Man who served 10 Imo governors

Ezinna High Chief Longi Anunwa (KSJI) aka Umunumo for over 30 years was saddled with performing culinary duties for successive military and civilian governors of Imo State. He speaks about the men behind the mask. In this report, Correspondent, ANGELA NKWO-AKPOLU of The Authority in Owerri, tells the story of one silent influencer of Imo Douglas House.

Ezinna High Chief Longi Anunwa, a Knight of Saint John International, popularly referred to as Chief Umunumo, is from Umuchoko, Umunumo in Ehime Mbano local government area of Imo State. He started his steward careers from Lagos in 1971n with the First Secretary of Switzerland Embassy. “I served three of them from 1971 to 1976. Later, I joined the Apostolic Nuncio Papal delegates as Chief Steward from 1976 to 1978. When I returned home for Christmas and saw an advert in the papers by Imo State government for recruitment as cooks and stewards, I applied. Surprisingly, I got invitation for an interview and I attended. All these happened during the Christmas cum New Year period. I was successful out of over 20 applicants; I emerged the best and remember that at this time, Abia had not been carved out of Imo State. I resumed work on January 5th, 1979”.
He remembers vividly that during the interview, it was discovered from his resume that he had worked with high ranking officials, “so they posted me to the Lodge. I resumed work as bedroom staff of Col Sunday Ajibade (rtd). He was the then Military Administrator of Imo State. Though there were military personnel attending to him, I handled his food and drinks”.
Aside from this occupant of Government House as at then, he had served several other mightly men of power, then number one citizens of the state. According to him, “I served Colonel Sunday Adeniyi, Chief Sam Mbakwe, Gen Ike Nwachukwu, Amadi Ikwechegh, Navy Captain Aguguo, Evan Enwerem, Aneke, Tanko Zubairu, Ebere Udeagu (Deputy Governor), and Chief Ikedi Ohakim for a few months before I retired”.
Even with these rare opportunity, he did not have the opportunity to provide for the stomach of the following: “Commodore Ndubisi Kanu, Lawal, Chief Achike Udenwa, because I was posted to his Deputy and incumbent Owelle Rochas Okorocha.
Given the tendency for people to bite the fingers that fed them not minding the consequences and the current push to commit atrocities, even to one’s relations, there certainly should be the fears by these top politicians, who keep battling for survival years after they had been elected. To this end, one would not be surprised if governors suspect they could be poisoned. Therefore, if they constantly insist that the cook or steward takes a bite of the food they were to be served, moments before they tale such food, it will not be out of place.
When this reporter asked Anunwa if he faced such experiences, he said: “Oh no, over time, the official built trust in us. They realized that our duty was to make sure that whatever they collected from us was safe, so they didn’t have any fears eating our food.
“Competence is very key in this job. If you have competent hands, then it cannot happen. We as cooks and stewards understand that we are the first kitchen of the state. Infact if any President, Governor, or any class of guests tells you thank you for your hospitality, it is because of us that, that guest made such compliments. So competence is key. During my time, we were not employed based on relationship or sentiments but purely on competence. You don’t bring in questionable characters to such places but am speaking of the practice while I was still in service”.
It has become fashionable for hangers-on and aides of top government officials to label perceived superior person as serving the whims of the opposition party and personalities. It therefore became natural that we asked the same question. During the Obasanjo/Atiku regime, such insinuation almost mared the polity. To this he stated: “In our days, there was no suspicion of working the the opposition camp. Dee Sam didn’t mind where you came from. They didn’t care so long as you knew your job. As the
senior ones, we conducted seminars where we taught the younger ones the values attached to their duties. On three occasions, we invited officers of the Department of State Services (DSS) to talk to us about security matters connected with our job, because by the nature of our job, we should always be security conscious.
“I can tell you that whether we are trained outside or not, we knew our job was to secure our boss. If a person can wake up anytime to ask you for food without questions, that for me is the highest expression of trust. All through my years in service, I never witnessed any incident or allegation of missing money, clothes, purse, or even deflated tyres. Our orientation was that no matter their concerns, anytime they are around us, the kitchen and lodge should be fortified as it relates to their stomach and convenience”.
Anunwa who retired in 2009 equally recounted that despite of stories of unprofessional conduct by Policemen, they are very cautious at Government Houses, especially with colleagues and other people who attend to the personal needs of the principal. “Only once did a policeman tried to assault a cook for not attending to him promptly but we were around and stopped him immediately,” he said.
On his impression of Military Administrators who operated as sole admin-istrators, he stated: “During the military era, people assumed that they were hard people but in reality, they were actually nice and friendly. Some of them took counsel from us, knowing that we told them the truth”.
And among the civilian governors, he declared “Chief Sam Mbakwe was my best. Dee Sam won’t take advice from his Commissioners, rather he sent us to the field to find out how the people were receiving his policies and programmes. We went out to find out what the people wanted and he implemented them. Perhaps, that is why he is considered the best Imo governor so far.
“Though there were different strokes for different governors. What matters is what they were to us, generally speaking, all of them were good, but Dee Sam is my best. If you go to my village, you will see his full portrait in my sitting room. He practically stole my heart. He was my big man from Obowo. I called him Obowoan while he called me Umunumo, and that was how the name stuck and took my real name. Many people don’t even know my real name, Umunumo just stuck and every successor addressed me as such, perhaps they thought it was my name. Now, everyone knows me as Chief Umunumo.
“In short, I call him everything good. He took care of his domestic staff. Nobody that served him can talk bad about him. Even his wife used to have meetings with our wives, to discuss how to advance women and our fami-lies. The Mbakwes saw the people around them as their first kindred. Dee Sam used to tell us stories about himself and encouraged us to work hard to achieve our dreams”.
Speaking about the first ladies, he still gave Mrs. Mbakwe numero uno scores. Said he: “All of them were very good but Lady Mbakwe is best. She is down to earth, a mother, a counselor, everything good you can think of. Cooks and stewards liked her particularly because she eats with us, she was eating our own food from the general kitchen. In fact she was one of us. Lady Mbakwe was not a tribalist. Both of them played parental roles”.
On whether he had at any time been insulted or abused so as to be moved to resign from the job, he added, “I never thought of that. I never received any threat, query, or insult. For the 32 years I worked there, I was never maltreated or molested. I think it was more of a calling for me to serve such people, so I gave it my all. You could never complain about my service to you”.
To excell in ones career, he maintained “it is good to discover your talent. Actu¬ally, during the civil war, I worked for a kinsman who established a restaurant here in Owerri called Survival hotel in those days. I worked there as a helper, just help¬ing to run errands and did anything to make the place grow; maybe that served as an inspiration to seek a ca¬reer in hospitality world.
“I put in everything in whatever I do. I never had any fracas as a result of my interaction with any sitting governor, even when I some¬times chipped in a small counsel. Maybe it is destiny or luck, I had a great career even with their support staff like ADC and other staff”.
He advised Cooks and stewards to be more thorough and diligent stressing that they have no timetable and even though they could know expect when to resume work they might not predict when the day’s assignments would come to an end on a daily basis. “As a superior officer, you must wait for your boss to return before you close. If he stayed up late, you have to do the same, especially when he stayed up to hold meetings. Bible says blessed is the servant who stays up while his master is up”.
It is now in vogue for employers of labour and even prospective employees to go about collecting letters of recommendation from top political office holders, solicing for employment. In fact, it hhas become unwritten convention for offices to request for recommendation before one could be employed. Anunwa detests this phenomenon. He said: “As for me, no form of note collection to open doors outside. I didn’t see the need. All I believed was to serve my master the best way possible, and I made every effort. I never got any tip, if any of them says otherwise, let him or her speak up, I am still alive to respond for myself. I never got any command promotion or posting.
“In fact former Head of State, Gen Yakubu Gowon (rtd) on one occasion when he visited after leaving office, requested that I should be nominated for national honours for faithfully serving over 10 governors without query. The then governor he told this is still alive today but I never heard anything again about that suggestion or recommendation.
“My family understands what my job demands. Sometimes we traveled with them like Dee Sam loved to visit almost every autonomous community, and then Abia State was still part of Imo”.
Even in retirement, he said “I took up events management, people who know me contract me to handle burial or marriage ceremonies for them, since it is something I know like the back of my hand, because hospitality is my service, talent, time, experience, everything about me. I cook for my family. Now all our kids have moved out to chase their own dreams. I cook for my wife. Though I’m more of a continental cook, many people still come around to eat “oyinbo food”.