Mrs. Rosemary Waku is the Head of Information and Public Relations Unit of the Federal University of Agriculture (FUAM) Makurdi. She is also the wife of Senator Joseph Kennedy Waku who is currently the Pro-Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology Akure, Ondo State. In this interview, she talks about her husband’s soft nature, and how his name has attracted her goodwill.
Daily Trust: What kind of person would you say Senator Waku is?
Mrs. Rosemary Waku: Senator Joseph Kennedy Waku, my husband, is a very lovely man. He is a humble, committed family man, generous, accommodating and loves people. So, our house is home for everybody. All extended family members are welcome anytime, any day and he is particularly concerned that they feel at home in his house.
DT: And what is it like being married to him?
Rosemary: Marriage to Senator Waku has trained me to love people because he loves people. As a wife, you have to love people to be happy otherwise you will remain angry.
DT: What are those things he does to keep his family together?
Rosemary: My husband being a politician is not always at home but the few times he stays at home with his family are memorable. He creates time for everybody, including the children and I, to catch up with all the time we had lost. We will gist about everything. He would play with the children and each person would tell him what they have been doing with their lives while he was away. He enters the children’s bedroom one after the other to talk with each of them. Though he is a father that doesn’t stay at home all the time, he is however a darling parent. I’m the disciplinarian – the mother that bothers the kids all the time and he is the caring dad.
DT: At what point did you realise that your husband was a popular and prominent Nigerian?
Rosemary: Senator Waku is popular in a positive way. Wherever I call his name by way of introducing myself or I’m introduced as Mrs. Waku, doors open. People get up to say, ‘oh, I’ve met the man; I love the man and happy to meet you’. I get warm reception because I’m his wife. What many people, friends or colleagues don’t know about him is that I have a high supportive friend in him. Whatever I want to do, he supports me. If I want to go to school or attend a course within the country or abroad, even when it is at the University of Agriculture where I work, whether he is sponsoring me or not, he is ever ready to take his place in contributing to my success. I cherish that attribute of his. For him, I should have earned my doctorate degree by now to become Dr. Mrs Waku but I’m just reluctant to get back to school yet.
DT: What exactly gets him upset and why?
Rosemary: He hates lies, dishonesty and injustice. When someone is treated unfairly, he gets angry and he could slap a person for that. When he senses injustice, it makes him wild and angry.
DT: What makes him happy?
Rosemary: He is happy when people are happy. He loves to see people eat and makes sure that nobody goes hungry. He wants to see peoples’ needs met. He is a selfless person such that his targets are usually to make people happy and in that way he is fulfilled.
DT: His lowest moment?
Rosemary: As a politician, this should be when things are not all right. Like I said earlier, he hates unfairness and injustice and these are rampant in politics. Perhaps, somebody wins an election and they give it to another, he gets very sad. Things like manipulation of popular candidates, especially where no elections were held and results are announced. At such times, he feels so unhappy.
DT: What would you want to change about him if given the opportunity?
Rosemary: I would say he should trust people less in politics because lots of people he held in trust have turned around to be disloyal and out rightly worked against him. I would say in his next coming, he should trust God more.
DT: What virtue of him have you imbibed over the years?
Rosemary: He has taught me humility over the years. Also, he has taught me the act of charity and to love everyone because you may not know which of those you loved will turn out to be your helper.
