Zoo. So, I disagreed with him and that disagreement made me go to Methodist College Uzuakoli where I met Onyema Ugochukwu, and we became friends.

I was at Uzuakoli when the results of the School Certificate came out and I made one of the best results. The Principal at Afikpo called me and conceded that I had right to pursue the study of my choice. So, I returned to Afikpo where I completed Higher School Certificate and Advance General Certificate, GCE,  preparatory to go to the university.

I wanted to go to the University of Ibadan but the late Dr Michael Okpara wanted me to go to Israel and read Agriculture at the Hebrew university, but it didn’t work out. I later went to the University of Nsukka, UNN, to read Plant Soil Science. My studies was interrupted by the civil war. However, I returned after the war and completed my programme in 1972.

When the war broke out and students were told to vacate the campus, I was among those who refused to go until one Capt. Lambert Iheanacho, threatened to shoot me. He asked us to join the Army if we wanted to fight in the war, and I joined the Biafran Army. I got commissioned and was  later sent to 56 Brigade where I was assigned to Terror Battalion. We fought in the war and I did exploits.

After the war, I completed my studies at UNN in 1972. After working locally at the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture, IITA, Ibadan,  I proceeded to Texas, USA where I did my Masters in Soil Science. I began publishing papers, and that was how one Professor from University of Manitoba, Canada, who attended a workshop where I made a presentation was so impressed by my presentation and invited me over to do my Ph. D in that university. At Manitoba, I graduated as the Overall Best Graduating student.

Yes! I have risen to the rank of a Fellow of the Agriculture Society of Nigeria. That’s the uppermost level of recognition one can get in Agriculture. I have a Ph. D in Soil Fertility. I have done so much in agriculture. Life has been kind to me.

Upon my return to Nigeria, I began to teach at the Michael Okpara College of Agriculture Umuagwo from where I rose to the position of Dean of a Faculty.  From  there, Dr Ognonnaya Nduaka who was the Director General, Imo State Accelerated Development Area Programme (ISADAP), insisted that I should come and help develop ISADAP so that Imo State could benefit from Agricultural Development Programme, ADP which was world Bank-assisted. We put together a formidable team. The World Bank quickly recognized us, and from there I became the first Chief Research Officer of ADP. When Abia was created, I came to Umuahia where I worked with ADP for many years. The world Bank recognized that Abia ADP under my watch was the best.

We believed in building an organization where you can absorb human capacity and use it for the development of a greater number of people. We conveyed recipe of better agriculture to the ordinary people – what’s being done to improve the soil, improve crops, processing, packaging.

Under President Olusegun Obasanjo, I became seconded to the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture, Ibadan. There, I became the National Project Coordinator for Cassava Initiatives. We put together a working system and in partnership with the National Root Crops Research Institute, Umudike, we developed all the cassava varieties we have today.

With the help of Obasanjo who I didn’t like by the way but he liked me, we all began to build a very solid agricultural base for this nation. I was part and parcel of the development of more than 30 varieties of cassava – from high -yielding, to cassava mosaic disease -resistant varieties.

Yes I didn’t like him because of his role during the Nigeria civil war. He was very instrumental to the defeat of the Biafran military. I fought in the war and I’m a patriotic Igbo. I felt and still feel that Ndigbo have not been fairly treated in the nation called Nigeria inspite of their resource capacity as a people.

No. There’s a big failure by both the federal and all the state governments. In terms of Agricultural development. No Nigerian Government has been serious about agriculture. The only one that showed an element of seriousness was that of Obasanjo. But it didn’t have the forcefulness of implementing everything that was recommended by quality human beings.

When Orji Uzor Kalu was Governor, we baked bread with cassava flour to demonstrate the efficacy of replacing wheat flour with cassava flour. We showed cassava could be produced as chips, eternol, etc but where are we today? Agriculture employs over 68% of Nigeria population but we are no where yet in developing the sector. Poor leadership is to blame.

There’s no person that passed here as Governor that I didn’t advise against the deficiency of policy planning. Orji Uzor Kalu decided to listen to me and said:every Local Government Area should cultivate 10 hectares of cassava. One hectare of cassava can produce stems enough for 10 hectares the next year. So, imagine how many hectares of cassava each LGA could have been produced by now.

By creating network of cassava, you are creating a network of cassava processors. Same goes to oil palm. I brought tenera oil palm to Abia State.

I’m already selling to the new administration in Abia, an idea of what I call ‘ farm to market centre concept’. Let’s create farm to market centres where we can aggregate farmers who produce certain products that we can process, package and market and make wealth, stability and happiness for the people.

When I was Secretary to State Government, I brought pineapple to interplant will tree crops like rubber. This will increase productivity per unit area..

Farming is more than a hubby for me. It’s my profession and drive  I’m 80years and I still prune my palm trees by myself. I go to farm at least four times in a week.

Life is not a bed of roses. When I was going to enroll in secondary school my father had a financial setback. His business failed following a strike action by workers at the wharf which affected his cement business. The family began to survive by the efforts of my mother who was buying garri and shipping to the North.

So, when I was to go to Government Secondary School Afikpo, there was no money to pay my fees. My mother brought all her wrappers and put them in one box and we went to mortgage them to obtain a loan. We got to an Item man in Aba and my mother told the man: This is my first son. He passed entrance to College but there’s no money. Please lend me 30 pounds and keep my box of wrappers.

The man sat me down and asked if I understood what my mother said. The man said he would not touch the box but would hold me responsible. He went in and counted 30 pounds and gave to me to hand over to my mother. He said I was the one to pay back the loan. I will never forget that experience.

But in less than one year, I won a scholarship by Eluelu County Council, and paid back the loan. At the close of the term, the Principal put the money in my pocket and tied it with rubber and asked me to return it to my mother. So, the scholarship took over my training until I got to Form 6 when my mother’s daughter who had qualifed as a nurse took over.

I have many of them like Chief Onyema Ugochukwu, Increase Chibueze, Tari Berebo, Joshua Udofia, Joe Nweke, Eme Mbonu, etc. Some of my friends are late and some still alive. We still relate very well except those who are late.

Ekanem Ita, my headmaster who eventually became the Registrar of the University of Ibadan; Professor Bid Okigbo, a moving encyclopedia. There’s no crop Okigbo didn’t know it’s botanical name.

I met my wife when I was at IITA Ibadan. She was then a nurse at the University College Hospital (UCH). I went to UCH to play table tennis with my friend, Osita Uwalaka. While we were there we saw some Igbo nurses, and when I saw my wife, I said: I like this one!. She assisted us locate somebody we were looking for and I asked her name and she told me. I later visited her and invited her over to IITA where I was a research fellow. We later became friends and I proposed to her. I later brought her to my mother at home and my mother said she would observe her. So, we later got married and the marriage is blessed with five lovely daughters.

I have made mistakes in many things I have done. At some point in time when I taught I was being cheated by Gov. Ognonnaya Onu, I revolted.

Well, I could have allowed them to do what they were doing but I felt they were being petty by sidelining people who were not from Afikpo zone. But when Ebonyi was carved out, the military Governor that came corrected the injustice that I was fighting. There were other mistakes I made in life but the only thing is that I have always corrected my mistakes.

I worked hard academically and I utilised that knowledge efficiently to establish the concept of performance. I would like to be remembered for speaking truth to power. I don’t know it all but the little I know, I know it well. I think this is also a legacy I will be remembered for.

I like fufu (swallow) with oha soup laden with isam (perry winkle) and soft dry fish. I like to take this with chilled beer. I also like una (yellow yam). I enjoy it very well. I also enjoy odudu (local black-eyed beans).

Yes I can prepare meals. I believe in boiling yam. I prepare egg source. My compound is leafy because I believe in the concept of agriculture.

It’s just God’s grace. I’m a sinner but God loves me. However, I recognise God in all I do. I try to be true and honest.ci don’t habour grudges. I simply walk up to people who offend me and confront them, and let go.

For fitness, I play table tennis any time I go to the US where there are facilities. I don’t engage in any routine physical exercise. I go to farm minimum of four times in a week and that’s my fitness exercise. I walk through the farm with my matchete property sharpened. I’m involved in pruning and in harvest. That’s enough exercise for me.

I’m a Christian. I’m a Methodist and I don’t joke with God. But I’m not a fanatic.

If people offend me, I confront them. I easily disagree with people based on principles and not on personal hatred or dislike. I have never stepped on toes in order to advance my own cause.

No, I will never. I looked at the dynamics and convergence of truth and the conflict of interest on the basis of which it became necessary that if no person was saying anything, I should speak the truth. So, I have no regrets whatsoever.

Yes, and I cannot complain. If the PDP ( Peoples Democratic Party in charge of the state then), had listened to me, and allowed equity to prevail, it would not have lost power.

I listened to Otti’s speech at Okporoenyi during a recent flag off of Okporoenyi road connecting Bende and kwuano, and I was happy. He said he came prepared, and I think we can see that. The Governor didn’t know I was at the event with some young men who came from abroad and said they were looking for a place to cultivate cassava. I took them their so we could see things for ourselves.

I saw that if we can link Bende to Okporoenyi, a cocoa area, and link it to Ikwuano, another cocoa area and then connect them with the vast arable lands from Onuanyim to Ozuitem and Ozuabam for cassava and rice, Abia will have more than it needs.

Yes but I will also challenge him to open his political space to allow for inputs from diverse sources, quality advice, intelligence etc to weigh in from others so he can have greater number of people from Abia, and that is the joy of leadership.

I can’t answer that because it’s still a long way, and the dynamics of politics of tomorrow are not open for us to see today.

They should bear no grudges; fear no man; have love for greater number of people; be honest to themselves; and speak truth to power at all times.

If God wants me to stay longer, I will be into human capacity building. I will spend that extra time and try to see if I can institutionalise a think tank, a centre I call ‘ ORCHID’ which I can only disclose during the unveiling. If I’m allowed to work with people who are thinking as I’m, I will build a regional centre that will allow us train human beings and give them the principles to develop Igbo land and Nigeria by extension.