Umuahia, Abia State – A young Nigerian, Udensi Bernard, has shared how a brief encounter with former Rivers State Governor and current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike (CON, GSSRS), changed his perspective on wealth and spending.
According to Bernard, the incident happened about three years ago in Aba during the commissioning of a flyover project that had stirred political controversy in Abia.
Bernard explained that he initially joined the event after seeing a friend’s Facebook live video. Through his elder brother, Ahamefula Israel, who was part of the media team of the late Prof. Uche Ikonne, he gained access and eventually found himself in the governor’s convoy.
The day’s activities later led him to a reception at the governor’s residence, where he had the opportunity to meet Wike and other G5 governors in the dinner room.
What struck him most, Bernard recounted, was not the grandeur of the event but Wike’s humility. Despite being a serving governor at the time, Wike’s mobile phone was visibly broken.
“That moment humbled me,” Bernard said. “I asked myself, if a governor can use a broken phone, why am I planning to waste money on a new iPhone? That day, I made up my mind to save and invest instead.”
He noted that the encounter, which lasted barely 10 seconds, reshaped his mindset on the difference between wants and needs, and convinced him that true wealth lies in investment, not flashy possessions.
