Mrs. Maryanne Moghalu, the beautiful wife of Professor Kingsley Chiedu Moghalu, former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank and Presidential candidate of the YPP in the 2019 Presidential elections. Mrs. Moghalu is a lawyer and social entrepreneur, who is the Executive Director of the Isaac Moghalu Foundation that the Moghalu family established in 2005 in memory of the family patriarch Isaac Moghalu. She speaks on his love for music and more.
How would you describe your husband?
A God-fearing man.
Having been married for over 25 years, what are some of the things you enjoy doing together?
Talking. We spend a lot of time talking. Well, he talks mostly and I listen. We watch movies. He likes action movies and I like mystery/crime. Sometimes we spend more time choosing the movie to watch than watching the actual movie. We also tend to go out a lot. He likes eating out. We also go on walks together.
Which of his personality traits do you think the children have taken after?
Sense of responsibility and honesty. My husband is very frank. You always know where you stand with him. Before we got married, I used to say to myself, ‘Nawa for this guy o!’ But I like it. The children tend to speak up too. It makes for some very interesting moments for us as Nigerian parents.
Has been his wife opened or closed doors for you?
I will say it has opened doors. We have had a very interesting career. I say ‘we’ because I educate myself on the subject matter of every job he gets, so when he talks about it, I can understand. I gave up my career when we got married and he has been very good at “carrying me along,” as we say in Nigeria. Some of the positions have been very high profile and in different countries, so you get to meet some very important people.
Describe your husband in three words
Passionate, loyal, focused.
What is his relationship with his children like?
Oh, very good. He is an excellent father. He is a role model for the boys, and he believes in ‘do as I do.’ He is very firm with them in instilling proper values. They see how hard he works and how he puts God first. He adores our daughter. Well, they adore each other. Most times I have to put my foot down or she would have her way always. But I like that they are close. It makes a girl very self-assured and confident. He tries to make out time to spend quality time with them. We go out a lot as a family, to restaurants, movies, walks. Sunday lunch out has been a family tradition for a long time.
If he wasn’t into politics, what other career do you think he would have excelled in?
Academia
While growing up, children tend to be mischievous and need to be constantly cautioned, what phrase does your husband use to caution the children or even you? What are his favourite caution words or actions?
Hmmm! When the children were younger, we had “Mr do-good.” The mere mention of it tended to very quickly correct the erring child. Now that they are older, they sit and talk.
For myself, well, when two learned people live together there are bound to be fireworks. He calls me “dearest.” So when he calls me by my full name, Onyinyechi, I know I am in real trouble.
How does he relax?
Reading and writing. He is always writing. I joke that he is the only person I know who picks up a pen and finishes the ink and then picks up another one. He also likes dancing, even though we say he has only one dance step. During the campaigns, he learned shaku shaku. My daughter has been trying to help him perfect it. I’m not sure how successful she has been. He likes music. Apparently, he wanted to be a musician. He likes Tom Jones. One day, I was surprised he was humming Tiwa Savage’s Eminado.
What is his favourite sport?
Table tennis, I think. He doesn’t get to play it much now. But he also enjoys basketball and cycling.
What is your husband’s favourite food?
Ethiopian food, Asian food, moimoi, fried yam. It is hard to say. He is a very picky eater. I have over 30 cookery books from all over the world, and I enjoy making new things for him. When we go out, he would always say, “Dearest, taste this so that you can make it for me at home.” So I have developed a very discerning palate.
What are his favourite books and TV programmes?
He reads everything. Fiction and non-fiction. He likes autobiographies of great leaders. He watches news and comedy, as well as discovery and history channels. Lately, he stumbled upon ROKTv and watched quite a few Nigerian movies. RMD and Mama G are amongst some of his favourite stars.
What’s that one positive thing people don’t know about your husband?
He is very compassionate. He doesn’t like to see people suffering. He gets quite frustrated when he can’t do much to help. We set up the Isaac Moghalu Foundation, which I run, to give access to education to indigent children in rural areas. We currently have 15 children on scholarship in SS3. We started with them from JSS1. The first three we did have graduated from college.
Which of his parenting methods do you cherish and would like to share?
He likes to allow everyone to air their views on a topic, then he makes the decision. Most times it will be what he wanted to do from the onset, which annoys me, but then, I can say I told you so if his plan doesn’t work out. The children like being heard, and when it’s really important to them, he listens and adopts their ideas.
What do you cherish most about your husband?
Oh wow! His faithfulness, dedication and commitment to God and family. He is very dependable and would rather go without to make sure the family have what they need. He is very romantic – flowers and chocolate kind of guy. He is a great communicator about his feelings, likes and dislikes. No guesswork there. I like that he can say I’m sorry when he realises he has upset me. We may not always agree on everything, but we can talk about everything and he values my opinion. He is my best friend.
When he is bothered, how does he try to resolve it?
First, he prays, then we talk about it. He has a lot of friends who are older than him; so sometimes he calls them to get advice.
When he is at his lowest, what do you do to console him?
I listen and encourage him.
What are his best encouraging words?
My husband had a very close relationship with his father and was greatly influenced by him. So, it usually starts with, “My father always used to say…’’ Then he will advise you based on what the issue is, and he will say you can do it.
What life lessons have you learnt from him?
Perseverance. He is a finisher. He puts his all into everything he does. And he is rarely double-minded about what he wants. Once he has decided on what to do, he approaches it with laser focus. He does not like to procrastinate.
I have also learnt resilience from him. If it doesn’t work out, he is not afraid to redo it or to very quickly move on to something else. He is constantly learning. Faith is also something I have learnt from him. He is fully convinced that having tried his best if it doesn’t work out, then it isn’t what God wants for him at that time. No matter how many times he is disappointed, his faith in God is unwavering. It never ceases to amaze me. His middle name is Chiedu – led by God.
