INTERVIEW WITH MR SAMSON IGBOKWE BACKGROUND
Tell us a bit about your background – childhood, family & educational. I come from a polygamous Christian family, with my late father having two wives. My mother was the first wife and she had nine children (six boys and three girls), while the second wife had eight chil dren (three boys and five girls). Despite our family structure, we shared meals from a communal pot. My father, a devote Christian, would wake us up at 5 am for morning prayers at CMS Church. Whenever any of us misbehaved, my father would wait for us to go to bed and then wake the offender to administer appropriate discipline. Regarding my education, I attended St. Andrew Primary School, Okeruwa, but because I was playful and did not take my academics seriously, I was de moted to Primary Two instead of progressing to Primary Four. I later improved and began achieving top positions in class until the outbreak of the Nigerian Civil R War in 1967. During the war, my siblings and I relocated to our village, and we returned in 1970 afD ter it ended. With the lost years, my father enrolled S me in Primary Six at Ebenezer Primary School, and I eventually gained admission to St Patrick’s SecF | 23 |
ondary School, Iwaro Oka. I pursued a B.Pharm degree at the University of Ife (now OAU) and selffunded my MBA at the University of Lagos.
“Despite our family structure, we shared meals from a communal pot. My father, a devote Christian, would wake us up at 5 am for morning prayers at CMS Church.” Is there any way your upbringing has influenced your choice of charity? Are there other charity organizations you volunteer for? My involvement in charity work stems from childhood experiences and my Christian faith. As a child, my late father would give us money for church offerings every Sunday, and I observed the kindness and assistance provided by both my parents, especially during Christmas. Upon embracing Christianity in adulthood and learning from Bishop Mike Okonkwo, I discovered the greater blessing in giving than receiving and the value of being a cheerful giver. Although I am not affiliated with any other charity organization, while in Nigeria, my wife and I would occasionally give gifts to old people’s homes, support less privileged individuals in Ebute Meta Lagos, and assist widows in our church. A QUARTERLY MAGAZINE
