In one of the first memes of his campaign’s vision, before he mentioned his mission, then PDP gubernatorial candidate stated succinctly, “I am ready to work.” With the election won amidst opposition dramas and demarketing by proxy, the people of Enugu State expected work, work, and work!
Governor Peter N. Mbah got the memo. He said so in his inaugural address, soon after becoming the 4th governor of the 4th Republic and, in 2023, the 23rd head of government in postcolonial Enugu. His campaign mantra, “Tomorrow is Here,” was now evident: the touted “tomorrow” had come. A simpler slogan sustained: “Innovative disruption.”
In the first 100 days, Mbah showed signs that it was not going to be business as usual. “Business unusual” became another mantra. Notable early disruption was stopping Sit@Home. Non-state actors may request subscribers to stay at home, but they must not impose on anyone to sit or stand anywhere.
Aside Abacha’s Axiom (“Any insurgency that lasts more than 24 hours, a government official has a hand in it”), the state should not have tolerated this situation for two years! Mbah refused to bow, though the anniversary of an aberration elevates it to the throne of a tradition. (Alụlụala gbaa afọ….)
When overzealous ENSG officials overstepped boundaries by forcing folks to open for business on a Monday, Mbah quickly corrected the wrong move. Peace restored. Mission accomplished.
The post-election legal battle took its toll. The opposition parties glued to needless NYSC certification, instead of querying numbers. They should have spent resources shining lights on INEC’s abracadabra arithmetic, if only to improve on future electoral exercises. That’s how democracies grow. Refer to USA-Y2K’s ‘hanging chads’ in Bush v. Gore. It led to reliable electronic voting protocols.
The banning of illegal mining in Enugu could not have come a day sooner. In no civilized community do poachers forage for minerals without apt approval and official oversight. Mining is in Enugu DNA.
In addition to Enugu being an oil-bearing state, Mbah began work on connecting Enugu to the Atlantic. Working with Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, CNS, the Nigerian Navy established a naval operational base at Ogurugu Inland Water.
Although Mbah delivered on his promise of portable water to Coal City, unforeseen issues popped up in reticulating the fluid of life to many more homes. Stuff happens; there was no need to fuss: Our people are smart. They understand; just give them the facts—good or bad.
The greatest of all goals is the free-and-compulsory education policy. Smart schools are not far behind. Mbah also extracted seized state assets from EFCC, as promised in 2022. The British consulate in Enugu is worth noting.
Kidnappings and killings keep coming. The setup of Distress Rapid Squad (DRS) on Day 36 was hailed, but the solution to insecurity remains consolidated community policing. The notorious Nike-Nsukka patch and Ọzara-Udi rugged terrain remain repeat hot spots. Nimbo-2 was a double whammy: another bloodletting and a reminder of past anomie.
On Day 91, Sunday, August 27, 2023, Enugu @32, “Mbah says administration will realise dreams of founding fathers through disruptive innovation.” If the idea had not stuck, it sure was in the air. Ndị Enugu understood the distractions that came with fighting legal battles, especially within a judiciary many adjudge painfully corrupt. They gave Mbah a pass, but that would change later when demolitions preceded innovation!
With his seat secured and no godfather breathing down his neck as in Fubara-Wike fiasco, Mbah should deliver on his proposals, especially the low-hanging promises. While the big bucket multibillion-naira items are showcased and reportedly running (ICC, posh hotels, palm plantations, new Enugu city, roads, etc.), a communication disconnect drums down Mbah’s good deeds and exaggerates every seeming slip-up as atrocious. A fix is easy: Information is power; facilitate its free flow.
Sadly, the evisceration of organized opposition in the House of Assembly denies the people alternative narratives in the formulation of policies; the ranch bill refers, albeit reportedly apt.
This is an anniversary, but there is no going to town with bullhorns and confetti. The federal government has made bad Buhari programs look better. Still, Mbah should raise the bar above the status quo. Admitted that he has erased the eyesores and encumbrances inherited from the years that the locusts ate, ndị Enugu expect a lot more and better.
Deputy Governor Ifeanyi Ossai remarked at a seminar last year: “I am left with no doubt that our people will be happy at the end of the day because there is capacity in the governor to navigate us through a complex and possibly complicated process. But that process is the only pathway to the great Enugu State we have all envisioned.”
You cannot make omelets without an innovative disruption (breaking eggs). The character, the competence, the commitment, and the compassion of Governor Peter Mbah to deliver on his magnificent manifesto of good intentions are evident. Alas, many highways paved with good intentions from a “complicated process” do not lead to haven. In defleaing dogs, therefore, we are enjoined to expose extracted fleas periodically, so the canine knows that the compression is consequential and constructive.
Kudos to #ENSG and #PNM! Tomorrow is another day. Let’s make it matter. Long live Enugu-042, the Coal City State, and long may we live: “ndụ bụ isi.” (Life is the essence of existence.) Everything else is embellishment.
The process encountered a set of radical disruption which upsets the status quo. It was a remarkable departure from the established incremental governance model to one described as a paradigm shift that has no regard for norm and convention. This redefined the trajectory of governance in its broad perspective. No longer an evolution that followed a traditional trend where the system is the guiding principle rather than human ingenuity that could interrupt and rupture the process with a new set of new ideas and solutions. The Enugu’s eccentric example is worth interrogation under the leadership of Dr. Peter Mbah, the state’s governor.
From “The Innovator’s Dilemma” to “The Innovator’s Solution”, Clayton Christensen, a Harvard professor and business consultant, had posited that only businesses that could relentlessly apply new set of ideas that breaks down the complexity of business model, affording a hitherto luxury product to the reach of the basic or the generality of the public could quickly displace other competitors from the market. This is only possible through innovative thinking and creativity. However, being innovative is not a guarantee to achieving this new status since there exist variants of innovation. From sustaining innovation to disruptive Innovation, often not achieved by wishes or knee-jerk approach.
Enugu pre-May 2023 had a historical pattern of development; incremental evolution of development where governance is built on binary layer of arithmetics. It is an establishment that allows players to fit in and sustain the trend. Development in economy, infrastructure and other sectors progressed in that layer, often rigid and insipid. However, the Enugu governor had reiterated an uncanny resolve to make a contrasting departure from the model to a new strategic pattern of thinking he termed, like Christensen, radical innovation. His philosophy quickly dawned on analysts of his abhorrence for developing status and economy that never developed in reality.
Mbah spoke about his new set of leadership mechanisms and how things would take shape in his administration. Every project proposed had a timeline. Weirdly, these proposals were not the kind that the nation was used to. Growing an economy sevenfold in eight years, constructing 260 smart green schools, making the state a premier destination for investment, and eradicating poverty through capacity building, infrastructure rebirth were some of the consequential pronouncements that had left many interrogating his background and his audacity. Enugu had grown marginally and minimally in development over decades, and in less than a decade, a man had proposed a new phase, that will supremä past records.
With his roadmap presentation, the journey began. Signing three significant executive orders 001, 002 and 003 representing citizens charter for accountability and public participation to hold his administration accountable to its promises; elimination of barriers and illegal structures for public safety and security, and activation of an investment-friendly state through policies and principles that could materially translate to reality. These reinforced the governor’s commitment that he stood by his campaign promises as sacred. Within the first 100 days in office, the manifestation of these orders began to take a defining shape of a state in dire need of a new foundation.
The administration met an obsolete, dysfunctional system that required an urgency of displacement for a new system if the administration must work. New policies and frameworks were evolved to support the vision and mission of the government. Enugu was becoming attractive as the clock ticked but the governor was in a hurry, torpedoing inefficiency, underdevelopment and deconditioning the established norm of Enugu being an administrative and civil service state that would never have anything with industry or business.
Mbah recognized that disruption must take place to eliminate that age-long orientation of idleness and narrative if the administration meant everything it had outlined. To eradicate poverty, there must be a change. A disruptive rather than a sustaining incremental innovation. To move the economy from the static $4.4 billion to an ambitious $30 billion, the state must drift exhaustively from its revenue model of dependency on the federal coffers to looking inwards with a can-do-spirit of creativity. To build a brain that would match and outsmart the 21st century innovation and think into the future, a smart form of education that would impact these futuristic features must first be conceived, articulated and executed. To construct a 10,000km road within the space of 8 years across the state, things must be done differently, and the state fiscal status must leapfrog exponentially.
Assembling a team of principled experts was a no brainer to achieve the humongous vision by the administration. Mbah, although rooted in thought, quickly scouted the best of the brains around the world to drive the governance process. Indeed, his team has been described as one of the best sourced team,cutting across disciplines and expertise.
The team was not only driven by the motivation of making a new state and creating a niche for the administration but also the fact that the principal piloting the statecraft would not accommodate unproductive and inefficient leadership on the part of his officials. It was a year that displayed utmost commitment, dedication, team spirit, responsibility and firm resolve to delivery from the team.
Then, the seemingly intractable and protracted curse in the water sector reared its ugly head. The governor screamed at every given opportunity that in 180 days, the hydra-headed perennial water problem would not only be reversed, potable water would be taken for granted among residents who had been consigned to despondency of accepting their fate of a “waterless” state. Cynics and skeptics fired gloating missiles, interrogating the nature of magic wand Mbah would deploy in the water sector. Moses, in the Bible, had struck a rock from which water gushed for the children of Israel. What tool would Mbah employ and what would be the source of the much promised water? In less than 180 days, with the aid of disruptive innovation, Mbah demystified the jinx and Enugu today is adjudged a water city.
In security, one of the top and most critical challenges faced by the budding administration was the issue of insecurity. A precursory into the dark realm of security in the state showed, as a baseline data, that Enugu was dripping with blood and sorrow. From the suffocating economy, almost collapsed to extinction, precipitated by insecurity notoriously nicknamed sit-at-home orders from criminal gangs and enemies of the people, to senseless killings by herders, cultists and communal clashes.
Mbah identified these as big elephants that must be crushed and sent packing. Sit-at-home, although banished to the sad memories of our past, had become an undignified issue that demeaned the psychic of our people. Businesses were paralyzed. Education was almost grounded. Life became an anomaly and one could infer that era from what the English Philosopher, Thomas Hobbes, described as the state of nature where life is brutish, nasty and short.
Mobilizing strategic resources, the defeat of the sit-at-home, unknown gunmen, bloodletting by herdsmen and other attacks were imminent and eventually became a thing of the past. From a ghost city, Enugu progressed to the most peaceful and thriving state in Nigeria. The audacity and political will to do the impossible were only possible because of the governor’s leadership posture.
Only in 365 days, Mbah declared an infrastructural renaissance. It was a new dawn in the history of the state as Enugu departed from deteriorated state of governance to one worth celebrating. Major roads were carefully paved with modern fixtures while new ones were opened up. This was a deliberate step to make the state attractive to Investors. The governor had assured that his administration would de-risk investment flow and create a conducive environment where returns on investment would be lucrative.
Today, investors are striking deals. The state is becoming a hub for manufacturers, service providers, tourists, and dormant assets are being revamped. The promise that no abandoned asset would be left out in the rebirth struggle is yielding result. The international wing of the Akanu Ibiam Airport, the international conference Centre, the Hotel Presidential, the Niger Gas Industry, the United Palm Produce, among other moribund assets are having life injected in them, all this within one year.
Enugu’s system of education is becoming top-notch in Africa, migrating from the archaic and unproductive teaching method to a digital, experiential learning where school children are exposed to tools that are required to key into and drive today’s economy. The new smart green schools are modeled to impart specialisations as robotics, artificial intelligence, mechatronics, among other advanced technology and innovation. This is unheard-of in Nigeria but the can-do-spirit of disruptive governance is only playing out.
The pride of having Mbah as a governor in a time like ours; a time that requires urgency and sense of creativity, disruption in the status quo and a rebirth couldn’t have been better explained than all the projects holding sway in the state to the consternation of admirers and adversaries. While the 260 smart schools are rapidly undergoing construction, Mbah added another 260 Type-2 primary healthcare centres. That not enough, workers and civil servants in the state are still celebrating the new lease of life and wage award which has strengthened their purchasing power. Interestingly, available data had shown that against the backdrop of his promise to train and empower 40,000 youths, that figure has been surpassed. It isn’t surprising that all this is possible because of the disruptive governance introduced into the administration.
With a sense of fulfillment and patriotism, the people of Enugu could only look back with nostalgia, saying, “We made the right decision at the polls. Democracy triumphed over the forces of dark principalities who were bent on smuggling accidental candidates and imposing them on the good people of Enugu State”. May Enugu State continue to succeed.
On May 29th, it will be exactly one year since Dr. Peter Mbah was sworn in as Enugu State Governor.
I make haste to say that Mbah’s one year in office has witnessed the conception and commencement of major projects in all Sectors that are capable of transforming the economy of Enugu State and giving the people a new lease of life.
A critical look at some of the Sectors would buttress the fact that Mbah’s reign will change the course of the history of the State.
For the first time in our history, Enugu is witnessing the construction of 260 World-class Smart Schools and another 260 Health Centres in all the Political Wards in the State. The Smart Schools and Health Centres will be equipped with State-of-the art facilities seen in the developed Climes of the World.
To further boost Healthcare in the State, Governor Mbah is constructing new Wards in Parklane Hospital. This will ensure that more people have access to health care in the hospital.
To re-position education in the State, Governor Mbah is recruiting qualified teachers who can groom our children and prepare them for the challenges of the future.
Governor Mbah has also embarked on aggressive construction of roads and bridges to effectively link up all parts of the State and aid commercial activities.
It is irrefutable that poor road infrastructure in the State was hindering both human and vehicular movements and making the evacuation of agricultural produce from the rural areas to urban Centres very difficult. Farmers have seen their yields waste as a result of their inability to move them to Urban Centres where they are needed more. The new roads being constructed by the Mbah Administration will open up Enugu for the World and also help in attracting Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs). It is reassuring that most of the roads are also being constructed simultaneously with Fly-overs for ease of traffic.
Another re-assuring project of the Enugu Government, is the provision of water in every home in Enugu, the re-modeling of the Enugu International Conference Centre and the construction of a Five-star hotel which will make Enugu a destination for international Conferences. The International Conference Centre, the Central Terminal Stations, the Five-star hotel and the revamping of the hitherto comatose Presidential Hotel will, obviously, help in boosting the internally generated revenue (IGR) of Enugu State and create jobs for our youth.
The N100billion Palm Deal will also be a major move that will help in re-positioning Enugu economy.
It is gratifying that Enugu Pensioners and Workers no longer gnash their teeth before they receive their emoluments and gratuities.
Governor Mbah has also demonstrated the will and determination to tackle the security challenges confronting Enugu State. Efforts are ongoing to confront the trouble makers who are causing mayhem in the State with the assistance of Security Agencies. The strategies of the Governor will make Enugu, a hot Zone for all classes of criminals.
The intention of the State Government to move the State economy from $4 billion to a $30 billion based one is an uncommon feat that can only be achieved by a Transformational Leader of Mbah’s Class.
Morning, certainly shows the day. As we march forward, there is no doubt that Enugu will witness total transformation under Governor Mbah. Enugu is bound to stand out among the States in Nigeria.
Despite the fact that Enugu is not an Oil-producing State, Governor Mbah is using the meagre resources of the State to positively change the lives of the people and place Enugu on the path of irreversible and sustainable development.
Anayo Edeh is the Convener of Nkanu-east Consultative Forum.
As the Igbo would say, the man who sets out to marry a wife and celebrate his wedding in the Village square while wearing stolen and brightly coloured clothes of another should pray that the owner of the apparel on his back does not turn up in the Village Square while he is rocking his new-found body gear of questionable origins. And this saying has an extension: He who prays that the owner of the stolen clothes he chose to wear to a public event should not attend the event and see him should remember that the village is a small place and that the original owner of the clothes has friends and relations who will carry home a report that would make the thief unable to sleep after close of the day’s business.
But the matter of whether Ohaneze was planning to embark on a begging expedition or not has been laid to rest for good. Just when it was beginning to look like a crescendo was about to be attained by drivers of the campaign of calumny, the project ran out of gas. Untruth may rear its head, and even display some bright colours you cannot ignore, but it can never last long enough to challenge the truth. The mischief makers who tried to float the totally reprehensible narrative lost out in the end. But there is still the after-smell of un-sanctity in the air. No matter.
In reaction to the shocking tale of beggary, the President-general of Ohaneze and the organization’s Secretary General rolled out the tanks of public discourse and drowned out the ridiculous, but viral, claim that the organization came up with the had the hare-brained idea going on some kind of begging expedition to the northern part of the country. To begin with, there was nothing remotely resembling that thought in the two-day Ohaneze retreat where the idea was alleged to have sprouted.
I was at the event. I was also the Lead Speaker at the retreat held in Enugu. My presentation, and other presentations, were focused on new paradigms for Igbo self-actualization in the nation that essentially undergirded by a conspiratorial, and not openly and freely competitive, political economy. It was a soul-searching and truth telling outing. The ensuing Communique spoke to the issues discussed, as well as the new programmes and focal concerns of Ohaneze Ndigbo, Worldwide. So where did the tale of begging and supplication come into it?
Ohaneze, and Ndigbo generally, had a chance to “beg” the North or, more specifically, the Fulani, for support about a year ago. That was before the Last presidential elections, when Peter Obi was a candidate. They did not such thing. Instead, a meeting was called some five months before the elections between the South East Elders Forum and the Northern Welders Forum. In attendance covered the confederacy of all otherwise distinct platforms from both parts of the country, all with a common interest on the issues the coming elections were likely to put the table.
Prof Ango Abdullahi led the Northern team, while the South east team was led by Chief Simon Okeke, for Chairman of the Police service Commission (PSS) and Chairman of the Anambra Public Officers and Elders Forum (ASPOF). The atmosphere was sombre. The air was charged with barely concealed expectations of horse-trading proposals, since it was a question of an election wherein the highest position in the land was being sought by an Igbo man.
There was a smell of “What is in it for us” in the air. So, it was for the South East Elders Forum to “Make their case” and convince their counterparts that a Peter Obi Gamble was worth their while. The Northern Elder presented Dr Hakeem Baba Ahmed as spokesman, while the South East Elders presented Prof Okey Ikechukwu, mni, as spokesman. And so, Ikechukwu was invited to address the Northern elders after the leaders of the two teams had put forth their opening pleasantries.
As one of the very highly respected and also very old Northern Elders later quipped, after the three-hour interaction and exchanges, “We did not see it coming at all. That your Ikechukwu just compelled some of us to thinks about things we probably have bever adverted my mind to in the politics of the momen”. So, what really happened?
As the designate spokesperson for our own side of the table, I started by saying that we had come with a central message; which is captured in the statement: “Come let us reason together”. I said the we had not come to beg them to vote for Mr. Peter Obi, or to ask them to support our son and brother, no. Instead, had come to compare notes with them, on the good product that Nigeria needed a tthat historical hour.
I pointed out that Obi’s choice of their son and brother as running mate was based on his assessment of the latter, as enlightened, successful, and hands-on manager of human and material resources. Obi chose one of their best, who, in addition to being broad-minded, was also known for his substantial, and sustained, investments in human capital development. So, let us reason together, with these questions in mind: (1) “What sort of leadership and navigational skills do we need to save Nigeria. (2) What type of person can deliver on this, and is Peter Obi, alongside his running mate, the type of team that dan do this job well?
Then came my clincher: “Gentlemen and elders, what every one of us here has in common is that we have all the attributes of people who can be kidnapped for ransom. are prime targets for kidnappers. That is not to say that we are wealthy by any stretch of the imagination in the conventional sense of Nigerians who can routinely sign off millions of naira, or eve n dollars, without blinking; no”!
I pointed out that we all came in more than passably clean air-conditioned vehicles; all in relatively good condition. We all look a little less harassed and less desperately hungry than the average person out there. So, anyone seeing us, and who has caught unto the new-fangle trade of capturing human beings in order to release them again after being paid, will see a potential product he can secure and use to make money”. Everywhere was dead quiet.
I continued: “No bandit, kidnapper or terrorist who accosts any of us on the road will first try to find out who we are, how good or bad we are and whether we are doing our best for humanity and for our fatherland. We would all be just, “ransom-able commodity” and nothing more. Professor, Imam, Senator, Senior military officer, students, name is!
Turning to the Prof Abdulahi, I said: “Recall, sir, that your son was one of the unfortunates of the Kaduna-bound train mishap. Fortunately, no stray bullet found him. But unfortunately, he was taken captive alongside everyone else they people could get hold of after derailing the train and killing some of the passengers. The young man’s identity as your son your son did not make any difference to them, or to anyone for that matter. No! with all the sacrifice you and many other people have made over the last 50 years?
I spoke if the demand for ransom and of the fact that the criminals held unto the young man until the full ransom was fully paid. Shortly thereafter, an incident involving the kidnap of another of your relations, this time with four of your beloved grand children in tow, was reported. It was all Ango Abdullahi’s problem while it lasted.
“The concern for us at the South East Elders Forum had more to do with a desperate need to rescue even our humanity as a people, in addition to all the hullabaloo about elections and positions after the elections. The coming elections, we held, must be sued as a tool for the restoration of the people-centred leadership ideals that characterized the era of the Ahmadu Bellos, Ziks, Awolowos, and so many others of that era.
I reminded us of the circumstances under which Prof Onyemelukwe lost his life in Anambra State, at the age of 84. He was accosted on the road by armed young men. Then they discovered that he was a saboteur working with the Fulanis in Nigeria against Igbo interests. Yes! And they had clear evidence and proof of his treachery before their very eyes. They also told him about this evidence and proof before they shot him. Guess what proof of his treachery and betrayal of Ndigbo they had against him? The 84-year-old man was wearing a caftan. That was all. He had to be executed for wearing Fulani dress in Biafra Land. That was the end of a great scholar of international repute and community leader.
Traditional rulers hitherto thought to be untouchable in various parts of the country are now routinely picked off their royal stool in their kingdoms and emirates like hapless chickens I nan exposed cage. Alongside the foregoing several other issues that were discussed in confidence on both sides.
Baba Ahmed was at his eloquent, and also very realistic best when it was his turn to speak for his side of the table. He raised all the relevant issues, forever focusing on the things that mattered the most. There was neither begging nor demand for begging. The gathering did not query, or try to impugn, the reputation or aspirations of other candidates besides the ones we had on the table at our meeting.
Then the meeting rose, agreeing embark of serious group reflections and introspection, and to reconvene soon thereafter to determine next steps. It was about Nigeria, about or physical, economic, political and moral survival as a people facing common problems that we needed to “reason together” and chart a way forward.
Imagine if a man who, as Vice chancellor of Ahmadu Bello university, did so much to fast-track tertiary education for Northerners were to lose his son to criminals at whose current means of livelihood is the fact that they had no education and no socially useful survival skills. The north stood by and Ango’s son was held captive for months. Just as the East watched the husband of Dora Akunyili bumped off in broad daylight by gunmen.
Going back to the matter of whether Ohaneze was planning to beg anyone or not, ”Untruth may rear its head, and even display some bright colours you cannot ignore. But it can never last long enough to challenge and permanently displace the truth”. Begging? I beg your pardon!
The unyielding political face-off rocking the Rivers state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is gradually eating into the brotherhood of the Rivers NASS (National Assembly) caucus that was hitherto united under the firm grip of Rep. Kingsley Chinda, minority leader of the House of Representatives.
The feud is between Nyesome Wike, Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and his successor and incumbent Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara. Both gladiators have divided not just the party in the state but the national structure of the PDP is now also at the mercy of the tiff.
Amaewhule
A ‘Captured’ State Assembly
Before the factionalisation of the Rivers NASS caucus blew open to Abuja, the state assembly had been subjected to a bitter capture by Wike.
The defection of 27 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, said to be loyal to the minister, from the PDP to the All Progressive Congress (APC) was a strategic move against Fubara. Martin Amaewhule is the speaker of the faction backed by Wike while Edison Ehie, a former leader of the assembly, who was removed for not supporting Governor Fubara’s impeachment, leads the faction loyal to the governor.
A coalition ‘unknown’ to parliament
The crack in the NASS Rivers caucus blew open into the precinct of the federal legislature when a group of opposition lawmakers addressed the media on Monday 8th April, 2024 ostensibly to put pressure on the Wike faction of the party. Led by Imo Rep, Ikenga Ugochinyere and Fubara ally, Rep. Awaji-inombek Abiante, representing Andoni/Opobo/Nkoro federal constituency of Rivers State of Rivers State, the group of four demanded the immediate resignation of the Acting National Chairman of the PDP, Umar İliya Damagum.
Damagum is seen in some quarters as Wike’s ally, a belief that gained momentum when the former Rivers State Governor dared him to sanction him for alleged anti-party activities before, during and after the 2023 elections. The attack on the PDP national big wig was understood therefore as a proxy war with Wike being waged from Rivers.
The ‘coalition of opposition lawmakers’ led by Rep. Ugochinyere approached the Rivers crisis from the Abuja angle.
But Rep. Abiante revealed the real intentions of the group when he condemned allegedillegalities being perpetuated in Rivers by the federal might. The press conference was widely reported by the media and in no time, the minority caucus of the House signed a joint statement dismissing the coalition, The Chinda-led caucus, comprising lawmakers of the PDP and Labour Party, etc, said emphatically that Ugochinyere‘s coalition is unknown to parliamentary practice and should not be disregarded.
Where does the Rivers NASS caucus stand?
Given this scenario, OrderPaper delves into the politics of Rivers State to deduce the impact of the crisis on the legislative effectiveness of lawmakers from the state. Where do each member of the House and Senator from the state stand on the feud? Are they making any attempt to resolve it so that peace and stability can return to the state for good governance to thrive unhindered?
Rep Chinda
Rep. Kingsley Chinda – He is the minority leader of the House and close confidant of Wike for many years. While he has not openly taken sides on the feud, it is indisputable that his loyalty lies with the minister, who is believed to have pulled strings to ensure his emergence as a principal of the House. Chinda, highly cerebral and politically adroit, commands immense respect and following, not just among the Rivers caucus, but among all spectrums of the lower chamber of the House of Representatives.
Inclination: Chinda stands solid with Wike
Dekor
Rep Dunamenne Dekor – Representing Khana / Gokana Federal Constituency, he is the leader of the Rivers caucus in the House. Also, a staunch ally of the minister, Dekor is a quiet but highly tactical politician who served under Wike as commissioner for works after a brief stint as a member of the 8th assembly. A former deputy speaker of the Rivers assembly, Dekor showed his hand in the Rivers crisis when he cautioned his colleagues against attacking the minister to please the governor. In December 2023, he signed a statement on behalf of the Rivers caucus cautioning Rep. Boma Goodhead to be civil and mind her utterances on the political logjam in the state.“Goodhead went far beyond her calling by delving into a political issue that has no bearing on her person as if she has had a personal beef with her former principal for eight years. As a caucus, we can’t sit and watch our members openly display and utter words that smirk of gutter behavioural patterns. Hon Boma Goodhead should immediately tender an unreserved apology to her former principal,” he had said.
Inclination: Dekor stands solid with Wike
Abiante
Rep. Awaji-inombek Abiante – He is arguably the first member of the Rivers NASS caucus to openly identify with Gov. Fubara. While others were measuring their steps and weighing their options, Abiante moved in to fill a vacuum and is believed to be heavily supported by the governor to gain inroads into the federal legislature and counter Wike’s influence. The outing by the Ugochinyere group was a manifestation of his loyalty to the governor. The ranking member of the House however seems to have a long way to go if he must break into the stronghold Wike has on the Rivers NASS caucus.
Inclination: Abiante stands solid with Fubara
Goodhead
Rep. Boma Goodhead – Strong-headed and unabashed, Boma Goodhead is also a ranking member of the House of Representatives. Representing Akuku/ Asari Toru federal constituency, she had, on December 15, 2023, led a solidarity protest in support of the programmes and activities of the incumbent governor of the state and dared the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory to return to Rivers State. According to Rep. Goodhead, “I want to send a clear message to the Federal Government of Nigeria. Tinubu believes that Wike delivered Rivers State to him but even Wike failed in his unit. He failed in his ward and even in his LGA. We are here to tell Ahmed Bola Tinubu to call Wike to order because the next time he comes into Rivers State to disturb the peace of the state we will not fold our hands and watch. Wike should come to Rivers State and we will show him what it means to hold Rivers State. We dare you to come back to Rivers State again if you are a man.” Wike had been to the state a couple of times after that outburst and returned safely to his base in Abuja. Curiously, Goodhead was not on the lineup when the Ugochinyere group briefed the press.
Inclination: Goodhead stands solid with Fubara
Emerengwa
Rep. Boniface Emerengwa – This is another member of the House of Representatives, representing the Ikwerre/ Emohua federal constituency, who has openly declared support for Governor Fubara thereby denouncing his long-standing political alliance with Wike. Emerengwa, a third termer in the House made the declaration during a visit to Governor Fubara in Port Harcourt some weeks ago and said “he (Fubara) deserves the support of the people to grow the State.”
Inclination: Emerengwa stands solid with Fubara
Allison
Rep. Anderson Allison representing Okirika/Ogu-Bolo of the APC who is the only member of the House of Representatives from Rivers State, elected under the platform of APC, supported Wike’s appointment as minister. There is no doubt that Wike has been romancing with the ruling APC hence his appointment by President Tinubu which is automatic for Allison to queue behind the FCT Minister for fear of losing out his reelection bid come 2027.
Umezuruike
Rep Manuchim Umezuruike – The Labour Party (LP) member representing Port Harcourt Constituency 1 is not keen on being a neutral observer in the fight. Despite belonging to a different political party, Umezurruike is aligned with Governor Fubara. This is no surprise because the gubernatorial candidate of the LP in the State, Beatrice Itubo is also in support of Fubara.
Inclination: Umezuruike stands with Fubara
Opuzor
Rep. Obuzor Victor Chukwuemeka – This member representing the Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni/Ahaoad federal constituency is a newbie. He has kept mute in the Rivers PDP brouhaha thus far.
Inclination: Obuzor is perceived to be undecided
Godwin
Rep. Hart Cyril Godwin – This lawmaker who represents Degema/Bonny Federal Constituency had in July 2023 reportedly described Governor Fubara as “a leader with foresight.” This was concerning the signing of the N195.3 billion Port-Harcourt Ring Road project. But since then, lots of water has passed under the bridge, political pundits are unsure where he stands on the crisis.
Inclination: Hart is tilted to Fubara
Uche
Rep. Nwaeke Felix Uche – This lawmaker is undeniably an ally of the former governor, Wike, judging by the closeness between the duo but he has neither openly condemned nor supported any side in the political crisis in the State.
Inclination: Tilted to Wike
Nwogu
Rep. Nwogu Kelechi – This federal representative is a former member of the Rivers State House of Assembly. He maintains a close relationship with former governor Wike who is believed to be instrumental to his election to the House of Representatives. He has been sighted with Wike at different events within the FCT. The FCT Minister had in June 2021 while commissioning a road project described Kelechi as “a politician you can trust, a politician that will stand by you and fight when it is time to fight and a politician while working with, one can go home and sleep with two eyes closed because he will not betray”. Nwogu might be mute but from his latest antecedents, his loyalty seems to lie with Wike.
Inclination: Nwogu is strong with Wike
Chigeru
Rep. Amadi Blessing Chigeru – This female representative is believed to stand behind Wike because she had expressed her profound gratitude to President Bola Tinubu for appointing him to his cabinet. She was a former Rivers state Treasurer of the PDP before emerging as a member of the House of Representatives representing Port Harcourt II. But she is not known to have openly taken sides in the conflict.
Inclination: Amadi Blessing stands with Wike
Rep Bob
Rep Solomon Bob (PDP) – Solomon Bob represents the Abua/Odual and Ahoada East federal constituency in the House of Representatives. He was first elected in 2019. He is a former Special Adviser to Wike. Although he has remained mum amidst the political chaos, it is unclear if Bob has shifted loyalty to Fubara.
Inclination: Bob tilts to Wike
The three senators representing Rivers State in the National Assembly appear to be acolytes of the minister.
Sen. Banigo Ipalipo-Harry (Rivers West)- She served as deputy to Wike for eight years and was loyal all through. It is believed that her loyalty has not waned.
Inclination: Ipalibo-Harry stands with Wike
Sen. Onyesoh Alwell (Rivers East) – This senator was one of the two longest commissioners who served in the administration of Dr Peter Odili as Commissioner for Education, and later Sports. Wike consequently supported his nomination and eventual emergence as the Rivers East Senatorial flag bearer. With Odili backing Fubara, is Alwell still with Wike?
Inclination: Alwell is perceived to be undecided
Sen Mpigi
Sen. Mpigi Barinada – This Rivers South-east senator is a proven Wike loyalist. He served as a member of the House of Representatives, representing the constituency of Tai–Oyigbo–Eleme for two terms between 2011 to 2019 before he was elected into the red chamber. In December 2023, Mpigi expressed the displeasure of his senatorial district with Governor Fubara. He said, “Anybody that sows must also reap. We have all sown. So it is not Wike now, because I want things to be very clear. We the leaders of this State are not happy with what the governor (Fubara) is currently doing. So he should not say it is Wike. I represent the governor I know what is happening, so I’m not happy.” He recently tried to sideline Fubara for Wike.
Inclination: Mpigi stands solid with Wike
Odili
Will Peter Odili’s verdict sway the Rivers NASS caucus?
Former Rivers State Governor and highly regarded political icon, PeterOdili, recently declared the incumbent governor as the political leader of Rivers State, a move that may further worsen his frosty relationship with Wike, who is hitherto seen as a godfather to the minister. He made this known on Thursday, April 11th 2024 while commissioning a primary healthcare centre in Ogba-Egbema-Ndoni Local Government Area of the state, MrOdili said, “Having secured electoral victory through the ballot and the courts, Mr Fubara is now the political leader of the state. Will this declaration by Odili sway the NASS members in favour of Fubara?
2027 NASS tickets in view?
The Rivers NASS caucus is not seen to be making any move to broker a truce between Wike and Fubara; rather alliances are being formed for their political benefits. Out of the 13 House of Representatives lawmakers and 3 Senators, totalling 16 in the federal legislature, 3 House of Representatives members have openly challenged Wike and thrown their weight behind Fubara. The remaining 10 House members appear to be still loyal to their godfather while the 3 Senators have remained mum.
In a recent meeting summoned by Chinda at the National Assembly ahead of Thursday’s National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party PDP, it was said that the main agenda of the Pre-NEC meeting was to pass a vote of confidence on Damagun by lawmakers loyal to Wike.
This attempt failed woefully as the group of lawmakers under the auspices of the opposition lawmakers coalition maintained their ground that the acting chairman should resign and someone from the North-central zone take the position.
Meanwhile, the National Working Committee (NWC) of the Party on Wednesday, 17th April 2024 passed a Vote of Confidence on the party’s Acting National Chairman. The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, said this in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja.
In another dramatic twist, loyalists of Governor Fubara, including the lawmaker representing the Ahoada West Constituency of the state House of Assembly, Sokari Goodboy; were reported to have been arrested at the FCT, Abuja.
Also arrested by the police was a chieftain of the PDP in the state identified as Ezebunwo Ichemati. The duo were arrested by policemen outside the venue of the National Executive Committee meeting of the PDP in Abuja on Thursday (18 April 2024).
It is interesting how this political war will pan out. Would there be more grandstanding and alliances? What becomes of the ordinary masses in all these fights and would it define those who will be returning to the National Assembly in 2027? All these are questions begging for answers as the Rivers NASS caucus toggles from both ends.
EDITOR’S NOTE: April 11, 2024 marks the 43rd anniversary of the death of HRH Rt. Hon. John Egbo Igwesi.
By Chief Mark A. Ngene
God in His infinite mercy created Hon. J.E Igwesi to liberate Nkanu and Awkunanaw people from primitive and timid lifestyle and obnoxious custom and tradition. He also created him to salvage the people from the clutches of backwardness.
The early life of Hon. J.E. Igwesi was very clear from when we were all in school. While some of us were eager to pass standard 6 (six) and went to teachers training schools, John, as he was called, had his own ambition going into secondary school because teachers training school and secondary school education were at variance.
There was no secondary school around our area, the few secondary schools could be found at Agrey Memorial College, Arochukwu, Methodist College, Uzu Akoli and D.M.G.S, Onitsha.
John Igwesi was one of the foremost students of Nkanu. He attended the college, Agrey Memorial College with one Ezekiel Nnamoko from Akpawfu. So, when he came out of the school he secured employment in Nigeria Coal Services; from thence John started his natural assignment. First, he summoned Awkunanaw people to discuss and revert the old insinuation that Awkunanaw people denounced colonial administration and all its benefits. He did this with the cooperation of the newly recruited colliery workers of Awkunanaw origin.
While he was still in the services of coal mining, parliamentary election into Eastern Region of Nigeria came into focus. John joined forces within N.C.N.C with Chief Daniel Nnamani of Agbani, Chief Denis Nnaji of Oruku, Chief Aneke Chime of Udi and Chief Charles Abangwu of Nsukka; they all won the elections into Eastern Nigeria House of Assembly, Enugu. There and then John made manifest of his wisdom and sagacity.
The following were some of his notable achievements in the parliament:
-Nkanu and Udi earlier merged were demerged [and the whole area, is presently recognized as Nkanu East, Nkanu West, Enugu East, Enugu South and Enugu North.]
-Wawa State Movement: Hon. J.E. Igwesi was one of the foremost Architect of the Wawa State movement, renamed Enugu State. The victory of the movement was the full concern of Hon. J.E Igwesi, Hon. Christian Onoh and Barr. Enechi Onyia. The road to the victory was rough and perilous because some of the militants of the movement were wounded during encounter with Chief C.O.C Chiedozie led opposition group.
-The acquisition of the entire Enugu township from Udi hill down to Ayo River acquired as coal field and signed by paramount Chief Onyema of Eke in Udi. The process and the signatory were erroneous thereby these named parliamentarians went into the House of Assembly and cancelled the acquisition. The Akwuke people who were paying annual rent stopped. Ugwu Akum Attakwu took over their land from the wrongful acquisition. Amagu, Akegbe took over their land from within. Also, Umuatugbuoma, Amechi Awkunanaw also took over their land within, so also the pople of Nike.
-Also on the floor of the House of Assembly, they jointly sponsored a motion calling on each representative to advice their people not to come to Enugu township bare bodied, either to come and sell or buy, and nobody should bath openly on the running waters such as mmiri Akegbe, Asata River and Ekulu River. Open defecation from all sides was abolished, also encouraged was wearing of footwears.
Hon. J.E Igwesi made Awkunanaw situation his primary objective because he was instrumental to the establishment of Awkunanaw first and second layouts, Achara Layout. He encouraged land owners from various villages that their lands fell within the layout to exercise caution in the sell and maintainace of their various plots/portions of the lands. He also co-sponsored other bills on the floor of the House of Assembly.
Hon. J.E Igwesi was an Ambssador Extraordinaire to various areas of the country where there were conflicts among our members. When chieftaincy issue arose in Eastern Nigerian, John had no problem in becoming Chinawaeze of Obuoffia Awkunanaw.
In his early days, he invited all headmasters in Awkunanaw and advised them to establish literal members to enable the children develop their talents and become well educated and go into various fields such as law, medicine, engineering and others.
The life and times of Hon. J.E. Igwesi by our assessment, had no dull moment. It was because of this, because of all the engagements here and there, materially he was disposed to being very rich but his principal aim was to develop the people through education.
In the final analysis. Hon. John Igwesi had, in obedience to our ancestors’ traditional prayer, that the family after his demise be greater than the family in his lifetime. Therefore, the children of Hon. J.E Igwesi had kept the flag flying, they are vibrant, vocal and eloquent.
His first son has immortalized his dear father by establishing schools of various branches to foster education which was the cardinal policy of their late father.
May the soul of Hon. John Egbo Igwesi rest in perfect peace, Amen.
In my childhood days, we used to eat to swallow every time we came back from school in the afternoon. My mom always cooked two or three soups and kept in the freezer so we could rotate them. When going to school in the morning, we bring out the soup so it will be defrosted by the time we come back in the afternoon. When we come back, we make this swallow that was called ‘aligbo’. I still don’t know what it was made from up till now, but I’m sure that it is from cassava. How we hated it because when we got older we had to make it ourselves. Argggggghhhhh! It was stressful to make.
Okay, enough about the swallow. One of the soups I loved was okra soup. My mum always made it amongst other soups. Also, when we had to buy soup from a restaurant, it was either okra or egusi soup. I love okra soup so much. It tastes great with goat meat (I mean goat meat is the goat innit?), tastes good with very soft chicken or beef and has the best taste with smoked fish (Amazinggg). My mum didn’t always make it with fresh fish to avoid us swallowing bones (The pain), so she usually cooked it with beef and it always had the okporoko and dried fish. My mum never cooks soup without okporoko and dried fish. The flavor it adds to the soup is phenomenal.
Most people cook okra and add ogbono (African mango seed) to it. I prefer to eat okra alone or to eat ogbono soup alone. Okra soup can also be referred to as ‘draw soup’. They call it this because of the way the soup ‘draws’ when you take it to eat. Some people might not like the soup because of the way it ‘draws’ and if not eaten properly can become very messy and embarrassing too in the public.
Alright! Enough of the gushing about okra soup. Let’s go on and cook some okra. You’ll need;
Goat meat (or beef or any other protein of choice)
Palm oil
Ground crayfish
Ground pepper (or fresh pepper)
Onions
Okporoko and dried fish
Smoked fish (optional)
Ugu leaves
Uziza seeds or Okpei(for extra flavor)
And the main ingredient- okra.
First, you have to prep all the ingredients for cooking. I believe this makes cooking easier and faster when all the ingredients are all prepped and when you start cooking, before you know it you’re done.
Wash and cut okra neatly and put in a plate, wash your meat and put in a pot, rinse onions and cut, pick ugu leaves, wash and cut the leaves and put in a plate. Debone the smoked fish, pound uziza seeds and keep in a plate. Alternatively, dissolve the okpei in little water to form a paste. Wash okporoko and dried fish in warm water with salt and keep in a plate.
Time to coooooooook!
Put the washed meat in a pot, add thyme, seasoning cubes, pepper and onions. Add very little water and parboil on low heat. Once it boils, add some water and increase the heat. When the meat is almost done, add okporoko, dried fish, crayfish, more pepper and seasoning cubes to taste. Leave to boil for 5 minutes and bring down from the fire.
In another pot, on medium heat, put in some palm oil and onions and stir fry for a while. Add okra and stir. You have to keep stirring it with the onions and palm oil for a while till it cooks a little. While stirring occasionally, you begin to add the meat broth little by little, still on medium heat. Adding the broth little by little while stirring makes the okra to start ‘drawing’. You keep adding the broth till it’s finished or your soup is as thick or runny as you want it to be.
Lastly, you add the cooked meat, opkoroko, dried fish, smoked fish, uziza seeds or okpei, more crayfish, pepper and seasoning cubes (if needed) and ugu leaves. Leave to boil for a couple of minutes, stir one last time and your soup is ready.
This soup can be served with any swallow of your choice or even eaten alone. My go to swallow is either very soft garri or pounded yam. I can eat either of these any day with any soup. Enjoy!
If you like okra or will be trying this, I would love to hear from you. You can send an email to enaamobi98@gmail.com or a DM on instagram @thecravefactory.ng
Children are naturally curious; they are wired to want to know, ranging from a suckling baby to a toddler who hits his spoon on the glass dining room and is excited by the sound it makes. He gradually continues to hit the dining table until he’s cautioned to stop.
Have you ever wondered why your child keeps going back to a restricted area after all the warnings and punishment? It’s nothing more than the eagerness to know what’s there; in his thoughts, he wants to know what’s in that area.
The same way you might not consider what’s been covered in a basket until you are given the instruction never to touch it, you don’t become only worried but equally curious to know why it’s forbidden to be touched by you.
Although adults have learned how to manage their curiosity on their own, unlike our kids, who have to air every one of their thoughts, it can be tiring to listen to all a child has to say and more frustrating to provide them with all the answers they need. But then we can’t run away from this duty of ours as parents, guides, and caregivers. We ought to help inspire this curiosity in them because it’s one of the traits of having a healthy baby who is aware of his environment and the happenings around him.
Even as adults, we live in curiosity till our very last breath; not being eager to know is the same as being dead.
To help your child explore his creativity and stir his curiosity, these are things you ought to do.
WAYS TO FIRE UP CURIOSITY IN A CHILD ARE AS FOLLOWS:
ASK QUESTIONS: I always emphasize asking children questions because I understand the effect on a child’s brain. When having a conversation with a child, make sure you probe further to ask questions; don’t let the dialogue end on the surface. Learn to use the words ‘what if’ and ‘why’ more often.
LISTEN AND HEAR THEM: Don’t shush your child when they come to you with questions; it’s just proof that your child’s imagination and creativity are at work, which is a good thing. Calm down to listen and give answers to the questions asked.
LET THEM SEE YOU CURIOUS: Have you ever let your thoughts out in the midst of your kids? Try that out to hear what they have to say about it. I want to believe you are not a know-it-all parent; let them see that you are curious about a thing and want to know more about it. You don’t have to be the one to provide them with all the answers they seek; you can as well meet them in the middle: “Oh, Danny, I don’t know much about this, but we can figure it out together” or “Mr. Williams knows better about this; we should ask him.” This is a reply that shows you also have the spark to know, which is what curiosity is all about.
Take them away from their comfortable zone. This might be taking them away from their environment to see what life on the other side looks like, but it isn’t limited to that. What about trying to flip their books from the fiction they love to non-fiction books? I know you will get funny looks from them, but I am sure you can do well to convince them. You can actually make Danny do volleyball for the next few weeks instead of soccer. This is him trying to handle a new skillset and getting curious about new things. You can also take them to places of interest, like the museum, art gallery, beach, and many other places.
PROVIDE THEM WITH THE NECESSARY GADGETS: Providing your kids with the necessary tools and gadgets can be a way of firing up their curiosity. Gadgets like laptops, magic cubes, tablets, ULesson, building blocks, etc. Even when you choose to get toys for them, make sure it’s something realistic that fits into the world they are in. You can choose to get them toys of different animals and other things in society. Children learn faster with practice and what the eyes can see.
MAKE ROOM FOR PLAY AND OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES: Playing is also a way of helping your child’s creativity and curiosity. Too much restrictions limits your child’s imagination. Let them play, but also create a safe environment for playtime.
“Nigerians are good people, it’s our leaders that are bad”.
“Nigerians are hardworking and conscientious, but our leaders are heartless”.
“Nigeria would not be associated with corruption if not for our leaders”.
Statements like these give the impression that corruption is a disease that afflicts only the top even though we know many of these leaders were like ordinary Nigerians before leadership came calling. We have to wake up from this self-deception and face reality. Nigerians are corrupt, simple. Except you have not lived in Nigeria, this leadership/followership dichotomy when discussing the corrupt ruination of the country is a comfortable lie, but one may think it holds water if he hasn’t held a position of leadership. When you draw from a population many times and consistently get the same results, it simply means that the characteristics found in the sample is coming from the population.
We can choose to believe a lie and keep running in cycles. We have to wake up to the reality that the majority who may not have stolen haven’t done so because the opportunity hasn’t come – and when they haven’t done so, they give their full backing to those who do, as long as they are from their part, at least by not being as mad at their own thieves, as they are at the thieves of others.
I have held a position of public trust and I know those who come to “teach” you how to steal – the same people who lose the most to the plundering of the system. I know how one is required to pay bribe just to be able to work, to do good, to carry out projects to benefit people. They will tell you “I don’t care if the hospital you are building will save a million lives, if I don’t get my cut, you are not building anything “. Nigerians have a way of thinking or acting the thought that, “Everyone can starve as long as I and mine have more than enough”. That’s the root of our woes. It is not hunger that breeds our corruption, we keep making the case to justify the evil, that they keep us poor so they can bribe us during elections. Rubbish! It’s either we are ignorant of what actually happens or we don’t take the time to find out. Some say or believe that it is the billions of naira taken by the MDA head that ruins us and not the petty-corruption by the low level clerk. Don’t forget there are thousands of such clerks chipping at the nation’s core, daily. N50,000 taken by 50,000 people monthly is not small.
The poor harm themselves more by their little compromises. You can finally build your house from your cut, but you can’t buy an army or own your roads or hospital. You will send your child to Canada and lose him there because there will be no country to return to, you sold a part of it to train your son. We may all have our reasons for bending the rules, but we cannot afterwards, retain the moral justification to pass on the blame to higher ups. The Minister who accepted a hundred million naira bribe is not guiltier than the messenger who accepted a ten thousand naira bribe to leak confidential information. Each is only stealing according to his capacity. Each was needed for the loop of corruption to be complete. It’s easy to think that your small corruption is not what is holding Nigeria back, but it’s an important part. My opinion is that it’s the smaller corruption that’s more dangerous because if a community stands against an oil company robbing them of billions, it’s the youth leader who will accept one million naira to talk his people out of a protest that is most destructive to his people.
We cannot afford to continue this lie even if we refuse to do anything about it. Nigerians are corrupt and sometimes I even feel it comes from somewhere deep down. Maybe it’s the effect of forever living in lack but there are other poor countries lacking such wide-spread corruption. In therapy, healing cannot begin without acceptance. People who pass blame rarely know good success.
Abanni is a Medical Doctor and Member of the Board of Editors of Pacesetter Frontier Magazine.
Even though we are still quietly mourning and missing our beloved mother, Late Mrs Ezinne Margaret Nwomeh, the beautiful and virtuous woman who gave birth to Mr. Dan Nwomeh and the other Nwomeh’s of great family who slept in the Lord on February 25, 2024, at the age of 77, with funeral arrangements ongoing and scheduled for Saturday, April 27, 2024, when we will bid Mama goodbye at Ozalla in Nkanu West local government area of Enugu State, coincidentally within this transition and preparation phase is Mr Dan Nwomeh’s birthday.
It’s quite a solemn moment for us who are friends, brothers, colleagues, staff, employees and admirers of Mr. Nwomeh because we’re boxed into the corner at a time like this. To be or not to be? That’s a recondite question. But we have taken refuge in God Almighty and accepted the will of the Creator who gives and takes at the right time. Mama lived a life full of grace, virtue, responsibility, love, compassion and affection for humanity. She lived a dedicated and faithful life of a Christian (devoted Catholic) who altered the course of history of those around her. She gave all to humanity. It was a dedicated and selfless service to humankind, and we have been enjoined to follow the steps to make our society a better place. Indeed, Mama was a nurse and a midwife of uncommon repute with records of successfully delivering all women in labour in the course of her profession. To God be the glory, for the hundreds of deliveries she handled, no single child was lost. It was a fulfilled life that history and prosterity will be kind of. We appreciate all that she did for us. Eternal rest, oh Lord, grant unto the souls of the departed. Amen. One day, we shall the story in a more elegant manner.
Meanwhile, here we are glad to celebrate one of the fruits of Mama. This is the reason behind this short apostolic and literary epistle. While exploring the beautiful world of artistic and poetic appreciation to draw inspiration that would enable a graphic, precise and remarkable description of the fascinating qualities that ought to adorn the human existence and shape our world to a just, peaceful, secure and egalitarian society where the spur and urge to live life itself to the fullest would be motivated by neighbors, I found a vast swamp replete with agony, cobwebs entrapping and eliminating humanity in a display of Hobbesian’s state of nature where life is brutish, nasty and short.
My composure of a lyrical serenade in a world where humanity is progressively running on a treadmill of selfishness compounded by the entrenched commodification of self and autogenous desire borne by introversion, narcissism and egotism, I could only find solace in the faintest part of the sphere after a flash of luck. After all, all hope is not lost on humanity as very few in the crowd of overlords is still dedicated to the restoration of that pride and goal of being, first and foremost, humankind.
It’s this cradle of hope, though faint but flickering within the globe and spatially distributed even amongst our neighbors that compels me never to be dismissive of the benevolence of the human race.
Coincidentally, in the Christian calendar, we’re still in the Easter period or what the Catholics called “Pascha or Festa Paschalia”. A period of hope and reconciliation of humanity with God following the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. In the Catholic liturgical reading, one could glance from the community reading of the book of Isaiah and the Gospel of Luke the foundation of the restoration of that search for the “just, peaceful and secure” world amidst tumults, confusion and distortion. We need not be religious before these values of brotherhood, selflessness, good samaritanism and love for the neighbors can be fulfilled. “Jesus was going about doing good without asking whose religion or faith his good deeds were being extended,” a strategic scholar once ended his remark.
Like Prophet Isaiah tersely worded the true message of hope, and not only being fulfilled by Christ unrolling the scroll and reciting the good news; “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach the good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord,” but far beyond that. The message was handed down to us as a cross to shoulder the burdens of our neighbors, of the oppressed, of the wounded, of the captives, of those depressively leaning at the “extreme corner of the earth”. Franz Fanon, the famous Algerian psychiatrist would refer them collectively as the “Wretched of the Earth”.
To be justified by those relishing on self-pleasure, the holy book had it that the “lawyer” asked Christ, “Lord, who is my neighbor”. Such a refined question. It’s question as this that sundered the world into the centre and the periphery with centrifugality of a polarised creed and sectarian appeal. This has ripple effect ad infinitum. Within the centre is the centre of the centre, periphery of the centre, centre of the periphery and periphery of the periphery. It’s quite understandable. The definition of who a neighbor is has been narrowly defined not only by the human minds generally but by those that heard the message of Christ, insisting neighbor encompasses the known and the person unknown. To me, my mind overstretched such imagination to even animals and nature in need of our help. Weirdly, while humans are yet to come to term on their moral obligation to lend help to even persons known, the crass was given another dimension. In a recently shared video clips and pictures, a dog could be seen consoling a actor acting Jesus Christ during the past Good Friday’s Passion of Christ. Whether real or imaginary, one could imagine the dog leaning on the “wounded Jesus” with the thought that “You’re not on this alone. I’m with you.” It’s a challenge to humanity to love, care and be compassionate regardless of whether person known or person unknown.
In all this, like the American priest of the Maryknoll Order, James Keller, factly stated, which to me is incontrovertible in thought, a candle loses nothing by lighting another candle. This is where I draw my inspiration and love for humanity. Among people who could have had this philosophy as naturally ingrained in them is my senior colleague, Mr. Dan Nwomeh, the Senior Special Assistant to Enugu State Governor on Mainstream Media.
I have an undefined sphere of immutable deference for this character and outstanding figure whose neighborhood principle is beyond the stretch of imagination. Far beyond the propagation of egocentrism, Chief Nwomeh (even though he kicks against attachment of titles) believes in the philosophy that there is nothing more beautiful than someone who goes out of their way to make life beautiful for others.
Permit me to deviate a little. When Governor Peter Mbah was vying for the governorship position of Enugu State, some of us couldn’t understand the motive behind his passion because of his successful background in the private sector as a global entrepreneur. A man sitting on the top echelon of a multi-billion dollars investment would climb down from that Olympian height and join the murky waters of politics where hungry hyenas and vultures prowl. In the words of the former governor of Lagos State and sometime minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Mr. Fashola Raji, “When you fight a pig in a mud, the pig gets happier and you get dirtier.” Politics in Nigeria is like the mud where a herd of pigs find solace.
But Governor Mbah had explained the justification for his decision – the love of humanity. Perhaps, he couldn’t understand why bad leadership had been the bane of the country in the public space. He came to reframe and retell the narrative not minding the mudslinging from pigs and hyenas that were already operating effortlessly there. And Jesus said: “My Father’s house shalled be called the house of prayers and not the den of robbers.” Here we are today with a New Enugu State in the Making. A transition from the old order to a new order where humanity will live a fulfilled life. Some have been ordained with such mission to bring good news to humankind. Enugu people are today happier and confortable with the system of leadership Governor Mbah has heralded. Selfless service to humanity in action.
Back to our primary focus. It’s often acclaimed that helping one person might not change the world, but it could change the world for one person. I could vouch that meeting Mr Nwomeh has been a new turn in my life and has, indeed, changed my world. It’s a new phase of a new beginning. Not peculiarly for pecuniary measure; that benefit spans through intellectual inputs, new formation, learnings, and attitude to work. It’s a value that I would forever cherish as I sojourn through life.
We’ve seen in Dan Nwomeh, the passion, desire and transcendental motivation to reach out to neighbors and persons unknown immaterial of where and when of the environmental consideration once all ethical principles are complied with. He remains unassuming, friendly, and lively to work with. I appreciate his experience and intellectual grits. That equal measure of treatment, egalitarian pursuit and undying, sincere love to ensure justice for all, especially for the weak and oppressed is anchor of hope for many.
Hon. Nwomeh, describing you as a man changing the world in every slightest opportunity that presents itself is not an overstatement. It’s a testament of fact and testimony for us. You’re showing the light and setting the pace for others to follow. I have no doubt that the numerous lives you’ve touched positively and genuinely impacted upon will also be proud of you. You have shown you can work with people of diverse backgrounds and orientations. You’ve shown that you command respect through legitimacy and special character.
As you celebrate today, I want to commend you on how you piloted the Governor Media Team with adroitness, understanding, maturity, love, compassion and competence in the face of pressure, storm, and calm. You have displayed mastery of team spirit with your other colleagues in the Governor Media Team and the State Information Management body. I’m happy working with you and toeing that path of commitment to serving the people of the state. Many more years of God’s goodness and grace.
As Lead Speaker at the Ohaneze Ndigbo Retreat which ended a few days ago in Enugu, I saw the gathering as part of the cocktail of measures being put in place by the current leadership of Ohaneze to ensure greater group cohesion and more strategic engagement, going forward. As Ndigbo would say, the mother hen that does not bring its chicks together from time to time to educate them about their environment, to warn them about the dangers in that environment and also to explain to them how to successfully navigate the environment, has laid a solid foundation for their eventual decimation by hawks and other predators. Ndigbo say that it is by coming together to review existential issues that a family can periodically re-ignite and strategically address its interests in a lasting and sustainable way.
I had the option of giving the theme of the retreat, “Ako Bu Ije” a purely academic treatment. I could have delved into the foundations of this deep philosophical concept, its meanings, its implications for social morality and cohesion, and how this could be used to carry out a review of the Igbo worldview as a whole. But the clear and present existential dangers facing Ndigbo as a people ruled out that option. It was better to use the occasion to trace the possible root causes of these dangers and propose viable remedial actions; weaving same around the concept of Ako Bu Ije; as the essential philosophical, and even spiritual, underpinning of a way forward.
It is a matter of record that some of the problems of Ndigbo today are self-inflicted. It is also a matter of record that many of these problems have been externalized in such a way that others are being blamed for them. The factors undermining Igbo collective political and even spiritual well-being revolve around a mercilessly conspiratorial (and not objectively competitive) political environment that the people do not seem to fully understand.
I touched on the significance of the kolanut, on the essence of the ritual of the breaking of the kolanut and on why the kolanut is a symbol of communion and not a snack in Igboland. The full spiritual meanings, and implications, of the statement “He who brings kolanut brings life” was explained. The ceremonial consecration of the kolanut by Ndigbo was represented as no empty social gesture, but as a very important step of first calling on the forces of nature for protection and guidance in support of all that is good.
The bringing of the kolanut is, first and foremost, an opportunity for prayers for life more abundant. Since prayers bring blessings and is meant to strengthen life, whoever brings and offers the kolanut has brought an opportunity for life to be enhanced through prayers; hence the call at the beginning: “He Who lives Above, the Giver of life, protect us”.
The kolanut ceremonies also emphasize the interdependence in the community of all living things. That is why it is said: “May the river not dry up and may the fish not lack water to swim in”. The river looks more beautiful because of the fish, while the life of the fish depends on the steady flow of the river. Ndigbo also pray this before and after eating the kolanut: “Elders shall live and the young shall live. Our harvest shall be rich and none shall pray for the misfortune of another, lest his farm be the only patch of earth without rain’, etc.
From the foregoing, a proper understanding of who the Igbo man really is, is central to any attempts at finding a lasting solution to any, or all, of his problems. The average Igbo man likes to be consulted, noticed or at least taken into account as part of what is going on around him. He does not like to be hurried to a decision, or asked to simply comply with what has been decided upon. He would rather be involved in events he can influence to some extent. He likes to air his opinions and be acknowledged as a person, a contributor, or facilitator. He loves fair competition and visible, effective and sometimes dramatic performance.
Many proverbs bring out these points about the Igbo essence. He will proudly declare: “Onye aju na-ebu anaghi aza ide ji uno” (A person who is unsteady on his feet, drowsy, or staggering, is never given the title of “The pillar that holds the edifice). Ndigbo will also tell you: “Onye nmanya na egbu anaghii aza akwaa akwuru”. (A drunken person is never hailed as the unshaken, and unshakable, one)”. No family or kindred sends out its mad offspring to represent it in the village square as “Onu na-ekwuru oha” (Voice of the people).
These proverbs point to core values that make a clear distinction between the appropriate and the inappropriate, between the absurd and the norm, and between the sublime and the ridiculous. It was with this last observation in mind that the discussion dovetailed into the notion of Ako Bu Ije.
The deeper “sense” of Ako bu ije literally means “Wisdom and deep insight into the core values of life gives you the true path to anything lasting in the journey of life”. We can describe “ako” as “having deep inner promptings”, or knowing how to navigate life in a sustainable way and without undermining yourself or harming others in the long run. The Igbo saying “Agbusi gbaa otele, ya amuru ako’ (when the buttock is stung by an ant, it learns the wisdom of paying close attention before choosing where to sit) bears this out.
“Ije”, on the other hand, literally means to walk. But its deeper meaning refers to the journey of life, or the way to go in what you are doing and maintain an edifying and sustainable trajectory.
From the foregoing, therefore, we said, for the purpose of the retreat, that ako bu ije simply means: Life is best guided by wisdom, insight, discretion and a deep sense of propriety. The question that arose therefrom was this: In what ways can ako bu ije now become the rousing bell for a gathering of wits in the form of an Igbo renaissance? The answer is simple. It means that deep thinking, patient understanding of the operating environment, commitment to lasting values, or strategic engagement and evidence-based decisions and alliances, offer the best foundation for lasting success in every sense of the word.
The dummy out there, that the Igbo society is always essentially atomistic, and in a way that makes it largely ungovernable, does not have a leg to stand on at all. This questionable thesis is sometimes justified by referring to the misunderstood saying: “Igbo enwe eze”. (Igbos know/have no kings). This assertion simply means that Ndigbo do not confer on any single feudal authority an unquestioned, and unquestionable, right to decree and overrule all and sundry. When the Igbo man says: “Agbara nyekaria nsogbu ezi ya osisi esi nweta ya” (literally “when the oracle, or your talisman, becomes so powerful as to even try to terrorize its owner, then it is time to take it outside and show it the tree from which it was carved”).
Ndigbo are simply saying that the collective right of the people should be invoked to remind anyone with tyrannical aspirations that a hero is always a people’s hero. That is also why Ndigbo say that “A masquerade that flogs its drummers and followers ceases to dance, because it walks alone”.
From the foregoing, it should be clear that the Igbo concept of power and authority rests more on respect for the laws of the land, than on personal whims. The true Igbo concept of success is always linked with respect for Omenala. The people, and the laws of the land, always determine the difference between right and wrong. That is also why Ndigbo say: “Asokalie eze anya ekpuchie nkata na iru wee gwalua ya okwu aru”.
The idea of covering the face with a basket is often assumed to be out of fear for the life of the person who decides to speak out before the king. But it is not! No one has the right to walk up to the community leader and insult him, for any reason. It is just not done, no matter how wealthy you are. To dare such, you must either be part of a select group sent to admonish the leader, or you are stepping forward as the messenger of the community – sent by the community.
Once you are sent in this way, you no longer represent yourself; just as a man is presumed to have transcended to the spirit world once he is dressed up as a masquerade. The covering of the face upholds the dignity of the office of Eze and affirms that no one may insult the office in his capacity as a mere mortal. But this mysterious being from the beyond, speaking for the gods and men (but using the voice of a man) may do so to any unworthy occupant of an office.
The major trade mark of the traditional Igbo charlatan is that nothing he does can ever lead to sustainable development, or a healthy communal, religious or Family life. He is dangerous to social morality and the economic life of the people; because of his ‘Okpata otitaa’ approach to life. It is such charlatans who parrot the proverbs like: “Ewu na eso onye bu igu” (The goat runs after whoever has palm fronds – read ‘green leaves ‘)
This statement is true, but it applies only to goats and any other nonvolitional living thing that behaves like a goat. Such sayings were originally meant to warn people against thoughtless materialism and immorality as a philosophy of life. But today it is freely used to justify irresponsibility, unfaithfulness and every form of debauchery.
How can it be true that only the person who offers immediate material satisfaction deserves loyalty? In Igboland, where the cardinal communal philosophy says: “A human being is no goat’’ The fact that this proverb and others like it have become the most popular in Igboland in recent times shows that we Ndigbo are facing greater existential threat at the philosophical level of distortion of pristine concepts than at the purely material.
The road from this culture of leadership charlatanry lies in progressively creating and nurturing new values. If all the avenues and platforms for opinion molding machines are deployed in the right way, there should eventually arise the needed critical mass of Ndigbo who will one day say: “Thus far and no further”.
Ako Bu Ije can only hold true where reciprocity is nurtured alongside the need for self preservation.
If there’s something we all agree about nature, it is this fact – Nature is unkind to those who cannot adapt and makes no allowance for them.
If an institution or system is crushed by change, nature dictates that it be allowed to die.
The best help that our educational institutions need now is help to adapt to a changing environment . The cost of running the universities is going up and they need more IGR. I don’t know if the head of our tertiary institutions look at their numbers.
Postgraduate admissions are not rising and in some cases, they are dropping. The reasons are obvious. At the same time, we have many Nigerians enrolling into postgraduate programs online with foreign universities because our schools have failed to adapt. In a difficult economy, how many people can come to the class and spend two years for a masters. How will they eat if they don’t work? The administrators need to offer incentives to their staff to innovate.
ONE SOLUTION: ONLINE PROGRAMS
One opportunity is online program. We need to look at courses that can be done online, and there are many, and put up a robust, competitive online program with effective hands to make sure the technology is at par. If 2% of Nigerians want a postgraduate degree all the current capacity of our public universities will struggle to cope because that will be about 5 million people, that is like the population of Enugu state.
BENEFITS OF ONLINE LEARNING AND SUCCESS STORIES
Online programs are cheaper for the university and convenient for the students, the savings can also be passed on to the students making it cost-effective.
University of Port Harcourt just started some of such programs in their school of public health, ABU, Zaria is already a national leader in Online education.
Other universities have to wake up from their sleep. The occupiers of the ivory towers have to realise that the world around them is changing, the student is now king, not the Lecturer.
So, you must make your processes efficient and competitive to attract more “clients” or you will go bankrupt, for gradually FG is easing itself out of her traditional responsibilities. Craft attractive, modern programs. Do surveys in local industries and design programs to fill knowledge gaps. Give opportunities for fast-track masters of one year, six months or one year, let students pay fees based on the number of courses, set up digital payment system that accepts pay-small-small, tailor programs to meet current job market needs. A degree is an investment, design them to pay a huge ROI and market them well.
FINANCIAL INDEPENDENCE
As we cry to the government to fund education better, we also have to find creative ways of making universities financially independent. Set up consultancy groups based on industry and lobby industry and government to patronise you.
LEVERAGING UNIVERSITY RESOURCES
Set up a university endowment to fund startups where you can own equity. Lobby multinationals to setup research centres which can earn the university money through use of scientific equipment by the public.
ENTREPRENEURIAL VENTURES
Set up businesses with half of the staff being students who will be there on industrial training and thus not be paid, making it more profitable. Bank of Industry can be lobbied to fund these businesses.
The students health insurance should be run by university owned HEALTH INSURANCE company. The most popular bottled water in Enugu should be UNN water and so on.
BRIDGING EDUCATION AND BUSINESS
Universities need to get creative. Unizik should have a program that enables businessmen in Onitsha to earn degrees without having to leave their shops, except for a few days in a month.
EMPHASIZE THE BUSINESS ASPECT OF UNIVERSITY LEADERSHIP
If the universities or at least their administrators, do not see the business part of education, our professors would remain beggarly dependent on the govt.
All administrators would benefit from MBAs irrespective of their areas of specialization. Being a Professor alone does not guarantee that you will lead well in the current complex, regulatory and business environment. In this world of today, the hallmark of academics is intellectual humility. Our academics need this more now.
Abanni is a Medical Doctor and Member of the Board of Editors of Pacesetter Frontier Magazine.
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