Encounter with Patricia Etteh’s ‘husband’ 27/10/2007


Okwy Iroegbu
Guess who was in the house? That seemed to be the thought of the participants at the 20th AGM / Conference of the Nigeria Institution of Structural Engineers (Nistrute) at Lagos Airport Hotel Ikeja when the august visitor was introduced. On his introduction by the master of ceremony (MC), people threw glances at one another with the "that is him" look. It turned out to be him, "the elusive personality, Reverend (Engineer) Etteh I. I. Etteh. On his part, he acknowledged the cheers and exchanged banters with some senior engineers while waving to those he couldn’t shake personally, with the younger engineers looking in admiration.



Rev. Eng. Etteh is an enigma of sorts in the engineering profession, almost everybody wanted to have a chance to either chat him up or have a photo session with him.

Dressed in a smart black suit with a matching tie and shoe, he walked smartly and briskly, not at any point betraying his age which the MC gave as 70 . At the mention of his age this also led to hushed discussion with some swearing under their breath that the man must be much less as there was no trace of aging except for few grey strands on his hair. The MC did a good job in his introduction, saying that he is not only an engineer of high repute and several years standing, but one that is selfless and who has mentored hundreds of engineers in the country and sent countless people abroad for higher education, without personally knowing who their parents were. This is also confirmed by a visit to the office of Nigeria Society of Engineers (NSE) at Victoria Island where his achievement in the field of engineering and philanthropic gestures dominate the notice board of the institute. The alleged husband of the embattled House of Representatives Speaker, Mrs Patricia Etteh is a gentle man personified and soft spoken, wearing a habitual smile. In his paper on collapsed building and how to check same, he rapped the government on corruption in the construction sector, delivering his paper with vigor, excitement and the confidence of somebody familiar with his terrain. He admonished engineers on integrity and ethics in the profession and gave knocks on the government for not patronizing indigenous engineers on jobs they are qualified to handle in the country.

He took time to give account of himself and his philanthropy, saying that it is on record that many engineers have passed through his tutelage and sponsorship. "This year alone I have sent three different people abroad without asking for their state of origin."

Rev. Etteh I. I. Etteh in his conclusion encouraged Nigerians to shun ethnicity and tribalism as according to him that is the only way the nation can move forward

http://www.thenationonlineng.com/dynamicpage.asp?id=35502

He did not coment on the saga in the NA about his wify huh.

if u call him a gentleman, i will not be surprise as most gentlemen get married to etrrorist women.
i hope he knows that his wife is a robber. if she operates on roads, she will be likened to people like shina rambo