As soon as the newsmen on his prowl were ushered into his expansive office on that Thursday afternoon, he was already talking. "Which area do you want me to start and how do you want us to move; is it from politics in Anambra State to that of the entire nation before medical fields, or the other way round?" he probed, showing signs of someone in discourse labour.

He was truly pregnant of ideas, and as one who has been supervising baby delivery for more than two decades, he knows how to deliver, and in the end he delivered.

George Okpagu, a zoologist, medical doctor and president of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) between 1997 and 2000, belongs to the rare class of people who were neither born great, nor have greatness thrust upon them, but went extra miles to reach greatness in their chosen professions. His focus, vision, diligence, dedication and audacity catapulted him from ordinary son of 'a village carpenter' to an internationally renowned medical expert. Though he has traversed the medical world for 25 years, Okpagu is still on his strides, dedicated to his pursuit of excellence and contributing to a better society.

A man of rare intellect and morals, Okpagu truly ranks among eminent Nigerians that touch, positively, whoever crosses their path. Despite his busy schedules as a medical director in his private clinic in Lagos, Okpagu sacrificed his time and appointments for this encounter.

Any contact with the medical giant and renowned philanthropist is always an experience to relish. He cuts a picture if a 21st century Solomon who seems to have practical answers of every question at his finger tips. Though, not a legal expert, Okpagu proves not be found wanting in that area too.

The first question that was served him was the reason behind the celebration of July 10 as Liberation Day in Anambra and why he, a medical doctor, is patronising the Ngige Mandate Group, an organisation that is championing the (July 10) cause in the state.

The governorship flag bearer of the defunct United Nigerian Democratic Party (UNDP) stated:

"Ngige Mandate Group stands for liberation of Anambra State from the hands of political cabals whose business was to impose candidates on the state and use the person to milk the state dry. So, the failure of the 2003 abduction of Chris Ngige, then a sitting governor, resulted in massive development in Anambra; that is why we celebrate the date as Liberation Day of Anambrarians from the hands of unprogressive elements and political profiteers that held the state hostage for long."

He, however, observed that the fundamental problems of Anambra are caused by politicians who are more interested in lining their own purses instead of championing the cause of development in the state.

"All they want is to impose governor and other political leaders in the state, so that they will be the greatest beneficiaries of government contracts and explore other avenues to make money at the detriment of the state and its hapless citizens," he quipped.

According to him, the failure of that abduction saga and the subsequent giant strides of Dr. Ngige marked a turning point in the socio-political and economic condition of Anambra.

"Anambra State is now better than what we would have had, had it been that we allowed the godfathers to continue to impose governors on the people, without election. I must admit that we now have a democratic government in Anambra, with Peter Obi at the helm of affairs. The coming of Dr. Chris Ngige brought the power trading in Anambra to an end; as he concentrated on delivering the dividends of democracy to the people."

Okpagu, whose earlier foray into politics ended on a rather woeful note, said he went into politics because of the discovery that most political leaders were uninformed, unprepared and unfit to rule.

Said he: "I felt that if we kept running away from politics, we would be creating more rooms for those mediocre to continue to lead us. Having felt challenged, few of my colleagues and I decided to jump into the murky waters of politics."

Having operated from a medical field where leaders are chosen on merit and in a credible process, he later discovered the extent of the rot in the Nigerian electoral system after his governorship ambition under a defunct political platform, UNDP. It was then that his eyes were opened and he discovered that elections hardly took place in Nigeria, and winners emerged out of ballot boxes.

"Forget about all these claims and legal gymnastics that are taking place at the tribunals, there were no elections in this country. Anybody who is representing us was not elected, but rigged into office," he declared in a suppressed anger. "When I was into politics, I found out that those who are good, intellectually sound, humble and Godly as well as those who have the interest of the common people uppermost in their minds are the last set of people that will win any election in this country. The reason is that the polity has been hijacked by those set of people who have made money through crooked means."

He identified electoral fraud as the bane of political development in Nigeria.

"The moment Nigerians are allowed to choose their leaders through free and fair polls, every other problem can be easily taken care of in due time. So long we, the citizens, are not allowed to select leaders and reject them, we will still be searching for the Golden Fleece. As far as I am concerned, we have missed the golden opportunity to make Nigeria a very wonderful country. All we are doing now is damage control," he declared.

On the Niger Delta crisis, Okpagu believes that it is only dialogue and not military action that can solve the problem and bring lasting peace to the oil-rich region.

"Has the use of military force changed the crisis in Iraq?" he asked rhetorically. "It's not going to work, not just in Nigeria but anywhere in the world, because it does not take into cognisance the interest and contributions of the affected people. The painful part of the Niger Delta crisis is that it is the revenue base of the nation. For the problem to be solved amicably, the people of the Niger Delta must be appeased and made to be the major beneficiaries of their God-given mineral wealth. There is no reason Niger Deltans should suffer more than others who are not producing oil in Nigeria."

Okpagu vowed to steer clear of political contests until the political space has been rid of corruption and do-or-die politics.

"I am not ready for politics now until we have a credible electoral system in place. All I want to do, with the grace of God, is to redeem Nigeria from the current socio-political and economic problems. I am more concerned with seeing Nigeria become a country where every one, irrespective of tribe, sex or religious background, will feel belonged and be given maximum opportunity to live and enjoy life to the fullest," he said.

"If I am appointed to serve in a particular field where I know I have suitable experience in, I may go there to serve, provided they give me the free hand to effect a change which is uppermost in my mind. I will make sure that it will no longer be business as usual; corruption would stop while fundamental human rights would be respected."

He believes that leaders Nigeria needs at the moment are the progressive breed that can champion the cause of liberating the masses and the downtrodden from the shackles of poverty, illiteracy and disease. According to him, this is what Ngige represents that makes him stand shoulder higher than his peers in the country.

"He is somebody whose talk vibrates and statement tries to capture the fundamental things that will help the common man and instil good governance in the state. And the plan to abduct him while in office was because he refused them access into the state treasury, and insistence that he will not part with tax-payers' money," Okpagu maintained.

Okpagu attributed the tragedy that rocked the recent recruitment exercise by the Nigerian Immigration Service, in which some applicants lost their lives, to administrative ineptitude and corruption.

"It is very unfortunate that such incident happened," he began, adding that the attempt by the Nigerian Immigration to absolve itself of blame after that incident was unfair.

"We all know that the greatest problem we have in this country is indiscipline and corruption in all sectors; and that it is possible for one to obtain any form of certificate from the roadside joints, popularly known as Oluwole (fake). Most of the certificates of fitness presented by those candidates were not genuine," he noted.

He advised that in subsequent recruitment exercises, "The Immigration authority should streamline the screening exercise by having accredited hospitals in at least all the senatorial zones in the federation where all the applicants must go for screening before taking part in the exercise, so as to ensure that only those fit enough took part in the exercise."

Born into a very humble family in Nimo in Njikoka Local Government of Anambra State, Okpagu describes himself as the luckiest man on earth, having passed through the tortuous road in his childhood before cruising into affluence.

"I am the luckiest person on earth; God helped me and my entire family to become what we are today. If somebody had told me that I would one day rise to the position of NMA president, I would'nt have believed, but God made it possible. It is God who has sustained all of us, including my father - 86 years old now, an ordinary carpenter who retired from the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) - and my mother - now 75, and a petty trader- who are still alive. Sometimes, I wonder whether God created any other person on the day He created me," Okpagu stated in obvious gratitude to God.

A graduate of Zoology from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) in 1978, the Medical Director of Zolace Clinic, Surulere, Lagos, who is also a member of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, (NIPSS), Guru Jos, is married with kids.

The sixty-five year old doctor believes that true measure of a man's greatness is not in material possession, but lives touched positively, the extent of which he may never know. He wants to invest his life in saving the lives of the ordinary people as well as reshaping the socio-political and economic condition of Nigeria. He is a patron of Ngige Mandate Group.