The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
By Agnes E. Nantaba
Sydney Asubo is the Executive Director of Financial Intelligence Authority (FIA). He spoke to Agnes E. Nantaba
Any three things we don’t know about you?
Interesting;many people don’t know that I was a skilled footballer; I used to play left back and occasionally in goal. I also have a team I sponsor on the side of women called Gafford Girls Academy. I have distaste for elective politics ever since I lost in the Makerere University guild presidential elections. I am passionate about writing so in years to come, people should expect some non-fictional books.
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Having playtime with children
What is your greatest fear?
At a personal level, it is getting a heart attack before I accomplish the things I set out to do. As a result I do extremely regular heart checkups.
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
Being too soft with people who may not deserve it; there are people you need to be hard on either because you have responsibility on them or due to obligations but sometimes, I become too soft because I don’t want to offend their sensitivities.
What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Lazy people and irresponsible fathers
Which living person do you most admire?
Without doubt it is my mother Tereza Danielle Anikuru for her hard work and selflessness. From as long as I can remember, she has always been supportive and encouraged me.
What is your greatest extravagance?
I think it is good wine particularly Bottega Gold.
What is your current state of mind?
I can’t say am at peace; am agitated because there are so many things we have to put in order at FIA and the biggest responsibility falls on me as CEO.
What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
The sacrament of marriage; its way blown out of proportion
On what occasion do you lie?
When the goal is to protect those I love and care for like my children and some friends.
What do you most dislike about your appearance?
Am slightly overweight so am working on reducing the weight
Which living person do you most despise?
As a group, it is Isis and alshabaab terrorists; what they stand for is despicable.
What is the quality you most like in a man?
Commitment to family
What is the quality you most like in a woman?
It should be the same; commitment to family.
What or who is the greatest love of your life?
My children
When and where were you happiest?
The first time I saw my first born child a few minutes after delivery on November 29, 2004.
Which talent would you most like to have?
The talent to run a business
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
More patience perhaps because I get impatient quickly
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Rising from countless positions of adversity; I have encountered a number of unsympathetic situations which could easily have led me to giving up but I have been able to overcome by the mercy of God.
If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?
Probably a lion; it is the king of the jungle and it’s good to preside over the wild because clearly they are more organised than humans.
Where would you most like to live?
On the shores of Lake Victoria
What is your most treasured possession?
They are many but the thing which if I lost would really hurt me is my bottle of Bottega wine; I have kept it for more than ten years preserving it for a future special occasion.
What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
An abandoned disabled child
What is your favorite occupation?
Being an advocate.
What is your most marked characteristic?
Am an intensely private person
What do you most value in your friends?
Loyalty; if someone knows what you like and hate, he or she should always stand by that
Who are your favorite writers?
Mario Puzo for writing `The Godfather’trilogy; he wrote the story in a masterful way.
Which historical figure do you most identify with?
Robert Kennedy; unlike his brother John F. Kennedy, he was a family man and brilliant Attorney General and despite living a public life, he didn’t have many scandals around him.
Who are your heroes in real life?
Martin Luther King, Steven George Gerrard, and Richard Nixon.
What are your favorite names?
Christian; that’s why I gave it to my son.
What is it that you most dislike?
Thieves especially of public funds.
What is your greatest regret?
If I mentioned it, I would be in big trouble.
How would you like to die?
At sea since I have grown up on the shores of the lake; I‘ve always fantasised about dying in old age by being carried away by the currents of River Nile
What is your motto?
‘Work smart’ and
‘Be humble’
