By M.O. ENE
Sunday, August 13, 2023
On the 75th day of his administration, Governor Peter N. Mbah unveiled his cabinet. For this and other good actions last week, any constructive critic will rate him favorably. Showing up, speaking up, and sowing seeds scored him high in my grading rubric. We wait and watch as the seeds germinate and flourish into bumper harvests, hopefully.
First, the sit-at-home distress has dissolved, if not disappeared. Governor Mbah must keep the pedal to the metal. The overt security details and covert operations prove that bullies do not just back down; force helps. The dysfunction among misled insurgents also helped. It will take alternative narratives to re-channel three decades of seeking secession without a shade of success. The bile and blood beckon for a break.
Big items in Mbah’s manifesto have seen some light. Making Enugu State an oil-bearing state has happened. That Enugu State is not landlocked has become obvious with the visit of fatigue-clad CNS Ike Ogalla and agreeably attired DG Ifeanyi Ossai to Ogurugu riverport in Uzo Uwani. The IRS Chief Angela Chilotam Nnamani rolled out the e-ticket platform of e-governance. Making Enugu State a desired destination brought back Southeast governors.
Governor Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi was the best dressed and with an infectious smile to match. His Igbo kaftan in white with a red cap stood him out, as it did Forum Chairman Hope Uzodinma of Imo. Did he outshine the host? Not quite, but we have become used to Mbah’s corporate blue suits, light shirts, and red-dominant long ties… with copycats everywhere! He should settle on a unique ‘ọgọdọ’ (native couture) and set a fashion trend.
Did anyone notice SSG Chidiebere Onyia’s attire while announcing the assigned cabinet offices on the steps of Government House? With a choice cap of any color to match his shoes, the kaftan will turn heads. His signature suit and bow tie may alternate. Kudos to Onyia and CoS Victor Udeh, Esq. for not subscribing to the seemingly choreographed front-clasping of left hand over the right hand. The habit attracts misinterpretations.
But I digress!
About the cabinet crew, I am particularly pleased with the choice of Dr. Kingsley T. Udeh for state attorney general (SAG) and commissioner for justice. He is an inspired choice. He stands on the shoulders of scholars of jurisprudence. Try recalling any AG since Sullivan Chime… even in the last administration!
The House did not let us into the screenings to know the commissioners and stop silly ignorance-inspired gossips. Aka Eze Aka should rekindle the fallow information ministry. Professor Ndubueze Mbah has a multi-campus university experience for a unified state university setup: Ebeano City, Ihe, Iwollo Oghe, Igbo Ano, and the proposed Uzo Uwani campus.
Free-and-compulsory education up to SSS is nonnegotiable. The original dream of IMT is “MIT of Africa”; make it happen. Polytechnic OND/HND formats are dinosaurs in modern academia. Acquisition of certified technical skills for today’s world of work is possible in community colleges. University education is not by force nor for everyone.
An earful of criticisms circulated, even as the remarkable resumes of Otiji, Obi Ozor, and Ubru emerged. Pundits know of Chinweike, Ezeh, Obi, and Ogbodo. Some criticisms are valid. On lateness, Governor Ugwuanyi constituted his first cabinet in mid July 2015. For his second-term cabinet, he waited into late September 2019! Governor Mbah said he took his time to source the best hands. On little changes in ministerial nomenclatures, innovative disruption is more about doing things differently and effectively, not casual changes and cosmetics.
In the spirit of “ényendịebeà-ènyendịebeà” (equity), it is good to represent all the 24 state constituencies somehow. Still, it does not take a commissioner from every village to deliver decent dividends of democracy. Situating functional facilities and socioeconomic services should be studied for access and viability. So, the remaining 3 or 4 openings (if intended) should reflect the state geopolitics and upgrade the current 15% female-male ratio to about 20%.
Let our sisters exhale, biko… ọ’ụ gụnụ? LOL!
Sociopolitical setups are imperfect. Shortcomings are normal. We work to fix them and produce more perfect models. The sickening sycophancy and porous praise-singing of the last regime have put people on guard. So, skeptics are welcome as we await the coming ‘clean Coal City’ in 22 days, and water in 102 days. These are Mbah-set markers; and, in an idiom he knows thoroughly: “Early marketing markers foretell trading trends.”
The new cabinet crew must make its mark; else, like the already forgotten team it is replacing, it too shall be consigned to the stale silos of sorry stories in four short years—or less. To that, I say a loud “TỤFỊAKWA!” Our people expect Mbah’s miracles today: that tomorrow is here.
#moe
@aladimma