Orji Kalu Leadership Series

Memo to President-elect Buhari (1)

2015-04-11T04:22:00.000-07:00

I am certain you have not shaken off the fatigue brought to bear on you by the strenuousness of campaigns. Traversing every nook and cranny of our great country is no mean task. And for you, this is the fourth time you have done it. The first was in 2003, the second 2007, the third 2011 and the fourth 2015. I am sure in all your travels you bore one thing in mind: the eagerness to witness firsthand the sufferings of Nigerians, which had been the major propeller of your presidential aspiration. Contrary to the negative press you proved your detractors wrong by pulling through the rigours of electioneering without disappointment.

You could recall I passed the same way in 2007 when I ran for the presidency. I knew what I saw and experienced. Nigeria indeed is a very huge country in every respect. Those who refer to it as the most populous black nation in the world are absolutely right. Nigeria is larger than many people had estimated. It is a very expansive, beautiful and rich country in all ramifications. Its weather is almost clement all through the year, with an excellent soil for cropping – in season and out of season. Going round the country and interacting with its peoples gave me enormous relief, and unburdened my heart of some of the prejudices I had always harboured.

I know you feel exactly the way I do, though there could be some variances here and there.

The results showed that I came third in that election (in terms of majority votes polled and states won). I have never regretted ever embarking on the adventure in the first place, because it has made me a better Nigerian, more compassionate and realistic about the sufferings of the rural people.

Let me make it very clear that the reason I threw my hat into the ring for the presidential race in 2007 was borne out of a burning desire to right the wrongs of our nation and build a society in which every Nigerian would be free to express himself, live in any part of the country without let or hindrance, get justice without prejudice, experience equality in the distribution of national wealth and be protected.

The era between 1999 and 2015 would go down in history as the most dramatic for Nigerians. It was a period characterised by mixed fortunes. Despite the efforts of subsequent administrations to address the many ills of our country not much has been achieved, except for a few giant strides made by the Goodluck Jonathan Administration.

To be honest with you, many Nigerians received the news of your emergence as the presidential candidate of the All Progressives’ Congress (APC) with apprehension as a result of the information fed to them about you on the social media. But those of us who knew you very well knew that you were not exactly what the media painted you. I know that you are a martinet, no-nonsense general, with a stickling appetite for excellence.

I have not forgotten how flexible and firm you could be. You exhibited this much when I brokered a peace meeting between you and former President Ibrahim Babangida and now late General Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu in my Igbere country home during my tenure as the governor of Abia State. That meeting, which lasted two days, showed your real person. You were down-to-earth, dispassionate, articulate, and sagacious. Even when the situation became somewhat misty you were calm and calculated. You had your eyes fixed on the achievement of the purpose for the get-together. In the end everybody was happy and satisfied.

Though we have not seen too many times thereafter your personality and generosity of heart still loom large in my sub –consciousness. Without any equivocation, I wish to state that I had been praying silently in my heart that God would one day bring a man like you to sit in the saddle and steer the ship of state. The prayer has nothing to do with party affiliation or any primordial sentiments. It was borne purely out of personal conviction that a man of your stature and character is who we need at this critical time.

When the APC held its national convention to elect its presidential standard-bearer the fight was strictly between you and Atiku Abubakar. Many of my associates in your party preferred you to other candidates and told me so. But deep in my heart I was wondering how your choice as candidate would affect the chances of our party’s candidate Goodluck Jonathan in the elections. That was when my apprehension grew.

Your style of campaign and the taciturnity you showed while it lasted were vintage you. I must confess that only a few other Nigerians could have maintained their cool in the face of mounting hate campaigns such as were staged against you. It got to a point that I started asking if at all you had a strong media team and, if at all you had one, why it was not returning fire for fire. Nevertheless, beneath the veil, I saw the sagacity and urbaneness of a man ready to move Nigeria to another level by leading by example. All the beautiful things people have said about you would have been counterproductive if you had run your campaigns the same way the opposing camp did.

If not for your diplomacy and tact, the polity would have ordinarily been overheated. So, if I am asked I would say you were the first to demonstrate a sincere desire to make peace reign before, during and after the elections. The Abuja accord and other peace initiatives would not have produced any positive results if you had not disposed yourself favourbaly to them.

I watched very diligently your campaigns. You never for one day abused anybody or used foul language against anybody for that matter. Another strong point of your campaigns was issues you raised which bothered on the continued survival of Nigeria. You harped on security, job and wealth creation, agriculture and fight against corruption as the main thrust of your campaigns. All these must have influenced the choice that Nigerians made on March 28.

Now that you have been overwhelmingly elected by Nigerians as our next President the heat has now turned from President Jonathan to you. Nigerians are impatiently waiting for May-29-handover-date to start experiencing the new life you promised them.

Nonetheless, I do not think it is going to be that easy. In fact, it will be a Herculean task. You know what it means and takes to clean the Augean Stable! The decay in our social system is not a task that can be accomplished in one day, not even a year. There is too much corruption, laxity and indiscipline among Nigerians. Probably you foresaw the huge damage corruption and indiscipline would inflict on our national psyche when you championed the War Against Indiscipline (WAI) in your first coming. The national orientation strategy worked like magic, while orderliness became the order of life in our nation. And things seemed to be working.

I still believe we need something like WAI if you can reenact the magic that made it work in 1983-85. However, I still believe nothing can work in Nigeria until indiscipline is uprooted. Even the fight against corruption takes its root in discipline. A disciplined person is orderly, humane, polished, and a stickler for excellence. So, if you could succeed in making a majority of Nigerians disciplined then you would have solved 40% of our national malaises.

It is indiscipline that breeds dishonesty, garrulity, tendency to steal, deviance, and other forms of anti-social behaviours. Those more vulnerable to these ills are the youths who are easily influenced by their environment. This is why there is the need to introduce WAI brigades and other paramilitary organizations to complement the efforts of the existing ones in the fight against immorality and crimes in our society. Don’t mind those that would want to discourage you from towing this path. In any case, I know how single-minded and emotional you could be when matters relating to the development, peace and stability of Nigeria are concerned. This will make it almost impossible for anybody to attempt to ill-advise you.

I read where you were quoted as having denied that you promised to deal with insurgency in two months. I give it to you: you never at any time gave a timeline on when insurgency would be defeated. All you said was that Boko Haram would be a thing of the past soon. But I have to advise you to work extra hard to achieve this goal as soon as possible. Let nobody deceive you, Nigerians expect too much from you, because of the myth that has been built about your ability to tackle Nigeria’s socio-economic problems.

In my consideration, you will become an automatic hero once you can solve the problem of security within 180 days of your presidency. Already President Jonathan’s government has started the fight in a very convincing manner. The communities recovered by our troops in recent weeks point to the veracity of this fact. You can swiftly build on what he has put in place, applying your military background to deal with the matter more clinically and tactically.

I am glad to note that you attributed one of the causes of the emergence of Boko Haram to poverty in one of your recent interviews. I agree with you totally. However, I wish to add that injustice also played a negative role in heightening the insurgency. The death of President Musa Yar’Adua and the poor handling of the succession to his position could have a part to play in the emergence of Boko Haram.

The existence of Nigeria is predicated on the need to continually maintain equity, justice and fair-play at all times. The heterogeneous nature of Nigeria makes it suicidal to alter the tripod on which it stands. The unofficial rotation of the presidency between the north and south could be said to be one of the smartest and most practicable ways of sustaining national cohesion and unity. Because of the mutual mistrust that exists among the ethnic nationalities in Nigeria there is the need to be perpetually vigilant to ward off the activities of political ideologues and mischief-makers bent on truncating our fragile democracy. To deal with the detractors requires additional wisdom and acuity.

I believe that you have sufficient experience to deal with insurgency, no matter the coloration it may assume. I recall with nostalgia your days as the General Officer Commanding Third Armoured Division, Jos. It was in the heydays of the dreaded Maitasine Sect. You dealt them a cruel blow to the extent that they could not regroup ever since.

This brings us to the issue of corruption. As you read this memo Nigeria is haemorrhaging as a result of corruption. Unless corruption is crushed we cannot make any headway in development. Corruption has gone deep into our social system to the point that it now threatens our nation. The recent national assembly elections exposed the rot in the system.

You must have read about how INEC officials colluded with moneybags and corrupt politicians to doctor the results of elections in Abia North Senatorial District. Unfortunately, the same sordid situation obtained in some other senatorial zones in Abia State where election results were brazenly altered with the active connivance of corrupt INEC officials. Though we have vowed to seek redress in the tribunals it would have been better not to allow the national disgrace to occur in the first place. Nigeria has come of age, such that it should be able to conduct untainted elections.

I must not fail to bring to the attention of Your Excellency the disgraceful activities of security men who openly worked with some politicians and INEC officials to change the result of an election in which a clear winner had emerged. Results collated from the field showed I won the election convincingly. Why INEC substituted my name with that of somebody that lost still beats my imagination.

You should as a matter of urgency set up a panel to advise you on how to make elections in Nigeria less controversial and burdensome. If possible you can dust up the report of the Justice Uwais Presidential Panel on Electoral Reform. It is painful that the report of the panel, adjudged as well-articulated, should be allowed to gather dust in the file cabinet. Many other similar reports should be given the same treatment.

The economy is one area some of your acerbic critics express fears. This may be due to the fact that your first coming did not address many serious economic matters. Your focus then was on indiscipline and corruption. This time round the global community and Nigerians expect you to fashion out functional economic policies that will address grinding poverty, instability in exchange rates, unemployment and communicable diseases. You cannot afford not to tackle the economy and in less than three months bring down the exchange rate of the naira and boost other indices that determine growth.

The restoration of the economy will be achieved more easily with a frontal war against corruption. Chances of rapid economic growth are possible under your aegis if you put round pegs in round holes. One of the identifiable problems in the past was the over-politicization of appointments to various political offices, often leading to favouritism and nepotism in making choices. You require men and women with the right attitude and experience to help you to reengineer our socio-economic system.

I will raise other issues with you in the second part of this memo. Meanwhile, rest assured of the support of all Nigerians behind your visionary leadership. We are very optimistic that things will work out for the better, provided you stick to those promises for which majority of Nigerians gave you their votes.

Abians, watch out! Evil on the prowl

2015-04-04T00:52:00.001-07:00

There is no question any longer that our dear state, Abia, is under spell, cast upon it by the evil forces engineered by Governor T.A. Orji. I have written in this column numerous times about the need for our people to open their eyes to the evil machinations of T.A. Orji. The more I expose his underhand, wicked and callous machinations the more atrocities he commits. As you read this piece the governor with his evil gang has concluded plans on how to thwart the will of the people on April 11 – during the Governorship/House of Assembly elections. The activities of this man make him a very dangerous evil, prowling every nook and cranny of our state, seeking whom to devour.

To state that Abia State is underdeveloped is to put it mildly. The most appropriate words to capture the helpless state of things in the state are “incalculable tragedy”. The eight-year tenure of the man is an unmitigated disaster. And the only thing that can appease our people is to ensure that he or anybody sponsored by him does not win any election in the state. What justification, for goodness sake, does T.A. Orji have to seek another political position or sponsor anybody for that matter to such position(s) after the pain and agony he shamelessly inflicted on our people?

The just-held Presidential/National Assembly election has exposed his evil plots and inherent desire to destroy the foundation of democracy in Abia State. Ask anybody that witnessed the elections, they were peaceful, orderly; and the people turned out enmasse to vote, because they wanted change desperately. Painfully, in the end, the will of the people was subverted in Abia State. What transpired at INEC local government election collation centres in Abia State was shameful and disgraceful. Take for instance, Abia Central Senatorial Zone where the governor contested as a PDP candidate. He lost all round, including in his ward at Ugba na Nkata, Umuahia-Ibeku. Results from the polling booths showed that he lost in Umuahia North and South, Isiala Ngwa North and South and Osisioma Local Government Councils that make up the senatorial district. So from where did he garner the 65,000 plus votes that were credited to him?

Reports we gathered from our agents in the various polling booths show that the people overwhelmingly rejected the governor. Imagine this: his own people (Ibeku) openly campaigned against him, urging voters not to cast their votes for him. Even the non-indigenes, whom he has spited on a number of occasions, mobilized against his candidacy. In fact, the opposition was massive and potent. It got to a point that his foot-soldiers started sharing money openly to voters to sway them. All these gimmicks did not eventually work as the people stuck to their gun and voted massively against him.

Immediately after voting on Saturday the whole state was agog with jubilation when news of his disgrace in his ward filtered into the rural areas. In churches across the state the following day – Sunday – the story of his likely loss was the major topic being discussed as people gathered in groups after service.

One could feel the people’s anger against a man that had brought untold hardship on them in the past 8 years. It was palpable. And so, when news of his declaration as the eventual winner of the election by the state INEC spread the people became agitated, pained and melancholic. Immediately my phone started ringing endlessly as people called to confirm the story they heard.

From my interaction with the callers it was easy to perceive their disappointment and aghast. One particular man told me he would kill himself if T.A. Orji should win. If the young man carried out his threat then Abia State is in real trouble.

Among those that voted against the governor were youths, traders, artisans, traditional rulers, men and women, the aged, and even the sick and disabled. It was a mass movement against the aspiration of the governor.

We started to hear rumour about the desperation of the governor to alter the results as early as Sunday morning. According to my sources, the governor sent many of his aides and other top government functionaries to ‘see’ what could be done to change the will of the people. Initially I dismissed it with a wave of the hand since INEC had assured us that nobody would be able to rig the elections. When the rumour became too strong to ignore I set machinery in motion to unravel the truth.

Let me state it categorically that the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner for Abia State is a woman of integrity. She resisted all the overtures made to her to compromise. It was when they found her impregnable that they resorted to the local government councils, where some of them were bought over. It was at the Osisioma Centre that the damage was done.

Now to my own Senatorial Zone, where the situation was made worse by the overt acquiescence of persons that collaborated with some INEC officials to steal my mandate. Those that witnessed the elections knew I won overwhelmingly. I campaigned vigorously and my people were delighted that I offered to serve them in the senate. They came out in large numbers as early as 6 am flaunting their PVCs.

The results from the polling booths showed without any modicum of doubt that I won the election. How the results changed at the Local Government collation centres in Bende, Isuochi, Isuikwuato, Ohafia and Arochukwu beat my imagination. I was told by my agents that figures were manipulated and allotted to the PDP candidate in a brazen manner. For me, that was atrocious and inexcusable. I beat my closest rival convincingly. How could any sane person turn round to say that I lost?

It was all part of the governor’s ploy to humiliate me. But he can never intimidate me since I have not done anything against him to warrant that.

What I know deep in my heart is that T.A. Orji has vowed to destroy me and anybody related to me. He has since stopped doing his official duties as governor. All he does these days is exploring avenues of smearing my integrity and harassing people related to me.

One thing I can assure him is that every evil he plans against me will fall on his head. Let him learn useful lessons from the lives of fallen despots who plotted other people’s destruction but got themselves destroyed instead. The good people of Abia State have suffered like no other. Despite their sufferings they have continued to persevere, hoping that someday soon God would liberate them from the evil clutches of T.A. Orji.

Which one will I recount and leave the other when we look at the evils of this man called T.A. Orji. He pulled down the sources of livelihood of many innocent Abians for no justifiable reason. Thousands of traders whose shops were destroyed at the Umuahia Main Market and Timber Industrial Market are today living in poverty and penury. He destroyed their stalls and did not have the humanity to offer them replacements. Rather the few stalls the government built in the outskirts of the City of Umuahia were allotted to his aides and other well-placed persons who in turn resold them at exorbitant prices to some of the hapless traders. Unfortunately, there is no week that passes two or more of these traders do not die out of frustration. What kind of man would do these evils to his own people?

Three years ago, the governor woke up from his slumber and ordered the sacking of thousands of workers called non-indigenes. Many of these workers were born and bred in Abia State and have contributed meaningfully to its development over the years. What was their sin? Their parents did not come from Abia State. How could the governor do such an unconscionable and abominable thing in a Nigeria of the 21st Century? But he did it and nobody else could call him to order.

I have said on a number of occasions too that I have never seen a man as treacherous, wicked and vindictive as T.A. Orji. I use this medium to reiterate this position. What man would bite the finger that fed with so much venom and contempt? The office of governor is one of the most important political offices any bona fide Nigerian can aspire to. Many people had died with their dream of becoming one yet to no avail. But here is T.A. Orji becoming governor while in person without spending a dime. The only way he has deemed it fit to say thank you is to declare ‘war’ against me. He thought by antagonizing me and estranging himself from me he would be able to control the resources of Abia State all to himself.

But he got it all wrong. He needn’t antagonize me to achieve all that, because I am quite a different person. He can attest to it by himself that I have never bothered him for anything since he was sworn in as governor. To tell you how wicked the man is he set up a panel to probe the purchase of printing machines for the Abia State Printing and Publishing Company (Publishers of the Ambassador Newspaper). The underlying reason for the setting up of the panel was to find out if the resources of government were used in establishing the Sun newspapers. Curiously, up till date, the panel could not establish anything against anybody. In fact, the panel is comatose.

Now look at these: serving workers in the state are being owed several months of salaries. Even pensioners are not left out. They are being owed 10 months arrears of pension. And there is no hope that they would be paid any time soon. In the midst of all these the governor has preoccupied himself with purchasing more and more properties within and outside the state.

Where does he think he is going with all the wealth he has been amassing? Though he uses part of it to perpetrate evils across the state, it will not ultimately take him to anywhere good. He has forgotten so easily that life is transitory. How old is he now and how much longer will he live to enjoy his loot? Nonetheless, the cries of the people he suppresses on a daily basis have continued to beckon to heaven to intervene.

The evils the man is planning in the days ahead are monumental. For instance, he has concluded plans with his son to rig the forthcoming governorship election in the state. They are sewing fake army and police uniforms and hiring thugs – all in an effort to intimidate voters and manipulate the election of April 11. But I wish to assure him that his plans will fall through. The scenario we had last Saturday will be quite different from what is to obtain on April 11.

Let me warn the governor not to take his luck too far on April 11. The people are totally disenchanted with his performance and have vowed to vote him and his stooges out. Any attempt to subvert the will of the people will be stoutly resisted. INEC, in particular its local government staff, should resist the temptation of allowing themselves to be used as tools to cause confusion in our state.

The change mantra in Abia State is occasioned by the unconscionable manner Chief Orji has piloted the affairs of the state. He has led the state and its people like his personal estate. He does not have any respect for anybody, least those he sees as his enemies. There is nothing on ground in the state to justify the nearly N1trillion he has collected from the Federation Account and other sundry sources. This governor has not done any single mega project in any of the rural parts of the state. A few Legacy Projects he did are concentrated in the state capital, leaving the rural areas heavily and mindlessly underdeveloped.

There is no state in Nigeria that is not better than Abia State in infrastructural development. The roads in Umuahia were built by the administrations of Dee Sam Mbakwe and me. None other has been built by the present administration.

I must not fail to call on INEC and the security agencies to investigate what transpired in the state during the Senatorial election. They need to investigate all the results and I am sure what they will find out will make them shudder.

T.A Orji, out of his unquenchable appetite to cheat, made nonsense of all the arrangements INEC put in place to make the elections free, fair and credible. Couldn’t he have allowed the will of the people to prevail as his counterpart in Niger State, Bauchi, Kebbi and other states of the federation did? Must he rig before he could be elected? All that he cared about was for the names of all his candidates to be written as having won. No more, no less. It does not bother him if the state catches fire so long as he becomes Senator. Senator without integrity, one may say.

I wish to let the governor know that all the results he manipulated to make INEC declare the wrong persons as winners of a keenly contested election will be reversed soon. We cannot fold our arms and watch him destroy our beloved state.

The will of the people surpasses our personal, parochial interests. We shall all die some day, but Abia State will remain. For what shall we be remembered when earth’s journey ends? Is it as looters or builders of the economy?

I plead our people to remain calm and watchful. They should not be lethargic in this struggle or lose hope as the days of reckoning are almost here. When that day comes, the like of T.A. Orji and his co-treasury-looters will weep and gnash their teeth.

As for my stolen mandate, I will do everything within my powers and the limits of law to recover it.

Congratulations

President-elect Buhari

I wish to most sincerely congratulate General Muhammadu Buhari on his election as the next President of Nigeria. It was an election keenly won and lost.

I also salute the statesmanship and civility of President Goodluck Jonathan for conceding defeat without promptly.

Working together we can move Nigeria forward.

At last, the long-awaited hour has come!

2015-03-28T02:03:00.001-07:00

Today about 57 million Nigerians, representing about 82.5 per cent of registered voters with the new Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs), will troop out to choose a president who will preside over their affairs for another four years. All is set to ensure that this exercise runs smoothly.

Despite the major postponement of the elections and the brickbats and innuendoes that had characterised electioneering today’s elections are expected to go down as the most tense and critical. The reason is simple: Nigerians and, indeed, the global community have had their attention fixated on these elections because of Nigeria’s strategic importance in world affairs. It is believed that Nigeria – as the largest economy in Africa – should get it right in these elections if democracy in Africa must thrive. The thinking also is that if anything untoward should happen to Nigeria it would have far-reaching repercussions on other countries – not only in Africa, but the world at large.

For this singular reason, the elections have attracted more than a cursory interest from the entire world. The United States, in particular, is in the forefront of the mobilization to ensure that the elections go well. In fact, the United Nations and its agencies have continued to offer all forms of assistance, including sending its personnel, to assist the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the organization of the elections.

Interestingly, security, which was at the centre of the postponement of the elections from February 14 to March 28, has now reasonably been addressed, paving the way for elections to hold even in the hotspot of the current insurgency – northeast geopolitical zone.

With the establishment of some semblance of security in the zone, the elections can now go ahead despite the initial skepticisms and opposition. Those opposed to the staging of the elections on February 14 were quite right, because the extra time has afforded INEC the opportunity to put its house in order. It also eliminated the bad blood that would have arisen if the elections had been allowed to go on as planned.

It is therefore very absurd to hear some people refer to the shift in date as a political ploy to favour some persons and a particular political party. How mean could some people be? Must they sow seeds of discord before they can find solace in their hearts? Why must Nigerian politicians supplant the truth to gain cheap political points? There was no way, considering the precarious state of insecurity in the northeast zone, the elections would have held on February 14. Doing so would have amounted to sheer suicide.

Again, the forces of destruction, waiting in the wings, would have capitalized on the situation to foment trouble and truncate our fledgling democracy. So, it was the proper thing to do when the security chiefs summoned courage to ask for the shift.

It is also gratifying to note that the shift allowed the military fighting insurgency in the north east the opportunity to restock their armoury and take the fight to the insurgents. Contrary to the initial inertia that greeted the operations in the areas under emergency rule, there has been a renewed vigour among the soldiers and other security forces to prove their mettle. The past three weeks have seen the military gaining more grounds and recovering some towns and communities earlier lost to the Boko Haram sect.

The consequence of the present developments, in terms of security in the northeast zone, is a safer environment for voters to discharge their constitutional duty of voting and be voted for. This is why I expect the elections in the zone to be unique. Already there are speculations that despite the insurgency residents came out in large numbers to register. The Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) are not left out in the frenzy to vote.

Across the country, those that have just attained eighteen years and slightly above are gearing up to make an impact. Because they are voting for the first time, there is some enthusiasm on their part to vote and contribute to the advancement of democracy in Nigeria. The high concentration of persons in these age brackets makes them a very important factor in this election.

Even the youths generally, have always been known to make meaningful impacts on any election. This is why politicians have been courting them. I am quite sure that they will wield the same influence in today’s elections. From my own assessment they hold the ace in the elections. I arrived at this position having deeply considered the role the more elderly voters had played in elections. It is not controvertible that many of those who grace the television screens and speak big grammar are not the real voters. The real voters are the youth and the rural poor. The rich and mighty lock themselves up in the comfort of their luxurious homes for fear of violence and, even, death. But the youth, ever beaming with energy and vitality, take the bull by the horns to come out and vote.

It is for this reason that I have always supported any programmes that will inspire the youth and save them from unnecessary dangers and afflictions. The Nigerian youth have shown a rare sense of dignity and courage, especially in the face of endless adversity. And I am confident they will demonstrate these valiant and patriotic qualities in today’s election.

For those that hole themselves up in their rooms until elections are over, I admonish them to shake off their lethargy and come out and vote. Voting in today’s election is the greatest service any Nigerian of voting age can do to our nation. It will amount to a tragedy of epic proportion if anybody opts not to come out and vote. Imagine what would happen if everybody refused to come out and vote. Who will make things happen then?

No matter on which side of the divide any of us may choose to be, what is paramount at this time is to move Nigeria forward. The interest of Nigeria supersedes our selfish, parochial interests. We have reached a very critical stage in our national life – a point of no return – when all hands should be on the plough to save Nigeria from the doomsday prophecies of some people.

The days of politicking, casting aspersions on one another, placing salacious and rapacious television and radio advertisements are over. What we have on our hands is a very sensitive national assignment of electing the President, Senators and members of the House of Representatives. I see this assignment as a noble cause that demands the active participation of every Nigerian of voting age.

For the political class, I call specially on them to guide their loins and work for peace and tranquility. We must shun violence in any form by ensuring that we play the game according to the rules. The rules of the game have already been outlined by INEC. It is our duty to educate our supporters on the need to embrace peace, and vote according to the dictates of our conscience. We must desist from fanning the embers of hate, and constantly bear in mind that we have no other country except Nigeria. If we vote in accordance with the rules and guidelines then we are working in tandem with the vision of our forbears who sacrificed everything to make Nigeria the envy of the global world.

It will be a big shame if we, politicians and voters alike, allowed our narrow political interests to jeopardise the growth and development of Nigeria. The violent disposition of some politicians has continued to threaten the peace and stability of this great nation. I wish to advise those politicians that have perfected the act of rigging in today’s election to perish the idea, because it will amount to an exercise in futility to attempt to do so. Nigeria has reached a stage in her life that rigging and similar ills should no longer be condoned. INEC has worked rigorously and painstakingly to organize today’s elections to meet international standards. We should not allow greed and desperation to taint it.

It is our duty as Nigerians to enlighten one another on what should be done to ensure hitch-free elections today. From what I was able to glean from INEC’s publicity materials accreditation of voters will commence as early as 8 am and last till 1 pm, after which actual voting will follow. Accreditation will be done with the help of the card readers, which have been deployed across the country. Each polling unit will have two card readers in case of malfunctioning of one. There are also extra batteries to back them up. Each voter is expected to present his permanent voter’s card for verification. If the card passes the authenticity test (which also requires the voter to place his thumb on the card reader) then the voter’s name is checked in the voters’ register. If his or her name is found in the register, he or she is then cleared to vote.

At 1 pm (after the close of accreditation) each cleared voter is issued three ballot papers to cast his vote. One ballot is for the President, the second one is for the Senator and the third is for the House of Representatives. After thumb-printing each of the three ballot papers the voter now turns them into the 3 ballot boxes – one at a time for each of the three positions being voted for. There will be an assistant electoral officer at each polling booth whose duty it is to guide the voter, especially the not-too-literate, on which ballot box to place each of the ballot papers. This will be done in the full glare of the other voters.

I have heard the arguments about whether it is proper for a voter to cast his vote and wait for the ballots to be counted. I wonder why anybody should kick against this. It is not only proper to vote and wait for your vote to be counted it is the surest way to do away with any doubts and suspicion. I will never advise any voter to cast his vote and go home. You should cast your vote and ensure your vote counts in this election. Let nobody intimidate you to do otherwise. What probably the security agents should be concerned about is the security of each of the polling units and the voters. They should also not forget that the presence of voters is an added security.

What about the use of soldiers on the day of election? I have nothing against that. What I am vehemently against is the use of any security man or woman to intimidate voters or do things that run contrary to the laws guiding the elections. I was a victim of soldiers’ intimidation during the 2011 National Assembly elections, when the entrance to my country home was barricaded with armoured cars by solders. I have implicit confidence in the current leadership of the army. I am convinced they would not repeat such a disgraceful act.

It will be totally unacceptable to Nigerians should anybody use the security forces in such a way as to confer an undue advantage on him. The security agents should be given the latitude to discharge their duties without let or hindrance. Abia State presents a very curious case maybe because of the notoriety it enjoys currently. This is one state INEC and security agents should watch very closely. I am aware that some politicians in the state have shown morbid desperation in recent times, which poses a threat to the peace and security of voters in today’s election. But there is nothing to worry about as adequate measures have been taken to forestall any disruption of the elections or intimidation of any voter.

The Nigerian voters have a duty to vote wisely and courageously. It is needless endlessly complaining about bad leadership. This is an opportunity to vote out anybody that has not performed. For those that have performed it is morally obligatory that we vote for them to continue the good works they are doing.

The recent tour of my Senatorial Zone has opened my eyes to the rot in the system and the urgent need to work to redress it. There are boundless opportunities in the zone, but nothing has been done of recent to develop the zone. I saw some able-bodied youth and men whiling away their time playing draft, snooker and other forms of games when they should be busy working. I find this intolerable. We must harness the rich potentialities of the zone and its people and integrate them into the global economy for the betterment of our nation and state.

The much we did as a government some eight years ago is all they have been living on. There is hope for better days ahead if they would do the needful to turn their fate around.

On the part of INEC, I urge it to stick to its gun and not change the post in the middle of the match. They must conduct the elections in accordance with the arrangements it had put in place. There is no doubt that it is under intense pressure by politicians and other subterranean forces bent on manipulating the system for their self-aggrandizement. They must not give in to their threats and offer of filthy lucre. The interest of Nigeria surpasses the interests of a few disgruntled elements.

The outcome of these elections will make or mar our nation. It will also give credence or not to the doomsday prophecies that the days of Nigeria as a united nation are numbered. Nobody else can determine the fate of Nigeria other than Nigerians themselves.

This is why we have to conduct ourselves decorously and avoid any act capable of breaching the peace and stability of our nation.

I thank God for the gift of one another and the grace to continue to exist as one, indivisible nation in spite of our manifest differences.

SEEING ABIA’S AGONY, PAIN, RUINS, I WEPT

2015-03-21T02:47:00.002-07:00

I must confess straight away that I was not emotionally prepared for what I experienced last Saturday as our convoy went through major streets in Umuahia en route Igbere my hometown – from the Sam Mbakwe Airport, Owerri. It was nothing planned – just a routine visit to Igbere. But alighting at the Owerri Airport and seeing the mammoth crowd that had assembled to receive me changed the whole configuration of a, hitherto, quiet visit home.

As our convoy approached the Abia Tower (gateway into the city) the atmosphere was charged as traders and other onlookers trooped towards the convoy singing, dancing and hailing. It was a scene better seen than imagined.

One thing was, however, noticeable: in their faces was written agony, anger, frustration, despondency and dimmed hope. The situation got out of hand when we approached the famous Okpara Square – as more people joined – turning the whole thing into a carnival of sort.

I was riding in a Hummer bus – which has been the tradition since I was governor – but I could no longer stay embedded in the bus. So, I had to stand by the door of the bus to acknowledge cheers from my people. They were singing and dancing and jubilating. Some of them – very old and wearied by poverty and neglect in the hands of Governor T.A. Orji’s insensitive government – still found strength to join the crowd in jubilation.

They openly expressed frustration with the current administration in the state and cried out for redemption. To drive home the level of frustration some people in the jubilant crowd handed over pieces of paper itemising their woes and sufferings under the regime of Governor Orji. The notes were hurriedly scribbled. One of the notes read: “Please Sir, save us from the hand of Emperor T.A. Orji.”

Because of the sentiments and outflow of emotions from the surging crowd the convoy was forced to make a detour into major streets in the city where people had already lined up to catch a glimpse of me. There was a particular woman – she should be about 80 years of age – who was among the crowd. She struggled just like every other person to touch me. I was moved to tears as I asked the convoy to break so that I could touch her too. She told me something that tore my heart. She said and I quote her verbatim (she spoke in Igbo but I have paraphrased it in English): “All I wish to tell you, my son, is try and redeem this state from the wicked hands of the evil people. I was shocked.” It was at this point that I broke down. I could no longer control my emotions, which were running riot.

What the old woman said captured the mood in the state: despair and disillusionment.

The story continues: by the time we got to Isi Gate (the centre of the city that once housed the Umuahia Main Market) the crowd had tripled, making it difficult to control them. We were able to manage the crowds, because they were peaceful and orderly. All of them kept shouting: Liberate us! Liberate us!

By the time we left Umuahia to continue our journey to Igbere – my hometown – word reached us that more crowds were building up at designated points along the major road leading to Igbere. Driving through Uzuakoli to Akara was something else. The crowd was dancing and jubilating. In short at Akara (a prominent junction on the Umuahia-Arochukwu Road) our convoy was forced to a stop, with the crowd urging me to walk instead of driving to the palace of their traditional ruler for a courtesy call. I had to come down from the bus and we all trekked to the palace of the traditional ruler, His Royal Majesty Eze Ozo Ukandu, where we were warmly received.

Other traditional rulers were not left out of the jubilation. They turned out in large numbers to receive us. Needless stating that the crowd waiting at my country home was something out of this world.

I have given this brief account to underscore the pain and agony that pervade every nook and cranny of Abia State. I have been imagining what would have happened if this scenario had played out in Aba. I know it would have been almost impossible to control the Aba crowd. The situation of life in Aba is grave. In fact, Aba has been turned upside down by the insensitivity of the government of Governor Orji. I wept when a television station in Lagos was showing pictures of decayed infrastructure in the city last week. I saw human beings and vehicles struggling for right of way on mountains of refuse and water-logged roads. It was a very gory sight.

I wish to ask Governor Orji why he has allowed a beautiful state I handed over to him in 2007 turn into a jungle? The whole place looks like there had never been a government since the state was created. If he had a modicum of conscience he should not have allowed the state (Aba in particular) to be in its present sorry state. Where did all the revenue that had accrued to our state – running into close to a trillion naira – gone to? Even the internally generated revenue of which Aba is a major contributor could not even be deployed in the development of the state! I am shell-shocked.

Governor Orji has shown by his actions and inactions since he assumed office that he was not mentally and morally equipped to become governor. Why then did he create the impression and pretended that he was ready to work for our people when inside him he had a different agenda? I find his attitude offensive, irrational, wicked, and a betrayal. I have understood now why he opted to fight me for offering him advice to work for our people. He had always wanted to distance himself from everybody that worked for his victory as governor so that he could do as he wished.

Up till date, he has not told the world what I did to him to warrant all the antagonisms and vituperations he pours on my person on a daily basis. He estranges himself from anybody who has anything to do with me – all in a futile effort to cover his dirty tracks. This is one man who detests the truth and is ready to fight whoever that promotes it.

Since I returned to Abia State last week to galvanize support for the re-election of President Goodluck Jonathan I have been inundated with all kinds of stories and complaints from victims of Governor Orji’s misrule. It has reached a level that the people no longer care about what happens to them – whether they are killed or left to live. All along they had lived in fear, not sure what would happen to them if they spoke up. There were also different accounts from the victims of how they were arrested and detained for airing their views on issues concerning the way the state is governed. According to them the governor and his son have thugs that go round popular joints in the state with the aim of harassing and intimidating innocent citizens, especially those seemingly opposed to the governor or his son.

Those whose shops were demolished at the Umuahia Main Market and Timber Industrial Market without compensation three years ago have also visited me asking for resettlement. Their stories are heartrending. Now read what one of them told me: I am 82 years old. I owned one sawmill at the Umuahia Industrial Market. I retired a few years ago, handed over the mill to my son, and relocated to the village. That shop is the only source of livelihood for me and my son and our families. We woke up one morning to hear that the government had demolished the market against all entreaties to allow us some time to find an alternative accommodation. Painfully, we did not retrieve a single pin from the shop. As I speak to you government has not said a word to us. Now they have turned the former Timber Market into a private estate of the governor and his son.

There were worse cases than the preceding one. But what I was able to gather from all the tales of woe that had been told me since my return is: our people are suffering and need a redeemer.

In fact, my house in Igbere has turned into a Mecca of sort since last Saturday, with thousands of people streaming in and out.

I have also traversed the entire Abia North Senatorial Zone (my own zone) since I returned and what I saw made me shed tears. Our people are dying in silence. There is nothing on ground in the zone to show the presence of government. There are no roads, no potable water, no medical facilities, and no electricity. The people live under unbearable conditions, yet they have a government that superintends over their affairs. As impoverished as the people are the government and its agents still collect taxes and rates from them.

I could not believe my eyes as we waded through the bad roads. No single new road had been built in the zone by the administration of Governor Orji since 2007. The only available roads were those we managed to construct or rehabilitate between 1999 -2007. Now they need to be properly maintained.

One is compelled to ask what then has Governor Orji done since he came into power? His attention is focused on a few legacy projects he is executing and through which he has siphoned billions of naira. Why has he failed to embark on people-oriented projects that would add value to our people’s lives, instead of wasting scarce resources on white elephants?

For the 8 years he has been in the saddle he has spent 80% of it chasing shadows and fighting perceived enemies. Who told Governor Orji I am his enemy? I could not have been his enemy, because nothing in my character has portrayed that. How could I have been his enemy when I made enormous sacrifices to make him governor? Without God, our people and me there was no way T.A. Orji would have become governor.

The only grouse I had ever had about the governor was that I asked him to stop beating about the bush and work for our people. He took offence at my advice and drew the battle line. If there is any other thing let him then make it known to whole the world. I have kept making this assertion because I have wondered endlessly what could be behind his animosity towards me. He pays out huge sums of money to media hirelings to attack my character.

I have come back to personally lead President Jonathan’s reelection campaigns. Left to the lacklustre government of Chief Orji nothing concrete can come out of it. I know in his usual inanity he would be banking on cutting corners to win election. The era for that has passed. The only thing that can win election for anybody today is hard work, honesty and record of achievements. Regrettably, Governor Orji has none to showcase. How then does he hope to deliver himself, let alone President Jonathan?

There are thousands of people who had made up their minds not to vote for Jonathan before now because of the excesses of Governor Orji. After persuading them and reassuring them that things would change very soon their anger was appeased.

The governor lives on propaganda. He goes to Abuja to gossip whereas back home he is not worth anything in terms of character and performance. Nobody in his right senses in Abia State today would tell you the governor has performed. Those who sing his praise are his acolytes and hatchet men. No more, no less!

One identified problem of the governor is his unmatchable greed and acquisitive tendency. He wants to acquire the entire Abia State as his personal estate. He has bought, in the midst of grinding poverty of his people, almost every available space in Umuahia with his filthy lucre. What a shame!

Governor Orji knows deep inside him that he has lost favour with the people. They are waiting for March 28 to vote him out. If he likes let him apply all kinds of brute force, spend all the money in this world, and threaten fire and brimstone, he will still lose.

The frustration, agony and pain of our people are palpable and can be felt anywhere one goes. The people have compared our two administrations and returned a vote of no confidence in Chief Orji’s government. They recall with fond memories my days as governor – when everything worked. We did not have as much financial resources as the present government, but we managed the little with had to bring succour and hope to our people. We worked for the people, we empowered them and we motivated them. Our government began with the people and ended with the people. We did not allow anything to come between us and the welfare of the people.

It gives me immense joy, therefore, that, at last, we have been vindicated. All the plots of the governor to turn the people against me have failed flat. Instead of antagonism what we receive from the people are accolades and encomiums – all to his chagrin.

I am motivated by the people’s show of love and solidarity since I returned to the state last Saturday. It has been electrifying. I wish to reassure them of my continued support and determination to work for their good. As long as I have breath in me I will never cease defending them against the forces of darkness and exploitation.

Let me, however, urge them to guard their loins and let us work collectively and vigilantly for our emancipation. Abians can only be liberated if they got their PVCs and used the same to vote for the candidates of their choice and defend their votes. As believers in the rule of law and constitutionality, I advise them to remain law-abiding and shun violence.

Let me quickly remind the governor of the two challenges I threw to him, which he is yet to respond to. The first is for us to secure the services of the best audit firms in the world to audit our two administrations to determine which of them had stolen Abia people’s money. And the second is for me and him to walk throughout the streets of Aba to see who will be stoned and pelted with sachet water.

I expect him to accept these challenges as soon as possible or hide his face in shame forever.

Orji’s legacy projects: Cover for fraud

2015-03-14T02:58:00.000-07:00

When the paired word ‘Legacy Projects’ cropped up in the political lexicon of Abia State a few years ago, many people thought it was conceived by Governor T.A. Orji for the genuine development of the state. However, little did they realize at the time that it was an ingenious scheme designed by Governor Orji to pull wool over their eyes! And that was what it exactly turned to be – a drainpipe, a calculated design to deceive the people.

But my instinct told me instantly, when I heard about the ‘Legacy Projects’ that the idea behind it was not wholly genuine. I knew the governor very well, and knew he had something up his sleeves. And so, I kept my ears to the ground, with eyes wide open, to know what tricks the governor was going to play next on the gullible and helpless people of God’s Own State.

The reason for my alertness was occasioned by the desperation exhibited by the governor as soon as he mounted the saddle of leadership in the state, particularly since he did not take kindly to the innocuous advice I offered him to sit up and perform according to the expectations of the people who elected him. You could recall that before the introduction of the legacy projects the governor had secured loans running into hundreds of millions of naira from banks without any projects on ground to justify the huge borrowings.

So, information started filtering out from the banks that the governor was borrowing huge amounts without any veritable repayment plan. Alarmed by the reports I opted to conduct a private investigation. The outcome was positive.

I approached the governor with the information, but surprisingly he denied it. And instead of making amends and taking steps to ameliorate the situation he took to the trenches, declaring a total war against me and anybody connected to me in any way.

Surprisingly, he has sustained the onslaught against me for the simple reason that he sees me as the only obstacle to his looting agenda in Abia State. I have written about my relationship with him and how I sacrificed everything to make him governor. As such, I would not want to bore you with the story again.

But one thing is certain: Governor Orji has done a great disservice to our people. He has made promises he has not bothered to keep. The Legacy Projects were never a part of his original plan for the development of Abia State. As I indicated from the onset the scheme was put together as an emergency measure to hide the thieving plot of the governor and offer justification for the billions of naira looted by him, his family and their cronies.

It has never been in doubt that the first four years of the governor was used by him to chase shadow – fighting imaginary enemies and perfecting his plot to pillage the resources of our state.

The plot came to the fore when he chose to jump ship and pitch tent with PDP. He had reasoned that his malfeasant activities would better be protected in the party. However, unknown to him the searchlight will still catch him wherever he runs to.

Because of the wasted first four years of his tenure the governor conceived the legacy projects to cover his tracks and justify the huge borrowings from the banks and the allocations from the federation account – a substantial part of which is diverted monthly to other self-centred purposes. I have challenged the governor on a number of occasions in this column to justify the huge allocations the state has received from Abuja since 2007 when he assumed office as governor – running into hundreds of billions of naira. Up till the time of writing this piece, he is yet to respond to that challenge.

The state of things in Abia State gets worse by the day. Workers are not paid. Those paid are not paid regularly. Pensioners have not been paid in the past 10 months. The same is the case with primary and secondary school teachers – many of whom drop dead like chickens for lack of salaries.

Now wait for this: there is no single project, including the Legacy Projects, worth up to N1billion in the entire Abia State. I challenge the governor to publish the financial involvement of each of the projects, especially those in the Legacy Projects tranche.

The fraud that the legacy projects became manifest when the government of Abia State, with the express consent of the governor, invited some media bloggers, select journalists and social media commentators to the state to see ‘things ‘for themselves. In the governor’s estimation, the visit would enable the government to buy its way into the hearts of the media team and, by so doing, influence their reports. Unfortunately, that plot boomeranged as many of those that made the team to the state wrote exactly what they saw. From their reports it was clear that the so-called legacy projects were a ruse – a well-orchestrated scheme to milk the state dry.

I have personally read some of these reports and still have them in my library. One of the reports openly challenged the governor to tell the whole world what each of the legacy projects costs. The same challenge I had posed to the governor on a number of occasions, to no avail.

In fact, it was a thug-of-war between the media team and the governor’s aides who accompanied them on the verification tour as the aides were reluctant to answer questions posed to them with regard to the costs of the ‘legacy projects’. Embarrassingly, each time the question was asked it was rebuffed and the team curiously referred to the governor for appropriate answers. If the legacy projects were not designed to defraud the state why then are their costs a hidden matter? Why has the state government not found it worthwhile to publish the list of the projects and what they cost Abia State taxpayers?

There are more questions than answers. Let us continue. Why has the government of Abia State refused every request to give the costs of the projects if indeed its hands are clean? The worst part is that the governor has been very evasive on the matter. In all of the publications by his administration on its performance none contains any information about the costs of the legacy projects.

But from what I have been able to glean all the legacy projects put together are not worth over N5 billion.

The concentration of all the legacy projects in Umuahia – the state capital – and ancestral home of the governor – makes the whole thing look tardy and suspicious. Almost 60 per cent of the legacy projects were renovated structures. For instance, one of the structures in the new state secretariat complex was actually an existing structure that was reroofed and repainted. It is even on record that our own administration did some renovation in the same complex when some of its pillars were found to be collapsing.

What of the Amachara General Hospital – another Legacy Project? The hospital has been there since the creation of the state. Even our administration (1999-2000) carried out some renovation works on the hospital. What the present administration did, in the name of legacy projects, was to carry out some renovations and get the whole place repainted, and its signboard mounted. There is nothing wonderful about it. I regret to state here that the things one sees outsider do not portray what is inside. What one finds inside is a totally different story all together.

The Mecure Specialist Diagnostic Centre in Umuahia, which the government of Governor Orji flaunts as a legacy project once housed the Alaoma Hospital – a private hospital owned by Dr. Anagha Ezeikpe, which he sold to the state government. The structures in the complex were simply repainted and their roofs replaced. The same situation obtains at the State’s Customary Court of Appeal located in Umuahia. The entire complex was renovated, reroofed and repainted. There is no single new structure on the premises. The first renovation works on the premises were executed by our administration (1999-2000). What the outgoing government in Umuahia did was to renovate it further to look as if it were a new project to hoodwink unsuspecting members of the public.

What about the Commissioners’ Quarters? Who in Abia State does not know that the project was executed by our administration (1999-2007)? Shamelessly, the governor contracted a firm to repaint the whole structures and place a signboard as if the project was done by his government. What a fraud!

From available records, it is clear that the government of Chief Orji is laying claims to the 1000-units Ehimiri Housing Estate. How on earth could the governor be so unabashed as to lay claims to a project he did not even start let alone complete? Our government (1999-2007) constructed the Ehimiri Housing Estate, completed and allocated it to the beneficiaries – many of whom are civil servants. Imagine what would have happened if we had not had the wisdom to start and complete the housing estate considering the perennial shortage of decent accommodation in the state? I was travelling to Uyo some time ago and saw a huge signboard with the governor’s photograph adorning the entrance to the estate.

To be fair to the governor there are a few projects he started under the legacy projects scheme, which, for I know, do not have any relevance to the pressing needs of the people. In fact, they are not people-oriented projects, but were started to serve as conduit-pipes to fritter away the state’s financial resources. Some of these projects are the new International Conference Centre, Mega Events Centre, Obani Main Market (which replaced the demolished Umuahia Central Market), the new industrial market, and the new Government House. Out of the five projects only the Obani and Industrial Markets had been partially completed. The other two are less than 30% completed. It is important to state here that the Obani Market situated on the outskirts of the state capital has not served any useful purpose to traders since it was commissioned about two years ago. They see it as a curse rather blessing.

It is a pity watching traders stay from morning till night without any serious patronage as nobody would risk doing a 10-kilometer journey everyday to go and shop when one can easily access smaller markets in the city and its environs or better still patronize the Onu-Imo Market in Imo State, which is closer.

Obani market was hurriedly built and this made it lack some basic amenities such as water, toilets, and health centre, etc which should have made life a bit comfortable for the traders. There are provisions for these amenities, quite all right, but up till the time of writing this report their absence has caused the traders untold hardships. What sense did it make to Governor Orji to build a market that does not serve any useful purpose for the people of our state?

The mega events centre, which is under construction, is not a priority project. What purpose will such a utopian project serve the people who daily groan under the weight of excess taxation; unpaid salaries and pensions, and dearth of basic infrastructure such as roads, pipe borne water, decent accommodation. Now when completed, can an average Abian who is impoverished by the eight years of waste under Governor Orji afford the luxury of such a high-class event centre?

Experience has shown that such projects do not thrive in poverty-stricken places like Abia State. When we were in office as governor we offered many Abians opportunities to develop themselves cognitively and materially. In fact, no administration before or after us has made life as worth-living as we had done. We took government to the doorsteps of every Abian and made every resident – indigene or non-indigene – feel at home. Security was provided all year-round with salaries of workers paid as due. Ask anybody in Abia State who lived in the state from 1999 to 2007 to compare and contrast our two governments. He will tell you the difference is clear. Even the governor himself can acknowledge this fact if he can be truthful to himself.

It was because of the tempo of development and the enviable strides we made that skewed the tide in favour of Chief Orji to succeed me. We had reasoned that as an insider he would be able to sustain our collective vision and work with increased vigour to develop our state. But the reverse turned out to be the case.

I find it offensive and the height of insensitivity that Governor Orji would dump a well-designed manifesto of 2007 to chase shadow. The script he is acting was written without my knowledge or the knowledge of any member of our team. His own script is self-centred, insensitive, purposeless and without clear-cut vision. As indicated earlier it was designed to hoodwink the people and bring fortunes to the T.A. Orji Dynasty.

His desperation to install a puppet, go to the Senate, and his son, the state House of Assembly, is all part of the grand design to perpetuate the dynasty. When I was governor I was accused of ‘mamatocracy’ (even when this allegation was untrue). But what will the governor who made his son the de facto governor and his wife one of the henchmen of his administration? We can call this one, ‘familiocracy’.

The long and short of it is that all the arm-twisting tactics, media blitzkrieg, antagonism and hatred by the governor are all part of a grand design to cover his tracks and shield himself from possible prosecution over the fraud that the so-called Legacy Projects have been.But time will expose his evil deeds and bring him to justice.

Gov. Orji riding the tiger’s back

2015-03-09T09:20:00.001-07:00

Strange things happen in Abia State where Chief Theodore Orji strides like the Lord of the Manor and carries himself with such haughtiness as if the state belongs to him and his family. He has refused to turn a new leaf despite all entreaties for him to do so. He prefers beating about the bush to accepting the wise counsels of concerned persons who have repeatedly drawn his attention to the perilous path he is treading. He sees nothing wrong in his reckless actions and utterances but prefers to pander to praise-singing and cult-worship.

Truth to him is like a bitter pill, which must be avoided at all costs. His best friends are those who massage his ego and sing his praise to high heavens; but those who criticize or advise him wisely have been demonized and left in the lurch.

Because he loves praise-singing he has surrounded himself with many praise-singers. Many of his so-called advisers instead of wasting their time and talents offering him useful advice on how to develop the state, which he will never accept in good faith, they have chosen to buy airtime in the state-owned broadcast station to sing his praise from morning till night every blessed day. You hardly hear any quality news from the station. All one hears on a daily basis, per second per second, is “Ochendo Global did this, Ochendo Global did that’, without anything on ground to show for it. It is like a circus display: the more you look the less you see – abracadabra.

There is no single day you open a newspaper in Nigeria without finding a disheartening story about Abia State. It is needless recounting some of the purulent and gory tales oozing out of our ill-fated state, because the list is endless. But one undeniable fact is that Abia State is steadily on the march to perdition. The only saving grace is that the so-called obnoxious Ochendo era will end soon. It is just a matter of two months before the people sing the real liberation song.

When I witness what is happening in Abia State and the decrepit level it has sunk in the past 8 years my heart is melancholic. The level of corruption the state has witnessed under Governor Orji is mindboggling and indescribably embarrassing. Imagine a state that has earned an average of N5 billion monthly, excluding internally-generated revenue, since 2007, without anything tangible to show for it! The state is run like the private property of the governor and his family. They call the shots and decide who gets what. Does this translate to true democracy?

The people of Abia State constantly live in fear: nobody dares to speak out or he will face the music in the hands of the governor’s ruthless thugs or those of his ‘mighty’ son – seen everywhere he goes as the de facto governor. If anybody disputes this position let him now tell me why the governor, despite his abysmal performance, should have the effrontery to offer himself up for Senate and his son, House of Assembly. They should have completed the circle by offering his wife the seat to the Umuahia/Ikwuano Federal Constituency. What a shame!

The selfishness of Governor Orji and his ambition are pathologically vaulting. Everything he thinks about is himself and his family. While the state is the goose that lays the golden eggs, the people are his footstools. And there is no end in sight to his insensitivity and misadministration.

I receive hundreds of text messages every week from some of our agonized people back home in Abia State, complaining about the draconian and uncaring administration of the governor. They ask for solution, they cry for redemption. One of the text messages actually provoked me to write this piece. The writer complained about how her shop at the former Umuahia Main Market was demolished without the government offering her a lifeline. According to her, she has spent all her savings since the market was relocated to Obani, outskirts of Umuahia, because she was not allotted a shop in the new market. There are thousands of others like this woman whose shops were demolished, and up till today have not been given any replacement.

It is very sad that the stalls in the new market were shared out to the governor’s cronies, hangers-on, family members, political associates and friends, who in turn resold them at exorbitant prices. This is why many of the displaced traders could not secure a space in the new market.

Another tragedy is that traders relocated to the new market and who were able to secure new shops idle away every day for lack of patronage. Many of them have closed shop and now stay at home, instead of spending the little money at their disposal transporting themselves to the new market, which is about 10 kilometers away.

Some of the texts also drew attention to the lack of basic amenities such as water, electricity, roads, etc across the state. Interestingly, a sizeable number of the texts came from the City of Aba, which is in a state of total collapse. When I was governor of the state from 1999 to 2007, our administration ensured that the city was well-catered to. We rehabilitated almost all the bad roads in the city and provided other amenities that made life pleasurable for the people. We were able to rebuild Aba despite our lean resources, because of its strategic importance as the economic livewire of the state.

I find it inexplicable that Governor Orji could allow Aba to degenerate to its present pitiful state, when his administration collects huge revenue from there in form of taxes. This is the height of wickedness!

Residents of Aba are very bitter and frustrated with the governor. They have always wanted a way to vent their anger for a very long time. So, what happened last Friday at the burial of our beloved Bishop Valentine Ezeonyia, where the governor was thoroughly embarrassed by the people of the city, was unfortunate and generally avoidable!

Probably, the governor underestimated the capacity of the people to react the way they did. He personally courted the wrath of the people and now is seeking a scapegoat in another person. To clone my phone number and purport a message to have been written by me apologizing to the governor over the incident of last Friday was a show of shame by the governor and his cohorts. Why should anybody clone my phone number to serve his self-centred agenda?

The cause of the rift between me and the governor was that I advised him to gear up and work for the people. I had told him pointblank in 2008 – after 12 months in office as governor – that the people were not happy with his performance. I also advised him to stop taking loans indiscriminately from banks as that would be detrimental to his administration on the long run. Instead of taking my advice in good faith and making amends he opted to antagonize me.

Thereafter, he nicknamed himself ‘Ochendo Global’ and started reveling in debauchery. His acolytes and band of praise-singers sweet-talk him and this makes his head swell. His sense of reasoning, having been beclouded by vainglory, leaves him power-drunk and drenched with myopia. His actions in turn become anti-people and irrational. This is the lot of the man in the saddle in Abia State.

It is on record that since we went our separate ways I have taken the back seat and allowed him to run the show as he so desires. But one thing I have vowed not to do is to see evil and not speak up against it. So long I have breath in me I will continue to condemn evil in whatever ramification it rears its ugly head.

Our elders and other stakeholders have unfortunately lost their manhood. They prefer to gallivant with the governor for the crumbs from his table. Some of them are captains of industry, retired military men, and intellectuals who should ordinarily show exemplary leadership to the young ones. The misadministration of Abia State under the watch of the governor has been bolstered by the tacit support he gets from these shameless people. Today Abia State is a Pariah State, despised by many.

There is nothing anywhere in the state to show the true presence of government. What greet a first-time visitor to the state are mountainous heaps of refuse, dilapidated roads, and poverty written in the faces of the people. There is no state capital in Nigeria, except Umuahia, that does not wear a new look. When the attention of the governor is drawn to the developmental strides made by neighbouring states such as Akwa Ibom State he cites disparity in federal allocation collectible by the two states as a reason. Nobody compares Abia State to Akwa Ibom, but at least there should be signs of government presence in Abia State based on what it has collected so far from Abuja.

Conservatively, Abia State has received close to a trillion naira from the federation account and internally-generated revenue since 2007. Despite this huge sum received the state is still very poor and backward. The only evidence of development was the accomplishments recorded by the administrations of Sam Mbakwe and Orji Kalu. Where then has all the money gone?

Business Mogul Arthur Eze visited Abia State on the invitation of the governor recently and left a very sad man. What he said about the poor state of infrastructure in the state is in the public domain. Unfortunately, in spite of the berating by Dr. Eze the governor has carried on as usual. And this makes him a very incorrigible person. What on earth would cause a governor to continue in his evil ways when he has the opportunity to repent? If somebody had told me in 1999 that Chief Theodore Orji was going to behave in the manner he does at present I would not have believed him.

I trusted him with the destiny of Abia State by supporting him to become governor, not knowing that the mien he exhibited throughout the period he served as my chief of staff was fake and pretentious. You the reader may not appreciate what I am saying until you have encountered this sly man. He laughs with you but deep in his heart he harbours evil.

For Governor Orji, misrule, corruption and greed are the same thing and ten pence. He cannot spot any difference among them. For if he could spot the difference then he would know that they are evils and should be avoided. There is no person in Abia State who has not tasted the bitter pill served by the governor and his family. From the poor to the mighty, the powerful to the weak, it is the same tales of woes.

The people cry daily for redemption. They pray ceaseless that the burden placed upon them by the misdeeds of the governor be taken away by God without further delay. Anger and frustration have enveloped our people. They have sworn never to have any dealings with the governor or his family again. Even among the kinsmen of the governor the story is the same. They also want change. They allege that their son has forsaken them and has not done anything to better their lot since he assumed the office of governor.

The anti-Theodore Orji sentiments have been on geometric rise, particularly after the controversial PDP primaries in which he foisted himself and his son on the party as their senatorial and House of Assembly candidates respectively. It is not an exaggeration to state that from what is on ground there is no way the governor could win any election anywhere in Abia State again. The people, whom he has taken for a ride, are ready to pay him back in his own coin.

I challenge anybody in doubt to undertake a tour of Abia State to feel the pulse of the people. A few persons who profit from the governor’s purposeless leadership may run ring round him, prodding him to go on with his recklessness and insensitivity – but that will not avert the judgement of the people that is about to befall him. I know he still recalls what I always told him while serving as my chief of staff – that evil has an expiry date. Whatever anyone does in life – good or bad, right or wrong – has a reward.

For Governor Orji he has wasted all the goodwill he had, including the opportunity to worm him back into the masses’ hearts. The only worry I have is the liabilities he is going to leave behind as he races out of Government House Umuahia come May 29. I am aware that the level of indebtedness of his government to the banks, different categories of workers, pensioners, and contractors is frightening. This was exactly what our administration avoided as we prepared to leave office in 2007. We ensured that we left no debts – local or foreign – so that the incoming administration would not be bogged down by carry-over liabilities.

Lest we forget: I threw a challenge to Governor Orji last year for us to seek the services of the best audit firm in the world to audit the accounts of our governments to see who among us has misappropriated and plundered the financial resources of our beloved state. I even offered to defray the cost of the audit whenever it takes place. Sadly, six months after the challenge he is yet to respond to it. The simple deduction to make from his deliberate silence is that he has something to hide. Otherwise he would have accepted the challenge long ago.

In conclusion, I wish to state that I have nothing personal against Governor Orji, even though he has disappointed me and the good people of Abia State who believed in me and voted him into power while in prison. I have only drawn attention to the realities that await him, in case he has forgotten that after thunder comes calm. He should come down from his high horse and seek the face of God and reconcile himself with Him and the people before it becomes too late.

2015 presidency: Nigerians should believe in Jonathan

2015-02-28T03:28:00.000-08:00

With the steady gains the Nigerian military has made in the fight against insurgency in the north-East geopolitical zone coupled with the massive commissioning of projects by Mr. President, especially in the past three weeks, Nigerians are no longer in doubt they have a capable president in Goodluck Jonathan.
I recall that former President Ibrahim Babangida reechoed this position when President Jonathan paid him a courtesy visit at his Minna residence as part of his nation-wide electioneering campaign. Babangida was blunt and straight to the point when he said that ‘Nigeria is safe under President Goodluck Jonathan.’
For me, I have never for once doubted the capability of the President leading this country having critically studied his performance in the past 6 years. Forget the demonization by the opposition, and the campaigns of calumny mounted against him by other subterranean forces, President Jonathan has been anointed by God to right the wrongs of this country and place it on a steady path of growth and development.
There are many good things some people do not know about this President. I must confess that initially I never believed in his ability to successfully lead a complex and heterogeneous nation as Nigeria, because of some misplaced perceptions. I had seen him as too weak and soft to drive a nation of over 200 ethnic blocks. I had expected somebody with iron fists to beat our obdurate people into line.
But later events have since proved me wrong. In fact, I was too quick to judge him – also for obvious reasons. The most critical at the time was the security situation in the country, which was assuming an embarrassing proportion. I remember the frightening situation then in the Southeast, to which kidnappers and other criminal elements had laid siege. They had a field day terrorizing and killing innocent people. When the President stepped in the situation was brought under control. The presence of the military in strategic towns and cities in the zone has helped tremendously in restoring law and order.
Then enter the northeast zone. Boko Haram and their sponsors set out on a dangerous mission to destabilize the country. The dreaded sect was taking over towns and cities with ease. It got to a point when Nigerians started asking if at all they had a military. Faced with this dispirited development the President stood firm and carried on with the mien of a combatant general. Despite all the media criticisms he maintained his cool and kept assuring the nation that the government was on top of the situation.
Nigerians were visibly and ostensibly tired of this refrain from the President each time there was an attack by the sect. They wanted action. They cried out for it. But nothing seemed to be working. State of emergency was declared and renewed on a few occasions – all in an effort to find a way round the problem to no avail.
One thing many critics of the president did not take into consideration was the complex nature of the operations by the military to flush out the insurgents. The northeast geopolitical zone is a very wide and difficult terrain. It is also accessible to some of the most difficult neighbours – Chad, Niger and Cameroun. Curiously, Chad and Niger had been under constant threats of terrorists and different kinds of militias for as long as I can remember. So, with the eruption of insurgency in the northeast it was easy for criminal elements to gain access into Nigeria, using many of the porous borders around the region.
Again, Nigerians should consider that before the ascendancy of President Jonathan to power Nigeria had never witnessed terrorism in any form. Therefore, it could be safe to conclude that our security agencies were not mentally and materially ready for the war. That was why it took some time to prepare it sufficiently for the onslaught against the sect.
I was alarmed when some persons chose to describe President Jonathan as clueless. Clueless? That was a harsh word to use on a man who has spent all the days of his presidency so far working to make Nigeria great.
It was simple to understand why the President was described as clueless by some disgruntled elements: he restrained the military from using too much force on Boko Haram terrorists which would have resulted in massive loss of civilian lives. As a passionate and compassionate leader the President chose to protect his people instead of allowing many of them to die for him to gain some cheap publicity. For a power-hungry leader the latter option would have been more appealing.
I would want Nigerians to take some time out, in the quietude of their rooms, to think about Nigeria and the effort this President has made to keep it one and united. The emergence of Jonathan at this time of our national life was not by accident. God brought him, aware of the delicate nature of our unity, to take Nigeria to the next stage of development. I doubt if any other President could have had the sanity of mind and the patience to direct the affairs of the nation as Jonathan had done. You know it is easy to destroy than to build. Let me ask: would there have been a nation to lead if the President had confronted the challenges of the nation with such brutality as some people had anticipated?
For close watchers of global events it is germane on every Nigerian to consider the way other nations had handled their own crises. Rwanda, Somalia, Congo Democratic Republic (CDR), Sudan, etc are embroiled in internecine wars for not properly handling their differences. Nigeria’s situation would have been worse if a man like Jonathan had not been in the saddle.
I am sure those that predicted the dismemberment of Nigeria had thought it was going to toe the infamous path of these crisis-ridden countries. However, they underestimated the strength of Jonathan and had thought he would have easily succumbed to pressure and led Nigeria into crisis.
Unfortunately, what critics saw as cluelessness was actually tact and diplomacy. While critics were busy abusing the President and calling him all kinds of derogatory names, he was busy re-equipping and retraining the military on how to deal with terrorism. Now his perseverance has started yielding the desired dividends. The evidence is all over the place.
Look at what is happening in the northeast axis of the country, where terrorists had held sway. What do you see? Terrorists scampering for safety with some of them even drowning? I had wished this did not happen when I joined my voices with those of other well-meaning Nigerians to appeal to Boko Haram to lay down their arms and embrace peace. I foresaw what is happening today about three years ago when I offered to broker peace between the government and Boko Haram.
I had always believed in President Jonathan’s ability to deal with Boko Haram. So I am not surprised at the present gains by the military over the sect. What I did not, however, anticipate was the swiftness of the operations. Is it not amazing that in less than one week almost all the territories hitherto under the control of the sect had been recovered by the military. Even in one of the communities normal activities had resumed, with the markets swinging back to life.
For critics of Jonathan, the shift in the dates of the elections was a ploy by his government to buy time. Which time? I dismissed this insinuation in this column two weeks ago. Jonathan does not need to buy any time to win the forthcoming elections. His performance will make it possible. Later events have since proved that INEC was not fully ready for the elections. If the elections had gone ahead as planned, probably, what happened in 2011, when the elections were aborted mid way, would have recurred.
Because of the tact and managerial ability of the President this calamity was averted. Imagine what embarrassment it would have caused the nation if the elections had gone on and ended in disaster. Who would have been blamed? Definitely not INEC as many would make us believe. The blame would have been levied on the President. Aware of the enormity of the task on his shoulders the president did the needful.
I must single out the Service Chiefs for commendation. Their wisdom and courage in advising for a shift in the dates of the election has saved the nation from destabilization. It has also shown the military as an apolitical and professional organization with its focus on the stability of the nation.
Interestingly, INEC is already leveraging on the postponement as more PVCs are being distributed and other materials needed for credible, smooth and peaceful elections produced. Nobody needs further assurances to believe that the new dates for the elections are realistic, going by the progress made so far.
Those who accuse the president of not fighting corruption enough should bear in mind that he has the capacity to fight corruption. Corruption is like insecurity. They are cankers that do no nation any good. Without necessarily defending the President, it is common knowledge that corruption did not get to its present magnitude overnight. It took many years for it to mutate and spread. What we have in Nigeria today is institutional corruption, and to destroy it requires the cooperation and support of every Nigerian. My take on the matter is that President Jonathan will fight corruption with the same commitment he has dealt with insecurity. I know very well that he is planning a huge offensive against corruption. It is just a matter of time.
Let me quickly add that President Jonathan’s style of fighting corruption will differ significantly with the way a man with military background would. Don’t forget we are under a civilian dispensation, where protection of fundamental rights of every citizen is guaranteed by the Constitution. Therefore, there is a limit to the quantum of force to be applied in the enforcement of the laws that punish corrupt practices.
In my reasoning, the best way to fight corruption is through reorientation and cutting off all the roots that give it life. How can this be achieved? We need to create more jobs, provide more amenities to make life worth living, boost agriculture to provide more food, bridge the gap between the rich and the poor, and reduce poverty to the barest level. It is inequality that pervades every sphere of our national life that makes corruption flourish. And the way President Jonathan is going about the task of eradicating corruption it will become a thing of the past sooner than expected.
Having said that it is important to state at this juncture that the critics of President Jonathan are yet to tell us what difference replacing him with another person would make on the lives on Nigerians. All they keep chanting is change. Change to achieve what? They have not told us. I have read the economic blueprints of the opposition political parties and none of them could match the transformation agenda of President Jonathan. Any unbiased assessment of the agenda shows that it has the capacity to turnaround the life of the nation positively. Already its implementation so far has given hope that the twin-problem of power and employment will soon be addressed.
Nobody will disagree that youth unemployment coupled with unavailability of steady power has contributed adversely to the growth of the Nigerian economy. So, if the two problems could be addressed then we are on the road to economic boom that will lead to more jobs for the youth and lesser crimes.
What President Jonathan has achieved in 6 years will take a new government another 10 years to accomplish. Lack of sufficient time to midwife and nurture a programme to fruition has been identified as one of the problems working against the development of the nation. With another four years (which is like a short hour in the night) the President will be able to complete ongoing projects started by his administration. It is always better for somebody who initiated a project to complete it according to specifications.
One thing going for the president is that he is a silent achiever. I was perplexed when I saw him in Olorunsogo, Ogun State last week commissioning a new power project. I was wondering when the project was started and already completed. That is the hallmark of responsible leadership. I believe President Jonathan has many more surprises for Nigerians only if they can trust him and re-elect him.

He has demonstrated a determination to build a new Nigeria in which everybody will enjoy the freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution; hunger and penury chased away, crimes and other forms of criminality reduced drastically; life more pleasurable; and peace and tranquility reign.
It will not serve the nation any useful purpose to change a winning horse midstream. What we need now is to allow President Jonathan to consolidate on the achievements of his administration and steer the ship of state to a safe berth come 2019.

Of garrulity, vituperations and Nigeria’s politics

2015-02-21T00:38:00.002-08:00

The 2015 electioneering has brought out the best in Nigeria’s politicians: garrulity, cantankerousness and lack of restraint. Past elections, no doubt, had their own doses of these anti-democratic elements, but the 2015 stands tall above the rest. Tune in to any channel of communication and what you see will make you wonder if this is a 21st Nigeria of our dream. All kinds of trash in the name of advertisements rule the airwaves. And it seems the regulatory agencies have gone to sleep eternally.

The situation is made worse by some of the barefaced lies that are churned out on daily basis by politicians just to outdo one another, as if there will be no tomorrow. If the advertisements had centred on issues it would have been somewhat tolerable. But what is dished out is what can best be called ‘garbage’ in the journalistic parlance.

It seems all of us politicians are neck-deep into this self-destruct adventure! Are there no other decent ways to sell our messages to the millions of Nigerians eager to hear them? Must we resort to pouring invectives and vituperations on one another in order to win the attention of the electorate?

The situation has become so sickening that, if not checked, it could mark the death-knell of our young democracy. I find it hard to understand why even those who should ordinarily show the way are the people engaged in this act of intolerance. Why must all of us show feverish desperation as if our lives depended on politics? Does it mean some of us cannot survive without politics? Why should politics be made so attractive that some people have found safe havens in it?

Answers to these questions have become imperative with what is happening in our polity. The political space has been so heated up that I fear for the actual elections. Name-calling, angry outbursts and bad blood have become the order of the day.

I cannot fail to ask: from where did our politicians learn these dangerous acts in politicking? Could what they practice actually be called politicking? I doubt it. Politics to the best of my knowledge is like a game of chess. It does not require the player to exhibit an uncanny attitude or desperation. What it demands is tact and diplomacy to outsmart your opponent.

But in Nigeria politics is war, which must be won at all costs. Everybody is guilty and has come short of the demands of the electoral act and the constitution. Who does not know that our politicians are overheating the polity with their hate messages and vitriolic?

We denigrate one another and cast aspersions on one another – forgetting we have a tomorrow ahead of us. Have we suddenly forgotten that after thunder comes calm? Will we not have a cause to seek the support of one another in other enterprises in future? Why must we destroy the bridge after crossing it when we are expected to take the same route back?

Our politicians should wear their thinking cats and do what is proper. There is no way we can fight our common enemies – insecurity and ethnic disharmony – by quarrelling and calling one another unprintable names. We may see some of our actions as right now, but later we will have cause to regret.

I have never seen anywhere in the whole wide world where bitterness and warring have produced any dividends. Rather they have succeeded in setting nations on fire and destroying the foundations of democracy. It does not matter whatever reasons anybody would like to adduce to justify the unruly behaviour of our politicians. In my opinion no reason can be sufficient to justify what our politicians do at present – mudslinging.

We watch how the developed nations we aspire to be like practice their own politics. They allow everybody – no matter your social stature – to aspire to any office of your dream. They also run decent campaigns, and every participant has access to any media of his or her choice. But such is not the case in Nigeria. Media that are owned by government are used as if they were personal properties of the governor of the state. Nobody from the opposition can have access to such media. This is clearly against the spirit of political sportsmanship and the regulations that govern the operability of such media.

Sadly, this trend has caught up with the entire nation without an exception. Why is it so? The reason is not far to get: Politics in Nigeria has become a huge money-making venture, attracting all manners of people. Like the honey pot, everybody must have a taste of it. Have we paused and asked about the welfare of the bees that produce the honey. People hardly ever remember the bees. All they want is the honey. This is the tragedy of our national political life.

The struggle for Nigeria’s independence succeeded the way it did mainly because of the altruism of our founding fathers. Ahmadu Bello, Nnamdi Azikiwe, Obafemi Awolowo, Dennis Osadebey, Akanu Ibiam, Aminu Kano, and others sacrificed their lives to found the modern Nigeria. They carried themselves with dignity and candour, and played politics without rancour and bitterness. I recall with deep pain the Apostle of politics without bitterness: Ibrahim Waziri of the then Great Nigerian Peoples’ Party (GNPP). He had some disagreements with Nnamdi Azikiwe over the founding of the Nigerian Peoples’ Party (NPP). Instead of rocking the boat he opted to found another political party. That was how GNPP emerged.

I cannot forget the period leading to the 1979 general elections. Politicians went about their business without fear of molestation. They traversed every nook and cranny of the country without any harassment or intimidation. Security was minimal at political rallies as people saw it as a game. It was always an exhilarating spectacle then watching politicians speak from the soapboxes. Their speeches centred on issues that shaped the destiny of the nation. What about Zik and Ozumba Mbadiwe and their bombastic and highfaluting lexicons? These things added colour and fun to the campaigns.

What do we have today? The opposite is the answer. When Nigerian politicians mount the podia their messages are always very predictable. They spit fire and threaten the heavens will fall if they failed to win. They spend precious time calling their rivals all kinds of insulting names as if they themselves are better. This is what I call hypocrisy of the highest order.

The drafters of the current constitution and the electoral act did not anticipate the kind of behaviour being exhibited by politicians. Otherwise they would have made clear-cut provisions to arrest it. The situation has almost got to a point that politicians with naked power can always do whatever they like and go scot-free. What other conclusions could I have drawn when it now seems the National Communications Commission (NCC), Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC) and Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON) can no longer enforce discipline and order in the industry they regulate?

I am aware of the stringent provisions in the laws that established these regulatory bodies and this leaves me wondering why they cannot evoke such regulations to call any erring person or institution to order. I am particularly worried about the reckless manner the advertisements for the print media are packaged. I know there is a panel in APCON charged with the responsibility of vetting every advertising copy to be used in the media. What has become of that panel? Does the panel vet every ad copy that goes to the media for use as an advertisement?

The NCC and NBC seem to have suddenly disappeared from the radar in the discharge of their duties. And this is why decorum and commonsense have taken flight from our political space. The electronic and social media have gone haywire with hate messages and offensive advertising, yet nobody seems to be doing anything to restore order.

The most worrisome part of this whole saga is the assault on the psyche of innocent Nigerians and the charging of the polity. Politicians should not underestimate how far their messages can go in creating disunity and bad blood among the peoples of Nigeria. The current state of insecurity in the country can be made worse by these hate messages. We all know how restive some parts of the country have been and how such incendiary messages can fuel the embers of hate and insurgency. Unfortunately our politicians care less. What bothers them is how they will get power. Whether the people they aspire to govern are alive or dead means little to them.

How I wish the presidential elections had held on February 14. At least by now the airwaves would have enjoyed some sanity and quietude. With the postponement comes increased tempo of politicking and sickening messages from political gladiators. We have another 5 weeks of listless and mindless noisemaking by the political class. Are we going to have some changes this time round? Are the regulatory bodies going to step into the foray and restore normalcy?

To continue to maintain relevance and attract the respect of Nigerians these regulatory agencies must sit up and do their jobs. They should not engage in primordial considerations before evoking their powers. Nobody or political party should be treated with kid’s gloves when it comes face to face with the law. The essence of the laws is to regulate behavior and conduct, ensuring that every player subjects himself to the tenets of the contest.

But it seems some animals are more equal than others – a sad portrayal of George Orwell’s The Animal Farm. Our political landscape has unfortunately become a centre of the absurd – where naked wielding of power has become the name of the game. The weak have been made vulnerable and shut out of circulation. Who then will speak for them?

In many states of the federation tension is very high as politicians canvass votes. They muster whatever is in their arsenal to make their impact felt – even if it runs contrary to the statutes and decency. This is where maturity and candour come into play. We are all witnesses to the lawlessness being displayed by politicians across board in different parts of the country. They do this unmindful of the law. There have been cases of bombing of offices of opposing political parties and rivals. This is not a good sign of what is to come.

As a matter of fact, the resort to self-help by politicians has been elevated to preposterous heights. They even go about with private security men dressed in military uniforms as if our official security agents are inferior. These fake security men are used for illegal operations to cow opponents and create a state of panic and insecurity in the land.

And so, who will bell the cat? Who will save us from the impending cataclysm? I am usually encouraged by assurances from the security agencies that they are on top of the situation. However, that insecurity should persist after these assurances is what baffles me. This is the time for the security agencies to redeem their image and reassure Nigerians of their preparedness to provide cover for the elections.

The political class has a big role to play in ensuring the success of the forthcoming elections. It is important for them to conduct themselves in a manner that will foster national unity and cohesion, and promote healthy political rivalries. It will not do anybody any good if Nigeria is set on fire. We have more to benefit co-existing as one, indivisible nation in which love and trust will blossom.

I urge our politicians to vet the content of their messages to remove vestiges of hate or rancour. They should see one another, first, as fellow Nigerians and, second, as brothers and sisters. Engaging in provocative utterances against one another is an ill-wind that blows nobody any good.

The horizon, though charged, looks hopeful. It holds promises for free, fair and credible elections. And I pray God to make it happen.

BISHOP EZEONYIA: PASSAGE OF A TRUE MAN OF GOD

The news of the death of the Catholic Bishop of Aba Diocese, Bishop Vincent Valentine Ezeonyia, came to me as a shock. He never betrayed any sign of imminent death. In fact, I had spoken to him a few days before his sudden death and he exuded his usual vivacity and camaraderie.

So, you could imagine the grief when the news of his death was broken to me by one of the priests that served under him.

For the period I knew Bishop Ezeonyia, especially during my stint as executive governor of Abia State, he was a huge source of inspiration to me and many of my associates. His wise counseling, charm and fatherly disposition distinguished him from the pack. He will be sorely missed.

As we prepare his final burial on February 27, I pray God to console the Church in Aba and, indeed, the whole federation, on the loss of this erudite and holy shepherd.

May God grant his soul eternal rest, and let His light shine upon him and be merciful unto him. Amen!

Postponement of elections: Blessing in disguise

2015-02-13T23:46:00.001-08:00

A week ago, I wrote a passionate letter to all Nigerians in connection with the 2015 elections earlier scheduled for February 14 and 28 respectively. The letter was a product of a strict meditative process. I had intended to use it to redirect the consciousness of Nigerians to do what is proper in order to engender peace, mutual tolerance and, therefore, credible, free and fair elections. While we humans were busy thinking of the way forward to successful elections, little did anybody know, God was planning something else. God’s will prevailed and the elections were postponed.
Is anybody still in doubt that God is absolutely in control of affairs in our dear country? When men make their own plans God has the final way.
I wrote in this column in the beginning of the year that God had taken a special interest in Nigeria’s affairs and that he was going to do something marvelous in our eyes. Has that not started happening? The postponement of the elections is another way of God manifesting Himself to us and telling us not to worry too much about the future of this country.
Barely one week to the postponement rumour mill was agog with all kinds of stories, ranging from the preposterous to lugubrious. News started flying that the elections were going to be rescheduled. The media, civil society groups, political parties and other interest groups cried blue murder, warning INEC not to succumb to what many of them described as blackmail from the government of the day. The opposition was particularly loud about the threat of a reprisal action should the elections be postponed.
The meeting of the National Council of States had held a few days earlier to deliberate on the need for a possible shift, but did not arrive at any consensus. Rather it advised INEC to liaise with the security agencies before deciding finally on what to do. From the body language of the Council I knew right away that the elections were going to be postponed. Asking INEC to liaise with the security agencies was an indirect way of advising INEC to postpone the elections.
Who, in Nigeria, does not know that security has posed one of the hugest challenges to the Jonathan administration? Even though the Chief of Defence Staff a month ago had assured INEC of the readiness of his men to offer logistic support for the elections, the National Security Adviser had a different position. Speaking at the Chatham House in London two weeks ago the National Security Adviser had advised that the elections be moved to more realistic dates. He had cited the inability of many registered voters to collect their permanent voter’s card as the reason.
In my usual intuitive disposition I had already made up my mind that INEC was going to reschedule the dates of the elections, considering the fact that the Electoral Act (as amended) gave INEC some powers to shift the dates of the elections within the confines of the act. The Act states clearly that elections must hold at least 30 days to the handover date of May 29. By this provision INEC was not under any compulsion to hold the elections on February 14 and 28.
So, by shifting the dates of the polls to March 28 and April 11 INEC has done a great service to our nation and the electoral process. The reasons the Chairman of INEC adduced for the shift were as plausible as they were exigent. What would anybody have gained by INEC going ahead to conduct elections in which over 35 per cent of voters would have been disenfranchised and in which its ad hoc staff would have been insufficiently equipped?
The truth is that postponing the elections became inevitable when reports showed that the safety of voters, INEC staff and materials could not be guaranteed by the security agencies. The heightening insecurity in the north could not permit the security agencies to offer INEC such a guarantee. And this is understandable.
I find it, therefore, absurd when some people attribute the shift to other ulterior motives. What ulterior motives? Some even claimed the dates of the polls were shifted because Jonathan was going to lose if elections were held on the dates stipulated earlier.
Let me ask those who make such flimsy allusions a simple question: what difference would 6 weeks make in Jonathan winning or losing the elections? Absolutely nothing! Six weeks is like a drop of water in the ocean when you compare it to the gains INEC and the whole nation stand to make in the long run.
Some of the gains include: adequate time for INEC to distribute the PVCs, deploy the card-readers, and train its ad hoc staff on the use of the card readers and other logistics; and enough time for the security agencies to curtail insurgencies in different parts of the country to an appreciable level before the elections. Achieving these two critical objectives will make the chances of the elections being free, fair and credible brighter.
As I wrote this week’s column somebody sent an SMS to my mobile phone accusing the National Security Adviser, INEC and Director of Security Service of committing treason by postponing the elections. I find this ludicrous. What was treasonable in INEC exercising its constitutional duty? The Constitution expressly empowers INEC to fix dates for elections and, even, postpone the same if the need arises.
Instead of dissipating energy on issues that will not do us any good we should rather devote more attention to the effort being made by the government and INEC to deliver free, fair and incredible elections to Nigerians. Knowing the pedigree of the man Attahiru Jega there is no way anybody or institution can make him do what is antithetical to national development.
For the period Jega has held forte at INEC the commission has done its best to deepen our democracy by conducting elections to meet international standards. I do not therefore subscribe to the view that Jega buckled under threat by the security agencies to postpone the elections.
The wide consultations the commission made before the decision was finally taken to shift the dates of the polls would have been enough to convince even a doubting Thomas that the commission meant well for Nigeria.
Feelers reaching me indicate INEC is already leveraging on the extension of the dates of the elections. It has intensified efforts to ensure that the PVCs get to their end-users on time. The training of its ad hoc staff has commenced in earnest and run till such a time the staff will have been adequately trained to handle the sensitive materials and equipment that would be placed under their care.
Let me place on record the general comportment of the various stakeholders in the face of the postponement. Contrary to the fears expressed by some people that there would be a breach of the peace should the postponement be announced, there has been an atmosphere of peace and calm. This is what should be expected. After all, the opposition and other stakeholders are Nigerians, live in Nigeria and know what is happening inside it.
Nigeria at present is going through trying times aggravated by insecurity, falling global oil prices and corruption. It has to be told today that Nigeria’s effort at conducting free and fair elections and stabilizing the economy come with a huge price. To deliver free and fair elections we need adequate preparations. To improve the economy we need to exterminate corruption and build institutions that will serve as stop-gaps in the war against graft.
It is auspicious at this point to state that I see the hand of God in the postponement. In the first place, the elections would not have been postponed if God had not sanctioned it. Is His ways not different from ours? He has the final say on any matter in heaven and on earth, and even beneath the earth. It may be safe therefore to claim that there is blessing in disguise in the action of INEC.
Mark my word: INEC will conduct the freest and fairest elections in the annals of our nation this time round. And whoever emerges winner from the 14 presidential candidates in the race will be accepted and sworn in as President without any crisis. Those who express fears over the handover date do so out of sheer greed and self-aggrandizement. There is nothing altruistic in their fears.
The reaction of President Goodluck Jonathan to these fears has been quite heartwarming. According to the president, the May 29 handover date is sacrosanct. What this simply means is the government is ready to work for the sustenance of our ongoing democracy, no matter the sacrifices it is expected to make. There is nothing anywhere to show that Jonathan would have lost if the elections had held on February 14. Nothing absolutely! In fact, opinion polls indicated the contrary. The support base of Jonathan grows by the day as people begin to appreciate the enormity of the work his administration has done to make Nigeria better.
There is no aspect of our national life that has not experienced transformation. Agriculture, rail transportation and employment-creation, in particular, have witnessed some boost under Jonathan. Critics of the administration should ask some questions such as where Nigeria was when Jonathan came and where it is now. From every indication there has been a quantum leap in service delivery, wealth creation opportunities and economic growth.
The critics of Jonathan are simply myopic, egocentric and green with envy. What this administration deserves is a pat in the back and not unwarranted criticisms as is being done by armchair critics and ethnic jingoists. If it were in other climes President Jonathan needn’t have gone through the rigours of campaigning. The citizenry would have ordinarily voted massively for him to continue the good works he is doing.
It is important for our politicians to change the way they reason and act for the overall interest of our democracy and nation. The idea of fanning the embers of hate and creating illusionary enemies among Nigerians is negative, counterproductive and sectional. Nigeria has grown into a nation that should no longer accommodate some of these retrogressive tendencies.
I have listened with consternation the hate messages being dished out through diverse media by the various contestants. These messages portend danger for our growing democracy. Politicians signed an undertaking a few weeks ago not to exhibit or condone violence during the elections. Regrettably, the same day the agreement was signed in Abuja was the day some of them chose to patronize the media and paint one another in dark light.
When will our politicians learn to demonstrate resilience, candour and tolerance in their politicking? There is no love lost among them. What do they hope to achieve by casting aspersion on one another and sowing the seed of discord?
The elections have been postponed and it is a reality all of us will have to live with. Creating unnecessary brouhaha over the postponement should be discouraged.
I am glad at the way the main opposition party, All Progressives’ Congress (APC), has accepted the postponement. I listened to the party’s deputy director-general, national campaign organization, Senator Olorunimbe Mamora, as he expressed the party’s position on the postponement of the elections; and he made some salient points. He said without any equivocation that his party had accepted the postponement in good faith and with equanimity. He however expressed apprehension that there could be a hidden agenda behind it.
Let me nonetheless assure the distinguished Senator that there are no other reasons for the postponement other than the ones already given by Jega. The new dates for the elections are realistic and tenable.

All INEC needs is the cooperation of all critical stakeholders to be able to deliver on its mandate. It does not deserve any distractions as some disgruntled elements have planned to do. Anybody that distracts INEC does not really mean well for this country.
INEC may have its faults, which is normal and expected. It should not be crucified as a result. With the extra six weeks the commission will be ready to conduct elections that will be globally acclaimed as the best Nigeria has ever conducted.
I urge Nigerians to go out and collect their PVCs. They should not wait until the eleventh hour before filing out to collect their cards. Those that have collected their voter’s cards should preserve them very carefully and ensure they use them judiciously on elections days.
I commend Jega and his commissioners for the courage they demonstrated by agreeing to shift the elections. By that singular decision they have succeeded in giving our democracy a new life and the electoral process the impetus to grow and flourish.

LETTER TO NIGERIANS: Before we go to the polls

2015-02-07T02:51:00.000-08:00

I sat ensconced in my sofa a week ago ruminating on all what had happened to our dear country since independence. I had thought about the 30-month civil war and its aftermath – the hues and the cries – the poverty and penury. I had thought also about the journey we have made as a nation since then – the lost opportunities, the failed and failing infrastructure, the broken promises. Above all, I had spared a thought for millions of our compatriots suffering from one form of deprivation or another, caused by the mindless behaviour of the political class. Grieved and overburdened by the thoughts I decided to write this letter to all Nigerians as we draw closer to the elections.

The main reason for writing you at this critical time of our national history stemmed from the fact that we have failed to learn any lessons from the sordid experiences of our past. It is sad that we have continually failed to appreciate the abundant talents God has given to each of us to develop our country and make it the dreamland we have always craved for.

Have we paused to ponder why we are where we are today and why we have not reached the Promised Land – a journey we began on the day of amalgamation in 1914? For 101 years we have journeyed to nowhere in particular. That is what it seems. What else would it be that we have wasted numerous opportunities that came our way to make Nigeria great?

Yes, we are one united nation! But how sincere have we been with one another? We profess our patriotic inclinations openly, while deep inside us we hate one another morbidly.

We fought a bitter 30-month civil war, in which millions were massacred, properties worth billions of naira wasted. We are yet to recover from the tragedy of that war and behold some of us are already sounding the trumpets of another war.

What on earth would make us reason so irrationally, forgetting too soon the tragedies that had befallen Rwanda, Somalia, Liberia, Sudan, etc? Can we afford another (bloody) civil war? Can our fragile nation survive another round of internecine war with its grave consequences?

I have asked these questions to agitate our minds about the impending danger to our national survival. Those clamouring for war, probably, did not witness the last one. For if they did, they would have known that war is a curse on any nation. The worst thing I would ever wish an enemy is war. We were toddlers when the civil war in Nigeria broke out. As impressionable as we were we still felt the pain of the waste and desolation that was the lot of our people.

Can we spare a thought for the countless assaults we have mounted on Nigeria? How we have ravaged its resources and wasted its virginity. From 1957 (when oil was discovered in commercial quantities in Oloibiri) till date, Nigeria has bled ceaselessly from greed, malfeasance, corruption, wickedness and hatred, ethnicity and nepotism, infrastructural decay and exploitation of the weak by the poor.

From the first democratic dispensation in the late fifties till the present one Nigeria has grappled with these multifarious problems, with no end in sight. Instead of counting our blessings as a nation we count dead bodies of our fellow compatriots killed by us for our selfish interest. Who would ever have believed that 55 years after independence Nigerians would still be engaged in barbaric acts against one another? Life means little to us anymore. We kill with relish at the slightest provocation and even flaunt it to the outside world.

We have banded ourselves into militia groups, fighting for autonomy in a nation our forbears poured out their lives to found and unite. We have allowed our narrow parochial interests to obfuscate our sense of judgment and draw us into endless war of attrition against one another. What do we stand to gain if Nigeria is destroyed? God who brought us together as one people knew of our diversities from the onset and yet allowed us to be one nation. Why then do we want to dislocate the well-ordered structures that the good Lord has bequeathed to us?

It does not matter any longer how any individual or group feels about the nation Nigeria. The era has passed when such persons or individuals had the opportunity to disagree. In the build-up to Nigeria’s independence individuals and groups made their own contributions to the debate for independence. After all the debates we agreed to live together, irrespective of differences in tongue, culture and religion. Why then do some people, despite these realities, still promote divisive tendencies?

The truth I would want to tell us this day is that no amount of restiveness or insurrection can divide Nigeria. The unity of Nigeria was cemented on the altar on which the precious blood of our founding fathers and mothers was spilled.

It is unfortunate that those who champion the new plot to destabilise Nigeria are the same people on whom its future rests. Is it not the same people who are the insurgents that hold our nation hostage – threatening its peace and continued existence? What future then do we have if our able-bodied youth are used as thugs, kidnappers and insurgents to cause disaffection among our peoples.

It will be a tragedy of epic proportion if we failed to put a stop to this madness and redirect the energies of our youth to gainful enterprises. Those that exploit the vulnerability of the youth to dislocate the social fabric that binds us together should be made to know the huge disservice they do to our great nation and made to pay for it. We can no longer afford to sit and watch, while some disgruntled elements foment trouble and cause the loss of innocent lives.

This clarion call has become necessary, because of the ominous signs hovering in the sky. It is only a fool that will sit and watch his house burn without making any effort to salvage it.

The 2015 elections are just a week away and already tension has reached a palpable height. Some groups have threatened fire and brimstone should their candidates ever lose. Whey then do we have elections? Elections are the statutory process designed for us to elect our leaders. Any other process is not only illegal but subversive and illegitimate. It does not matter what we think is the best way things should be done. What we should concern ourselves with, at least for now, is what the law and the constitution state.

The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria clearly stipulates the guidelines on how we should choose leaders to man key federal offices. There is no where it states that any disenchanted citizen or group should resort to self-help. All the insurgencies across the country are illegal, illegitimate and a negation of the sovereignty of this nation.

It is curious that we have all suddenly lost our scruples. Those who should speak up have chosen to remain silent and watch things get worse, forgetting that all of us will be imperiled should Nigeria go down today. My people have a popular proverb which states: He that sounds the trumpet of war should not forget that war is death.

There is nothing that can be compared to peace and love. In love we are united, in peace we progress. Hatred and animosity cause us to falter and destroy all we have laboured for as a nation.

The forthcoming elections are not designed to estrange us. Rather they have been planned to afford us the opportunity to elect men and women who would pilot our affairs for another four years. To make these choices accordingly, we need to be adequately informed and prepared. Quality leaders can never emerge from any process that is compromised or faulty. We need to stimulate our thought process through meaningful discourses and mutual interactions. Definitely not through threats of war or intimidation!

If we believe we are one, indivisible nation, why then should a section of the country hold the rest of us to ransom? We have sufficient space to ventilate our grievances and still remain one people. How many lives have been lost to the insurgencies across the country? Countless numbers indeed! These innocent people have been mauled by their fellow citizens for no fault of theirs. Many of them killed left their ancestral homes in search of greener pastures. But lo and behold, what they got in return was premature death.

What could cause us to raise even a finger against one another? Have we suddenly forgotten that life is sacred, and no man or woman has the right to take it? Even our own lives are not ours. They belong to the Maker.

Everywhere you go in Nigeria today what you hear are threats of separation. Separate for what reason? Just to satisfy our whims and caprices? There has never been any genuine reason for anybody to clamour separation. The way God has designed our nation it is difficult for any section to go it alone. Those that produce oil may not have other things necessary to survive alone. The same thing applies to those that have been endowed with agricultural wealth. What all this means is we need one another to survive.

Instead of agitation for self-determination we should rather pull resources and develop our nation. The United States, despite its huge population, expanse of land, cultural diversity, has remained one. The racial scourge that had threatened to divide them was destroyed through personal sacrifices of their leaders to save America. Abraham Lincoln is today remembered all over the world for his feat in this direction.

Do we not have leaders in the mold of Abraham Lincoln, who can make huge personal sacrifices, to keep Nigeria one? Where have all the courageous and selfless men and women gone to? It seems everybody has lost the courage to speak up. Is it because of fear or what? How could our leaders stay and watch the she-goat deliver its kid in titters?

Why have parents allowed their children to lose control? Our families have become a hunting ground for vandals, criminals and cultists. Now that the elections are almost here many parents cannot account for their children. While a few of these parents have lost the courage to control their children, many others are ignorant of what their children actually do.

As we read this piece many of our children and wards are being equipped to be used as thugs for the elections. They have been quarantined in hidden places and indoctrinated on how to kill and maim. For how long will things go on this way? For how long will they be used as pawns in the chessboard by greedy and disgruntled politicians?

Our politicians have done a great disservice to our nation. I regret to state here that 50 per cent of our current problems were caused by the political class. They are the people who spread the messages of hate to create acrimony, which they exploit for their selfish desires. They are also the same people that sponsor violence and ethnic disharmony in order to cause confusion in the land and, by so doing, achieve their selfish political ends. Put together, our nation would have made much progress if our politicians had conducted themselves honourably and selflessly.

Let me warn all of us: the seeds of social disharmony, religious radicalism, and ethnic clannishness we have sown will soon grow into a colossal monster that will consume those that planted them. I have never doubted the biblical positing that nobody can mock God; for whatever a man sows he shall reap. Those who create crises in the land and pretend they would not be found out should know that the day of judgment will come soon – like a thief in the night.

We owe it as a patriotic duty to participate fully in the current electoral process and work for the emergence of quality representatives who would manage our affairs for the next four years. We must ensure that we collect our permanent voter’s cards and come out and exercise our franchise.

I urge our politicians to exercise restraint and avoid anything that will scuttle our fledgling democracy. No sacrifice is too much for us to make to move Nigeria forward. As President Jonathan has always said, no election is worth the blood of any Nigeria. This is a very powerful statement. But the courage to put it into practice is the challenge that faces every Nigerian politician.

As for INEC, they have a huge task on their hands. They must work assiduously to ensure that the elections are not only free and fair, but credible. If they failed to get it right this time then they have succeeded in mortgaging the peace and security of this nation, and posterity will never forgive them.

All of us must rise up today and say no to violence, no to corruption, no to election manipulation, no to killing and no to religious fanaticism. We need to do something today to save our tomorrow.

The future of Nigeria and our continued existence depend on these elections. We cannot afford to be apathetic. If we failed to exercise our right to choose our leaders we would have ourselves to blame when the day of reckoning comes.

I pray God to bless Nigeria and protect us all.

Thank you.

2015 presidential election: Issues that’ll determine the winner

2015-01-31T02:45:00.000-08:00

Despite the prophecies, predictions, social media permutations and other forms of dialectics, there are some hard facts that must be considered in determining who carries the day when Nigerians choose their President on February 14, 2015. And there are compelling reasons to do so.

Let me quickly state, however, that those factors that influenced the choice of candidates in the past elections will be expectedly quite different this time around. Nonetheless, the economy will still dominate discussions in consideration of happenings on the international scene, especially the global recession.

Take for instance in 2011 the state of the economy was not as precarious as it is today. The international oil market did not experience the kind of volatility it is undergoing at this time. Indeed at this period in 2011 the price of oil hovered around $100 per barrel, while Nigeria’s foreign reserve stood at $45 billion. Even insecurity did not pose too much trouble then. Insurgency was also minimal, and Boko Haram had not bared its fangs as audaciously as it has done.

So, riding on his rising popularity President Jonathan stomped into Aso Rock with massive support coming from voters all over the country. He was well-received and seen as the 21st Century Messiah Nigeria had been waiting for. Those that contested against him in 2011 knew from the outset that they were going to lose, because the tide flowed in his favour. The only person that came closest to giving President Jonathan a good run for his money was the same General Muhammadu Buhari, who ran on the ticket of a rag-tag party, Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), and poled over 12 million votes.

But today all that has changed. The battle this time is going to be fierce as Nigerians decide who between President Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari would lead them. The consciousness of Nigerians has been awakened by the compelling realities of our times. In fact, there is no Nigerian of age who has not joined the fray in rooting for either of the two. While some people say (or is it sai!) Jonathan, others say it is Buhari. Whichever way one chooses to look at both candidates the hard fact is that we have a huge battle ahead of us.

Apart from sheer sentiments that some people show by their vociferous support for each of the candidates they have not taken a dispassionate look at other serious factors that will swing the pendulum to the side of the eventual winner. These factors have often been underestimated by the chanting ‘mob’ which seems to be carried away by undue sentimentalism. It is painful that in our contemporary world some people still think irrationally and pander to myopia.

It is only a blind man that will not be able to see the real situation on the ground. I regret to state here that President Jonathan, in my estimation, has become the most vilified Nigerian leader ever to preside over the affairs of this country. Unfortunately, the vilification is done without any rational basis other than meretricious considerations. Deep inside the hearts and minds of these rabid critics they know President has worked to merit a re-election without much ado.

It is sad that the critics of Jonathan have failed to situate events at the global level with what is obtainable back home. Fall in oil prices is not the making of Jonathan; rather it is a factor of recession that hit the global market. The same situation was experienced in 2007/8 when recession almost crippled the economy of many countries of the world. Nigeria felt the adverse impact of the recession then. But it took the ingenuity of our economic planners to take us through the crucibles. Many investors in the stock market will not forget too soon how the crash in prices almost sent many of them to their early graves. Those involved in marginal trading were the most hit.

Nigeria managed to weather the storm and continued to trudge along the mine-laden terrains that the economy has become. Those angling for a change of baton have failed to consider the stupendous achievements of President Jonathan in the areas of health, education, youth empowerment, power and, even, security. Forget the noise about somebody having an edge over Jonathan in security. That argument, as far as I am concerned, lacks any empirical basis.

Security is something one cannot ever predict accurately. The emergence of the Boko Haram sect came like a thunderbolt from the blue. It just started gathering steam as many wished it away as a bad dream. Nobody ever anticipated that the scourge would grow into a terrific monster – threatening Nigeria and its neighbours. Cameroun has become a hotbed for the group’s activities. This was something nobody envisaged. So, when Jonathan is criticized for his seeming inability to contain terror it will be proper to give him the benefit of the doubt.

His administration has been working tirelessly to deal with Boko Haram without compromising the security of innocent Nigerians within the vicinity of every insurgency. Those not versed in military strategy think it is an easy task to wedge war against terror. Terror war is the worst war any nation can spearhead. The United States and its allies, despite their sophistication, have not been able to deal with terror as successfully as many had expected. The 9/11 attacks on the United States were never anticipated. But it happened. And the lessons of that sordid event have not been lost on Americans. Is France not fighting a battle of its life in the hands of terrorists?

That the activities of Boko Haram have not spread beyond the Northeast is an indication that the administration of Jonathan is working.

It has never been argued that security remains a very critical aspect of the development of any nation – Nigeria inclusive. But the unconventional approach and brutality of Boko Haram are two factors that have prolonged the war against terror by the Nigerian Military. Between 2013 and now the federal government has committed enormous resources in dealing with the menace. The impact of the government’s investment in security is like a drop of water in the ocean, because of the complex nature of the operations.

It is nonsensical to read some critics write off Jonathan as clueless and weak. There is no way he would have been able to hold the nation together for close to 60 months if he had cut a picture of any of the derogatory things said and written about him. On the contrary, Jonathan has shown unequalled leadership traits, maturity, humaneness and candour. For a civilian President Jonathan has conducted himself with civility and humility. This is what has consistently attracted many Nigerians to him and it is one factor that will swing the votes to him.

What some of the armchair critics of Jonathan probably have also not factored in is the quality of a leader under a democratic setting. Jonathan’s archrival Muhammadu Buhari is perceived as a no-nonsense, uncompromising leader. Fine! But, regrettably, those superlative adjectives should be reserved for a despotic, autocratic and authoritarian leader of a junta. In a modern society the characteristics of leaders are quite different. They are urbane, tactful, honest, pragmatic and charismatic.

My grouse about Buhari’s candidacy has nothing to do with his age; after all there are many gerontocrats who currently preside over the affairs of their countries. Tunisians, for example, have just elected an 88-year-old man to govern them.

President Obasanjo was a military Head of State between 1976 and 1979. He aspired again in 1999 to the same office and won. One year into office he confessed that life as a military Head of State was a different kettle of fish from a civilian Head. Eight good years passed yet his administration could not solve the endemic power problem, which was one of the cardinal objectives of his electioneering.

The economy under Obasanjo did not perform as expected, because of the downturn in global economy at that time. Life was not all that rosy for Nigerians under his watch. Things were very difficult and rough. But we managed to survive, always hoping for the best.

What is paramount to an average Nigerian is how to get food on his table! And Jonathan is making steady progress in this sphere. Already the federal ministry of agriculture has designed many programmes and policies to boost agriculture and, by so doing, provide food and employment to millions of Nigerians. The progress made so far is unprecedented. The impact of the transformation taking place in the agricultural sector has not yet been felt because it takes time to manifest. Do not forget the mountainous rot that had taken place, which Jonathan is struggling to clean. These things take time to resolve.

The situation of security in Nigeria would have been worse if the government of Jonathan had not intervened in the Niger Delta insurgency. Through the presidential amnesty many of the militants had been rehabilitated, with thousands more undergoing rehabilitation. I wonder if the critics see all these things.

Nigeria’s voters have been known not to fall to cheap blackmails. In fact, many times in the past they had shunned such blackmails to vote for candidates of their choice. This is one thing that will shock those working against the re-election of Jonathan. Nigerians know who among the contestants will give them focused and purposeful leadership. They know that for Nigeria to move forward the leader must show vision and character. And Jonathan possesses these qualities generously.

I liken the critics of Jonathan to the blind man who describes what he sees by what he feels. They have eyes but do not see. The economy they deride the president for is growing at geometric proportion, even to the point of being the largest in Africa. This feat was not achieved by sheer cluelessness. It was a product of hard work, resilience and forthrightness.

Fighting corruption is another factor that will attract the votes of the electorate. Jonathan will definitely carry the day here. He has constantly maintained zero tolerance for corruption. Do not mind the machinations of the evil ones. The EFCC and other agencies charged with the responsibility of fighting corruption are quietly doing their work. They may not be as loud as was the case in the past, but they are doing a wonderful job.

Jailing, maiming and killing people are not the best way to fight corruption. Fighting corruption demands diligent planning, tact and ingenuity. Remember that an accessory to a crime is deemed innocent by law until proved guilty. Due process is what the present administration has followed in the prosecution of those implicated in corrupt practices. Anything in the contrary is simply an infringement on the fundamental rights of those involved.

Let it be known that corruption is a global menace, so also is terrorism. And no nation is insulated from it. The United States and other European nations have had serious cases of corruption, but nobody has been brutalized. And to aspire to be like those countries requires we do things the way they ought to be done. Global best practices are always advocated in dealing with any matter that concerns human rights and dignity. That is exactly what Jonathan and his team, have done.

Education is another key factor that will determine the eventual winner. How far has Jonathan gone in this wise? From available statistics no administration before his has made as much impact on the educational sector as he has done. While it took past administrations close to 50 years to build 30 federal universities, it took Jonathan’s just less than 6 years to build 12. There is no zone in Nigeria that did not benefit from the universities. The highest beneficiary was the north where over 50 percent of these universities were sited to balance the perceived and lingering lopsidedness that had characterized the location of such universities in the past.

I do not need to enumerate all the achievements of the Jonathan government in the educational sector since they are there for all to see. But one point I would like to strengthen is that a vote for Jonathan is a vote for continuity in the transformation effort in the sector. Appallingly, no other candidate has any robust plan for the educational sector. Fighting insecurity and corruption is not enough to get a person elected as the president of Nigeria. You need to show a broader knowledge about Nigeria’s intractable problems to be considered for the crown. That is where the major difference lies.

Ontological knowledge is also imperative. Modern-day leaders are lettered men and women. In fact many of them are intellectuals.

The 21st Century leader should be able to flaunt his academic laurels and walk like a colossus among his contemporaries. Digitization of leadership is now the norm the world over. Any leader that cannot boast of this pedigree is not worth his onion.

Now the verdict: When Jonathan emerged President in 2009 the expectations were very high. Agreed! Has he succeeded in making any impact on the lives of Nigerians? Yes! Can Buhari perform any better? No!

The final decision rests with the people of Nigeria. I rest my case.

Invidious misconceptions about Jonathan

2015-01-23T23:41:00.001-08:00

I have watched with curiosity and dismay as events leading to the presidential election unfold. Initially, I had resisted the temptation to join the fray as debates between the supporters of the candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), President Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan, and that of the All Progressives’ Congress (APC), General Muhammadu Okechukwu Buhari, hot up. But I had to change my mind when mischief-makers and political jobbers resorted to pouring invectives on and telling bare-faced lies against President Jonathan despite the good works his administration has done.
Anybody who has followed the trend some of these unsolicited and uncomplimentary commentaries have assumed in recent times will be greatly awed and repulsed. I have been left wondering why our politicians consistently engage in running each other down and fail to acknowledge the goods done by other people.

All of us are sufficiently aware of the past history of our nation – how politicians misused the ample opportunities available to them to develop Nigeria. The semblance of achievements we have had before now was exemplified by the military through fiats and decrees. The era between the second and third republics was characterised by non-performance and ineptitude. Forget all the noise politicians make there was nothing tangible achieved in that period.
Look at the power sector, for instance. How much had been sunk before this administration assumed the reins of power? On paper much was done, but in practicality there was no sustainable infrastructure in place to drive the sector. Where then went all the billions reportedly sunk into the many power projects across the country? If truly the money was spent on the specified Independent Power Projects (IPPs) as alleged it is normal then to ask: why is power supply still epileptic?
Experts in the sector would tell you that Nigeria was beating about the bush, as far as the power sector was concerned, before President Jonathan came. It was only when he took over power that practical steps were taken to ensure that durable architecture was developed for the sector.
I have taken a critical look at the architectural and technical frameworks of the administration for the power sector and was perplexed by its content. Judiciously and diligently executed it will make Nigeria compete favourably with advanced economies of the world. The whole idea behind the huge investments in the power sector is to drive the economy and empower Nigerians, especially the youth, through the development of their entrepreneurial skills. Of course, it will amount to a pipedream for anybody to think Nigeria can achieve greatness without sustainable power.
Aware of the sharp practices that had stalled the development of the power sector over the years, the Jonathan administration introduced measures to avoid a recurrence. The launch of the power sector reforms a few years ago by the President marked a departure from the flaws of the past. What we have in place now is a systematic, well-focused plan to make Nigeria self-sufficient in electricity generation, distribution and consumption. The unbundling of the utopian Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), which has opened the sector to more foreign investments, was a strong part of the reform package.
Indeed Nigeria is gradually, as it were, climbing the ladder in its effort to provide clean and sustainable energy to millions of Nigerians that need it. Between December and now there has been remarkable improvement in power supply. Umuahia, which had been notorious for power failure, has suddenly witnessed an improvement. For the first time in recent years Umuahia had an uninterrupted power supply for 48 hours last week. The simple lesson of what is happening in Umuahia, and I believe it is the same story all over the country, is that Nigeria is on a steady march to recovery and self-inventing in power. It will not be long before the sector stabilises to the amazement of our worst critics.
What of the rail system? I remember my first train-ride in life. It was from Enugu to Port Harcourt. This was in 1988. It was a pleasurable ride anyway. After that ride there had been none thereafter. How the train system in Nigeria collapsed to the abysmal level it was before Jonathan came still baffles me. All over the world the rail is one of the largest means of transportation after the waterways. Russia and China are regularly innovating in the sector and building new rail lines to meet their needs. Unfortunately, before Jonathan came, it was almost a dead sector. As you read this piece the sector has revved back to life. New rail lines are being built, while rehabilitation is ongoing on the comatose ones.
Less than a month ago Vice President Namadi Sambo flagged off train services from Port Harcourt to Imo River. It was the first of its kind in the 30 years the rail sector had been in limbo. Many of such projects are going on simultaneously in different parts of the country.
There is no doubt that when fully developed Nigeria’s rail system will bring to an end the difficulties encountered in moving large consignments from one point to another. Then to follow is the underground train system as we have it in places such as Europe and the United States. This may seem unachievable. However, there is nothing modern technology cannot accomplish.
Do you the reader believe that President Jonathan has done nothing to merit re-election as some vicious critics of his government make us believe? Now read this: before Jonathan came to office our airports were in deplorable conditions. Apart from intermittent air mishaps, the sector was utterly neglected. No visible infrastructure to drive it, while workers’ morale was at its lowest. Then enter Jonathan, the game-changer! Today our airports wear new look with new terminal buildings constructed. In addition, modern navigational facilities for safe flights have been installed making Nigeria qualify for recognition by even the United States Aviation authorities.
There is no geopolitical zone in Nigeria today that has no international airport, courtesy the Jonathan administration. These airports are of international standards, and have been certified as such by the relevant authorities. Coupled with this singular effort is the concerted effort being made by the various PDP state governments across the federation in building their own airports! Top of the list are Akwa Ibom, Delta, Jigawa, Gombe and Bauchi. These states have had their new airports completed and commissioned. Construction continues in some other PDP states. What this translates to is a boom in the aviation industry and a testimony to the readiness of Jonathan and his administration to rewrite the chequered history of the sector.
The emergence of new airlines (local and foreign), and the increased number of travellers at the airports underscore the heartwarming performance of the government in the sector.
Who has not seen the giant strides the government has made in the educational sector? How many universities did we have before Jonathan came into office? According to available statistics fourteen new universities have been added to the original number. In fact, 12 new federal universities were established by the government to ensure that every state in Nigeria has at least one federal university. This achievement is unprecedented in the annals of this country.
What of the Almajiri educational programme which targets the poor northern rural dwellers? The programme, the first of its kind, has helped to refocus the attitude of the poor in the north to the need to acquire formal education. Many state governments in the north have keyed into the scheme by establishing special centres to train their people, particularly the youth, in special skills in order to keep beggars off the streets. The benefits of the Almajiri educational initiative are innumerable. Suffice it to add that the new awareness the programme has created on the subconscious of an average northerner is such that it will not be too long before illiteracy is eradicated in the north.
I need not write about the hundreds of billions of naira given to tertiary institutions in the country as intervention funds to provide basic amenities and infrastructure required to boost learning, and enhance the quality of certificates issued by the tertiary institutions. Such government agencies as the Nigerian Education Trust Fund (NETFUND) and Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) have contributed immeasurably to the growth we have experienced in education in Nigeria.
Only recently the Federal Government, working in conjunction with the National Universities Commission (NUC), has designed a programme to award scholarships to some Nigerian eggheads to study in the best universities abroad for their masters and PhDs. The idea is to train the desired manpower to drive the Nigerian economy and take Nigeria to the next level of technological advancement. Imagine what would have happened in the foreseeable future if the Jonathan administration had not seized the initiative to train this category of Nigerians for the nation’s technological development.
In agriculture, no administration before this one made the kind of noticeable effort the Jonathan government had made. The Operation Feed the Nation (OFN) of former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s government between 1976 and 1979 could not match what Jonathan is doing. The focus of the government is to make Nigeria sufficient in food production and exportation. Already the government has put in place measures to attain this goal. For instance, it has revolutionised agriculture which has led to increased yields and drastic reduction in food imports by as much as 5.3 billion dollars. The e-Wallet scheme introduced by the administration has helped to reduce the scams associated with the distribution of fertilizers and seeds to farmers.
Nigeria has now become an automobile manufacturing country. This was something never ever thought of would happen in our lifetime. But it has happened with the foresight of the Jonathan government. The Innoson Automobile Industry, Enugu, now produces locally assembled cars and trucks, thereby brightening the chances of Nigeria attaining self-sufficiency in automobile production.
The revolution in the agricultural sector, coupled with the springing up of new industries and optimal production capacity of existing ones, has led to quantum leap in the number of gainfully employed graduates. The You-Win programme, which has produced new entrepreneurs that now employ other Nigerians, is one way the government is tackling unemployment and empowering the youth.
It is believed that in the next four years the number of these entrepreneurs will have grown geometrically with hundreds of thousands of unemployed Nigerians getting employed.
Let us look at some intangible things the government of Jonathan has done that have had far-reaching impact on the lives of Nigerians. Rule of law and constitutionality are one area the government has done very well. This is a democracy for Christ’s sake where leaders are expected to be humane and caring. Brutality and brashness are definitely not imperative attributes of a democratic leader. For a military leader those may be required. I can state with every sense of responsibility that President Jonathan has performed exceptionally in this wise. He has carried himself with humility and candour and demonstrated a rare sense of empathy and serenity of mind. I doubt if any Nigerian leader before him had ever exhibited such sterling qualities.
I do not subscribe to the wicked insinuations by some faceless persons that Jonathan is lawless. I challenge such people to name a single instance where he has demonstrated disobedience to any court order. The case of Adamawa impeached deputy governor who was pronounced governor by the Supreme Court is a case in point. The president directed that the court order be carried out with dispatch. There are many of such cases all across the country.
Academically, Jonathan ranks tops. In fact, he is the first graduate-president Nigeria has ever had. He assumed office at a time flaunting one’s academic laurels was globally in vogue. His emergence took Nigeria’s stature to high heavens and increased the prestige of the Office of President. One then wonders why any rational person would want us to go back to prescient times. We need a President who can hold his own anywhere in the world without suffering from any complexes.
I would state here that Jonathan has been a blessing to this generation. He is a special gift from God to Nigeria at this critical period of our national life. I hear some people argue that Jonathan’s government has not been able to fight insurgency in the north east of Nigeria. Even though I agree the government could do more, Jonathan should not be seen as the progenitor of the crisis. It had been there long before he arrived, but only came to the fore in his time.
However, considering the measures the government has established to deal with the situation it is assured that normalcy will be restored very soon. Let it be known, nonetheless, that terrorism is a global canker that has defied any known solution. It has ravaged even the most technologically-advanced countries of the world. What we need to conquer is unity and oneness of purpose.
From the deepest part of my heart I wish to state unequivocally that it is only a Jonathan can salvage this nation from the grievous malaise eating it up. A vote for Jonathan is a vote for continuity, good governance and equitable leadership anchored on the fear of God, respect for human dignity, and the good and welfare of all Nigerians.

Politicians, beware of ides of March

2015-01-17T00:29:00.000-08:00

From my assessment over time I regret to state that Nigerian politicians should be counted among the most incorrigible on the African Continent, after all they have learned nothing and forgotten nothing from the recent history of our nation. Their comportment and general mien smacked of insensitivity. This has obscured their sense of reasoning making them not to properly situate their actions in sync with the mood of the nation. Who does not know that the times in which we live are perilous and do not deserve to be aggravated? Yet the Nigerian politicians carry on as if all is well.

Now see how our politicians have turned politics into a very dangerous enterprise with each struggling to outdo the other in search of political power. When will our politicians learn to be tolerable of one another’s views without recourse to violence and unnecessary vituperations? Brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers, friends and associates have become sworn enemies because of politics. Some politicians have betrayed trusted friends and associates because of politics. Where will all these animosities take us to?

Instead of working to develop our nation and enhance the lives of our people we politicians have spent precious time and resources chasing shadow. We have little or no time for the masses that elected us. All we have time for is our idiosyncrasies, which often bring us in collision with the law.

I have often wondered if an average Nigerian politician understands what it really means to be a politician in a complex nation as ours. As far as he is concerned what matters to him is self. He thinks less about the welfare of the majority that voted him into power to serve them. The word ‘service’ is alien to most Nigerian politicians – it means little to them.

Ask the Nigerian politician what his vision is and you will be shocked at the answer you will receive. His vision is nothing other than to gain power and wield it to the detriment of his enemies and detractors.

Has anybody pondered why the Nigerian politician has achieved little with so much at his disposal? If truly they meant well for their people why then do we have many unfulfilled dreams and uncompleted projects dotting the political space?

If politicians had lived up to 40 per cent of their election promises probably our nation would have been better developed. Wherein then lays the pragmatism that comes with politics in every decent society? Do our politicians not know they must account for every of their actions, if not today, later? Or have they forgotten that no matter the power they wield today a day will come when they will suffer from their ineptitude and non-performance.

Over the years Nigeria has earned billions of dollars from oil, which ordinarily should have translated into better life for the masses. But what have we got: poverty unlimited. Our people groan in pain and abandonment, while many of us revel in debauchery and ostentation.

There is too much wickedness in this land, caused by the insensitivity and rascality of the political class. When shall our nation and its people breathe a fresh air of relief? When will our people be liberated from the suffocating hunger and penury that have been their lot over the years?

Travel to some states of the federation and what you see will baffle you. Did politicians not preside over the affairs of these domains yet they are still undeveloped or underdeveloped? We have practised civil democracy unstoppably for nearly 16 years now yet there is nothing tangible to show for it in some states. And nobody has called anybody to account for his stewardship.

What would make a governor who has spent eight years in office not have a robust history to write about his tenure? What would make a governor whose state has earned nearly N1trillion in eight years not beat his chest and say, “Oh, my heart make merry for I am fulfilled having served my people dutifully and transparently?”

Some politicians, especially those with enormous political powers, behave the way they like and conduct themselves in a most undignified manner. And, sadly, nobody questions them.

Where else could politicians solicit power from the masses, get it and use it against the same masses, if not in Nigeria? Tell me where else could a nation make billions of dollars from oil without investing it wisely in enduring and people-oriented projects, if not in Nigeria? Where else, tell me, could a politician duly elected by the people use his position to intimidate, harass and, even, maim the lowly and helpless, if not in Nigeria?

I cannot stop asking questions, because of the way things are going in Nigeria. We are less than one month to the general elections and see how charged the atmosphere has become. Politicians in their usual manner are overheating the polity, making one accusation or another against one another.

Never in the history of this country have I witnessed the kind of polemics and diatribes spewing from politicians as we have it today. They mount the podia and all that comes out of their mouths are wicked and malicious utterances. They threaten fire and brimstone if their will is not done. Read the papers and watch the televisions and you understand what I mean.

Is it in our best interest for politicians to mount the podia and threaten to set the nation ablaze if the elections were compromised? Why should politicians use bad language on one another when they should be telling the voters what they would do for them if voted into office? I find this kind of behaviour reprehensible, rascally, irresponsible and uncouth.

There is no place in a modern, civilized country that this kind of attitude would be tolerated. Exhibiting signs of violence – whether in a verbal or action form – is enough to earn such a politician disqualification. But in Nigeria, anything goes. People say whatever they like and get away with it.

What is a politician in a civilized society seeking the mandate of the people supposed to do while addressing them? The answer is simple: he is expected to conduct himself honourably, engage them with candour, civility and honesty, and reel out his plans for them. But the scenario is different in Nigeria. The average Nigerian politician mounts the podium with arrogant swagger and buffoonery, spends the first thirty minutes dry-cleaning his adversaries and ends up saying nothing that has direct bearing on the welfare of his listeners.

The answer to this nonchalant and lackadaisical behaviour can be located in their psyches – their mentality. The Nigerian politician feels he does not owe the electorate any obligation. His reasoning is simple: whether the electorate votes for him or not, he will still win. From where then comes his confidence? Where else, if not rigging?

Rigging has been entrenched in our electoral system such that some people may not be able to win elections unless they rig. It gives me hope each time President Goodluck Jonathan promises to conduct free, fair and credible elections. He has no choice. It is to the best interest of his person and government that elections are conducted in conformity with global best practices.

There is no doubt that some politicians may have perfected their acts on how to rig the forthcoming elections. But I wish to bring them bad news: it will be difficult, if not impossible, for anybody to rig the 2015 elections. Apart from the vigilance of the voters, INEC has designed some measures to make rigging an impossible task at the polls this year. Again, the masses of this country are tired of the antics of garrulous and devious politicians and have vowed to vote and defend their votes.

Nigerians want a crop of politicians that has respect for human life, law and constitutionality. They want leaders with vision, charisma and credibility that inspire hope. They want leaders that fear God, can exhibit courage when it matters most, frown at evil and defend the rights of the downtrodden. They want leaders that will be ready to die for Nigeria no matter the circumstances in which they find themselves. They want leaders who are detribalized and can speak with one voice to move our nation forward.

Unfortunately, we cannot have this crop of caring and affectionate leaders so long our electoral system allows rigging and other forms of malpractices during elections. Watch the conduct of any politician and it will easily speak volumes about his personality and character.

Elected leaders that followed due process to be elected will always conduct themselves with dignity and deference to the electorate. Also they do not talk anyhow or constitute a nuisance to their society.

Those that wangled their way into power are always brash, haughty, mean and clueless. To hide their deficiencies they resort to intimidation and harassment, and where inevitable they can also kill.

The desperation of politicians to win at all costs in the February election is palpable. They demonstrate it generously by their utterances and actions. The just-concluded primaries of the various political parties exposed the desperation of the Nigerian politicians.

Money and influence were thrown about with reckless abandon. It was a cash-and-carry affair. The man with the stuffiest chestnut won the day.

Where will all this take our nation? What some politicians are planning is for the doomsday prophesies about Nigeria to come to pass. But God will never allow them to have their way. We have already, through prayers, bound all the forces of darkness that are in league to destroy our great nation. They will never succeed. Those who wish Nigeria to disintegrate will have destruction at the sentinels of their doorsteps.

The Nigerian electorate has suffered untold hardship in the hands of unconscionable politicians who have looted our common patrimony. This is why they are all in unison not to allow any retrogressive forces to impede their will this time.

Let me, however, remind the political class that the fate of Nigeria rests squarely on the way and manner they ply their trade. They should shun all forms of violence and unruly behaviour in the forthcoming elections. They should also not forget that whatever they do, will determine the future of this country and the sustainability of our democracy. They should not delude themselves that they could take flight in the event they throw the country into chaos. Nigeria has got to a level that people should be held accountable for their actions.

I advise the security agencies not to pander to the will of any individual or group but to discharge their duties with utmost responsibility and dedication. They must not make themselves pawns in politicians’ chessboards. The success of the elections or otherwise depend largely on them.

On the part of government it should not do anything to unduly influence INEC or the security agencies as such moves will be resisted by the people. The era of people doing whatever they liked and going scot-free is gone forever. The survival of Nigeria matters most to me and I will sacrifice anything to ensure it is achieved.

It is painful that we have brought Nigeria to the pitiable condition it has found itself through our collective negligence and exploitation. If God had not made Nigeria strong and robust it would have bled to death after all the years of pillaging and milking. Think about the monumental corruption, institutional dislocations, ethnic rivalries, internal insurrections, disembowelment of our unity, and other forms of abuse and you will agree that Nigeria was built with indestructible shock absorbers.

What will then happen when we have succeeded in electing men and women of honour to run the affairs of Nigeria? Nigeria will rebound, it will regain its lost glory and blossom like a flower that sprouts in the morning and bursts into bloom in the afternoon.

We owe it as a duty individually and corporately to save Nigeria from disintegration and loss. We must be ready to make sacrifices so that the light our forbears handed over to us is not quenched in our hands. It will be a tragedy of epic proportion should we, out of our greed and selfishness, allow evil to befall our beloved country.

The sordid lessons of the wars in Rwanda and Somalia should serve as an opener to us not to do anything untoward, which is capable of endangering the unity of Nigeria. The size of Nigeria, coupled with the heterogeneous nature of its peoples, makes it a very dangerous venture to try to plunge it into another civil war.

As President Jonathan has consistently said: elections are not worthy of the drop of blood of any Nigerian. Our dear politicians did you hear that?

We need peace, brotherly love, endurance, honesty, courage and fear of God to take Nigeria to the next level of development. Anything short of this is a direct invitation to anarchy.

Jonathan: Why the undue apprehension?

2015-01-10T01:36:00.001-08:00

I wonder why there is too much apprehension in recent times over President Goodluck Jonathan’s chances of winning the 2015 presidential election. Close observers of national events would feel the air of uncertainty hovering across the political firmament since the emergence of General Muhammadu Buhari as All Progressives Congress presidential candidate. This uncertainty gains momentum as the date of the elections draws closer.
As if to aggravate the tension, some prominent clerics and autonomous leaders have joined the fray. Some are in favour of Jonathan’s re-election, while some are against it.

The latest in the series of debates came from the Enugu-based fiery Catholic reverend gentleman, Ejike Mbaka, and the Ohaneze Ndigbo. According to media reports, Reverend Father Mbaka told his congregation that President Jonathan would lose the election in February. Ohaneze Ndigbo (its Ime Obi – inner caucus of the organization) was also reported to have disagreed over the choice of Jonathan; though this allegation has been refuted by the national secretary of the body.

So, what are the implications of the positions of Fr. Mbaka and Ohaneze on Jonathan’s chances of retaining his seat (assuming there was any disagreement)? Let us look at Fr. Mbaka’s vituperation first. To be frank, Fr. Mbaka is not a person whose utterances should be taken with a pinch of salt. But this does not mean his prediction must come to pass. Agreed he is nationally respected because of his antecedents, especially during the heydays of Chimaroke Nnamani as governor of Enugu State. It was widely believed that it was the curse Fr. Mbaka placed on the former governor that was responsible for some of the misfortunes that befell him later.

As a person, I hold any man of God in high esteem since they were chosen by God to work in His vineyard. However, I am worried that Fr. Mbaka should make such a categorical statement at this critical time, particularly when we have less than two months to the general elections. I am also worried that he made a volte face as he had earlier endorsed the candidacy of Jonathan when the president’s wife visited his church in November last year.

The question now is: why did Fr. Mbaka change his position on Jonathan after openly endorsing him? To answer this question objectively we have to look at recent developments. Before the reverend father made his endorsement in November last year probably the political atmosphere was not as charged and clear as it is today. Second, nobody knew for sure that the alliance among the parties that gave birth to All Progressives Congress (APC) was going to succeed. And when it did it upturned the applecart. Third, the unsettling developments from the just-concluded primaries of political parties, especially the PDP, might have contributed to the uncertainty. Fourth, there could be something the cleric saw now that he did not see in November last year.

Given the benefit of the doubt, Fr. Mbaka has every right to air his views on any national issues – that is his constitutional right. Nonetheless, his recent outburst against the President was untimely, ill-conceived and a negation of objective assessment. I do not think it was proper for him to have made that statement considering the tension it was going to generate. The fire it has raised will be difficult to quench before the elections set in.

Then enter Ohaneze Ndigbo! It was reported that its Ime-Obi (inner caucus) had disagreements in endorsing Jonathan for second term. I wonder why the disagreements? I know that the Igbo socio-cultural organization has always had sympathy for President Jonathan, and demonstrated this much by championing his election in 2011. If there are disagreements now then something should be wrong somewhere. What should be done is to call the leadership of the association to a roundtable to iron out the grey areas.

My take on the position of Ohaneze is that whatever decision they reach on the matter eventually will be supported by a majority of Ndigbo. But let them remember that the decision I took to drop my presidential aspiration for 2015 was hinged on the pressure they mounted on me to shelve it in support of President Jonathan. I obeyed to demonstrate the respect I have for the association and the need to build a cohesive Igbo solidarity that will transcend political and clannish inclinations.

I have read some of the reasons given by some Igbo leaders for not being favourably disposed to Jonathan’s project this time round. While some of them are objective others are wishy-washy. If Ohaneze thinks the President had not lived up to his promises to it then the rational thing to do is to renegotiate. The best choice is not to dump the president in the eleventh hour. Doing so smacked of immaturity and insensitivity.

As I indicated earlier the utterance by the catholic cleric may not change anything in terms of groundswell of support for the president. The only negative impact it could have is the possibility of the president losing the votes of an infinitesimal percentage of the cleric’s adherents who before the statement would be counted among the President’s supporters. Again, it could draw sympathy to the President from some persons that might feel he had been unfairly treated. Whichever way one looks at the situation it does not raise any cause for alarm for the president.

Already the media are awash with varied reactions from a cross section of the populace on the matter. There are clearly two parallel lines on the issue. From all the reasons adduced by the different schools of thought there is a distinct message: the President should watch his advisers and others who assist him in the running of the affairs of the nation. He should not be overconfident and then go to sleep. He needs to sustain the tempo of his performance and even do more to continue to delight Nigerians.

It may not be assuming too much to conclude that some of the president’s advisers have not advised him properly on a number of critical matters. The President needs to know that all is not well within our party. As the national leader of the party the buck stops at his table in the way the party is guided. There is no doubt that the national chairman of our party is working hard to reposition the party, but the evidence is overwhelmingly clear that some mischief-makers in the party are also working to pull him down.

The chairman’s vision has always been to build a truly national party devoid of sectarianism, clannishness, parochialism, and individualism. But what have we got: opposition from unusual quarters bent on having their way.

This manifested in the way the just-concluded primaries of our party were conducted, which was far from fairness. It was hijacked by some hawks who never meant well for the party. Check the list of those that control the party in many states of the federation and you will see the level of distortion and perfidy that prevails. It is painful that some of those that now call the shots in the party are political featherweights and empty vessels. How many of them can win election on their own without the support of the party machinery at the national level?

Somebody poked a joke recently on the composition of the membership of the President’s campaign team. He described many members of the team as gerontocrats. What the commentator forgot is that politics is a game of experience, which the so-called gerontocrats have in abundance and will bring to bear on the electioneering.

The President ordinarily would not have had any problem getting reelected as he has performed creditably. The only factor responsible for the present hullabaloo is the way the primaries were handled, which caused so much controversy and disaffection in the party. It even led to the defection of some key members of the party to opposition political parties.

If we should tell ourselves the truth, all things being equal, President Jonathan will be re-elected with minimal stress, because of his sterling performance in the past 6 years. I refuse to agree with critics of President Jonathan that he has not performed well enough to be re-elected. One may not see the tangibility of all that he has done in the past 6 years, because they are long-term in nature. The next four years will manifest many of them.

However, it will be nice to discuss a few of his achievements, even if it means in passing. Economy: he has taken far-reaching measures to rebuild the economy and place it on a sound footing. Many of the indices show signs of growth. Take for instance, inflation. This has remained at the single digit point in the past four years. The focus of the administration of Jonathan has been moved from oil to agriculture as the mainstay of the economy. The expected result is that Nigeria will be self-sufficient in food production in another four to five years. This was something unthinkable a few years ago.

What of youth empowerment? No government before now had made any tangible effort in this direction. You-Win and other transformational initiatives have helped tremendously in reducing youth unemployment and stimulating the economy for sustainable growth. What the critics of Jonathan may not know is that many of the initiatives in his transformational agenda have the capacity of elevating Nigeria’s economy to global preeminence. Already some of these initiatives have begun bringing dividends.

The foreign policy thrust of this administration has boosted the image of the country and drawn more respect to Nigerians travelling or living abroad. In any case, there have been a few hiccups in attaining sustainability in this connection. However, there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Kudos should also go to the president for the maturity with which his administration has handled the privatization of some government-owned companies and agencies.

Probably, what the detractors of Jonathan always point at is the palpable state of insecurity in the country. They may have a valid point in the argument that the war against terror is taking too much time to win. But they should take the peculiarities of our nationhood into consideration. Terror is alien to Nigeria and it came into the country at a time it was least expected. And so, government, and even the citizens, was ill-prepared to confront it. Curiously, the United States and other western nations, despite their sophistication, still find it difficult to deal with the ogre of terrorism.

As the President has continually assured terror will be defeated ultimately. It is just a matter of time. The approach of the government may be slow, but it is effective. However, I still do not understand why it has rebuffed the offer I made to it to mediate a settlement with Boko Haram. I feel I can use my God-given talents to negotiate peaceful settlement with the terror group and restore normalcy.

Though times may be perilous, there are still a few beautiful things to see from all that is happening. First, the emergence of APC has subtly paved way for a two-party system for Nigeria. This is what I had been advocating a very long time. Multi-party system breeds confusion and makes the political space rowdy. A two-party system makes it easier for voters to make quality choices. It also narrows the ideological gaps among the parties.

There is no doubt whatsoever voters have just two major candidates to choose from in the forthcoming presidential election: Jonathan or Buhari. In my opinion both men are eminently qualified to govern Nigeria, after all one was a former head of State and the other a serving one. What Nigerians should do is to look critically at their antecedents – both as presidents and individuals – to see the one between them that has the capacity and humaneness to give Nigeria the new impetus it requires to trudge along the tortuous path of growth and development.

It is not enough to consider only their utterances. Let their actions be the parameter with which to judge them. Even religion should not play any role. Those who play up the religious sentiments are simply pandering to undue emotion. Religion is a very dangerous element in politics and therefore should not be played up for selfish reasons. Many nations of the world are today embroiled in religious wars. And this is what Nigeria should do everything to avoid. There is no reason the north should note vote for a Christian from the South and vice versa. What is important is that the individual involved is a Nigerian citizen and meets all the requirements to vote and be voted for.

What is paramount to me is for the elections to be free, fair and credible. It does not matter where the leader comes from or what faith he or she professes. Those fanning the embers of hate are enemies of Nigeria. Their plot is to continue to estrange Nigerians from one another and by so doing create animosity that fuels crises from which they profit. The electorate should shun divisive politics and undue influence and vote for anybody of their choice without coercion or intimidation.

I urge Nigerian voters to vote wisely so that our nation will consolidate on the gains of the immediate past and be positioned for a more competitive world that is to come.

WHAT COLOUR IS 2015?

2015-01-03T01:21:00.000-08:00

This is the season of predictions and prophecies. They come from different quarters, each purveying one message or another – some favourable, some fearful. In all, these predictions and prophecies help to shape our future and serve as a compass to that which is yet to come. And 2015 is not going to be different. But the question on every lip is: what colour is 2015? What hope or failure does it hold for our dear nation and its people?

In our clime, people treat these predictions and prophecies differently. While some people underrate them and treat them with disdain, some others take them seriously. The reasons the two schools of thought behave the way they do vary and depend on the idiosyncrasies of each.

Last year was particularly not favourable to many Nigerians. Millions of our compatriots faced difficult times, occasioning pain and anguish. They had wished the year never came and prayed it would vanish like a dream. But it stuck like leeches, sucking their blood mercilessly. End, it must some day, but the sufferings became almost unbearable. Thank God many bore the pain with equanimity and survived into the New Year.

Now that 2014 had rolled over and a new year born, what hope or despair does it hold for Nigerians? What colour is the year going to show? I have taken time out, as usual, to do some introspection and soul-searching, and what I saw was bewildering, yet not totally hopeless.

Contrary to the doomsday prophecies about Nigeria, God has intervened to right the wrongs that had plagued us these past years. Let me state emphatically that Nigeria will not disintegrate as predicted, instead it will be released from the spiritual fetters to which it had been tethered, which will eventually lead to multiplier impacts on the lives of Nigerians.

Many may not believe that Nigeria’s woes were caused by infernal spirits that ganged up to eat up the fortunes of the nation. These spirits took their ascendancy from some esoteric forces with accomplices in high places and leadership positions. However, through the ceaseless prayers of Nigerians God has scattered them, paving way for the emergence of a new Nigeria that is to be born soon.

The frittering away of scarce national resources was caused by these wicked forces that had held Nigeria hostage all these years. The seeming hopelessness that stears Nigerians in the face is also a product of the negative influence of these devious spiritual forces. What reason can we offer for not saving for the rainy day that is about to come upon Nigeria? While the global community was busy saving we spent precious time squandering our own resources.

The world is passing through a severe recession, with dire consequences, yet our nation behaves as if nothing serious is happening. Certainly serious things are happening. We are threatened by a most severe crunch that only the grace of God can avert. Yes, only the grace of God will make Nigerians weather the storm that is about to strike.

From Europe to America, Asia to Africa, the fears are palpable. The uncertainty hovers in the sky with menacing audacity. Everybody is worried and strategizing on what to do to escape the impending cataclysm.

Only those spiritually fortified would be able to see the hard times that lay ahead. Definitely they will come!

The performance of the Naira over other foreign currencies was very poor last year. The slide will continue until such a time there is divine intervention to usher in the new wave that will sweep away the evil forces that have stunted the growth of Nigeria and its march to total freedom since independence.

Other economic indices will show negative signs. Inflation, unemployment, insecurity, and the like will persist for the greater part of the year. Nevertheless, they will begin to ease towards the fourth quarter of the year when some of the interim measures that will be enforced will begin to achieve the desired results.

The insurgency that has been our lot in recent times will subside towards the end of the year. Mark my words: subside. Progress will be made in the new approaches that will be adopted to fight insurgency in the country. The blood of many innocent Nigerians spilled in the past 6 years in the various unrests across the country has been crying for justice. God will bring His judgment to bear on those that have perpetrated these wanton killings and waste of innocent blood.

The major focus of the year will be the forthcoming elections. Some analysts have argued that the elections would follow the same patterns of past elections in terms of organization. But I have a different opinion. I foresee one of the best sets of elections to be organized by any electoral body in Nigeria this year. The elections will be peaceful, free and fair.

I am sure some of our readers would wonder from where I got the confidence to predict free and fair elections when many commentators had predicted bloodshed. Is there anything too difficult for God to resolve? Is it not yet time for Nigerians to breathe fresh air from our polluted past? For how long shall our people suffer before help comes?

Habitual election-riggers will have a hectic time. It is not going to be easy for anybody or group to subvert the wishes of the majority. It happened in the past because of the gullibility and naivety of voters. This time it is going to be a different ball game. Nigerians will vote for candidates of their choice and defend their votes. Those who think they will use the army and private militias to foment trouble or intimidate voters live in fool’s Paradise. They will be stoutly resisted.

There will be greater cooperation between the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the security agencies to ensure the elections go smoothly. This will manifest in the conduct and behaviour of the personnel of both organisations. I wish to advise the security operatives and INEC to stick to their gun of working for smooth elections or face dire consequences. They should not pander to the inglorious whims of self-serving individuals whose stock-in-trade is to destabilize Nigeria.

Security agencies who had received serious knocks from Nigerians in the past will turn a new leaf this year. They will be more responsible and responsive to the needs of Nigerians and show more resilience and candour in the discharge of their statutory duties. This new attitude will rub off on other Nigerians who will show a change of heart and toe the path of rectitude and integrity as well in what they do.

The indiscriminate killings of security men and women will be brought to its lowest ebb as new measures will spring up to proactively ward off impromptu attacks on them. This development will boost their morale and propel them into action to protect lives and property of Nigerians.

There will be a few upsets in the forthcoming elections. However, they will not be too prominent as to upset the applecart. A majority of those seeking re-election will scale through, even though it is not going to be all that easy.

Defection of politicians to other political parties will gain momentum in the first month of the year. Some of the defections will shake the foundation of some of the political parties, thereby creating new waves as election-day approaches.

A prominent politician will quit politics a few weeks to the general elections. And this will make many wonder which direction the elections will go. Although the signs are ominous there will be a Tsunami on the political scene such that any ear that hears it will tingle.

There will be a few somersaults in government fiscal policies at the federal level. These will, nonetheless, be corrected as soon as they occur. Since it has been predicted the government should take steps to avoid these errors, which consequences cannot be immediately deciphered.

Still on the economy: inflation will rise astronomically, while unemployment will bite harder. Some manufacturing firms will no longer be able to sustain their operations and will have no other option than to relocate to other countries or close shop. The rich will face hard times as they will be expected to share in the pain that is to come with some new government fiscal policies that will be introduced soon. The pain will be such that people will make a mockery of some of the rich who will also cry and gnash their teeth.

Unbelievably, hunger will ravage our land. Yes, hunger, unless we did something drastic to fight the steady impoverishment of Nigerians. It may sound strange to some people to hear about imminent hunger in a nation that boasts of rich mineral and material resources! But that is exactly what we have in our hands at the moment. Corruption has destroyed and disoriented this country. Like cancer it has continued to eat up the life of Nigeria. With time there will be nothing left other than bones.

Nigerians must stand up against corruption or they watch many of us die in installments. There is no doubt that Nigeria would have been more prosperous than it is today if not for corruption. I see a powerful force rising with ferocity to fight corruption this year. Believe me, it will come to pass. Those looting our common patrimony should realise that the day of judgment is fast approaching.

We must do something about our foreign reserves as we cannot afford further depletion this year. Those opposed to saving for the rainy day are nothing but enemies of the nation. Why should they oppose saving our excess foreign income for the period of scarcity if not selfishness? Nigeria has grown to a level that it should be able to earn and save instead of earn and exhaust. This attitude must be reversed if we are to get through 2015 unscathed.

There will be remarkable improvement in electricity generation across the country. Unlike 2014, this year will see changes in the generation sector where obsolete equipment will be replaced with new ones. In fact, the president is going to make a policy statement on the poor performance of the power sector. The speech will lead to some draconian measures that will affect some of the bad eggs in the sector and facilitate the process of managing the sector more profitably and efficiently.

The media will face difficult times this year as some forces will mass against it to whittle down their influence and disorient them from the objective performance of their constitutional duties. In any case, there is going to be serious resistance from the media in response to the development. The onslaught against the media last year was a child’s play compared to what is to come. So, I advise the media to brace up for a fight.

New private universities will be licensed this year to increase the chances of those seeking university education. Existing universities will receive lifeline from the Federal Government to boost their capacity for service-delivery. New Vice Chancellors will be appointed for federal universities. This will, however, cause some furore in the educational sector.

Work on the second Niger Bridge will commence in earnest this year. The Federal Government will show more commitment to the project in order to dispel the rumour that the government is playing politics with the project. In the same vein, some major federal roads, especially in the eastern axis of the country, will receive a boost. Budgetary allocations to the projects will be actualized this year.

Sports will experience a quantum leap this year. By sports, I mean not only football, but also all kinds of sports – ranging from taekwando to tennis. Nigeria’s absence in the CAF-organized African Cup of Nations will be felt at the mundial. Nevertheless, Nigeria will be compensated in some other ways as it will record shocking victories in other sports, particularly wrestling, handball and table tennis. The Federal Government will take far-reaching decisions on the way forward for Nigeria’s football. The result will be the cleansing of the football house and the management committees for other sports to make them more result-oriented and efficient.

The year will be difficult for tax-evaders as government is going to tighten the noose on them. As a result many Nigerians who had not been paying taxes will be forced to start paying. And this will lead to so much revenue for the government to cushion the negative effect of the sharp fall in global oil prices.

Frankly speaking, 2015 does not look as rosy as some analysts would make us believe. But, trust Nigerians, we will manage to sail through.

I urge Nigerians not to allow the opportunity to make Nigeria great elude us this year.

By the special grace of God we will succeed in enthroning probity, accountability and transparency in our public life, so that we will be able to see the emergence of a new Nigeria devoid of squandermania, hatred, ethnic and religious bigotry, and corruption.

Of political parties, primaries and influence of money

2014-12-20T00:00:00.003-08:00

As a child growing up in Aba, my parents started drumming into my ears the evil of money and how it had led many people astray. They told me a particular blood-chilling story of a boy who conspired with two of his friends to sell his brother for ritual in order to make money. Ever since they told me the story – over 50 years ago – and having read other frightening stories about how far, no matter how bizarre, people can go to make money, I started treating money with caution.

I know money is good (if it is made in the proper way), because it helps you meet your goals in life, but what people do to make money makes me feel sick. It has got to the point that our society is constantly threatened by the inordinate attitudes of some of our citizens to money. The political class is right now neck-deep into the business of making sleazy money.

In our clime, money has always been at the centre of the many evils troubling it. It is the cause of many rifts between husband and wife, brother and sister, among friends and associates. The situation is more preponderant in the business circle where deals sometimes go awry.

Because of the mortal love some people have for money they can go to any length to get it; often sacrificing their integrity and self-worth. The love of money, which I refer to as corruption in the official circle, has crept into our political system to such a point that it is threatening the very foundation on which our political heritage was built.

To my consternation, the depth corruption has eaten into the foundation of our democracy is worse than I had ever imagined. When I used to hear of the negative influence of money on political actors I thought it was a fairy-tale, especially when you consider the calibre of individuals engaged in it. I would not ordinarily have believed that people you hold in high esteem could stoop so low to do arbitrary things for the sake of money, until I witnessed it.

Truly speaking, Nigeria’s politics has amazingly sunk into a horrible base level. The way things are going, it is no longer in doubt that our democracy is in peril. The just- concluded primaries of the various political parties have exposed the rot in the system and the threats that lay ahead. Where have integrity and good conscience gone, if I may ask? Where has good name gone? Why is it that people no longer feel any qualms about the things they do? All they care about are themselves, and nobody else.

Imagine this: you would agree with somebody over a matter in a gentlemanly manner, only for the other person to renege overnight. Even friendship does no longer matter to some individuals, especially where it is a matter of money. All that matters is kwudi, ego, kala (money). What kind of life is that?

Do people who behave in this manner have any name to protect? There is something in a name. It is the most precious property any individual can possess. Nothing can therefore compare to good name. This is why some people prefer to die rather than tarnish their good name. But painfully, many of our fellow citizens no longer care about good name. All they care about is money. ‘Bring the money, it does not matter how it is made’ is now the refrain among the political class.

It is for the same reason that some people seek elective or appointive offices – to make money, not to offer selfless service. The whole thing is nauseating indeed! Some politicians, particularly those in control of political power, had boasted they were going to win the primaries into any position they so wished. And it came to pass. From where cometh their confidence if not from their filthy lucre!

What transpired during the primaries, as I indicated earlier, was better seen than imagined. We have read all kinds of stories in the national dailies and on the internet about how some unnamed persons ferried Ghana-must-gobags containing assorted currencies to different destinations across the country in search of ‘tickets’ for themselves or their cronies. They did all this in full glare of the public.

Curiously in all these stories no arrests were made. Even where the media gave lead to detect the culprits, nobody cared to do anything to checkmate the debasement of our national consciousness. So, does it mean everybody is involved? I wouldn’t want to believe so. I think there are still men and women of good conscience out there who can sacrifice anything to maintain their good name. Sadly, their number is limited. During voting their voices are drowned. And so evil continues to thrive.

The audacity of some of our serving political office holders is unnerving, and the length they can go to meet their vaulted aspirations enervating. The implosion that is going to hit some of the political parties in Nigeria in the foreseeable future will make many hearts sink. What would any right-thinking person expect after all the naked rape of the democratic processes?

The amount of money that went into the execution of the primaries was mindboggling. It was enough to meet the employment needs of our teeming youth. Yet politicians had the mind to squander it just to undo one another.

I am yet to come to grips with the reason party leaders compromised their positions for a mess of portage. Do these men have any modicum of conscience? Why did they not think about the consequences of their actions on the wider society? How long do they think the evil money they made would last?

For some of the answers, they need to look back at history to know how those who committed similar acts ended. Evil, as far as I am concerned, does not endure forever. Its expiry date is nigh. And when evil expires many other things expire along with it.

Looking at the situation generally, it does not hold any hope for our democracy. It underpins the urgent need for us to do something fast or watch our hard-earned democracy die.

With what transpired at the primaries how then will the elections proper be? I foresee doom if care is not taken. Let me ask: what happens if everybody takes measures to protect his or her own interest? Definitely, there will be anarchy. This is why we need to do something urgently to put a stop to this arbitrariness. There is no way we can develop as a nation if we fail to imbibe the right culture and values as bequeathed to us by our forbears.

The United States and other developed countries have got it right in election management. When are we going to be counted among these successful nations? The various electoral reforms undertaken by different administrations between 1990 and now have not produced any tangible impact on our overall behavioural patterns. We still do things the old, untidy way – the dog-eats-dog style.

We need to be seen to make progress far beyond the ongoing rhetoric. Did INEC and other agencies not supervise many of the flawed primaries? I am aware that in most cases their real reports are either killed or doctored to suit the idiosyncrasies of some powerful persons.

There was never a time in the annals of this country when primaries of political parties had been manipulated as was the case in the last primaries. The fear is that we will be courting trouble if we are to go into elections proper with these tainted and controversial primary results. Apart from the implosions that will hit the parties the polity will also be overheated.

The ominous signs are everywhere. Those aggrieved have either defected to other political parties where their interests will be better served or have sought redress in courts. Whichever way the matter is viewed it portends danger for our fledgling democracy.

The best option is to revisit some of these primaries to make necessary amends before we discuss the way forward after the elections. But left to me, I will advocate the outright cancellation of the entire process and begin afresh. I feel this way, because we will face harder times in the next Republic if we just railroad everybody into elective offices only for the nation and its people to suffer the brunt.

I regret to state here, that I do not see any hope in what is going on. If what politicians had planned pull through then we are in for a serious trouble. We are going to have another four years of retrogression and uneasiness. I wonder the quality of legislation we should expect from somebody who found his way into the hallowed chambers of the state or National Assembly through the back door.

The state or national assembly should be occupied by honest, hard working, credible, sound, law-abiding and God-fearing persons whose integrity is without reproach. And for goodness sake, these men and women are supposed to be lawmakers, not lawbreakers. And such quality legislators can never be produced by a compromised process as was the case in the primaries.

It is sad that for you to win an election in Nigeria, beginning from the party primaries to the election proper, you will have to empty your bank account. What hope then does the system hold for those who are qualified but have no money to prosecute their ambition? Should they go borrowing? If they should take this option then their constituents should be ready to go a-sorrowing.

Most of the crises besetting this country are caused by the kind of leadership foisted on us and the monetization of our politics. Since the emphasis is on money, people are ready to spend it and recoup when they find themselves in the saddle of power. This is why political office holders pay more attention to what they can get than serving the people who elected them.

What we need to restore hope in the electoral process at all levels is a surgical operation. Forget the daily sermonizing by the political class. Our nation is still in deep mess. We need to review our laws to deal with the latitude given to political parties to conduct primaries, the jurisdiction of courts to entertain cases concerning internal affairs of political parties, the process of selecting candidates for elections, the influence of money in politics, and the role INEC can play to ensure more effective primaries.

Regrettably, reports of some of the panels set up in the past to suggest the way forward have not been made public. They are gathering dust in shelves and cupboards in government ministries and agencies. The proper thing to do is to dust up these reports, write white papers on them and put them into immediate use. It makes no sense to spend billions of naira on such reports and have them abandoned.

As I have always said official corruption is the bane of our development as a nation. Unless we destroy corruption all efforts at reform will hit the rocks. The audacity with which party officials and top government brasses take bribes is alarming. They do it without any remorse and as if it is part of our national life.

They behave this way, because it seems nobody can do anything to stop them. Ask the politicians and they will tell you it is an internal party affair. For how long shall we hide under the veil of political party autonomy to foment trouble and shortchange one another? I have asked this question because everything looks as if corruption has come to stay with us.

Corruption as a hydra-headed monster is not something to be treated with levity. It should be dealt with ferociously and with clinical finishing.

The decentralization of power in the hierarchy of political parties has now become expedient. This will whittle down their influence and give more voice to those in the lower rudder of the power chain. We need to give more roles to party members in the selection of candidates for elections. To assign this role to a cabal at the party headquarters smacks of augury and crass impunity.

In any case, those who made the rules for the operations of most of our political parties did so to benefit themselves. The rules do not show any character of having been made for the common good. Probably, this accounts for the bloody fights some people can put up to be elected into the national executive of a political party.

Those who collude with the party officials to rape our democracy should bear in mind the incalculable harm they have done to our nation and quit their evil ways. They must make restitution for their actions and inactions and subject themselves to spiritual cleansing to forestall the righteous anger of God that is to come.

To those who lost at the primaries God will console you and give you the courage and strength to live and fight on. To all Nigerians, I urge us to remain vigilant, shun money politics and defend our rights. We should not wait for God to come down from heaven to help us. Our destiny is in our hands. We must therefore guard it jealously.

As we march to 2015 the horizon looks bleak. But by the grace of God who made the universe and all that is in it we shall come out victorious and our nation stronger.

MY STEWARDSHIP AS ABIA GOVERNOR (1999-2007) – 13

2014-12-12T23:53:00.000-08:00

CONCLUSION)

Last week I named some members of the team I worked with between 1999 and 2007 to move Abia State to the next level of development. Though the list was not comprehensive I have deemed it proper to list more names as a part of the conclusion of the 13-week series on our achievements as a government. Among them were Dr. Chris Akomas (one-time Senior Special Assistant on Education and later Commissioner for Lands and Survey); High Chief Johnny Ukpabi (Commissioner for Agriculture), Donatus Okorie (Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs) and Dr. Sam Ahaiwe (Health). These men brought their wealth of experience and dexterity to bear on the performance of their duties. Let me, however, quickly apologise to any person who worked with us and whose name did not appear in these series.

As indicated in the preceding paragraph this is the concluding part of the series started 13 weeks ago intended to put a lie to some of the fabrications by the Abia State Government and its cohorts to paint our administration black and hoodwink unsuspecting members of the public. One remarkable fact that emerged during the series was the bogus claims by the same government to projects it neither started nor completed. Many of the projects the government had been laying claim to were actually projects started and completed by our government between 1999 and 2007.

To demonstrate how desperate the governor has become he has had the effrontery to even advertise some of these projects in the media. Until the latest expose, gullible members of the public had believed some of the false stories coming from the stable of the Abia State Government.

I must state here that the response we have received since the series began had been heartwarming. My email box is daily inundated with inquiries from readers eager to know more about what we did between 1999 and 2007.

Another revelation of the series was that the governor of Abia State Theodore Orji has run a lacklustre administration which has nothing tangible to showcase as its achievements. Despite the huge financial resources that had accrued to the state between 2007 and date the administration of Governor Orji has performed below average. Even the recent visit to the state by a team of media men and bloggers on the invitation of the governor did not reveal anything different from the rot and docility that had been the lot of the administration since it came into office in 2007. According to the report of the team the government of Governor Orji has been evasive about how much it had expended on a few projects the team inspected which, in its assessment, comprised mainly white elephants. The team was left in the lurch about the costs of the projects, because it is the style of the governor not to reveal anything as a way of hiding the embarrassing corruption that has dogged his government.

So, where has all the money gone? Why has the government of Governor Orji spent the past 91 months chasing shadow, instead of working for the people? All he is interested in are personal interests: perpetuating himself in power and building fiefdoms all over the place. Who is not aware of the naked rape of democracy in Abia State? The desperation of the governor to cling to power even when he is aware that Abians no longer want him is nauseating. He does not have any regard for legality or constitutionality in any matter that involves his personal affairs. The PDP in Abia State has been made a personal property of the governor, while sidelining other major stakeholders.

It is therefore, preposterous that such incivilities and illegalities occur under the close watch of our leaders. Why should one man’s interest override the public interest? This is the position in Abia State, where money is the paramount consideration in matters of election. I will dwell on this in latter editions. However, the situation of things in Abia State has reached a worrisome level, such that if nothing is done fast the governor can land the state in troubled waters.

As a major stakeholder, I have continued to play placating and stabilizing role to ensure the overall interest of our people is protected. As things stand now, it does not really matter which side of the divide one stands. What is central to me and, I believe, other stakeholders are the peace, development and growth of Abia State.

It is painful that Abia State, which we laboured relentlessly as a government to develop, has been left in the lurch, while other states make giant strides. Believe or leave it, there was no government before or after us that has worked for the development of Abia State as we had done. The records are there for all to see. What the present government in Abia State relishes is falsehood and fanfare, while the people suffer in the midst of plenty for no justifiable reason.

The only sign of development in Abia State could be seen in the projects we executed, some of which the government of Governor Orji lays claim to. Apart from some white elephants, as the report of the media team to the state stated, the government had done nothing tangibly verifiable between 2007 and 2014 to justify the nearly 1 trillion naira it had received from different revenue sources available to it. For our administration, we achieved all we did with the N108 billion we received in eight years.

Last week, pensioners in Abia State took to the streets protesting the non-payment of their over five-month pensions. It was a pitiable sight to behold as old men and women, wearied by debilitating hunger and poverty, groaned in pain and penury as they marched through the streets of Umuahia. Yet the government has not done anything to ameliorate their condition or give them hope.

The situation gets worse as the day breaks. Not only pensioners, other workers such as university lecturers have been on work-to-rule for non-payment of their salaries. Some categories of workers are owed up to 8 months’ salaries. What reason does the government has for owing workers when it receives revenue from the federation account and collects huge money from taxes and levies? The only answer to this question is that the state government is neck-deep in corruption. Otherwise, the state makes sufficient money to take care of its workers and do quality projects for the good of the people.

I recall with happiness that in my days as governor we made it a point of duty to pay salaries every 25th of the month throughout the duration of our government. We also paid pensions and gratuities with available resources. Any government that fails to pay the pensions of retired civil servants, for no justifiable cause, is evil.

I threw a challenge to the governor in the course of the series to invite the best five audit firms in the world to audit his government’s account and that of ours to see which between us was corrupt. Up till date he has not accepted the challenge, even when I have offered to defray 50% of the cost of the audit. What does this tell you the reader? For me, it shows how incompetent and snaky the governor is in coming forth with the truth about what his government has done since 2007 it came to the saddle.

What Governor Orji has made Abia become is a mule drained of all the blood in its body. Abia State is like carcass with thousands fleecing it under the close watch of the governor. Imagine a state pilloried and pillaged for 91 long months! The state has survived by sheer luck, because the governor and his family have held the state and its people hostage for the same period. Not satisfied, he wants to install a stooge to carry on his legacy of corruption and ineptitude.

Our achievements in education have been unprecedented in the annals of our state. We left solid structures in the sector and laid a foundation on which its future would thrive. But see where the sector is today. Nothing works there. It was a sorry sight when students of Abia State University, Uturu took to the streets protesting the poor infrastructure in the school and non-payment of salaries of lecturers, which have stalled academic activities in the institution. For the period we stayed in government the institution never closed to business neither did any lecturer go on strike! We ensured that all issues relating to the students and their lecturers were promptly resolved.

It was the dexterity with which we ran the affairs of the sector that led to the many achievements recorded. Sadly, today, almost all the tertiary institutions in the state are a shadow of their old selves. It is either the sector is rescued now or it dies. That is the true situation. Reducing school fees two months to elections as the state government had done is not a solution to the intractable problems stifling the sector.

The recent visit to the state by a fact-finding media team revealed the decay in the present system unlike the one conducted during our tenure that scored us at least 65% in every sector. That alone points to one fact: that the difference between our two governments is clear. It is a tall order, therefore, for the governor to think there would ever be any equation between our administrations in whatever guise. I have written in several forums that our administration between 1999 and 2007 outperformed the present administration.

Unfortunately, the governor has remained adamant to the quality advice offered him. Instead he has chosen to do his things his own ways, which have often produced negative results. Does he think he is an island? No man is either. That is why he has appointed advisers and commissioners to assist him to do the work. Nevertheless, the advisers and commissioners exist on paper. They do virtually nothing in the running of the government as all decisions are taken by the governor and his wife and son. This accounts for the neglect of these political appointees. It is almost impossible to find a political appointee in Abia State that can afford to donate N20,000 on any occasion. The only person that can do that is somebody very close to the triumvirate of father, son and wife.

In the contrary, our tenure in office was a period of prosperity for the whole of Abia. People were happy and enjoyed the dividends of democracy. We made the resources go round, while making conscious efforts to ensure adherence to due process. Ours was the only government that published quarterly reports on its financial dealings. By the time we left office, we had a clean slate.

Let me use this opportunity to reemphasize that throughout the 96 months I served as governor the only money I spent was the security vote duly appropriated by the State House of Assembly. And the vote was handled by Chief Theodore Orji who served as my Chief of Staff. I did not dip my hands in any government coffers, nor did I engage in any underhand deal with anybody. It was this stance that made it possible for us to successfully fight and wrestle corruption.

The legacies we bequeathed to Abia State will outlive the present generation. In spite of the negative media against our administration by Governor Orji and his co-travellers, the truth has remained unassailable. If he claims he has worked for Abia let him take up the challenge I made to him to bring independent assessors to assess what he has done in comparison to the huge resources he has received.

The truth is that Abia State is hemorrhaging and asphyxiating under Governor Orji. The fear is that it will die if no immediate help comes to it. The plan of the governor is to go to the Senate, his son to the House to become speaker, while his crony occupies Government House, Umuahia. By this arrangement, then what is left is to sing the nunc dimitis for Abia State.

Are we going to fold our arms and watch as our state bleeds to death? This is a question that must be answered by every concerned Abian. It is either we stand up collectively and rescue Abia State or we will live to regret it.

I know the God I serve; He will never allow shame to come upon our people. As God’s Own state it will not be long before salvation comes. But the salvation will come faster if we chose the path of rectitude, courage and wisdom. We cannot continue to grope in the dark when we have the capacity to redeem our conditions.

I thank our people for standing firmly behind us. It would have been impossible to make progress without you.

I thank God Almighty for the great things He did in Abia State through us. I thank Him for the protection and understanding He granted us throughout the period we served that made it possible for us to achieve great things for our people.

Things may look bleak today, due to the indiscretion of one man, but very soon light will spring up at the end of the tunnel. It is only a matter of time before the evil that has enveloped Abia State takes flight to abyss.

I cover Abia State with the precious blood of Jesus and wish her well as shemarches into a new era – the era of change.

MY STEWARDSHIP AS ABIA GOVERNOR (1999-2007) – 12

2014-12-06T00:29:00.000-08:00

THE WINNING TEAM)

One significant achievement of our administration (1999- 2007) was the enthronement of excellence in the performance of government duty. I regard it as a big achievement, because before we came into office the administration of the state was haphazardly done, with mediocrity, often, taking the centre-stage. The lack of vision, and efficient and qualified personnel to execute government policies and programmes contributed remarkably to the backwardness recorded over the years. It was to avoid a recurrence of this endemic problem that we assembled the best hands to help us to drive our vision.

The number one consideration in assembling our team was passion to serve. Though other factors such as integrity, experience, charisma and pragmatism were considered we had reasoned that it was only passion that could make these other qualities come to the fore.

There is no question whatsoever, that those who served in our administration between 1999 and 2007 were men and women who were ready to make sacrifices to ensure that the goals we had set were achieved. Even though it was a very difficult thing to do, these men and women still did ordinary things extraordinarily, propelling the wheel of progress as never done before in our state.

What we did was to work out achievable plans for Abia State, and then went ahead to engage men and women with the capacity and ability to deliver. It was, therefore, easy to meet targets and keep the state on a steady path of peace, progress and development.

In assembling our team we did not place emphasis on state of origin, religion or ethnic loyalty. Our focus was simply placing square pegs in square holes to deliver quality governance to our people. It did not really matter where one came from. We were convinced that getting the best hands from wherever they existed would not only make us achieve our goals more easily, but would cement the bond of unity among the peoples of Nigeria. This reasoning was what led to the appointment of numerous non-Abia indigenes into our government.

I must confess that the decision to appoint people from different parts of the country was one of the pillars of our success and the reason we enjoyed goodwill from all over the world.

Added to this was the decision to go for the best wherever they existed. We went beyond the shores of the country to engage financial and economic experts that had worked in reputable global institutions to work with us. Among these men were Onyekwere Ogba and Moses Agoh – two financial czars. Their wealth of experience and integrity were readily made available to us. Onyekwere Ogba and Moses Agoh served at various times as commissioners for Finance. They reengineered the operations of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development and placed it on a sound footing for the challenges of the 21 Century. The template they designed for the development of Abia State which was anchored on the principles of Probity, Transparency and Accountability (PTA) could match any other from any part of the world. Unfortunately, the present administration in Umuahia jettisoned it in pursuit of its own personal agenda.

The anti-corruption war we waged started from the Ministry of Finance, where we blocked the leakages through which state financial resources were siphoned. The effort led to cutting of wastes and institutionalization of best practices that drove our vision. We fashioned a strategy to raise internal revenue to augment income from the federation account. Because of the way the ministry was run we saved enough money to do projects and fulfill other government contractual obligations.

Anybody who had any business to do with our government would attest to the fact that nobody was owed unnecessarily. We made sure bills were paid as due, not now that people are owed for years after successfully completing government projects. As far as I am concerned it is not morally proper to owe people unduly when provisions had been made to take care of it. The reason some governments owe is greed. If not greed what else would make a government not pay its contractual obligations?

But it has since been proved that incompetent administrations always give dwindling revenue from Abuja as the cause of their non-performance. I challenge whoever gives this reason to publish what he had collected since he became governor and the quantum of projects he had delivered to justify it. It is always very simplistic for people to make bogus claims about their financial position.

When you compare the performance of our government with the present government’s by matching it with what we collected as a government between 1999 and 2007 with what the present government in Abia State has collected as revenue you will be able to judge which of the two administrations outperformed the other. We leveraged on the experience of our team and their passion to serve to perform miracle in Abia State.

It is on record that our administration met a debt of N8 billion, comprising 168 million dollars, three months unpaid salaries and allowances, arrears of pensions and gratuities, and contractual obligations. With the advice of our experts we were able to tackle these debts, and by the time we exited office in 2007 all the debts had been paid.

What those outside did not know was that we worked under very tight conditions. But we made everything look easy, because we had the magic wand on how to move Abia State forward. And we achieved exactly that.

In the educational sector we brought in capable hands. Among them were Prof. Chibuzor Ogbuagu and Prof. Mkpa Agu Mkpa. While Ogbuagu served as commissioner for Education, Mkpa was appointed the Vice Chancellor of Abia State University. It was under the tenure of Mkpa that ABSU excelled. Strikes were checked, academic schedules strictly adhered to and motivation of staff made a norm at that time, making it easier for our children to graduate on time.

Those who manned the Abia State Universal basic Education Board (ASUBEB) were committed and visionary. With the support of government they were able to deliver on set goals. Over 800 primary and secondary schools were renovated across the state under the supervision of the board.

It is important to state at this juncture that the first secretary to the government, Dr. Elekwachi Nwogbo, was one of the people who gave our administration the initial direction it needed. He was later replaced with Barrister C.S.L. Nwosu. Prof. Ogbuagu was appointed the Secretary to the State Government, after Nwosu, as a way of repositioning the Cabinet Office to meet the exigencies of the time. His tenure as SSG was an admixture of intellectuality and acuity – a rare mix that elevated the stature of the office and fast-tracked general administration.

The Civil Service was at the heart of our overall development agenda. I regret to observe here that before we came the civil service was polarized along ethnic and parochial lines and overburdened by unpaid salaries and allowances. In driving the service to attain set standards we appointed accomplished technocrats and administrators to head it. Among those that headed the service were Chief Mark Uko Ogwo (late) and Uchenna Emezue (late). They died after they had retired from service. Their handling of the service restored its lost dignity and candour and placed it on a solid pedestal for future challenges. They also introduced new reforms that promoted efficiency in the service.

By the time we were to leave office the Abia State Civil Service was near corruption-free as civil servants shunned gifts and other forms of inducement from contractors and other persons to perform their official duties.

The legal team was led by the erudite Barrister Awa Kalu (SAN) who served as the first Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice. He delivered on his mandate with integrity, commitment and zeal. Later Chief Solo Akuma (SAN) took over the Ministry as the second Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice. Chief Uche (SAN) served at one time as Special Adviser (Legal Matters). These men added colour and quality to our administration.

The general administration team, headed by me, included the current governor, Chief Theodore Orji (who was Principal Secretary, and later Chief of Staff); Barrister Chuka Odom (Special Adviser); Dr. Victor Oye (Senior Special Assistant in charge of General Duties); Chief Idika Ukonu (Personal Assistant); Ms. Philomena Desmond-Ogugua (Senior Special Assistant, Foreign Investments); and Madukwe Ukaegbu (deputy chief of staff office of the deputy governor). There were a number of special advisers and assistants, which space may not allow me to mention here whose contributions led to the achievements we recorded.

Among the commissioners who served in our first cabinet were Emma Ibegbulam (Commerce, Industry and Technology), Dr. Ezekiel Imo (Health), Lady Victoria Akanwa (Agriculture and Natural Resources), Hon. Damian Ozurumba (Lands, Survey and Urban Development), Barrister Chibuike Nwokeukwu (Rural Development and Environment), Chief Allen Nwachukwu (Works, Housing and Transport), Hon. Arua Arunsi (Public Utilities), Mrs. Leticia Nzurum (Women Affairs and Social Welfare) and Chief Ben Etie (Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs). Etie passed away last year.

Our second cabinet saw some of those in the first coming back. However, there were a number of new faces and they included: Chief Emma Nwaka (Agriculture and Rural Development), Chief Lambert Nmecha (Works, Housing and Transport), Barrister Stanley Ojigbo (Environemnt, Solid Mineral and Cooperatives), Dr. John Erendu (Sports and Social Development), Prince Emeka Obasi (Information, Culture and Tourism), Elder Kalu Eke Kalu (Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs), Prince Enyinna Ubani (Petroleum) and Chief Emma Ukaku (Manpower Development).

I deem it necessary, at this juncture, to mention for posterity that Chief Emma Nwaka who is today the Abia State Chairman of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Emeka Obasi, Hon. Arua Arunsi (now member House of Representatives) who now work for Governor Orji – all served in our cabinet.

In fact, many of those serving in Governor Orji’s administration were products of our government (1999-2007). They came into limelight for the first time in their lives under our government.

There were other men and women who served in our government, which space may not allow mention. But I will manage to mention such people as Barrister Uchechi Evo (Lands, Survey and Urban Development), Chief Ike Onyenweaku (Agriculture), Dr. Emma Mazi (Sports), Dr. Mrs. Roseline Ndimele (Women Affairs), Chief A.C.B. Agbazuere (Information), and Chief Ralph Egbu (Information and later Secretary to Government). Some others joined later. They included Chief Emeka Inyama (Sports) and Chief Simon Emeh.

The truth is that almost all those that have served in Governor Orji’s administration from 2007 till date cut their political teeth under our government. We gave them the solid footing on which they have built their political careers. Therefore, it is preposterous when I hear what some of them spew out in the name of politics and for the crumbs that fall from the master’s table.

Politics is not all about what one can get. It is all about service to the people. It is the misconception of basic political ideals that makes some of our politicians go astray.

As mentioned earlier in this piece, we assembled the best hands to drive the development of Abia State. And they did their best, considering the peculiar circumstances in which they served. They made enormous personal sacrifices to keep the ship of state afloat. And I salute their courage and tenacity.

Mention should also be made of numerous other people who served in other capacities during our government. Among these were members of the boards of government agencies and extra-ministerial departments, and permanent secretaries and directors of ministries and parastatal agencies. These people formed a vital part of the success story of our government.

Forget the antics of media spin-doctors and hagiographers to paint our government black we did our best for Abia State. Our attainments stand toweringly all over the state. No amount of blackmail or untruths can kill the truth. The truth remains unassailable.

I will forever be grateful to God for granting me the opportunity to contribute my little quota to the development of our state. The only thing that causes me discomfort and pain in the heart is the poor performance of the present administration in the state. The eight years it has served will go down in the annals of our state as years eaten by locusts. They were eight wasted years.

It is my prayer that God will intervene and restore our pride and dignity, which Governor Orji has mercilessly destroyed.

MY STEWARDSHIP AS ABIA GOVERNOR (1999-2007) – 11

2014-11-29T02:32:00.000-08:00

(REASONS WE SUCCEEDED)
It has been proved beyond reasonable doubt, in many instances, that our administration (1999-2007) was a huge success, while that of Governor Theodore Ahamefule Orji has been an abysmal failure. The recent tour of the state by media influencers and bloggers, which was prearranged by the governor, has further exposed the rot in his administration and brought to the fore the remarkable differences between both administrations. It has also shown how deceitful the present administration has been, including the underhand deals that shape it.
Before the expose, the government of Chief Orji had regaled itself, though pretentiously, with achievements it did not merit. It had created the erroneous impression all over the place that he had performed better than all the administrations before his. Curiously, some people swallowed this bait hook, line and sinker.

If you ask me, there was nothing exceptional in what the bloggers and media influencers reported after their visit, after all even a blind man in Abia State can see the decay and disillusionment that signpost the era of decadence under Governor Orji. All a doubting Thomas should do to be convinced of the veracity of the revelations we have made so far is to take a trip to the state and see things for oneself. It does not really matter, which political divide you operate from or the aim you plan to accomplish, just make the trip and in the end you may join the crusade to redeem Abia State.

Unfortunately, what many Abians have suddenly come to realise, though belatedly, is that our administration was better in many ways than Chief Orji’s government! What we achieved in four years are yet to be equaled in the eight years of Chief Orji. Do a casual assessment of what you can see and you will agree with me that Abia State is worse under Governor Orji’s aegis.

Again, from the report of the media influencers and bloggers it could easily be deduced that that there is nothing on ground to justify the governor’s eight years in the saddle, yet he makes all the noise in the world about his achievements. Which achievements? The media tourists were in unison in their opinion and rated the current government in the state 25%. You know what 25% in an examination means! There was no sector the fact-finding media team adjudged as a success. From health to education, infrastructure to security, it was the same story of non-performance.

One then wonders what tangible thing the government had set out to achieve with the media tour. I have read a few reactions from the government-sponsored writers, and have nothing more to offer the governor than sympathy. I sympathize with him over his dilemma and desperation. What had he expected would happen after his eight long years of subjugation and fear? Our people have held their hearts in their mouths all these years, while the governor and his family expropriate the commonwealth of the state for their self-aggrandizement.

It would be the most stupid thing for anybody to think that the governor would go scot-free after it all. He may pretend all is well with him now when inside he is suffering under the weight of his sins.

If he could feel the heat while still in office as governor, then what happens when he is out of it? It was this painful and regrettable path that had I tried in vain to dissuade the governor from towing. Instead of listening to words of wisdom he chose the path of self-destruction. He abused me and anybody else who dared tell him the truth.

The situation the governor finds himself today was avoidable. He was a part of our administration from 1999 to 2007 and could tell (if he chooses to tell the truth) that we achieved success for many reasons, which I will advance here. I will also give reasons pari-passu the governor has failed.

The first reason for our success is God. We built our government on the fear of God and love of our people. In fact, I would not have had any reason to vie for the office of governor if I did not have a genuine conviction to serve our people. By 1999, when I assumed office as governor, I was already very comfortable. But the plight of our people turned my comfort into sadness as they daily grappled with the difficulties of life. I was moved by the bad roads, lack of potable water and quality health care, fallen standard in education, insecurity, poverty, and general disillusionment among our people to seek elective office. And so, I had to throw my hat in the ring.

With the vision we had we were able to set out on the journey with courage and conviction. We knew that it was not going to be easy, since there were not sufficient funds to tackle the myriads of problems facing us. Our trust in God propelled us; the love of the people motivated us. We leveraged on the useful experience we acquired in the private sector, coupled with the unflinching support we received from the people, to turn things around.

So, love was the foundation of our success, since God is love. The atmosphere of love that pervaded Abia State at that time had never been witnessed in the history of the state. People moved about freely, had unlimited access to the seat of government, and came from different parts of the state daily to offer advice on the way forward. And we received them with open arms and implemented their advice without bias.

It was the same love that made us run an open administration. We utilized every kobo we made to work for the people. We fought corruption with all the strength and courage we could muster. It is on record that our government was the first in Nigeria to design a framework for the fight against corruption. It was the same template that President Olusegun Obasanjo fine-tuned to come up with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). There was nothing we could have achieved if we had not wrestled and subdued the monster called corruption, which had eaten deep into the life of our state then.

It is important to mention here that for any government policy to succeed the leader must show the way. The fight against corruption was fought vigorously and transparently. There were no sacred cows. I, as the governor, made it clear that the same rules should apply to everybody serving in the administration. That was why even the civil servants keyed into the fight and made enormous sacrifices to make us succeed. I had expected the incumbent governor to sustain the tempo of the fight. Sadly, he faltered.

Corruption has been the albatross of the present administration in the state. That was one aspect the reports of the media influencers to the state are yet to address. I find myself in quandary to understand why no government official on that media tour could tell, when asked, the cost of any of the projects inspected. During our regime we made it a point of duty to always publish quarterly reports on the financial status of government. This aided planning and mitigated undue speculations.

The administration of Governor Orji has not succeeded, because he chose the easy path of life. He did not want the hard, truthful and transparent way. Naturally, what would follow is failure.

I wonder if Governor Orji ever understands who God is and the twist in fate that can be the lot of man. Nothing he had done so far has shown him as a true follower of Christ. If he were a true believer, as he openly professes, why would he bear too much grudge and refuse to reconcile with his traducers? The hallmark of every true child of God is the ability to forgive, even when it is difficult to do so. So, how does he expect God then to forgive him and help him?

For those close to our administration one trend was visible: regular interactions with vital stakeholders such as the media, traditional rulers, the people, the clergy, security agencies, etc. We took them in confidence and collaborated with them in the running of the state. Through this process we were able to receive feedbacks and reach consensus on important issues that promoted effective and smooth governance.

Unfortunately, the present administration in Abia State thinks differently. Its idea of vital stakeholders was to assemble some Abuja-based politicians from Abia State and payroll them. It is these politicians, without any tangible electoral worth, that the governor has surrounded himself with in the past eight years. As far as I am concerned they are liabilities instead of assets. If I may ask, what is their worth as individuals? Let them point to anything reasonable they have achieved in life that has direct bearing to the welfare of the people. Many of them cannot survive without politics. That is why they are always very desperate and hanging around the governor.

I have survived all my life without politics. For me politics is just a passion to offer selfless service to one’s people, not a thing for personal enrichment. It is the inability to really define his reason for accepting to serve in the first place that is responsible for the non-performance of the governor.

It is no hidden truth that Abuja-based Abia politicians did not find our administration easy to penetrate. They did everything humanly possible to thwart our agenda to develop Abia State, but each time their plans failed. I was not moved one bit by their antics, because I was occupied with the task of working for our people. They threatened fire and brimstone, yet they could not do anything.

Chief Orji was desperate to work with them. This accounted for some of his ill-advised actions at the beginning of his tenure, which he blamed on me. I have never been his problem, and can never be. He is the architect of his own failures.

To avoid any misconceptions, let me state that there is nothing wrong working with genuine Abuja-based Abia politicians. There are some of them that are amenable to reason. But my position is simple: I refused to compromise my integrity and the wider interest of our state and its people during my tenure as governor. I was totally accountable to God and the people that elected me. Full stop! And I do not have any apology to offer to anybody for taking such a stance.

For any leader to succeed he must be pragmatic. We ensured that all the promises we made to the people during electioneering were fulfilled. Go through my election manifesto and you would see that we made genuine promises and lived them out. What is the need promising what one would not be able to accomplish? This is another liability of the present government in Umuahia. The governor had beautiful and tenable plans before he was sworn in. Sadly, he abandoned these plans chasing the wind. He would have succeeded if he had stuck to the original plans of pursuing life-transforming projects, which was a more difficult path. In his reasoning, he chose to settle a few politicians thinking they would save him when it mattered most.

The governor, I am sure, forgot that he was dealing with hawks, not genuine politicians, whose major preoccupation is how to line their pockets. They tell him what to do and say. In the process he has burned his fingers. When the chips are down they will dump him and seek refuge elsewhere.

Superintending over the affairs of Abia State was a daunting task, but the support of the people was a huge relief. They were there for us when we needed them most. They believed in us and threw their massive support behind us. I recall with nostalgia the period between 2002 and 2003 when there were plots to scuttle our administration. It was the people that stood up against it. They voted massively for us in the 2003 general elections and again in 2007 when we begged them to vote for the incumbent governor while in prison.

So, the people were our backbone. They were our livewire. But what do we have today in Abia State? It is the government against the people. Almost all government fiscal policies are skewed to favour the powerful and rich, while the masses groan under the weight of over-taxation and infrastructural decay. There is nothing physical in Abia State today that is not subjected to crazy tax. Nevertheless, there is nothing absolutely wrong in government asking the people to pay taxes. After all, it is their civic duty to do so. But everything is wrong when such policies are draconian and anti-people.

Worst still, the economy of the state, which boomed in our time, has nearly collapsed. The people are suffering, because the money that accrues to the state does not circulate and is not judiciously expended. Go round all the markets in the state and the reality with hit you like a thunderbolt from the blue. Traders sit all through the week without selling anything. Civil servants who are their major patrons are owed for months. Is it not when the civil servants receive their salaries that they spend it?

Nothing seems to be working anymore in Abia State. The era of prosperity has given way to the years of yore. Was it not in our tenure that all the new generation banks opened shop in Abia State? We provided them the enablement to set up offices in our state. It was also during our administration that MTN, GLO and ECONET (now Zain) berthed in Abia State? What of Mr. Biggs, Crunches, and other eateries that found Abia State an investment haven? These were signs of prosperity. I challenge the governor to point to any new investment he attracted to Abia State.

Ask him of one major achievement and he will point to the Dialysis Centre in Umuahia, which, according to them, is a Private Partnership Project (PPP). Who are those that form part of the PPP? We need to know. Come to think of it: How many poor Abians can afford the services of the centre? The project, to best of my knowledge, was established to serve the interest of the governor and his associates. What an average Abian needs today are water, good roads, quality education, functional healthcare system, food, electricity, and security. These were the things we focused on during our tenure that endeared us to the people and made us succeed.

Without sounding immodest: I know quite well that if we are to come back today and seek fresh mandate from the people they would offer it to us freely and generously.

Can Governor Orji boldly make the same assertion? I doubt it.

NIGERIA’S CRISIS OF CRONYISM AND CONSCIENCE By Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu

2014-11-26T00:56:00.000-08:00

Many will tell you Nigeria is undergoing a highly sensitive period of revitalization. That our country, home to the largest economy on the continent, is making bold strides to position itself as a conduit for African integration and a leader in its geopolitics.

However, as we approach what can only be described as hotly contested elections in February of 2015, one thing remains abundantly clear – oligarchy is oligarchy. Feudalism may forever be feudalism. Nigeria’s polity remains in cyclical quagmire and its casualties are the very citizens being told that change is on the way.

This week, I announced that I was pulling out of the Senatorial race in my district, that of Abia State’s Northern region. I did so, not because I did not believe that we could fundamentally enhance my home State’s infrastructure, supply electricity to Abians and work with our partners in the public sector so as to ensure the next generation of Nigerians are not disillusioned by false promises and self-serving bureaucracy. No. I left for the same reasons that so many of those before me have – out of disgust for the cronyism that denies innovation, entrepreneurship or even competition to flourish in the private and indeed political arena. For Abia, much like Nigeria, is suffering from a crisis of such cronyism, one entirely revisable yet utterly out of our grasp.

We’ve heard this tale before. Our military, though adamantly entrusted to protect our citizenry, has sometimes been used (historically noted) as a weapon for the aims of the political elite. We look no further than in the words and actions of the resurgent spirit of Fela Kuti to view a depiction of governance run amok, free will and speech stifled and glad-handing ensuring a select few reap the benefits of natural resource abundance, while the remaining in the periphery suffer.

In Abia, as but an example, we’ve seen journalists arrested arbitrarily, ripped from their families, beaten and thrown in to detainment cells for prolonged periods of time for speaking out against injustice. We have seen propaganda and hate-speech overtake that of opportunity on the campaign trail; mudslinging as opposed to the offering of practical solutions for taking our province and country forward.

My successor as Governor, a gentleman by the name of Theodore (T.A) Orji and his actions are not solely guilty of this. And admittedly, to lopsidedly slant the Senatorial playing field in favor of his cohorts is not unprecedented in our jewel of the ECOWAS. However, it remains morbidly disappointing when undertaken while we collectively wish to enter a period of societal maturity and brotherhood amidst the regionalism and tribalism that certain cabals have leveraged to divide us.

And, despite the integration of foreign partners from China, India and around the world, touted and promoted as effecting lasting change for the future, Nigeria's naira hit a record low this week.

The fall comes amidst political concerns and moreover, that a slide in global oil prices could undermine our central bank's ambitions to keep afloat our currency. This is also in part due to Nigeria’s unfortunate importing of approximately 85% percent of what it consumes, meaning that the dollar demand is indelibly tied to the structure of the country.

There is work to be done to right the wrongs of the hierarchical system of dependency. And yet nonetheless, transformative Nigeria is still on the upswing.

I have the utmost faith in President Goodluck Jonathan to carry forward our mission and better integrate us tomorrow on the world stage. Today, however, I pause and reflect on how far we have yet to go in order to actualize that dream.

Editor’s Note: Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu is a former two-term Governor of Nigeria’s Abia State and previously, a 2014 Senatorial candidate for its Abia North district. He is presently shortlisted on Africa’s Wealthiest individuals by Forbes Magazine and remains Chairman of SLOK Group Nigeria, a multinational organization he founded. The views expressed are his own.

MY STEWARDSHIP AS ABIA GOVERNOR (1999-2007) – 10

2014-11-21T23:42:00.000-08:00

(FACTS AND FALLACIES)

I have spent the past two and half months detailing my achievements for the eight years I was in the saddle as the Chief Driver of Abia State. I have also used the two and half months to put a lie to the deliberate and malicious distortions of facts spearheaded against me by Governor Theodore Ahamefule Orji.

From the facts and figures unleashed it is easy to discern that the present administration in Abia State, to the best of my knowledge, is deceitful, inhumane, insensitive and incorrigible.

It is deceitful, because most of its claims in the media about performance are false and presumptuous. There are no hard facts to corroborate these claims. Most of the projects it had caused published in the media as paid advertisements were projects started and completed by our administration between 1999 and 2007. I enumerated these projects and supported them with copious verifiable facts. Up till date, all the state government and its media agents have succeeded in doing to refute these facts was engage in name-calling, threats and intimidate. Unfortunately, it missed the mark, because I am not the kind of man any person can easily intimidate, especially when I am sure of my facts.

In all my years on this earth planet, I have never seen a man as deceitful in character and uncouth in language as the incumbent governor of Abia State. He says one thing and does another. This is manifest in the manner he has administered the affairs of the state since he came on board in 2007. You can never take him for his word.

He always says one thing and does another. Take for instance, his assurances to me that he would govern our state with the fear of God and good conscience. What happened in the end? He jumped ship and declared me and anybody related to me as an enemy.

The hallmark of any responsible leader should be the fear of God and respect for human dignity. But here is a man who does not understand the basic elements of human interrelationship and its accompaniments – honesty, truth, transparency, candour, integrity and pragmatism.

It is no longer a hidden fact that the government of Governor Orji is predicated on self-aggrandizement, greed and avarice, with little or no consideration for the majority of our suffering people. There is no single project done or ongoing by the present administration that has had any direct impact on the lives of the people. Almost all the projects the administration has embarked upon under the Legacy Projects are white elephants. And sadly, too, none of them has been satisfactorily completed and put to use nearly eight years into its tenure.

As I write millions of Abians have no portable water, no roads, no functional health centres, and no food. The available roads, which we built between 1999 and 2007, have not been maintained ever since. The rural health scheme we set up to take care of our rural dwellers was stopped by the government of Governor Theodore Orji and replaced with a diagnostic centre in Umuahia established to serve the interest of his family and the High and Mighty.

To further show how greedy and uncaring the administration of Governor Orji is it will be fine to look at how much it has received and how much it has expended on the welfare of the people. According to available statistics, the government of Abia State has received approximately N1 trillion in revenue (from the Federation Account and sundry sources, including internally generated revenue and special grants) between 2007 and date. What has he done with the money since there are no amenities on ground to justify the huge receipts? What reason would the governor give for not paying workers for the past six months, for dry taps in all of Abia State, for the poor conditions of roads in the entire state, particularly Aba, for the mountains of refuse that litter every nook and cranny of the state, for the increasing state of insecurity, and for the huge debts now owed by the state when we left a clean slate on May 29, 2007?

What the governor showcases as achievements for the close to eight years he has been governor are hundreds of thousands of posters announcing his interest to vie for Senate, when in truth his tenure has been an unmitigated disaster. Go to the local government councils in the state and you weep for Abia State. The local government councils have been mortgaged through huge debts. There is no local government council in the state that owes the banks less than N500 million in loans and overdrafts. How can they repay the money when the state government stifles them of their statutory allocations? This is one of the reasons the government has shied away from conducting elections into the councils and, instead, preferred to use caretaker committees.

That is not all: Governor Orji and his family have been on buying spree with major properties in Umuahia in their acquisition. What do they need all the properties for when an average Abian cannot afford a decent accommodation or meal? What would have happened if our administration had not built some housing estates in Aba and Umuahia, especially the 1000-unit Ehimiri Housing Estate, Umuahia, for civil servants on owner-occupier basis? The incumbent governor is a beneficiary with two blocks, contrary to the state government’s directive then that each person was entitled to just a block.

Under the watch of Governor Orji Abia State has been an object of ridicule in the comity of states in Nigeria. The situation is made worse when it is considered that Abia State is one of the Niger Delta states and, therefore, should signpost positive infrastructural development. Surrounding states to Abia State are doing very well in every stratum of socio-economic life. What then is wrong with God’s Own State?

Critics can easily advance the argument that Akwa Ibom State earns bigger allocations than Abia State. Agreed! But evidence has shown that it is not how much one receives that counts. What counts is how the money has been utilized. A reckless spender can squander N1 billion naira in less than 24 hours, while a judicious and prudent manager can use the same amount to produce eye-popping accomplishments. While the Federal Government is hyping its transformation agenda the Abia State Government is flaunting its tantalizing agenda. The so-called legacy projects are tantalizing projects, not life-transforming projects, which are what the people really need.

I do not subscribe to the school of thought which says leaders are born, not made. To me leaders are made by the circumstances that shape their development into adulthood. Power is the central element that shapes the lives of leaders. You can only know the real worth of a leader when you entrust him with power. Before he became governor

Chief Orji was deemed to be a humble, coolheaded and resourceful person. At least that was what we were able to glean from his outward appearance.

As soon as he grabbed power his real self was exposed. Beneath the veil was a cast of multifarious character camouflaged by meretricious and superfluous mien, giving him away as a righteous, puritanical personality. He now wears a new garb of ‘Ezeonyeagwalam’ (the incorrigible ruler). This is why I agree totally with Shakespeare that there is no act to find the mind’s construction in the face.

If the governor were not a deceitful person why did he promise Abia people prosperity and instead gave them unlimited suffering and chastisement? The pain the people go through every day to eke out a living cannot be properly captured in print. It is better seen. The economy of the state has collapsed irretrievably. How can the economy grow when the commonwealth of the state is concentrated on the hands of Governor Orji and members of his family and political associates?

There was no way Abians would have thrown their weight behind him if the governor had shown the flimsiest sign of incompetence and arrogance of power. He lacks the courage to own up to his inefficiency. Instead of owning up to his sins he works in vain to heap the blame on me. The only sin I committed was to convince Abians to vote for him. He should bear the brunt of his actions and inactions.

Now that the period of giving stewardship is fast approaching he should ready himself with facts and figures, because the people will ask him questions about how he managed their affairs in the past eight years.

He has continued to distort facts and bend the truth about true happenings in our dear state, often concealing the truth from the public. But for how long is he going to do that before the cookies crumble. Day and night he is busy looking for where and how to destroy my reputation. Sadly for him, the more he tries the more difficult it is for him to make the people hate me. He has claimed all the projects we did as his and went a step further to document them as having been completed by his administration.

Who in this world does not know that Governor Orji has never embarked on a single project worth N2 billion, in spite of the mega allocations he receives from Abuja monthly? All the so-called projects he has embarked upon do not have direct bearing on the lives of the people, and none of them is worth up to N2 billion.

As I stated earlier in this piece they are white elephants meant to bamboozle the people and create the impression he is working. If he is an honest leader let him publish all the projects his administration has started and completed, stating how much each of them cost, the names of the companies that handled them, where they are located, and other such facts that will erase any doubt. Sincerely speaking, Abia State is in a mess. Forget all the media hype and invectives the man spews on me on a daily basis, our state needs redemption.

The only project worth more than N2 billion is his personal house in Umuahia – standing towering in the heart of the city centre, blocking 5 public streets. The location of the huge house is simply a menace.

It demonstrates in very clear terms the man’s irrationality and insensitivity to the plight of the people he superintends over. Show me anywhere in this wide world where a leader could be as reckless and inconsiderate as to flaunt his ill-acquired wealth before his impoverished and hunger-stricken people. This is the show of shame that is governance in God’s Own State.

The irony of it all is that even the most unenlightened Abian knows how much the man was worth before he became my Chief of Staff. Nobody expects his new status as governor not to rub off on his mien and his place of abode. It is natural. But it is offensive to deliberately refuse to work for your people even in the midst of plenty. What justification does he have not to work for Abia State? All he does is regular visits to Abuja to gossip and curry favour. Unfortunately, the topic of discussion has always been Orji Kalu.

For the eight years I served as governor I was passionate about the welfare and sensibility of the people. We never took any decision that did not factor in the feeling of the masses. That was why in spite of the meager resources available to us we were able to affect the lives of the people. The achievements we recorded between 1999 and 2007 are what stand as a sign of the presence of government in Abia State in the past 15 years. Yet the governor has never for one single day commended our administration for the giant strides we made in the development of the state. All he has done is to buy space in newspapers and magazines, and use the state’s media and hirelings, to insult me and members of my family.

A busy governor will have little or no time for inanities. But this governor has time to gossip for hours. This is why Abia has suffered from stunted growth since he assumed the leadership of the state. What is left of his tenure is just six months. In six months a serious-minded governor could still do something to affect the lives of the people positively. Nevertheless, this may not be the case with Abia State as the governor is busy junketing all over the place, seeking how to doctor the results of PDP congresses that never held in Abia State. Why is he afraid of genuine primaries? The answer is simple: he has nothing to offer. Let me ask again: are there two ways to transparent and credible primaries?

It is painful that some people somewhere are goading the governor in his misadministration of Abia State. Those who ought to speak out have failed over the years to do so. Such people should know that they will partake in whatever punishment God decides to mete out to him in due time. For their interest, I advise them to hands off and allow the people’s will to prevail.

Perhaps what makes the situation in Abia State look difficult to ameliorate is that Governor Orji is a very obdurate and incorrigible person. You may be taken in by his innocent looks, but beneath it is a defiant and recalcitrant persona. He detests the truth and does not like anybody who tells him the truth. The disagreement we have had stemmed from his lack of amenability to corrections. He behaves this way, forgetting no man is an island or knows it all. We need one another’s support and crosspollination of ideas to succeed in whatever we do.

He can hire all the media managers and bloggers in the world, for all I care, to launder his image; this will not save him from God’s anger that is about to come to judgment in Abia State.

PDP grants Kalu special waiver

2014-11-19T00:17:00.000-08:00

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Working Committee (NWC) has finally granted former Abia State governor, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, special waiver, We can authoritatively reveal.

The former Abia State governor is a senatorial aspirant in Abia State.

Checks by Us revealed that Orji Kalu had applied for waiver since January but he was denied by the state chapter of the party.

A source further revealed that the national leadership of the party also directed that the former governor be screened in Abuja in the ongoing screening of National Assembly aspirants.

The source noted that having applied for a waiver since January, it would have amounted to injustice to deny the former governor a chance because, those who applied after him, had since been granted.

It was gathered that the party’s National Working Committee was worried that the intransigence of Abia State Governor, Theodore Orji and the pliable state chapter of the party could undermine the fortunes of PDP in the forthcoming general elections.

Daily Sun source also justified the privilege given to Orji Kalu to be screened in Abuja.

He said: “The NWC has powers to form a special committee. There is no problem about that.

“Why the idea came up, was to avoid any likely breach of the peace between the supporters of the governor and Dr. Kalu.”

MY STEWARDSHIP AS ABIA GOVERNOR (1999-2007) – 9

2014-11-15T00:19:00.000-08:00

(TRANSFORMATION OF ABA)

The effort our administration made in 1999 alone to transform the Enyimba City was borne out of the deep attachment we had with the city. We were moved by the close affinity we had with the city while growing up. Aba in the pre-war era was a beautiful place to live: peaceful, clean and serene. It was then the melting point for people from the Old Eastern region (comprising the present-day Anambra, Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Ebonyi, Enugu, Imo and Rivers states). The population of the city grew in geometric progression as people fell on one another to find a place of abode in the city. That was Enyimba City in the good old days!

However, by 1998 when we commenced electioneering the city had become a shadow of its old self. Available infrastructure, especially intra-city roads, had broken down irretrievably. This affected commercial life of the city known globally as the Japan of Africa.

In one of my campaign trips to the city I had promised to transform and restore its lost glory. I knew then that if we succeeded in transforming the city we would have achieved something that would be cherished by the people for a long time. Despite the poor revenue outlook of the government in 1999 we still went ahead to embark on a massive reconstruction of infrastructure in the city. We targeted the twin-chord that held the residents of the city together: commerce and soccer.

We had also reasoned that to boost the economic life of the city we must rebuild the roads and ensure all-round security. Then on soccer we would have to safe Enyimba from relegation and build a new stadium to play host to the numerous national and continental matches involving their darling team, Enyimba F.C.

We took the bull by the horns to rebuild the city, because we knew that no government worth its salt could afford to neglect the commercial city of Aba. Past administrations (military and civilian) tried their best to give Aba some attention. Nevertheless, despite the little they did to lift Aba from its decadent condition much was left undone by the time our ship berthed in 1999. The entire city was overrun by refuse with many of the roads completely impassable. The residents groaned under the filthy and chaotic state of affairs, while at the same time looking up to our administration for redemption.

There was no money anywhere in the Abia State Government coffers to give the city some remedial face-lift. And so we sourced money from external sources to rehabilitate at least five roads in the first six months of the life of our government. One of our friends, the late Group Managing Director of Guaranty Trust Bank, Tayo Aderinokun, came to our immediate assistance. With an initial loan of N500 million he approved for us we were able to rebuild five roads in Aba, which were commissioned by former President Olusegun Obasanjo on February 25, 2000, during his maiden official visit to our state. It was at the commissioning of the five roads that he christened me the ‘Action Governor of Nigeria’. That singular recognition fired the zeal in us to do many of the remarkable things we did to transform the city.

While rebuilding the roads in Aba, we were working at the same time to save Enyimba F.C from relegation. The team was on the lowest rudder of the league table when we embarked on the rescue operation. By the time the league ended, the team had been saved from relegation. Residents of the city went hysteria, celebrating as never before. The magic we performed to save Enyimba from relegation was a part of a bigger plan to make the team the champions of Africa.

The plan was to win the national league back-to-back and then launch into an offensive to win the elusive CAF Championship for Nigeria. Both plans worked out according to schedule such that by 2004 we had won the CAF Championship trophy for the first time for Nigeria and the national league for keeps. No football club in Nigeria was able to win the CAF Championship Cup. I recall the efforts made by the indomitable Rangers F.C. of Enugu, IICC Shooting Stars of Ibadan and Stationery Stores F.C. of Lagos to win the elusive trophy failed.

After the CAF Championship we refocused on the roads. We rolled in the caterpillars and bulldozers to rehabilitate all the disused roads in the City. It was an ambitious project, but we, however, were not deterred by the lack of funds prevalent at that time. The little resources we made from the federation account and internally generated revenue were judiciously deployed to specific projects that had relevance to the lives of the people.

By the first Anniversary of our administration on May 29, 2000, we had done over 20 roads in the city. And by the end of our first term almost all the major roads in city had been given a face lift.

Of note is the 90 km Ururuka Road which crisscrosses five local government areas and terminates in Aba. It is an important road that has saved commuters from untold hardship caused by the dilapidated Umuahia-Aba Expressway. I am sure that all the roads the administration of Gov. Orji has claimed to have built in seven and half years are not up to Ururuka Road. The 8 kilometer Mbawsi Road which our administration did up to 4 kilometer has remained uncompleted.

Other roads our government built were Osusu, Omuma, Umule, Obohia, Ohanku, Ohuhu, Ahunanya, Nweke, Uche, Boundary Avenu, Cemetery, Ibadan, Cemetery Extension, Akalanna, all in Aba, which were handled by Elite Construction Limited.

Bencov Construction Limited handled the following roads, also in Aba:MCC to Umule, MCC to Express, Umuojima, Eziama, St, Joseph to School Road, Old Court(Ehi to Ngwa), Okorocha, Ajagba, Nwogu, Ajigwe, Nwogu Extension, Nwankpa, Umuimo, Uchenna, Owerri, Umuoba,Uwuala, and Uruakpan.

The following roads in Aba were also built by our administration and handled by Amico Construction: Judges, Erondu, Nicholas, I.E.A. Gate to Nweke, River Layout, Constitution, Howells and Scotland.

We also rehabilitated Cameroun Road, Ojike Lane, Ehere, Ehere Road Extension, Umuola, and All Saints’ Academy. They were handled by Grandstar Construction Company Limited?

It is also important to state at this juncture that the Confederation of African Football (CAF) directed us to expand and upgrade facilities at the Enyimba Stadium before it could give approval for us to play host to its organized matches. We swung into action, and by the first quarter of 2002, the stadium was ready. It was in the new stadium that Enyimba played all the matches that made it qualify for the finals of the CAF Cup Championship, which we won for Nigeria for the first time in 38 years in far away Egypt.

I personally led the team to the Battle of Egypt where we were almost lynched by the irate Egyptian fans. Thank God we escaped to Nigeria with the elusive trophy without any harm.

Apart from roads we also rehabilitated the Enyimba City Water Scheme and other smaller water projects, including the installation of a mini-laboratory for testing water quality at the Aba River. Hundreds of schools in the city were also rehabilitated. In fact, every sector of the life of the city was touched by our massive infrastructure rehabilitation that took place.

There is no doubt that by the time our government took its exit in 2007 Aba was a beautiful, secure city.

What is the situation today? Our successor-government has abandoned Aba. The facilities we put in place have been allowed to depreciate. This was a deliberate ploy by the government to discredit us and pitch the people against us. Unfortunately the plot backfired. Today, the government of Abia State under the leadership of Chief Theodore Ahamefule Orji has estranged itself from the good people of Aba.

It is sad that almost eight years in office the government of Gov. Orji has not done any major project in the city. He has not done a single durable road in the city. All the roads he showcases in many of the advertorials sponsored by his government were roads we built and commissioned. The ‘Ukwu Mango’ Road he managed to shoddily rehabilitate was washed away by the rains less than one year after the job was done. When I heard how much was expended on the road my heart bled for Abia State. I have asked without anybody providing the needed answer why Gov. Orji should sits over such treachery and deceit? What did the people of Aba do to him to deserve this shabby treatment?

The bulk of the votes that made him win the governorship election while in prison came from Aba. Why then has he forsaken its people and left the place decrepit? No person can win the governorship election in Abia State without winning Aba? My own election in 1999 was won with the majority of the votes coming from Aba. This is the trend and it will continue for a long time.

Up till date, I am yet to fathom any reason the governor has refused blatantly to work for the people of Aba. The traders in the city operate under very difficult conditions deliberately created by the government to frustrate them. There is no single market in the sprawling city that has any access road. People who engage in commerce do so under very inhumane conditions, yet the government milks the residents of the city dry through multiple taxes. The situation got to a point that women in the city protested half-clothed.

Insecurity in the city reached a point that many residents trooped out of the city for fear of being killed or kidnapped. Between 2008 and 2011 Aba was a ghost town. Commercial activities and life generally were paralyzed. Some relief came when the Federal Government established an army camp in Aba and Ukwa respectively. That, however, has not made criminal elements not to operate in the city.

Traffic into and out of Aba has been chaotic in recent times due to bad roads. The Osisioma Junction is notorious for this. Travellers spend hours at the Junction before exiting the city. And the government is not concerned about the plight of the people. What about refuse disposal in the city? Every turn in Aba is defaced by mountains of refuse. The situation is made worse by the rains. Port Harcourt and Faulks Roads in particular have been inaccessible for some time now. Ditto other roads. Any plans by the Abia State Government to do something soon? The answer is capital ‘No’. What the governor is interested in is how to smuggle one of his loyalists to Government House Umuahia.

I wonder how he plans to achieve this near-impossible feat. Rig election? I am sorry for him, because nobody can rig the 2015 elections in Abia State. We allowed the charade of 2011 to happen for the sake of peace, not because of cowardice. The governor will be deluding himself if he thinks that after destroying the city of Aba and making life miserable for its residents they would turn round and vote for his candidates. I am surprised he could treat the people of Aba with such levity!

The governor should look at the statistics of elections in the past in order to see the central role the city plays in the life of the state. It will be impossible for any resident of Aba except those who benefit directly from the governor to throw their support behind any candidates he may sponsor in future elections. Even the army stationed in Aba will not make him have his way. The 2015 elections will be transparent and crisis-free. We will work to achieve it. The only person who is sure of the votes of the people of the City is President Goodluck Jonathan whom Ohaneze Ndigbo has endorsed. We will work hard to deliver him.

In less than 6 months Governor Orji will vacate office. For what will he be remembered? What legacy has he bequeathed to the state for which generations of Abians will remember him?

The only legacy he has bequeathed to us, in my assessment, is a polarized state where there is no love among our people. The peace, unity and progress enjoyed by our people when we were in office have been destroyed by the greed and egocentricity of the governor. I know of some prominent residents of the city who have relocated to other places. Among them were people openly opposed to the style of leadership of the governor and were haunted out of town by the terror-squad of the governor.

When will our people enjoy the presence of their government? When will the redeemer come? I assure our people that all will be well soon. The God we serve will soon make crooked roads straight. Evil has an expiry date. It is just a matter of time.

I am proud to state, no matter the negative propaganda mounted by the government our administration sincerely worked to transform Aba. We made enormous sacrifices to change the face of the City. It is only posterity that will place our names in the proper places in the annals of our state.

MY STEWARDSHIP AS ABIA GOVERNOR (1999-2007) – 8

2014-11-08T01:02:00.000-08:00

(Recovered oil wells, job and wealth creation)

When I consider the pettiness, lack of vision and the orchestrated and malicious plots to malign my person and our administration by Governor Theodore Orji’s administration, I am always shell-shocked and flabbergasted. This is a man who knew every sacrifice we made as a government to make Abia State a leading economy in Nigeria.

Does the governor want to tell me he has forgotten too soon our achievements in the areas of job and wealth creation, poverty eradication and recovered oil wells? What was the situation before we assumed office in 1999?

Let me take them one after another. Recovered oil wells: The story of the effort we made to recover 43 oil wells, which had hitherto been ceded to Rivers State, will be told in a more elaborate form someday. But let me emphasize, however, that our resolve to fight for what belonged to our state was motivated by the need to do the needful to ensure social justice and equity. We had felt it was wrong to allow ignorance and timidity to continue to rule the lives of our people. The inability to recover the oil wells before the time we did was because past leaders lacked the fighting spirits and the subtle diplomacy needed to make things happen.

I wish to make this open confession: Fighting for and recovering the 43 oil wells was one of the motivating factors that moved me to contest to become governor. I knew quite clearly there was no way I could have facilitated the recovery of the oil wells without making it to the Government House. I knew also the enormous personal sacrifices involved. But I was undaunted.

So, as soon I was sworn in as governor, we swung into action, using the information and facts available to us to launch a vicious diplomatic offensive to get back the oil wells, which were erroneously ceded to Rivers State by the Justice Nasir Mamman Boundary Adjustment Commission. This tragic administrative flaw caused Abia State untold hardship and huge revenue losses from the federation account.

Those not close to the seat of power would never know what efforts went into the recovery. Nevertheless, the favourable disposition of the federal government, coupled with the positive attitude of our government, made the recovery possible. I would not want to mention the difficulties we encountered and the deliberate designs by some powerful forces to thwart our effort. The most accurate word to describe what we went through is ‘hellish’. Thank God that at the end of all the sleepless nights and diplomatic shuttles we were able to recover the lost oil wells.

Our joy knew no bounds. We thanked and glorified God for the propitious favours he bestowed on our state. I am glad that today Abia State gets what is due it from the federation account. One of the immediate fallout of the recovered oil wells was the shift in our monthly collectible revenue from the federation account. Our monthly allocation, which used to be in the neighbourhood of N400 and N600 million leapt up to the one billion mark for the first time in 2006. Today, the revenue Abia State Government receives swings between N5 and N7 billion monthly. Sometimes, when there is windfall, it shoots up to over N10 billion. This excludes the internally-generated revenue and money from sundry sources, excluding money from SURE-P.

Special appreciation should go to late President Umaru Yar’Adua who, in his usual graciousness and candour, approved the return of the 43 oil wells to Abia State. I recall with nostalgia his fraternal disposition towards me on my release from Kuje Prison, Abuja. He had invited me to Aso Rock and asked what I would want done for me. He offered me a ministerial appointment, which I rejected and asked him to give to Chuka Odom. All I asked of him was to approve the return of the 43 oil wells to Abia, which file was already on his table. He called his Chief of Staff to immediately write for his approval for the release of the oil wells, which was done without delay. I pray God to continue to rest his soul for he was a good man.

The question is: Now that the Governor Theodore Orji government is the ultimate beneficiary of the long hours of toiling and strategizing that went into the recovery of the oil wells, why has he not performed? As I write, almost every category of workers in the Abia State Civil Service is owed over 6 months’ salaries. Some are even owed about 8 months. The lecturers of the Abia State University, Uturu, have suspended exams to compel the state government to pay them their salary arrears. Worst hit are workers in the local government councils owed for over 8 months now.

One wonders with bafflement why the governor has continued to show apathy and insensitivity to the sufferings of the people of our state in spite of the huge allocations he collects from Abuja. Why has he shown so much disdain for our people? All he is interested in is how to smuggle himself into the Senate and manipulate elections in Abia State to install his stooges in strategic elective positions. The governor is not interested one hoot in the peace, progress and development of Abia State. This is why he has continued to falter and misrule.

It is unfortunate that the governor today sits atop Abia State resources, intimidating and harassing everybody, particularly those with contrary political views to his. He is hell-bent on expropriating everything Abia State owns into his personal estates, because his appetite for usurpation is large.

I pity the workers in our state. I pity the pensioners, especially the senile ones among them who have nobody else to help them. Why can’t the governor show them some mercy and release their pensions? Our administration elevated the civil service to the point of dignity and honour. We paid civil servants every 25th day of the month throughout the life of our administration. We organized seminars, workshops and training for their advancement and development. The results they produced showed marked departure from the era of waste and redundancy. Gradually, the old days are creeping back.

In terms of job creation, we carried out a survey in 1999 that showed a yawning gap in employment. Many of our able-bodied youth roamed the streets and engaged in crimes. We drafted them into the numerous skills acquisition centres we created across the state and enrolled some into the mass literacy classes. Gladly, many of them have made it in their various vocations.

The local government councils were also beneficiaries of our job creation efforts. In fact, in 2007 alone, we, working in concert with the elected chairmen of these local government councils, created 13,000 jobs to fill the yawning gap in employment. This singular exercise took away from the streets many of our youths.

Why has the present administration in Abia State failed abysmally to create genuine employments for our people? What the governor has put in place is rather an ad hoc arrangement called, Ochendo Youth Empowerment Scheme – a self-serving scheme aimed at massaging the governor’s ego and currying favour from a massively disenchanted people. What jobs has the scheme created other than giving out Tokunbo cars to favoured politicians and thugs to influence them to do the governor’s bidding?

If I may ask: Why has the governor failed to conduct local government elections in Abia State less than six months to the end of his tenure? He has continued to use caretaker committee chairmen for reasons best known to him. The truth is this: He does not want to organize local government council elections because he is benefitting from the lacuna and is afraid to lose in a free-and-fair election.

I have written in this column about the need to fight corruption. Last week, I discussed the effort our administration made in fighting corruption. Because of lack of space I could not exhaust all the pertinent issues bordering on the war we wedged against corruption. It is unfortunate that some of the people Governor Orji surrounds himself with today are the same people we axed for financial mismanagement and other criminal acts during our tenure. For instance, two of his serving commissioners were indicted by a panel of inquiry and sacked.

Why has the governor found pleasure in assembling these questionable characters out of thousands of other qualified Abians to do his dirty jobs?

As I wrote two weeks ago in this column, no government worked for our people as much as we did. We gave governance the best shots we could, entrenching openness and transparency in the process. What we did in Abia State in eight years was unprecedented in the history of our state. We touched lives, raised the leadership bar and gave governance a human face. We felt the pulse and heartbeat of our people in everything we did. We did not allow the euphoria of the office get into our heads.

Yes, every government should collect taxes and levies to aid development. But should this be done recklessly and riotously? This is what obtains in Abia. Indiscriminate taxes and levies everywhere! I have heard the hues and cries of our people who groan daily under the crushing weight of over-taxation. I assure them that very soon their plight will be over.

The liberation of Abia State from the clutches of oppression and suppression is a task we have set out to accomplish. But we cannot do it alone. We need the cooperation of the people, who are the custodians of the power to choose who leads them, to achieve this. It makes no sense for somebody to complain of oppression and suppression but is unwilling to join the struggle to achieve it.

I do not mince words when I say the government of Abia State is anti-people. It is anti-people in its policy formulation and execution. The past 8 years has been a period of chastisement for the people. There is nothing on ground to make them feel there is a government over them. Less than a month ago, it set up a committee alien to the constitution of PDP to organize primaries for elective offices. This committee has no legal or legitimate powers to perform the duties assigned to it.

The committee is a ploy by Governor Orji to circumvent the legitimate process for the selection of candidates for the simple reason that he does not have the muscles to step forward for a free and fair contest. Forget all the noise, Governor Orji lacks the moral and legitimate right to continue to preside over the affairs of Abia State because of his non-performance and zealotry in leadership. He knows deep in his heart that he lacks the character to hold the office of governor.

There is no way the future generations of Abians will forgive him for the incalculable harm and pain he has inflicted on their psyche.

God has a way of vindicating the just. What happened in Abia State last Saturday in the name of congress was nothing but a charade. In fact, reports reaching me show that the governor and his cohorts bastardized the entire exercise, dragging the name of our state to the mud. I have said it time without number that Governor Orji is a desperado and a political misfit. His presence in Abia State has brought untold pains and penury to our people. Why should Abia State always be in the news for the wrong reasons? The situation is worse when visitors come to our state.

Arthur Eze was here in August and the same thing happened. He saw the way Abia was and openly lamented that the state was stinking. The story was almost twisted out of context by the same shameless operators in the Abia State Government. Now a PDP team came to Abia State last Saturday in the name of conducting a non-existent congress. We were witnesses to the show of shame that characterized the exercise.

PDP is too big for one person to control. This is what the governor is trying to achieve. How easy does he think it is going to be for him? The mass opposition against his highhandedness should serve as an eye-opener to him that the people do not want him any longer. He may try as much as he likes to delude himself that all is well, it will not be long before the hand of destiny comes down on him.

I am glad our distinguished Senators have tasted the political vinegar the governor had been serving his political adversaries. They have now openly come out to fight. What they saw on Saturday I saw several years ago when I challenged the governor to work for Abia people. His angst against me was simply that I advised him to stop borrowing money from the banks if he did not have anything concrete thing to do with or serve the interest of our people. If there is any other reason let him tell the whole world.

It is a pity that the Senators waited this long before doing something to stop the excesses of the power-drunk governor. But nothing has spoiled yet. The God we serve will deal with him at the appropriate time.

Let the world judge this: Why should a governor who had collected over N600 billion, excluding internally-generated revenue, without anything concrete to show for it seek election into the Senate and his son a seat in the State House of Assembly as Speaker? This is what the governor has been waging all the recent wars to achieve.

Whether he will succeed or not is in the realm of speculation. What is on ground does not show it will be possible, because the people’s anger is seething.

MY STEWARDSHIP AS ABIA GOVERNOR (1999-2007) – 7

2014-11-01T01:35:00.000-07:00

HUMAN EMPOWERMENT/FIGHT AGAINST CORRUPTION)

Without sounding immodest, I am proud to state there was no administration before us which fought corruption as much as we did for the eight years we held sway in Abia State. I lay claim to this feat because the evidence of our 22monumental war against treasury-looting, malfeasance and other forms of cankers that impeded the administration of the state in the past was unambiguous. In my inaugural address on May 29, 1999, I pledged to run an open, transparent and God-fearing administration, hinging my hope on the covenant I made before God to serve the people of Abia State with all my heart, mind and soul.

I thank God that we were able to keep to this promise despite the huge challenges that confronted us.

To drive the transformation agenda of our government was no mean task. But we knew that we could achieve the agenda only when we had given up our selfish desires and embraced altruism and openness. And so, we started by reorienting the people, beginning with the civil service – teaching them the need to imbibe the culture of discipline and self-giving.

However, the initial opposition we faced was how to make many people who had been used to the culture of impunity to give up their old ways and step into the new vision we had conceptualized. Those who did not want change worked hard to sabotage our effort in this direction but failed. The reason they failed was very simple: they could not get any accomplices from among the policy-makers in our government – beginning from myself, the governor, down to the directors in the ministries and government parastatal agencies.

It was a beautiful thing to see a once-corrupt citizenry embracing God and renewing their lives in the ways of moral rectitude and candour. Punctuality soon became the soul of business in Abia State. The civil servants who used to come to work any time that suited them and used the greater part of the day doing their own businesses turned a new leaf. A special department in the Office of the Head of Service was established to monitor the performance of civil servants, reappraise them and reorient them. The resultant reports showed dramatic shift in attitude and service-delivery capacity among workers.

It was a wonderful feeling to hear civil servants discuss the positive changes that had taken place in the service and expression of interest to partner with the government to move the state forward.

I wish to state at this juncture, that the performance of any administration is majorly dependent on the virility and vibrancy of its civil service. That was why we focused attention on rearming the civil servants to serve as an added impetus to our fight against systemic decay.

The Abia State Civil Service for the whole of the years we served as governor cooperated with us wholeheartedly in driving the structural changes that we spearheaded. The most surprising thing they did was to consciously expose corruption where it existed. They brought the names of government officials involved in official corruption. Some of the names on the list would make even the most incurable pessimist quiver. We handled identified cases of corruption as swiftly as the occasions demanded without sparing anybody found culpable. By so doing, we were able to almost achieve a corruption-free state before we vacated office in 2007.

I must mention here that money saved from leakages was what we leveraged upon in providing the social amenities that have helped to elevate the living standards of our people. I have spent the past seven editions of this column listing the achievements of our administration from 1999 to 2007. All these achievements were made possible by the austere mien and fiscal discipline we adopted in the running of government affairs. Between 1999 and 2007 we collected only N108 billion and achieved so much, while the present administration has collected over N600 billion (not including internally-generated revenue) and achieved nothing tangible.

Imagine what Abia State would have become if Governor Theodore Orji had continued with the pace of development we put in place, rather than the current wild-goose chase and shadow-boxing he has engaged in since he was sworn in! My heart bleeds whenever I see the projects we built being allowed to waste, because the governor does not like my face. What have these projects got to do with him not liking my face? Go to Umunnato General Hospital or the University Teaching Hospital, Aba and see how the governor has allowed petty envy to erode his sense of reasoning.

Our administration committed huge financial resources to establish the two projects to better the lot of our people. Why has the governor not allowed both projects, which we completed and equipped before we left office, to operate? All the equipment and buildings in the site have depreciated for lack of operability. The same situation obtains at many of the projects we completed before the expiration of our tenure.

Let me ask: what is the situation in Abia State with the fight against corruption? Has the governor been able to resist the temptation of not compromising his office for whatever reason? How far have his workers and other appointed officials fared with the war against corruption? I have asked these questions because there is nothing on ground to show that the Theodore Orji administration is performing. The administration is bogged down by corruption and bureaucratic bottlenecks in high places. If the government of Theodore Orji were not corrupt, perhaps, it should accept the challenge I threw at him over a month ago for us to bring the best auditing firms in the world to audit our two administrations to see which has performed better in terms of human capacity building and fighting corruption.

The governor is simply being afraid not to have accepted the challenge. In the alternative he has intensified his media war against me and acted in a manner inconsistent with decency and truth. An administration that has nothing to hide would have spent scarce resources working for the people instead of fighting perceived enemies in order to cover its inefficiencies and incompetence. The governor knows deep in his heart that he has failed Abia people, which was the origin of our misunderstanding. Again, the governor is a very incorrigible person and hardly brooks meaningful criticisms. So, what he gets daily is praise-singing and sycophancy. And huge sums of money go into greasing the palms of thousands of the praise-singers who troop to the Government House on a daily basis.

My fear is that it will take his successor enormous time, thinking and strategising to address the wanton destruction caused to the system. For instance, the incoming governor will be expected to perform wonders. But with what resources when the current government in Umuahia has never ceased borrowing money from the banks? The simple deduction is this: whoever takes over from Governor Orji will spend the first tenure cleaning the Augean Stable created by the governor’s gross incompetence and grabbing propensity.

Who will bell the cat then? This is where experience and vision come to play. Abia State needs a governor that is with enormous capacity to create new ideas. We need somebody who is selfless, God-fearing and people-oriented in his thinking and ideology. We do not need a political demagogue, a salacious and garrulous person, a sloth and grabber. It is to avoid this latter kind of person arising that has motivated me to devote my time, resources and energy to the rescue mission I have embarked upon. I have never pretended that it is going to be an easy and smooth sail. But I am determined, because I am familiar with the terrain, to go the whole hug. Anybody who thinks he will intimidate me into abandoning the struggle is deluding himself.

Those who know me very well will attest to the fact that I do not fight shy when I believe in a cause. Abia State needs immediate redemption as things have continued to go out of hands under the close watch of a grossly incompetent and selfish leader. What are well-meaning Abians – at home and in the Diaspora – doing to rescue our state? Should we all sit down and watch while corruption destroys the fabric of our state? What are we going to tell the future generation that we did when the state was in dire need of redemption?

I am glad that Abians are wiser now than they had ever been. The clamour from them for things to be done right in our state grows by the day. I am inundated daily with inquiries from numerous Abians about what role they would play to wrest power from the grips of the evil government in Umuahia. Interestingly, many of the inquirers are youth below the age of 30.

There is no doubt that the future is for this age group whom the administration of Governor Orji has constantly relegated to obscurity. Since 2007 his administration has not done anything tangible to provide jobs for the teeming population of our youth. All the government had done since 2007 was to establish a personal foundation called Governor Theodore Orji Foundation. The major objective of the foundation according to its founders was to empower the youth of Abia State. From the activities of the foundation it is very clear that it was established to fund clandestine operations targeted at perceived enemies of the governor. Run by his eldest son, all the foundation has done so far to empower the so-called youth was to distribute second-hand vehicles with the photograph of the governor boldly emblazoned on them to political thugs and social misfits. How many of the youth have been given decent jobs? They should name them. What would N5000 do to a full-blooded youth with big dreams? Even the N5000 per beneficiary does not go round. They just hand pick the beneficiaries and hand out

to them the miserable sum every month or as the occasion demands.

What we did during our stay in government was totally different. We set up well-equipped skills acquisition centres across the state to train youth in diverse vocations. The result we achieved was amazing. The products of these centres, on graduation, were provided working tools and financial assistance to continue life from there. Expectedly, thousands of youth benefitted and are doing well today.

We also removed many youth engaged in hawking from the highways and other spots across the state. We enrolled them in mass literacy centres, where they were taught by special teachers and prepared for WASCCE. Surprisingly, many of them made it in first attempt and have since graduated from tertiary institutions. I know many of them who occupy important positions in government and private organizations and are doing well overall.

Apart from the youth we also empowered other categories of people. It is on record that it was during our tenure that many Abians built their first houses and bought their first cars. Anybody in doubt should conduct an independent and random survey to ascertain the veracity of this claim. What do we have today: many people are hungry because they could not benefit from government: no jobs, no patronage of any sorts. The allocation from Abuja every month does not go round. It is held by a few people, leaving the majority hungry and rejected. Go to the markets and you will be shocked at the the level of poverty ravaging our people. Many traders could stay the whole week without selling a pin. Many of them also have died while those living are worse than those who had died. That is how bad the situation has become.

What is the purpose of a government that does not serve the interest of the people or cater to the welfare of the same people? Such government should be called to order and made to pay for its sins. The government of Chief Theodore Orji has only succeeded in impoverishing our people throughout the 8 years it has served. And our people are groaning under the weight of rejection and abandonment. All the noise you hear from the government propaganda media is nothing but gibberish. This government has nothing to offer to the suffering people of our state.

I thank God that our government came at the time it did, because the little we were able to do with the little funds available to us is what people point to as the presence of government in Abia State. Yet the man at the helm of the misdeeds in Abia State has never thought it proper to give some credit to us. Instead of giving us credit he has continued to cast aspersion on us and do other atrocious things to destroy our reputation.

Thank God the people of our state are wiser now. They know who between Theodore Orji and me who has served them better.

For Theodore Orji, the clock is ticking fast.