Celebrating A Banking Colossus, Marc Wabara, at 70

By ThankGod Ntaku, Communications Expert and Media Director to Sir Marc Wabara

In his home, very recently, when he came to revalidate his membership of the All Progressives Congress, APC, he had asked his little cousin how old she thought he was when the girl said he was looking young, and the girl, after a while said he was sixty-five and the guests who were present burst into laughter. He quickly told the girl that she must have been right in saying that he looked young considering that she had removed good five years from his age. That is how close Chief Sir Marc Inyanagbo Wabara is with his relations at his hometown, Ohambele in the Ukwa East local government area of Abia State.

Wabara, known for his wit, has every cause to remain grateful to God, as he turns 70 years today. A man who has the rare privilege of being an all-rounded Nigerian, having come from the South East, schooled in the North and South West, speaks Ibo and Yoruba languages fluently, and passable Hausa can only be full of thanksgiving for the grace of God upon his life.

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His vast experiences in life, having worked with the Nigerian Ports Authority, Mobil Producing Nigeria, Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, New York, and the banking sector where he rose to the enviable position of Chairman / Chief Executive Officer, prepared him to make a foray into party politics. Twice he sought the ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), believing, erroneously, that politics was like the business sector where people were selected based on competence, excellence, intelligence, and other sterling qualities.

The desire to continuously render services to people informed his decision to defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in February 2018. It was jubilation for his people of Ukwa, who immediately queued behind him, as they remembered that the man, as Chairman of the defunct Hallmark Bank, devoted time to Human Capital Development of his people, gave scholarships to indigent students, and single-handed tarred the road leading to his community. Little wonder then that he flew the Senatorial flag of the APC in the 2019 general elections.

Wabara’s entry into the APC, no doubt, has strengthened the party in the Ukwa East / Ukwa West Federal Constituency, Abia South, and Abia State in general.

As a Chieftain and Leader of the APC, he has always continued to preach the message of peace, love, and unity. Speaking with newsmen in February 2020, Wabara highlighted the fact that the absence of unity of purpose affected the APC negatively during the 2019 elections. He identified unity as the strongest element needed to deliver Abia State to the APC and added that it would be difficult for any organisation to make meaningful progress when some of its members were working at cross purposes.

Some people say that Sir Wabara is not a politician. Could this assertion be true of a man, who has been involved, directly and indirectly, in political activities since 1999 – more than two decades?. The answer obviously is no, but there is no smoke without fire, they say. For a man, who believes in not reneging on arrangements, commitments, all in the name of politics, such a man may conveniently be described as not being a politician by some. Many politicians, we see, are people who say one thing today and within twenty-four hours after, they are caught doing something different. This, really distinguishes Sir Marc Wabara from many politicians, as he loves following agreements to the letter and frowns deeply at betrayals of common trust. A man who, at different fora, has described himself as a professional in politics and not a professional politician. Have these attributes helped him so much politically, one is tempted to ask?.

The Sir Wabara that this writer knows, is usually fulfilled when he does things that keep his conscience at rest, and loves doing good to people whether they are close to him or not. I still remember, with a sense of nostalgia, when in 2001, after I had resigned from a leading international courier company as Marketing Manager to co-found a new one, that I, my wife and colleague of mine (May God continue to rest his soul) visited Sir Marc, as Chairman of a bank, without an appointment, the quality of reception that was accorded us. My wife has not forgotten how we were served food and assorted drinks. This type of reception has remained till today.

In spite of his many achievements, including being the Chairman of an oil and gas company, Overt Energy Ltd, Sir Wabara, has remained a modest personality. A firm believer of God’s word, he talks about grace all the time, obviously knowing that the Bible says, “for by strength shall no man prevail”.