Q: Please tell us about yourself
I was born in Lagos. My mother and father are from Asaba in Delta. I learnt to speak Asaba dialect from home. My father was in Customs, he was transferred to Calabar. My first awareness of surroundings was in Calabar. First, they brought teachers who taught us at home, just before I was five. I started school in Sacred Heart Catholic School, Calabar. My father was a Catholic. He had been in St Gregory Grammar School. In those days, in only King's College, could you take school certificate or London matriculation. All others couldn't do more than Junior Cambridge. He taught briefly in St Gregory Grammar School before he went into Customs. My Pedagogue , Mr Patrick took me to school, with a letter from my dad and handed me over to the school. Instead of spending three years, I had a double promotion. Then, they insisted you touch your ear. When I was due for Standard one, my hand still couldn't reach my ear, because of the size of my head but my dad insisted I progressed.
I later moved to Opoju Training Institute, which was started by the Scottish in the previous century, in the 1890s. Opoju was a comprehensive institute. I had grammar school section, agricultural section, printing section and lots more. After Standard four, I came back to Lagos. My father had his house in Ebute-meta, Trans street. He put me in St Paul's Catholic School, Ebute-meta, where the HM was Chief Odunjo, who later became a minister in Awolowo's first administration. Chief Odunjo is the author of Alawaye, a book for teaching Yoruba to school children.
In 1945, I passed the Entrance exams into King's College. January 1946, just before I was twelve, I entered King's College. The maximum age was thirteen. In King's College, vernacular was prohibited, hence , my Efik language was receded. Almost all the Masters were whites. There was a strike in King's College, during the World War II , the British army officers took over King's College, so the boarding house was relocated to one type of hotel , in Customs street. They didn't like it, so there was a strike by the boys. The lawyers then consulted, they didn't like what the British did. They conscripted some of the sixth form people into the army and that led to the formation of NCNC , as a party for every language. It was an assembly of parties and all the leading lawyers. Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe had been in NYM, in opposition to Herbert Macaulay's NNDP, against the colonial. It was anti-british government in the Lagos. Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe's paper, West African Pilot started in Accra Ghana as African Morning Post. Because of one editorial, the British nearly killed him, for sedition. West African Pilot was the key to Nigerian National Youth Movement. It had been inspired by Voitre. I once ran for president against obasanjo in 1998. I used to read the Pilot to semi-literates, cooks , stewards.
In those days, you could be either a doctor or a lawyer, but I was interested in politics. In fact, one of my nicknames was 'African Messiah' . My idea was to study Law. My father died when I was sixteen. I was still in King's College. I changed my plan, and applied to study Economics. College was so good, we had stewards who made our beds. My bedroom was in the attic, my sitting room was on the first floor. We entered in September, in winter. My father had some thick blankets which I used.
After Oxford, I went to London County Council as an employee. After King's College and Queen's College, I didn't find it comfortable waking up early, going to find food, the loo and behold. They advertised in 1956, the first crop of group Career Diplomats, which I found attractive. I applied and was interviewed. I succeeded. I came to Lagos. I started work on Monday. People used to refer to me as 'ọmọdé kan tí wọ́n fún ní senior service' (a child that was given senior service job)

Q: What was your first job
A: London County Council
Q: How do your balance your work and your life
A: The job wasn't demanding. I joined the Lagos African Cricket Club, so I played cricket, tennis, squash . My first assignment was in the external affairs division of the Chief's secretary office. The divisions became basis of ministries a year or two later.
Q: Your favorite food, dessert and Snack
A: These days, appetite has gone down. I like well prepared jollof rice, rice , chips, potatoes baked with skin, excellent pepper soup, not heavy and of course all Nigerian soups, okra, well cooked banga, mixed vegetables and egusi, with little eba. I like soups with a lot of vegetables.
Q: How did you meet your Spouse
A: My wife has two elder sisters, one was friendly with my classmate, Soji. My wife was ten years younger than me. We used to play around. When I came back from foreign posting, Soji and I used to go to there. We became friends. Many people thought I wasn't going to marry . I didn't intend to marry before forty like the Irish, but I ended up marrying at the age of thirty. We are married for about sixty years. She is a very good Catholic.
Q: How many children do you have
A: We have seven children, three girls, four boys and twelve grandchildren.
Q: Did any of them follow in your footsteps, career wise
A: No. Before they grew up, the civil service was destroyed, but the youngest one is very interested in public affairs.
Q: What experiences have you had in your life that you’d say have shaped you to be the person you are today
A: Anything that encourages self discipline, the ability to preserve is something, I have learnt. If at first, you don't succeed, try again. We read quotes on school walls , such as , a stitch in time, saves nine. We read them and it registers in the subconscious. We read books. I had a very happy childhood and grew up when Nigeria was still encouraging. I wish I could go back to then, for the children's sake.
Q: What one thing do wish you could go back in time and do all over again
A: There's nothing really that I would like to undo, but I wish that, what we set in the 1975-1980 plan, that if the coup had continued, Nigeria would have merged from third world to first world status, by the turn of last century. We had hoped that Nigeria would do for the black race , what the Japanese did for the yellow race. Then , the Japanese used to be looked down on by the Americans, until they campaigned against it. They sent children abroad, learnt technology, built up their own military prowess and defeated the Russians in the war of 1905.
We must go back to this idea of first world status and global significance. We can only go back to it, in a merit craving system. What make sad is that, some of the people who won prices , under the brilliant system like Jubril, invented Nomadic education, running after cow. Within five years of a merit driven system, people would stand up and pursue it. What one had hoped for in 1970, I would have introduced a language policy, wherever you are starting school, you learn the local language. Every individual must be able to learn at one Nigerian language.

Q: How is your relationship with God
A: I go church every Sunday. I keep the ten commandments and observe the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church.
Q: If you could pick 3 people to have a conversation with either living or dead, who would they be
A: Voltaire, Confucius, Thomas Jefferson
Q: What are your happiest moments
A: One of it was the first day my father dropped me at King's College, it was on a Monday. One of my dramatic moments was my dislike for egusi and efo( melon and vegetable soup). Whenever it was cooked at home, another soup would be prepared for me. When it was served to me in King's College, boiled yam and vegetable soup, I waited for my soup to be changed , but none did, till lunch was over. In the evening, rice , dodo(fried plantains) and efo(vegetables) was again served. I ate it all, because of hunger. When I got home during the holiday, they were surprised to see me eating efo riro. One of the saddest things is hearing that my father died. I was at the top of the class and I would have loved him to see that. Polygamy was another thing I experienced. My father had two houses, the other woman said , I was going to sell the house, so as to go to England, and hired some lawyers. The lawyer wrote to me about selling the house. I told him, I was sixteen and cannot sell a house. My father is Philip Chibuzor, and I am Philip Chiwendu. One house was apportioned to the other woman, one was handed over to us, where we stayed with my father.
I wish my father didn't die when he died, at the age of 47. I wished that my mother didn't die when she died, at the age of 68.

Q: Beef or Chicken or Fish
A: These days, chicken is water and Nigerian beef is tough.
Q: Hot or Cold weather
A: Cold
Q: Morning, Afternoon or Night
A: Early morning, before sun rise.
Q: Sweet or spicy foods
A: Spicy
Q: Read, Watch TV or Listen to music to relax
A: I like listening to music, classical music.
Q: Iphone or Android
A: Android
Q: Native, Formal or Casual clothes
A: I dress as the occasion requires.
Q: Window seat or aisle on a plane
A: Window
Q: Europe, Asia or North America to visit
A: Asia, but there's no place I won't like to go.
Q: Going out or staying home
A: Going out

Q: Please can you give us 3 people that we can interviews as well
A: Okunu, Shamshudeen, Ambassador Olise Emeka, Amb Judith Ada, Aremo Olusegun Osoba.
Q: Please can you give some advice to the young people coming behind you
A: Young people should unite agree that only one person can be president. Let us have a programme which will implement without interruption. Within three to four years of governance, the whole country, the world would applaud. I'm still hopeful. Youths should be united under a circular governance, freedom of religion for individuals, language policy, good schools, good teacher training, return to trade schools we used to have.
We don't need this billionaire status. You don't have to go into governance to be on Forbes' list , you go into governance because, you're motivated by public service, patriotism. You don't to be a billionaire to be happy. If you have shelter for yourself and your children, good schools, good roads, good health care, that is what the average man needs. We must help people whom we can trust, when they say something, they mean it.