The 2015 General Election ended well
and to an average indigene of Enugu State the election ended as predicted in
the State. The emergence of Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi as the consensus candidate of
PDP prior to the primary election was greeted with an unprecedented acceptance
and as such many observers believed that the general election will just be an
ordinary formality for him. Even though there are still pockets of weighty
litigations pending in courts, challenging the emergence of Gov. Ugwuanyi, we
brushed it all aside as ordinary distractions that will never dampen our
resolve to vote for the Man we love.
The reason for this general
acceptance is not only because of the charisma and leadership qualities of Gov.
Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, but also as a result of the fact that beneath the
metropolitan makeover of Enugu State by the past administration, lies
excruciating level of poverty, unemployment, acute insecurity and lack of basic
amenities, especially in the rural areas. And Gov. Ugwuanyi’s emergence was
seen as the greatest opportunity we have to experience a government that is
grassroots driven, people oriented and selfless. And going by the antecedents
of the Man fondly called Gburugburu, the expectation is utterly so enormous,
and no room for excuses.
After the election, the expectations
keep gaining massive traction and what
supposed to give the Enugu Sate people insight on what Ugwuanyi’s
administration will look like signaled a serious danger. And that is the
appointment of Commissioners and Special Advisers. The reason this signal must
be taken seriously is because people expected that there will be a total change
from what we usually have as Executives. The teeming youths that fought
doggedly for the election with overwhelming passion to match our expectations
with a team that can deliver, was reneged to give way for the usual Gerontocrats.
However, I am not saying this because
those people appointed are not reasonably qualified and experienced but because
most of them are career politicians that will always find their way into any
Government circle to be relevant. And it is obvious that virtually all the past
administration did not live up to expectation and most of this people played
significant role in those past administrations.
It is equally a signal that Enugu
State is becoming one of the Sates that bears the agonizing brunt of PDP defeat
at the National level, because most of the Politicians that usually hibernate
in Abuja for the past 16 years of PDP rule during their time of irrelevance in
the Sate returned massively after the election, since the wind of change at the
Federal level is not giving any sign of creating a space for career Politicians
to hole up.
Equally, it is logical for one to be
circumspect when somebody who is in a position to contest for the Presidency is
now begging to be a Councilor, not because he is not qualified to be a
Councilor but because the salary of a Councilor will not be enough to fuel the
cars in his entourage, let alone taking care of their palatial homes and litany
of servants.
This scenario negates the principle
that to whom much is given much is expected, because most of the appointed
Executives have occupied higher positions in the past and the office of
Commissioner or Special Adviser to the Governor can be likened to a demotion, and
that is my concern. We all know that lack of job satisfaction kills creativity
and passion for proper performance. That is our fear, and I will like them to prove
us wrong by doing the right thing.
The core essence of this piece is not
to cast aspersion on any person but generally to make it clear that we know the
antecedents of the Commissioners and Special Advisers and we are watching them
with keen interest. When people are part of old brigades, it is reasonable to
fear that they may not perform well in the new brigade that will match our
expectations. We all believed that with Gov. Ugwuanyi at the driving seat,
things will no longer be as usual, but how can he achieve that by engaging the
services of the usual people? Time will tell.
When I saw the list of our
Commissioners and Special Advisers, I told myself that it must be a mistake,
that maybe they mixed up the list with that of 1990s or 1980s, how can we be
expecting a Change by recycling men that have served us to the best of their
abilities during their youthful age and they are still here to turn things
round. Does it mean we don’t have smart, creative and hard working Youths and
other distinguished Technocrats that can do better? Is it equally a sign that
our youths are only good as political cannon fodders and thugs? Tom Peters made it clear that “Leaders don't
create followers, they create more leaders”. And if after all these years our
leaders did not create more leaders that can fit into this lesser positions
they now occupy, it means they failed this cardinal quality of good leaders.
The whole scenario reminds me of the
Bible narratives in Luke 17:37. When Jesus told his Disciples about rapture,
His Disciples asked Him “where will this happen Lord?
Jesus replied, “Just as the gathering
of vultures show there is a carcass nearby, so these signs indicate that the
end is near.”
The prevailing reality is that oil
which serves as the backbone of our revenue nosedived to a record low in the
World market, leaving our economy in shambles, to the extent that even the
Federal Government is borrowing money to pay workers. And all the elected officials are looking for
ways to reduce the cost of governance. And some Governors and Even the
President pledged to be taking only 50%of their salaries. In this perilous time,
I doubt if the crop of Men in Enugu state Cabinet can ever curb the living
expenses they have been used to as a sacrifice for the general wellbeing of our
people. And if they continue in their usual life style with retinue of personal
assistants, concatenation of latest SUV cars in their entourage and incessant
oversea trips, we can as well say that the end is near for Enugu Sate.
Let it not be that our hallowed Sate
will now serve as a resuscitating vestige to some ravenous politicians that
failed during the election. And let this Executives prove us wrong by ushering
in a Government that will match the unprecedented expectations with
commensurate actions. And when this Government performs creditably irrespective
of this red signal, we will keep shouting Gburugburu in pious reverence and
absolute respect for the Man we voted for as a bridge builder that can tighten
the gap between the rich and poor in our State.
Finally, let all the ravenous
vultures that are hovering around our State thinking that it is the last bastion
of carcass to be devoured steer clear. (042 Is Our Pride- Ashua Azua)
By
Barr. Ozor Ozoduru I.C
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