Category: Opinion

Misfortune does one of two things, it either forges resilience or it breaks you – it reveals the best of men or it unmasks the ugliness in the heart – it allows strength flow from your reserve or it unearths your weakness.

From bad governance to insecurity to a sickly health system and death traps littered around us, an average Nigerian is used to the unsavouriness of misfortune.

In all these stands out a man, the colour of his blood likely Green-White-Green, arguably a late entrant into the aviation sector, flying Nigerians in fortune and in misfortune.

Born in Benin City to Michael and Helen Onyema as the first of nine children in 1964, Allen Onyema, CON is a Nigerian lawyer and entrepreneur and the Chief Executive Officer of Air Peace, which he established in 2013. He hails from Anambra State, in the Southeastern part of Nigeria.

Allen’s instinct to salvage misfortunes and troubled situations didn’t just catch a spark because he owns the means. As an undergrad in the University of Ibadan, his appetite for peace made him lead a group of nine other students to travel to the ancient city of Zaria to quell a raging religious and ethnic riot that claimed lives. As a result of the publicity he and his colleagues received on return to their campus, their enthusiasm grew and this led to the formation of a group known then as Eminent Friends’ Group – a group formed with the objectives of promoting ethnic harmony amongst Nigeria’s diverse ethnic nationalities and fighting the incidence of violence of all forms. Upon graduation from the university in 1987, he established branches of the organization in all the states of the federation.

From evacuating Nigerians of every ethnicity trapped in South Africa during the xenophobic attacks to air lifting Nigerians trapped in India, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and China who could not afford ticket fares, during the Covid-19 worldwide lockdowns, and recently Nigerians trapped in Sudan, all free of charge, Allen Onyema has saved Nigerians, one flight at a time.

Speaking on what motivates him, Allen noted that his gesture was not a publicity stunt but born out of the love he has for Nigeria. His goal was to make use of his blessings to unite Nigerians and harness the opportunities that abound in the diverse ethnic nationalities of the country.

“Nigeria is a country of 378 ethnic nationalities which is supposed to be our strength. The diversity we have today is an envy to all. It pains me that we have not been able to weave the country together in over 60 years of our independence.

“(I do) whatever I have to do to encourage people to come together to promote unity and encourage broad nationalism as against ethnic and religious nationalism which we have in this country. That is why I do it. I do it because I love this country and I believe we can be better.

“I love using my God-given blessings to help my country. I laid down my life in the Niger Delta for this country. To me, that is my greatest service to this nation because Boko Haram would have been child’s play but I laid down my life and got Niger Delta sorted and today everybody is enjoying it, everyone has forgotten about that.

“…Any action that would promote national pride, national cohesion, peace and unity, we are for it. Again, we have no apologies for believing in our nation and loving the nation despite certain national challenges”, he said.

Disowning ethnic colourations of his gesture, he noted: “It is a Nigerian thing, not Igbo, Hausa or Yoruba. I don’t want a good gesture to be turned into an ethnic debacle, it makes me uncomfortable to the extent that I might not do this again, because I want to promote unity and not cause disunity”.

In 2022, Allen further demonstrated his characteristic love for the country’s unity through sports, by pledging to build a Wall of Fame for Nigeria’s distinguished sports icons whose strides played role in unifying the country, projecting her in a favourable light and representing the entire Black race positively, while offering them lifetime free flights on Air Peace.

He said: “…Air Peace shall sponsor the building of a Wall of Fame where the names of our sports heroes of the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games and those of others who have won laurels for our dear nation, beginning with the then Green Eagles and our national football team that won the African Cup of Nations for Nigeria for the first time in our history, will be displayed. Those that won sporting laurels in various sporting events like the Olympics, Commonwealth Games and subsequent African Cup of Nations will also be included in this Wall of Fame.

“For the 1980 National Football team referred to above, Air Peace shall sponsor an event where they would be celebrated and honoured. The surviving members of that team are hereby made Special Ambassadors of Air Peace and are entitled, for the rest of their lives, to fly Air Peace free of charge, six times in every year on the domestic destinations and once a year to any foreign destination serviced by Air Peace.

“On the night of celebrations in their honour, Air Peace shall equally give out certain financial rewards to all members of that team including the heirs or spouses of the deceased ones amongst them”.

Allen Onyema embodies the true Nigerian traits our Founding Fathers toiled for, wrapped in unity devoid of any seeming ethnic divide. Nigeria cannot thank him enough, but we can do more by emulating Allen in our various tiny corners in the country.

Air Peace is an example of the love with which Nigerian indigenous firms can work to bring positive change and progress to our dear country. This is why the need to encourage the establishment of indigenous firms with fair taxing capital and the enabling environment to flourish cannot be over emphasized.

Allen does not only airlift Nigerians free, he teaches the citizens what patriotism, national unity and peace means, one act after another, one flight after another.

Before you pray for God to give Nigeria more citizens like Allen Onyema, remember you can be the answer to that prayer; be the needed change in your little corner.

Onochie Jon-Igwesi & Muna Chinedu wrote from Enugu

By Daberechukwu Egbo

Remember your secondary school subjects, History and Government, where you were taught that democracy is a government of the people, a government by the people and a government for the people. You were taught – no one is above the law in a democratic society; the rule of law which is also equality of the law prevails; the rights of the citizens shall be protected and respected; through citizen participation the will of the people should be the basis of government authority and all individuals are equal and should not be discriminated against regardless of their race, religion, ethnic group, gender or sexual orientation.

Remember how you learnt our nation’s democracy is rooted in our constitution and in order to have an effective and successful democratic society, the democratic government has to abide by certain principles which are largely part of the Nigerian Constitution. These principles of democracy are enshrined in section 14 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended.

Section 14 (1) states:

“The Federal Republic of Nigeria shall be a State based on the principles of democracy and social justice.”

Section 14 (2) further provided that:

“(a) sovereignty belongs to the people of Nigeria from whom government through this Constitution derives all its powers and authority;

(b) the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government: and

(c) the participation by the people in their government shall be ensured in accordance with the provisions of this Constitution.”

In the reality of Nigeria, the practice of democracy is quite different from the real theory of what democracy should be. Recent events have shown how increasingly derelict our dear nation’s democratic system has become. For instance, take a look at the recently concluded 2023 Presidential elections in which Nigerians devoted their faith, hope and confidence in, but turned out to be the bane of turbulence and emotional despair among citizens, especially the youths, as a result of questionable events and circumstances surrounding the outcome of the election. 

An effective democratic system requires that the law be equally, justly and regularly enforced, which is the due process of law. However, government’s neglect for due process and its oppressive approach to leadership, policies, polity and governance has led to quite a lot of human rights abuses, violations and restrictions.

The system of government in a nation plays a vital role in setting the tone for the citizens. It has the ability to affect and influence the way citizens relate with one another, and above all, the way they think and value their country. If the people are to fully enjoy their rights then there’s a need for the enforcement of the rule of law and the stronger protection of citizens rights according to provisions of the Nigerian Constitution.

Since the constitution is based on the focal foundation of democracy, and the nucleus of democracy is the people, it means that the people, the citizenry of Nigeria is supreme; at the top most hierarchy of government. As the former President of Mongolia, Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj rightly puts it, “Democracy literally means the power of people. Democracy is not about politics, it is about the people.” It behoves on every democracy, just as Nigeria should legally be, to value, respect and be unquestionably and totally loyal to the people.

It is up to the Nigerian government and its citizens to ensure that democracy becomes what it should be, more than just words, but a practical system of government in which laws, policies, leadership of a nation are decided by the “people”, where the will of the people should be the basis of government authority. A democratic nation thrives when the voice of the people stands tall; when the power lies in the hands of the people, and beyond all odds, the leaders govern the people in a way they don’t lose the trust of the people. Anything short of this, no matter how near it may come close to this, is at best a quasi-democracy. To put it straight, it is either democracy or it is not.

An undisputable aspect of democracy that cannot be swept aside is the electoral process of a state. If the electoral process of any democracy is shady and short of the people’s trust, that is the beginning of the death of such democracy because those elected through such faulty electoral process can rarely earn the wilful trust, legitimacy and faith of the people in the government. What is a democratic government without the faith of its people?

Blanche Lincoln, a former United States Senator said it best, “Voters must have faith in the electoral process for our democracy to succeed.”  Nigerian democracy must take every step possible to gain the trust of the Nigerian people in her electoral process. 

Democracy is not a thing you get done doing, it is a thing you keep doing, it is always growing either to the positive gradient or to the negative gradient depending on how much the government value the rights and freedom of its people. 

As Nigeria celebrates the swearing in of a new government led by the President-Elect, Sen. Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and her Democracy Day, it is a time to reflect on the lacunae in our democracy and begin to intentionally get them fixed. The Nigerian governing system is faulty, and as a matter of urgency, President-Elect Tinubu must intentionally begin to restructure the system, one lacuna at a time. 

Our accomplishment of these border on implementing measures like: creating a platform for honest feedback/dialogue communication system between the people, and encouraging civil liberties and access to information, supporting initiatives that promote freedom of speech, encouraging the efficient practice of checks and balances among the arms of government. 

The former President of the United States already left a warning for all states when he said, “Nations do not die from invasion; they die from internal rottenness.” Every democracy heads to an ensured suicide once the government ignores the basic values of democracy, which always is as a result of rotten practices and corruption trampling on the right, power and freedom of the people. The state is the people, and in that case, the government must save itself from itself by giving the state back to the people.

Just like a Professor of Strategic Management, Prof Okey Ikechukwu spoke rightly at the 2022 Frontier Discourse Public Lecture and Awards organised by Pacesetter Frontier Magazine, “The pillars of value must be restored or the change we’re looking for will not occur….” All the values of democracy must be enthroned and upheld in no time before we as a nation get to the yielding point of the citizens’ absent-mindedness, patience and tolerance.

By M.O. ENE

The number four signifies stability and maturity. On Monday, May 29, 2023, the fourth Enugu State governor of the fourth republic will be installed for the next four years. Expectations are rife that the incoming governor, Dr. Peter N. Mbah, Esq., will hit the ground running. Popular impatience to welcome his administration is intense. Many want to see that “Tomorrow is Here” indeed.

The sit-at-home snag should snap. Regardless of who gets the presidency, folks have had enough. Open-road grazing of livestock ends too. The 180-day countdown to a clean Coal City awash with water will commence. All LGA chairs will wake up, sit up, or pack up to ship out by December.

Government is not a one-man business. The stagnation is suffocating. The level of lethargy is a dent on decent democracy. Silence-styled peace is a blight, not a blessing. Adverse transition rumblings are troubling. The situation sprouts sycophancy. Gossips. Rude remarks are taken to the top of tactlessness in e-forums. Democracy in darkness does not deliver dividends. Effective media and popular participation wane.

Far too many community leadership problems are at the extreme of embarrassment charts. The notable successes of current commissioner for rural development are muted, instead of intensifying efforts to empower communities. With steady state stipend, our people could provide and maintain common facilities and community policing.

The ball is now in Mbah’s court. He must work hard honestly, with humanity and humility, to meet popular expectations of basic social services and security. Government is a continuum, especially with a 24-year run of PDP. He has little room for blames. Excuses are instruments of the incompetent. He is not one. Mbah comes with credible 4-Cs: Character. Competence. Commitment. Compassion.

Beyond refurbishing PDP, Mbah must continue to engage the people. We have read his proposals. Action is next phase. It must be a massive and innovative disruption galore with variations of velocities and angles of approach. He needs competent and committed hands with private participation in such projects as the International Conference Center, commercialization of Rangers, business incubation, IT hubs, mass communication, etc.

Many Enugu people really do not know the latest Lion. Here is a self-made man of many parts whose trajectory in life should be a model for our youths. Instead, a blitz of campaign calumnies in demarketing him by proxy took over the airwaves. Competent communication strategies will delete these deceits.

Dr. Mbah is a man of destiny. Getting to the Lion Building was far from his mind two decades ago. He wanted to complete his law education and return to entrepreneurship. In an instant inspirational intervention, Supreme Court Justice Nnaemeka Agu changed the narrative and redirected Mbah to his destiny.

Mbah must please his many well-wishers by doing exceptionally well in public office, as he has done in private enterprises. The legacy we leave behind defines our earthly existence. If we look back someday and say that outgoing Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi did well, it will be because incoming Governor Peter Mbah delivered on his magnificent manifesto—or not! I prefer the former.

Just as Socratic unexamined life is not worth living, an uncritiqued government is not worth having. It is a waste of everyone’s efforts, resources, and time to support a government without asking questions. Nothing beats constructive criticisms. The era of insidious insinuations and radical rudeness will end if we build a society where everyone participates diligently and kindly. Government is of the people, by the people, and for the people.

‘Okwute, nọọ!’

#moe, 5.5.23

@aladimma

By Prince Ejeh Josh & Ebubechi Eze 

It’s the duty of lawyers to remove the veil of ignorance on the minds of people in matters of law by setting in motion the true position of the law especially in areas where confusion, misconception and lack of understanding abound. It’s an unacceptable act of notoriety for lawyers, whose duty is to inform and enlighten, to join the herd of ignorant citizens for fear of blackmail, cyberbully or ostracization, to conjecture speculations and falsehoods in a bid to distort the law. Let’s see through this short lens of constitutional voyage on the legal/constitutional impossibility of halting a presidential swearing-in ceremony.

One of the fundamental issues in the country today is the call by some Nigerians on the court to grant an injunction stopping the inauguration or swearing-in of the President-elect, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the substantive President of Nigeria on May 29 pending the substantive determination of the plethora of lawsuits at the presidential elections tribunal challenging his victory at the February 25 general elections.

Few lawyers and non-lawyers have even approached the Federal High Court and tribunal with applications praying the court/tribunal for an order restraining the Chief Justice of Nigeria from swearing in the president-elect, or in the alternative, to restrain the president-elect from presenting himself on 29 May for taking oath to the office of the president.

The question is whether the court or any other authority has the power to grant this order or stop the swearing-in ceremony. This is purely a constitutional matter, and it’s never in the contemplation of the Nigerian constitution that such would happen.

Nigerians are emotional with politics and law. While politics may allow emotion to determine the outcome of a cause, law, on the other hand, is bereft of emotion or sentiment. It’s all about evidence deducted through fact. Court can only draw its power and authority to grant an injunction or order or give judgment from the body of the extant law of the land. Copious reference(s) must be made to the statute or law from where the court derives its power in arriving at its decision.

Usually, these laws are written codes like the constitution, electoral law, or other statutes and stare decisis et non quieta movere or what is popularly called in our local parlance as judicial precedent/case law. The court does not pander to blackmail arising from bandwagon of ignoramuses to arrive at its decision. Any exercise of discretion by the court, where the law allows, must be done judiciously and judicially with the interest of the society vis-à-vis reconciliation of conflicting forces to bring them in conformity with the law and equity.

The provisions of the constitution are unambiguously spelt out as to the qualifications and requirements for the office of President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Once these requirements are satisfied, the bodies sanctioned by the constitution for its implementation will activate the necessary machineries to bring the provisions into effect and execution. Other means at variance with the provisions of the law are regarded as ultra vires, null and void with dire consequences. This is why the constitution outlaws usurpation of power and authority by any means not recognized by it such as military intervention in politics or its intervention in other matters not within its functions or mandate.

Section 130 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended and hereinafter referred to as the “constitution”) establishes the office of president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, while section 131 of the constitution provides for the qualifications a candidate must meet before s/he can aspire for the office.

In particular, sections 133 and 134 of the constitution provide detailed situations where a candidate for the office of president will be deemed to have been duly elected. Where in a presidential election, a single candidate or what Nigerians call, unopposed candidate, is contesting, he shall be deemed to have been duly elected to such office if he has not less than one-quarter of the votes cast at the election in each of at least two-thirds of all the States in the Federation AND THE Federal Capital Territory, Abuja (emphasis mine).

Where there is more than one candidate vying for the office of president in Nigeria, it’s the contemplation of the constitution that a candidate shall be deemed to have been duly elected, where he has the MAJORITY of votes cast at the election. He has not less than one-quarter of the votes cast at the election in each of at least two-thirds of all the States in the Federation AND THE Federal Capital Territory, Abuja (emphasis mine).

The arguments from different quarters following the declaration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress as president-elect by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) having polled the highest votes cast being a total number of 8,794,726 votes and maintained a clear lead of one quarter of votes cast in two-thirds of the States of the Federation to beat his closet rival and presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar who got 6,984,520 votes, with Mr. Peter Obi of the Labour Party and Alhaji Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria’s People Party trailing behind with some distant 6,101,533 and 1,496,687 votes respectively were two pronged; that Tinubu couldn’t muster at least, 25% votes from the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, robbing him victory since it was a mandatory constitutional requirement, and that the constitution does not make it obligatory or compulsory for a candidate to score at least 25% votes in the FCT since Abuja has no special status conferred on it.

The above constitutional provision has become a contentious issue with ripple effect and multiple interpretations by legal practitioners and analysts down to the common man on the street. In fact, it became a free-for-all intellectual excursion with people negotiating confusion into their minds. Fallacies are wrapped in sensationalism and packaged like the Catholic Holy Communion and sold out to undiscerning minds as unquestionably conclusive. Everyone assumed the position of a legal expert, heating up the charged political atmosphere spiraling the call for an interim government or in wild language, military junta.

A call for an interim government, I strongly hold, is a deviation from the freedom of expression or thought to an extreme state of treason and an invitation for military coup. The constitution creates an incontrovertible window of balance of interest and harmonious social order in situation where parties are aggrieved at the outcome of elections. It creates the tribunal and courts where justice will be speedily dispensed within a timeframe. Section 285 of the constitution provides for the expeditious proceeding in elections matters. It doesn’t contemplate coup as some Nigerians are presently calling for one in whatever nomenclature they had applied. It doesn’t envisage INTERIM GOVERNMENT (emphasis mine) which is an abrogation of the law of the land.

Indeed, the constitution is apposite as to where the tenure of the president can be extended. Section 135 (3) of the constitution provides that the extension of the tenure of the office of president could only be allowed with the sanction of the National Assembly where the country is physically at war and the president considers it IMPRACTICABLE TO HOLD ELECTIONS (emphasis mine). Aside this, no other act, commission or omission can give the president or any other authority such as the court the power and jurisdiction to extend the expiring tenure of a president or order for an interim government by whatever names or stop the swearing-in of a President-elect declared as such by INEC in exercise of its functions.

On the issue of the 25% requirement of a presidential candidate in the FCT, I have had the opportunity to peruse different opinions by senior lawyers, ripostes and arguments. It is interesting as they add to the corpus juris of our jurisprudence. However, let me quickly note that some positions taken by known senior lawyers were fraught with biases and veered from sound legal foundation. They’re at best, mere sociological and political in orientation and do not speak the language of the law. Some even applied mathematics without logic in the explanation of the word “AND” used by sections 133 and 134 of the constitution as regards the status of the FCT, Abuja.

The court is a court of justice rather than technicalities. It looks at the substance rather than the form. It’s in pursuit of justice that Equity evolved to ameliorate the harshness and injustice occasioned by the common law. It is, however, surprising that many senior lawyers still believe in the substantive application of technicalities to knock off rival parties and subvert substantial justice. The court had, over time, developed various canons of interpretation of statute in order to navigate a way out of the rigidity of the common law by giving it reasonable meaning that will dispense manifest justice. On this, rules such as the literal, golden, mischief, progressive, etcetera rules of statutory interpretation have provided latitude for reasonability in applying the law.

Section 299 of the constitution deals a fatal blow to whatever argument that the Capital Territory, Abuja, is conferred with a special status in the execution of the constitution. The section clearly provides that “the provisions of this constitution SHALL apply to the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja as if it were one of the States of the Federation…” In order to leave no one in doubt, it goes further to provide that all the legislative powers, executive powers, judicial powers vested in the House of Assembly, the Governor of a State and in the courts of a State shall, respectively, vest in the National Assembly, the President of the Federation and the courts established for the FCT. The deliberate elucidation of the vestments of these powers on the above bodies is only for convenience in administration and not for any special purpose or status.

Sections 300, 301, 302 etcetera of the constitution further provide a foolproof module that liken the FCT to one of the states of the federation and no more subject to necessary alterations for conformity. The law is well settled that the High Court of the FCT as provided for in sections 255 to 259 and the High Court of a State as provided for in sections 270 to 274 are both referred to as courts of coordinate jurisdiction. This seals the coffin of whatever centrifugal argument creating a dichotomy between the status of a state and that of the FCT as one transmogrified with a special status.

On the word ‘AND’ (emphasis mine) as used in sections 133 and 134 of the constitution; a community reading of the provisions of the constitution, particularly, section 299 and the accompanying sections will leave no one in doubt that the intendment of the draftsmen were clearly unambiguous as the word is conjunctive. It does not separate or isolate the FCT from other states making it a special case. The FCT shall be treated, subject to specific provisions and adjustment in the constitution, as one of the states of the federation. It can be safe, therefore, to submit that barring military intervention—which is not feasible at the material time—no court or any other authority can stop the swearing-in of a President-elect. Aggrieved parties should exhaust the abundance of redress system the constitution has provided.

Congratulations to the members of ENUGU transition committee. I look forward to the committee’s commitments and strong recommendations to ensure governance becomes less transactional and proactive, not fun-fair.

Political appointments without portfolio should be discontinued in Enugu – it makes output immeasurable hence, waste of public funds.

I have also taken a close look at the committee list. There’s no representative from the PWDs (Persons With Disabilities) demography. 60 is a good number to have at least two (2) from them especially from a leader who promised to be “Governor for all”.

I am kindly making this observation for public perception and record purposes.

The omission of members of the 4th realm of government – the media – is inexcusable and worthy of mentioning.

I may not be privy to the terms of reference of the committee currently but, I know there will be recommendations; civil service in Enugu needs urgent reform and significant digitizations. Trainees from Enugu Tech Hub could be helpful in this project. Enugu State Tourism Board has no business being in that condition considering the status of the state as the administrative headquarters of the Eastern Nigeria and the significant IGR from hotel, bars, joints and recreational centers, just as so many others. A board that couldn’t put the Presidential Hotel back to use for over 10 years should be dissolved – and perhaps disbanded. Life ought to be easier in this Enugu!

Local government funds should be left for the development of the rural areas – schools, community healthcare centers and markets. Local government chairmen should be encouraged to live in their localities. Their presence will trigger economic activities which in turn translates to economic prosperity of the area. The current practice of elected LG area bosses “visiting” once or twice a week dhould be discontinued already.

Water scarcity, just as poor waste and transportation management in ENUGU, mirrors leadership ineffectiveness over time in the state. The assurance that that “Tomorrow is here” should be seen, felt and measured. Recommendations for Intentional investments in these areas are very important to the mantra.

I will suggest a recommendation for an executive bill be sent to the House of Assembly for the governor to speak to ndi Enugu at least once a month – if not weekly – in a “state of the state address”. An interactive session where the governor lists ongoing projects, contractors and cost and take questions from private citizens and journalists in a live broadcast.

Government needs to downwardly review her funding for the state pilgrimage board to 10% from its current model and provide more administrative support as government.

The realities in the state currently demands the unbundling of Ministry of Youth & Sports to Ministry of Development, away from Sports Development, which as a matter of principle be headed by a “Youth”. This idea will ensure statutory representation of young persons in the state executive council.

A central data bank for the state won’t be too much to ask for. With a click of cursor, one should be able to know who owns which piece of land/house, local furniture markers who can supply school or office furniture, young people in need of certification exams and SMEs for supports. These data are important for budgets and planning. Our current situation requires drastic measures and sincerity of purpose.

Low cost Housing schemes and mortgage arrangements should be strongly recommended. This ENUGU deserves better.

I volunteer to support the team with Okpa for the breaks during deliberations 🤩. No tea ☕️ break.

May the team succeed. Amen.

By Dr Chukwuemeka Aroh

God has ultimately blessed us in Enugu state with what we have relentlessly prayed and cast about for. Our dear Governor-elect is the best thing that has happened for us this season. Permit me to call him “Peter God-sent Ndubuisi Mbah”.

“Tomorrow is Here”! we shout with great joy, but the haters of tomorrow frown at us and wish Enugu a permanent seat in auld lang syne. We respond loud and clear to them “we have bid farewell to the years of yore in Enugu”. We are already in a tomorrow that is loaded with state transformational goodies; Integrated sector-based productivity growth, inclusive and transparent governance, cross-cutting programmes and social services, expecting water to drop for Enugu residents in a trice. If wishes were horses beggars would ride they say. Wawa! haters of tomorrow your wishes shall not materialize, we can’t go back to yesterday. Enugu state is unstoppable now and on autopilot towards building a peaceful and secure, highly developed and prosperous state for all.

Why? Because:

“Peter is Here”

“Tomorrow is Here”

“Nothing can stop Enugu State, we are all the way up”

Barr. Mbah’s, first step in this dance of governance portrays a good omen and a harbinger of better times to come. A step that reinforces what we had always known about him which motivated us into evangelists for him and of course voting massively for him. We didn’t stop there, we also defended our votes especially when we sensed a ruination of justice was in the offing at the collation centre.

Just as we know a good dancer from their first step, we know good leaders from their leadoff decision. Our Governor-elect has displayed his leadership mastery, compassion and selflessness once again. This attitude and path has calmed down an Enugu that was at the height of it’s volatility ever in many years. This situation which erupted from desperate political rattle sabres who introduced sharp divisions and do or die politics into Enugu state just few months ago. Most painful is the awakening of the primordial moribund caste sentiment, an unimaginable straw just to whip up sentiments to influence the politics. All these done for their own selfish ambitions. Ignorantly, because of their narrow lopsided world view, thinking that these antediluvian, tribal sentiments and violence was going to help them win. Thank goodness they lost, as we the people of Enugu were smarter than all these.

Against this backdrop, the story I have is that of Peter Mbah’s jaw-dropping, virtuosic, avuncular, altruistic, humanistic and unifying acceptance speech. A speech that has vellicated breathing a sigh of relief to the general Enugu populace and has broken down the nay sayers into sober and remorseful reflections. I can personally classify it as the best acceptance speech by a Governor-elect. I will liken it to the Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln where he committed post-Civil War America to “a new birth of freedom.” Lincoln’s speech carried a message that ideals are worth dying for and that it is up to the living to carry on the work of those who died to protect ideals. Studies in American history shows us how this singular speech changed the country. Here in Enugu, Barr Peter has made one of such speeches that will impact the history of Enugu state and be remembered for a very long time if not forever.

The main thrust of the speech being that he called for a New Enugu, One Enugu and an Enugu that we can all call our own irrespective of who we are, Our Enugu. Peter Mbah, a man  who like the children of Issachar in chronicles of the holy bible has a perfect understanding of the times, driven by sensitivity for the people he understood that what Enugu needed most was healing. A palliate from the bedlam and pandemonium by balkanizers who with their hate speeches and hate actions attempted to divide Enugu for their narcissistic reasons but failed. In the words of the great Governor- elect “let’s restate that ours will not be government of any section of the state. It is your government ndi Enugu” … “We are all brothers and sisters, those who attempted to create a wedge between us failed woefully” Inter alia.

The significance of this speech is heightened as it is coming at a post election period. An election where the opposition completely went full scale dirty but instead of standing on understandable animosity to make a divisive and vindictive acceptance speech he chooses to call for love and unity. This is very impressive and a reflection of the true colour of the man who has just acquired by popular mandate the number one citizen of the state. The simple interpretation of this speech is; Come to me, I am your governor, a governor for all, even those that opposed and are still opposing me presently. I hold nothing against anybody and I bear no grudges. Let what happened during the elections stay with the elections which is already in the past despite how low, painful and embarrassing. This is the voice of a father, the governor we have been waiting for and we are proud of him.

This acceptance speech weeks after is still the talk of the town: amongst scholars, social gatherings, churches, village squares, beer parlours, everywhere people gather. People are amazed at his response, they are flabbergasted by his approach and grossly impressed by his maturity. One could attempt also to liken him as a person just like a preacher will do to Jesus who we just celebrated this easter, few days ago. Who said about those that crucified him ” father forgive them for they know not what they are doing” in the book of Luke of the holy bible. Don’t mind me if I am sounding religious, my apologies, but I have for weeks thought about what to equate Enugu’s Governor-elect’s acceptance speech and political body language to, that’s exactly how I got here. The reason being that it was heavy and mind blowing to me knowing the blackmails, castigations, false witnessing, sabotage and even assasination of his impaccable character, name it, all he had to deal and put up with in the name of politics.  Must politics be dirty, filled with evil propaganda and falsehood? Do we even ignore the inec collation center drama that turned it into a tribunal, the votes that where eliminated, the negligence of PDP’s concerns about a particular local government, the military suppression, rigging during the elections and the padding. Which do I mention and which do I leave really? All these done to hoodwink and delude ndi Enugu and even at the last count INEC but after all Peter Mbah of PDP still won.

Dr Mbah has proceeded on the journey of the New Enugu in love, without umbrage. He beckoned on ndi Enugu to move on together, stating clearly what his sole goal is and I quote “Only one obligation, to devote every tissue of my flesh, the totality of my mind and spirit to the task of greatness of Enugu”. This I like to call PFDIM( People Focused Disruptive Innovation Model) of governance. Completely represented in his well articulated manifesto which has become the new Enugu’s political bible and an anchor of our development expectations.

That’s the hallmark of great leadership, he never bothered to fire back for one day form day one or even look back. What manner of man is this? I must say his a true child of God who understands vengeance is of God who never fails to pay each man back in their own coin. We wouldn’t be over flogging to keep repeating that Barr Peter Mbah is God sent to Enugu state . His attitude of no grudges and loving people from all places, all religions and political divides is unparalleled. He wears a political lense I like to call “One Enugu”.

We are very optimistic in Enugu because our Governor-elect has started well. The bedrock of development in any clime emanates from the non-polarization of the people. This implies that unity is the bedrock of development. This is simply  why in our Nigerian coat of arm as a nation we have : “unity and faith” and “peace and progress”. Enugu state being a microcosm of Nigeria, therefore this represents us. Our governor-elect has said in every form let us unite and have faith in each other and the system as well so there shall be peace and progress in Enugu. This is the genesis of the pinnacle miracle and anticipated eldorado in Enugu, stay tuned Enugu is coming.

Dr Chukwuemeka Aroh

(PhD political science, Public relations and Development consultant)

DDG campaign and activities Peter Mbah Support Group (PMSG).

By Prince Ejeh Josh

Over the past few weeks, following the February 25 and March 18 presidential and governorship elections, the Nigeria political system has come under heavy attacks, spiraling confusions, conundrum and hullabaloo from different public affairs analysts, who are preponderantly self-appointed analysts, legal experts and political pundits conclusively dashing out unsolicited advice and manufacturing imaginary results, facts and evidence from sources only they could verify and prove.

Almost every Nigerian appears to have become pseudo-lawyer authoritatively throwing up spurious claims about the roles of the electoral umpire—the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and the only arbiter—Judiciary—constitutionally saddled to entertain complaints from parties aggrieved with the outcomes of the elections and ensure justice. In fact, some Nigerians from certain quarters and orientation have assumed the positions of INEC chairman and head of the judiciary. They claimed repository and monopoly of knowledge and discharged ministerial functions synonymous with fascism and absolute dictatorship. Contrary points and positions are met with resistance conscientiously but ignorantly held as absolute.

Prior the conduct of the national elections by the INEC, one thing kept resonating among some Nigerians who had, probably, stiffly, rigidly and adamantly made up their minds and, of course, predetermined who the winners and what political parties the winners should come from, and that thing is the arrogation of exclusive right unto themselves and the fact that anything less than their candidates’ emergence would amount to political injustice, rigging and compromise not only by INEC officials but also by judicial officers.

It is, therefore, not surprising that before the outcome of the elections, some candidates had already assumed themselves to be president-elect, governor-elect and whatever the position they ran. These illusion and delusion both by the contestants and their supporters gave them false hope that the electoral umpire and the judiciary would be blackmailed into deviating from the law at their instance. For them, other candidates had been rejected inasmuch as they were not their preferred candidates. This is their slanted, perverted and straightjacketed worldview. In the realm of security analysis, we see such extreme view as act of fanaticism with a potential danger of destroying not only liberal democracy, but democracy in itself.

The above extreme view gave rise to spurious and unfounded allegations that INEC officials had been compromised with bribe, starting from the lazy and devilish news that the INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmoud Yakubu, boarded an all-night emergency chartered jet to Lagos where he had a nocturnal meeting with Mr. Bola Ahmed Tinubu before declaring him president-elect. They did not stop at that; the judiciary became another victim of their desperation and cranky hysteria, more so, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, as disguising as an infirmed patient on a wheelchair smuggled out to London in order to meet the president-elect, Mr. Tinubu. It was more interesting when the alleged details of the discussion between Tinubu and the CJN purportedly emerged and circulated on social media. And that left nobody in doubt as to the danger fake news is posing on our nascent democracy and national security.

That not enough, lawyers—properly defined by law as persons, having received special and distinct trainings which transmogrified them from ordinary persons or laymen to learned men (Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria)—joined the bandwagon of unlearned pedestrians in the speculation and in arriving at conclusion without any shred of facts and evidence. We have heard lawyers throwing caution to the wind, perhaps, driven by emotion, sentiment and the urge to win the affection of the few but vociferously misguided public by telling them what they wanted to hear rather than guiding them on the extant laws and regulations, and the need to disabuse their minds of monomaniac fundamentalism, zealotry to moderation, tolerance and accommodation in their views. On this premise, respected legal practitioners engaged in bared face lies, ad baculum and petitio principii to drive their arguments. When carefully interrogated, they engage in ad hominem to wade off superior and sound arguments from eclectic approach. I had been in courts where judges had to, time and again, query the qualifications of some “senior lawyers” as to whether they passed through the Council of Legal Education (Nigerian Law School) or had been availing themselves further research and development.

Of course, these set of lawyers could please their clients by deliberately misleading them in public with false information. This creates a wrong impression of the judiciary as prejudice once judgment given is at variance with their expectation against what their lawyers had told them. In recent times, I have even seen unlearned and untrained citizens in law directing the court—Judiciary—on what to do and how to give their rulings and judgments in favour of certain candidates and parties. They bask on euphoric assumption of having the best lawyers, the best cases, the best arguments and the best opinions without taking time to weigh the strength and weakness(es) of their cause vis-à-vis the opposing parties. With respect to them, they appointed themselves lawyers, plaintiffs, defendants and judges. They’re like turnkey operation or one-stop shop, and their imaginary judgment must stand regardless of contrary evidence.

This was also the similar dust the opposition parties, specifically the Labour Party and the All Progressives Grand Alliance are raising in Enugu State governorship election’s outcome. Before the election, their minds were already fixated on who would lose and those to win. Even though some candidate—Labour Party’s Chijioke Edeoga—had no manifesto, fallen short of having any programme for the people of the state, and with his presence hardly felt by the electorate as he had no campaign visibility, he and few of his supporters kept singing victory song that was soon extinguished and turned to dirge by the collective stand of the people. Many wondered if they would manufacture votes from the blues or their false impression was still based on their legendary warehouse of fake news. They didn’t surprise Enugu people after playing clannish and primordial politics coupled with the herd mentality that accompanied the Labour Party where supposed intellectuals beclouded themselves with sectional interest against collective, transcendental values. They, however, were still roundly defeated to the satisfaction of Enugu’s electorate due to their incompetence, cluelessness and history of leadership failure.

While it became glaring that they’d lost the election, the Labour Party governorship candidate, Edeoga, and his sponsors, hastily called that the results, already collated and announced, be halted and reviewed. With the letter written by them, INEC, acting on the power conferred on it, heeded to the petition and suspended the electoral process even to the chagrin of millions of Enugu citizens. The commission diligently carried out the review, almost taking side with the Labour Party against the people of Enugu State arising from duress, pressure and undue influence, but with overwhelming evidence that the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party had enjoyed massive support among the citizens, not much could be done to alter the collective voice of the people manifested through their index fingers on March 18.

After the declaration and announcement of the rightful winner of the election was made by the INEC Returning Officer, Prof. Madu Ofo Iwe, acting on the authority and power conferred on him by the law, all hell broke loose as sponsored fake news, fake petitions and misinformation deliberately targeted at smearing the images of the PDP, its candidates, some INEC officials and the judiciary started flying unrestrained. Chijioke Edeoga, had days after, called for another review, denial of issuance of certificate of return to the winner and cancellation of the election in the state. This was a desperate ploy and decoy to frustrate the mandate of the people, arrogate judicial and extra-constitutional powers on the INEC to violate the rights of Enugu voters. Again, INEC took the second review just to display fairness, transparency and integrity, and yet resolved the law against the inspiring malice that motivated those power desperados and voyage of futility in which they’d embarked.

Not satisfied, Edeoga and his sponsors recruited some lawyers and social media fake news purveyors to push the mendacious narrative that INEC had received a whopping sum of one billion naira bribe to sustain the people’s mandate. When the lie couldn’t sell, a certain lawyer—one Alloy Ejimkeonye of 0emerald Chambers—torpedoing on a dangerous threshold of emotion and legal rascality, descended to the point of ridiculing the noble profession, bringing our most revered and cherished profession to question of integrity, disrepute and embarrassment before the world with baseless, conjectural and idle claims, among which is that INEC, through one of its National Commissioners, Festus Okoye, collected bribe and that the Legal Practitioners’ Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) should have the name of Festus Okoye, a lawyer, struck off the roll of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

At this juncture, one would question the letter, its content and its originator. Every certified and qualified legal practitioner—short of those being questioned by judges in courts—who could have gone through the futile letter would question the propriety and probability of such letter coming from a lawyer—Principal Partner of a law office—as the law is clear on the offences or alleged misconduct that could summon a lawyer to appear before the disciplinary body (See section 12 of the Legal Practitioners Act). Does the LPDC have the power to assume the jurisdiction over the unfounded allegation made by Ejimkeonye against Festus Okoye? What are the roles of the INEC as it relates to elections and electoral process? Had INEC complied with the provisions of the Constitution and the Electoral Act in the discharge of its functions during the election? Does the law change to accommodate speculation obstinately propagated by those with a negative herd mentality? There’s definitely a clear dichotomy between politics and law and the questions above would be dissected to de-escalate, counsel and liberate the brainwashed in the next phase of this work.

By M.O. ENE

Congratulations to Dr. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah, Esq. and Barrister Ifeanyi Ossai for putting up a good fight to the finish line. If May 29 comes, we will have two new members of the Excellency club. Again, kudos! Tomorrow is here. We won: We are here. Alive. Life is the essence of earthly existence. Nothing else matters more.

I also congratulate those who put themselves through the grind: Chijioke Edeoga, Frank Nweke, Uche Nnaji, and others. Only those who have gone through the pulverizing political processes know best the excruciating efforts and extreme emotions involved in electioneering. They are better imagined than experienced.

Enugu State is heading to the promised better tomorrow. Dr. Mbah has his work lined up like sitting ducks in a row. He needs capable hands committed to his core mission and vision. As a disruptive innovator, it cannot be business as usual. The revolution is real. Any government that benefits a few fails many. The consequences will be obvious with a social-media generation that is emboldened, empowered, and enlightened.

In his magnificent manifesto, Dr. Mbah captured my major concerns as a Coal City citizen and an Igbo nationalist. Still, the taste of ‘ọkpa’ cake is not in the mellowed banana-leave packaging but in eating the Waawa delicacy. For decades, I have preached that only the formation of a focused and organized opposition will push Enugu State to the next level. A government that lacks adequate assessments does not deliver the dividends of democracy, no matter the good intentions of its leader.

God must have a good sense of humor: We now have PDP in legislative opposition! A divided government is not new. The declared hero of 2023 elections, Mr. Peter Obi, served with a split government and delivered, albeit with ups and downs. The Labour Party legislative majority is a sure sign that the subsisting silence of the cemetery will end. Democracy dies in darkness. Silence is a tool of the incompetent; it builds estates of emptiness. There is a limit to the dirt we can sweep under the carpet before the stench overwhelms.

Needless to rehash the issues confronting our Governor-elect. He knows. We know. His mission and vision are documented. The disruptive innovations are primed and ready to deploy. Alas, two unexpected issues have added to his burden of bringing immediate palliative to Enugu State.

1. Peoples Democratic Party: The derriere of PDP is exposed. Here is a party with compensated chairmen and executives in 260 wards, 260 councilors (who played to the gallery during the primaries), 34 LGA chairs and deputies, 68 administrative area officials, 24 commissioners, several special advisers, and executive assistants—all as state staff, other major stakeholders, and a formidable campaign council of capable veterans and inspired initiates. Add the open support of APC faction, all ex-governors, and million-man marches.

What did we get? A struggle through the finish line with reported 160,895 votes! The Obidient Movement is not the primary reason. Ask Peter Obi. PDP requires rigid reorganization of its state structures–assuming such super state structures are still relevant! In addition to the crown of chief Lion in Enugu State, Mbah now wears the crown of Southeast zonal leader. He must remobilize and remodel the grassroots with true believers—not here-today and gone-tomorrow sycophants. PDP must reform along defined political principles that appeal to a new generation. He must confront community governments immediately to deliver discernible dividends of democracy.

2. The Nkanu Dichotomy: Dr. Mbah promised to confront the archaic plague. It has reared its ugly head. Again! The time has come to address the blight. The solution is so simple I still wonder what is stopping the dead dog from being buried. Folks focus on the silly symptom of murmured marital taboo, instead of uprooting the core creed inherited from overprotective ancestors. A cuddled chat does not end early. We need a good understanding of the life we live, a good study of history and Igbo spirituality, and the will to leave a better polity for generations. Everything else is embellishment.

These are added critical challenges to the promises of Peter Mbah. He has his plate full. He needs our prayers and support, not unnecessary consternations. The clogs in the wheel, and they are many, must be removed for progress to roll. Else, the funk flourishes.

Nothing is impossible when humans challenge themselves. It is a new day. Tomorrow is here: “Chi echi efoo taata.” Let’s go take on the day.

#moe, 3.27.23

@aladimma

By Chukwu Malachy O.

The 2023 Nigeria Presidential and National Assembly elections have been conducted and concluded. As announced by the commission, elections have been won and lost.

The election, prior to being conducted, was expected to herald a glimpse of hope for subsequent elections in the country. Before the 7th national election, voters were filled with high level of enthusiasm and optimism, braced and ready to rise to the occasion. Certainly, the introduction of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and assurances of preparedness from the electoral body, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), brought forth the considerable rate of voter turnout and reinforced the trust that this time, the voter’s vote will count.

However, the aftermath of the quadrennial exercise held on Saturday, 25th February, 2023, has generated huge talking points ranging from logistics issues, violent acts on voters in certain places, voter suppression and majorly the anomalies in the functionality of the BVAS and INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV), especially within the collation stage of the process. Many voters including Foreign Observers are now stuck in the doldrums with the entire process. It suffices to say that the electoral body has/had perhaps built castles in the air.

Despite the setbacks, every cloud has a silver lining! The earnings of the last polls must not be overlooked.

’’Democracy is a slow process of stumbling to the right decision instead of going straight forward to the wrong one.’’

It is safe to think that we are closer to where we want to be and farther from where we took off. The Nigerian state has witnessed another opportunity to elect her leaders through the ballot. Interestingly, through the ballot an election of a sort has emerged. An election that seem to be same-same, but different. An election that threw up very unpredictable outcomes that are rare in the nation’s political atmosphere. That is the beauty of the 2023 elections.

One of the major upsets thrown into the political scene is the winning of majority votes by the Labour party presidential candidate, HE Peter Obi, in Lagos state. A state where HE Bola Ahmed Tinubu served as a two term governor for 8 years and senator (for Lagos west) during the brief third republic. Such feats are extraordinary. Likewise, political parties won convincingly in states where opposition parties currently hold sway. APC controlled states such as Kebbi, Katsina, Kaduna, Yobe, Gombe were won by the PDP whilst Cross River, Nassarawa, Plateau, Ebonyi, Imo and Lagos were won by the Labour Party. Also, the APC garnered huge votes in certain PDP controlled states like Oyo, Benue and Rivers. The Labour Party also won in PDP states such as Edo, Delta, Enugu and Abia. Not forgetting the devastating impacts made by opposition parties in Anambra and Kano. Particularly, democracy was stimulated this time and it was shown in polling units and wards where strong party stalwarts lost their grounds to oppositions. These remarkable disruptions were caused in the political firmament of our dear nation. By and large, the voter’s vote made some unlikely impacts in this poll.

This paradigm shifts also hit the National Assembly elections. The 10th Assembly will surely witness a plethora of new members. Notably, out of the 55 serving senators who got party tickets and sought for re-election, only 25 succeeded. The turnover recorded in the last Saturday election is the highest since 2003, which would make the 10th senate largely populated by first timers. The Labour Party whose support base increased just few months ago clinched 6 senate seats and several House of Representative seats. The Social Democratic Party and New Nigeria Peoples Party also has won 2 senate seats apiece. Notably surprising is the circumstances of at least 7 out of the 10 current governors who ride on the power of incumbency to win election into the red chamber loose their respective senatorial districts. In the records, about 20 former governors were elected into the ninth National Assembly in 2019. This time, only two serving governors: HE Dave Umahi (Ebonyi) and HE Abubakar Bello (Niger) won their Saturday’s parliamentary election while the result of HE Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto) is yet to be announced by the electoral body. These uncommon but momentous twists are quite new in the Nigerian political scene.

Another eminent spin in the keenly contested 2023 presidential election is the percentage of votes won with. Of a little over 25 million accredited voters nationwide, the winner HE Bola Tinubu garnered 8.7 million votes, winning with just about 36.6% of total votes cast. That is a far cry from the 55.6 % and 53.9% the 2019 and 2015 elections were won with, respectively. It is therefore safe to assume that there are more people who voted in the direction of the other parties than those who voted for the president-elect. These also, show the distinctiveness of the 2023 presidential election.

As democrats, it will be pertinent to keep calling for electoral processes transparently devoid of chicanery. Nonetheless, we must not lose sight of the advancements in our elections, as a developing nation. Looking at the unprecedented events and with the inroads made, we seem closer to where we want to be. Is this the time to quit? Do we throw the baby out with the bath water?

This is the election where the winner didn’t get 25% in the centre of unity, the Federal Capital Territory.

This is the election where political parties can’t claim they inherited votes from previous elections.

This is the election where principal and well known legislators won’t make it to the red and green chambers and many first timers will be welcomed.

This is the election where three political parties won 12 states each (including the FCT).
Quoting the 18th century Irish philosopher, Edmund Burke: “Nobody makes a greater mistake than he who does nothing because he could do only a little”. Our voices were surely heard therefore we must not loose hope.

Chukwu Malachy O. writes from Abuja.

By Madu Ezenoha

The Enugu State governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Uche Nnaji (Nwakaibie) recently presented his manifesto to the people of the state. According to experts, it was a manifesto that, if well executed, would transform the socio-economic and political life of the citizens of the state.

Nnaji made it clear that he was motivated by the desire to offer selfless service to Ndi Enugu and not for self enrichment; since he has already been blessed by God with whatever it takes to provide a good life for himself and family. He made it clear that there is a limit to what individual wealth can do for the people in terms of philanthropy among other things. He said that using government resources, a person with the patriotic zeal and entrepreneurial skill like himself can create public wealth for the benefit of a greater number of people.

Nnaji declared, “I am convinced that Enugu State has been a victim of poor governance since its creation. Most administrations that ruled it not only abandoned the dreams and visions of the State’s founding fathers but also programmed it for stagnation and backwardness. The founding fathers of Enugu State envisioned a state with no enslavement of any man.

“They envisioned a state where the creative potentials of Ndi-Enugu would be unleashed for productive purposes to create wealth and sustainable employment. They envisioned a state where poverty would be a stranger and the people would live in peace, freedom, and fraternal brotherhood of humankind, with protection from violence and crimes.

“Sadly, we have adopted a dangerous philosophy of ‘political correctness’ to vitiate the visions of our founding fathers; our traditional values have been degraded, over time, and our founding fathers are turning with pain in their graves. Poverty has become our second nature even amid plenty.

“We have become hostages to misgovernance, resulting in an increasing army of unemployed youths roaming our streets. We seem to have forgotten that one of the surest ways of stemming the tide of insecurity is to lift people out of poverty. We have neglected areas where we have a comparative advantage and just waiting to share monthly allocations from the federation account.”

The APC guber flag bearer said that Enugu State is in the top tier of the poorest states in Nigeria, the top tier of the most indebted states in Nigeria, the top tier of the least industrialized states in Nigeria, and the top tier of the most unemployment-stricken states in Nigeria.

Therefore, with people’s mandate, Nwakaibie offers himself to change this narrative and liberate the people from years of untold suffering.

The essence of government, according to him, is to provide the necessities of life for the most significant number of people in society.

He declared, “It was not for nothing that philosophers like Epicurus, Jeremy Bentham, and Arthur Atkinson spoke about governance in terms of ‘surplus of pleasure over pain’. Any government that fails to provide a surplus of pleasure over pain to the citizenry has failed. My involvement in politics motivates me to serve my people selflessly. I do not believe that political positions are to enrich people but to serve the people selflessly and altruistically.”

He stressed that political positions are not an “open sesame” for pillaging the commonwealth of a people. Unfortunately, many are driven primarily by what they can get from the system and not necessarily what they can give.

“I have always argued that people can make an honest living outside politics. In my little way, I have proven this assumption to be correct. For instance, I have successfully established several thriving business ventures without involving myself in politics. A few examples may be necessary. One of my firms is incubating a gigantic rice milling industrial complex with capacity to provide hundreds of youth employment opportunities. This rice milling complex can produce 300 tons of rice per hour.

“We also have a bag-making factory that can produce 42,000 bags in one shift of 10 hours. Our bag-making factory produces rice bags of all types, cement bags, fertilizers bags and flour and grain bags of all kinds and employs hundreds of workers. I have taken advantage of the technology highway to establish an industrial complex that can compete favourably on all fronts.”

Nnaji posited that the successes of some of these mentioned enterprises that he own is a proof that one can be comfortable without soiling one’s hands by stealing public fund in the name of politics, noting that if he can achieve this much as an individual, the state apparatus would give him better leverage to do more for a more significant majority, hence his focus is to achieve an industrialized Enugu State.

“My vision for a good and prosperous Enugu State is to ‘re-make’ it into a State that can harness the vast human and material resources that God has blessed us with and turn these resources into production for the benefit of the masses. I envision a state that would be able to drive the industrial resurgence of Enugu State, cut the cost of governance and catalyse production, thereby creating employment opportunities for our teeming youth. I envision a state that would maximize our comparative advantage in agriculture by putting our cultivable land to use and providing adequate security for lives and property.

“I am a firm believer in the maxim that one cannot give what one does not have. The first step towards a new Enugu State is recalibrating our priorities. There are many potentials in our State, but we have been unable to tap into them.”

The APC Candidate stated that the first phase of his economic transformation would comprise initiatives to considerably degrade unemployment challenges in the State and economically stabilize the citizens. The four activity areas within this portfolio include agriculture-driven prosperity, business oxygenation, infrastructure (electricity, water, road, housing) and education.

“With our vast arable land and comparative advantages in the production of cassava, maize, and rice, among other products, I plan to make Enugu State the cassava capital of Nigeria and gainfully employ a total of 182,000 youth and women in the value chain within four years. We shall initiate a fully funded farming scheme program with 1,500 young school leavers and participating citizens from each local government area interested in agriculture.

“Twenty-five thousand youth from 17 LGAs are to participate in the scheme annually. The balance of massive employment we plan to orchestrate in this sector would come from a combination of subsidiary initiatives. These include establishing private sector driven [a] agricultural equipment rental services, [b] modernized milling plants and production expansion programs, [c] agro-industrial processing layout and [d] agrologistics company to optimize resulting value chain opportunities.”

He enumerated some of the complementary initiatives to make it most successful to include: creating Cassava Farming Cooperative Societies in the 17 LGAs in the State; provide bulldozers and tractors for land preparation and planting at a favourable cost to farmers; provide farmers with loans/grants; provide farm inputs like fertilizer at competitive rates; initiate a policy of land management to avoid land wastage; and esnsure that each LGAhas a farm either of cassava, maize, rice or palm plantation.

“The backbone of our large-scale business rebirth plan is a N34 billion Enugu State employment development trust fund [EEDTF] to drive increased entrepreneurial activities. Under the arrangement, we shall make necessary business revival and growth funding available to businesses with high profitability prospects and willing to absorb and train at least three interns through our partnering financial institutions at single-digit interest rates.

“Based on our calculations, this initiative would generate at least 270,000 fresh employment opportunities.

“Thirdly, driving our proposed industrialisation and manufacturing without adequate power generation would be challenging. We shall invest in renewable energy as an alternative source of energy. We would invest more in upgrading power solutions such as solar and coal energy.

“In diversifying the power infrastructure, we shall develop the state government’s reticulation lines. We shall site power projects in areas where we intend to woo investors, especially local governments. We intend to increase energy generation and depend less on the national grid.

“During the time of Jim Nwobodo, we had many industries in Enugu State. What happened to all these industries? They have been run aground due to bad management and lack of power supply, and succeeding administrations have not found it imperative to resuscitate any of them. Therefore, my administration would conduct status scrutiny on those and initiate new industrial parks in the three senatorial zones for industrialization and employment opportunities for our youth.”