Category: Opinion

By M.O. Ene

The quest for political power in a presidential democracy is not for the fainthearted. To win, opponents sow seeds of doubts, but lies convert to campaigns of calumny. Fat and fact-free fabrications drag harsh winds that nurture a tsunami of hate. It is okay to take sides in elections, but it is crass to degrade people who seek to serve.

The gubernatorial candidate of PDP, Peter Mbah, has been at the receiving end of concocted calumny and desperate demarketing. The pushback was strong. Still, the Internet regurgitates preposterous postings and their tall tales that tend to trend.

During a Zoom interactive interview with the diaspora community on November 6, 2022, Mbah stated: “In the run up to the primaries, there was a lot of misinformation that was peddled. People vilified others. There was politics of calumny. One was maligned, scorned, and all that. Even though I knew when I took the decision that I was going to be exposed to all sorts, I underrated the extent to which people would entertain themselves and stretch their imagination in concocting falsehoods.”

The paucity of professional practitioners of journalism and mass communication in Enugu State has not helped. Not many people knew of the amazing accomplishments of oil-and-gas magnate Mbah—a manager of men and an innovative pacesetter, though he had served the state as both a chief of staff and commissioner for finance.

It does not take digging deep to demolish the falsehoods. For example, Mbah was studying overseas and wrapping up his law school during the 1999-2003 period. His involvement in politics was accidental. He served briefly and went back to his thriving business. Twice.

On the EFCC muddle, Mbah has revealed that the commission did not invite him: he volunteered to help with the investigations. After months of fishing for faults, nothing popped up to charge him. Mbah explained: “I was never a party to any plea bargain. I have never been convicted before in [or] by any court. I have never faced any criminal charges.”

He further asserted: “Indeed, if there is a shred of evidence, I challenge anyone, just a modicum of evidence to show that I was part of a plea bargain or that I was convicted by any court of law for any charge whatsoever.”

To date, no one has contradicted him; yet the talks endure even among people who know better. Mbah concluded: “These were the things that existed in the imagination of some people, and I felt that they did politics with it. But the time of politics is over. We should face reality.”

Indeed, we should have faced reality, not romancing the falsehoods. No candidate has reviewed each other’s manifesto and argued proposals. PDP’s Mbah presented his manifesto quite early. APGA’s Frank Nweke followed. APC’s Uche Nnaji posted his piece much later. LP’s Chijioke Edeoga is yet to present a plan, let alone a manifesto. The essence of ‘emilokan’ endures!

Of all the fact-full and fat-free proposals, no one is talking about the facts. Instead, some citizens spend time picking pebbles off clean clothes.

With one week to go, we should focus on what the candidates want to do and how. The people of Enugu State should not be entertaining dangerous dichotomy and petty parochialism preached by supposed statesmen nor getting carried away by the emotions and euphoria of evolving events. Ndị Enugu cannot afford to make a mistake that will make the present pain a pediatric party. This is no child’s play: Anya sakwaa nụ!

#moe

@aladimma

3.3.23

As heartbreaking and condemnable as the broad daylight and gruesome assassination on Wednesday, 22 February 2023, of one of Nkanu’s finest lawyers and politicians, Barr. Oyibo Chukwu, a native of Amurri in Nkanu-West, along Amechi road, Awkunanaw, Enugu South LGA, while coming back from one of his numerous campaign tours in the build-up to the Enugu East senatorial district election formerly scheduled for Saturday, 25th of February, 2023, it’s rather sad, smacks disdain and insensitivity of a disproportionate degree for some individuals close to the deceased, perhaps, to score cheap political points, kept engaging in a campaign of calumny and mudslinging, throwing shades of all sorts and pointing accusing fingers at the person of His Excellency, Dr Chimaroke Nnamani, the founder and leader of the Ebeano political group and the senator representing Enugu East senatorial district, for being responsible for the death of Oyibo Chukwu.

To me, and to be fair, those media attacks on Chimaroke, do not show any form of emotional intelligence by the proponents, it lacks the expected aura of submissiveness to the manifestation of the will of the Almighty God over the living and even the dead. Those sponsoring and publicising such publications have thus far exhibited their academic ineptitude by allowing such diatribes to be churned out from their end and into the media space without recourse to any concrete evidence to support their claims.

Applying common sense, Oyibo, with his Personal Assistant’s horrible assassination could not have been callously but smoothly masterminded by Chimaroke as alleged, such that at the same time, he had his party -PDP, attacked, with a member shot dead and immediately set ablaze in a PDP campaign vehicle almost at the same place as Oyibo, his Assistant and co were maimed. Onlookers narrated that it also took the grace of God for the APC guber candidate, Uche Nnaji, to escape the same attackers, in the course of which he had his vehicle dotted with bullet dents and punctured tyres earlier in the same evening.

Was it also a set-up or a coincidence that the same Chimaroke had one of his trusted lieutenants, Mr Ifeanyi Edeh, inflicted with heavy bullet wounds by the same set of attackers that kept rampaging on the road from Akpugo to Agbani and up to Amechi? How could Chimaroke have perfected all these series of high-profile attacks that lasted for less than 45 minutes only to have Barr Oyibo Chukwu slaughtered? What could be his target which he has not achieved in life? Why has Uche Nnaji of APC not accused Chimaroke of attempting to assassinate him after surviving the holocaust? Does his own life not matter too?

The shocking truth is a few other shallow-minded persons who are in support of such publications and unguarded utterances, are leveraging the massive support enjoyed by Peter Obi with the Labour Party, to create more political tension in Nkanu land by whipping up sentiments in the guise of mourning. They seem to have allowed primordial sensitivities to becloud their sense of perfect judgement, hence, unaware of when to accuse based on verifiable reasons and not wriggle around baseless figments. This situation can rightly be described as desperation taken too far and should be avoided going forward.

Instead of unnecessarily flaring the embers of disunity by apportioning blames and wrongfully accusing a presumably innocent Chimaroke Nnamani, let the family, no matter how heavy-hearted they are, understandably though, allow Oyibo’s spirit a smooth passage unto peaceful repose in the bosom of his maker, and not to yield to the temptation of spreading all manner of needless conspiracy theory and vituperations.

As Nkanu, Enugu State and Nigeria are still mourning the sudden death of Oyibo Chukwu, and irrespective of whatever ideological or political differences we have harboured thus far, the already tensed Nkanu political landscape should be managed more carefully for us to have a very peaceful senatorial and gubernatorial elections. It will be costly and regrettable if our coexistence along with our differences is allowed to be strained further by our greed and thoughtlessness at this point.

If there is any concrete evidence that suggests the involvement of Senator Nnamani or anyone, the relevant authority should be directed to that as a clue while trailing the assailants and unravelling other circumstances thereto. No one is above the law and as such, anyone found culpable will go in.

Casting aspersions and engaging in smear campaigns against Chimaroke, will not stop him from leading if he is chosen by the people in one of the upcoming elections. All power belongs to God.

May the soul of Oyibo Chukwu continue to rest in peace.

Ngwu Sampson writes from Umu-ene-nta, Obe.

My Lord the Chief Justice,

I read with utter consternation, your press statement issued on your behalf by your Director of Press and Information, Festus Akande, wherein you took the unprecedented step to gag the public in criticizing the apex court.

I must hasten to say from the onset that the Supreme Court is one of the institutions of democracy, hence it’s judgments are subject to public scrutiny. What l don’t subscribe to are personal, scurrilous attacks of justices but with the greatest respect my Lord, your judgments are subject to public scrutiny, particularly when they impart on public policy or political processes. Perhaps, my Lord is oblivious of the perception out there in the public domain, that the Supreme Court in the past couple years has been compromised, compared to the Supreme Court of yore during the time of Kayode Eso, Otutu Obaseki, Adolphus Karibi-Whyte, Chukwudifu Oputa et al. This may not be so but perception is often more stronger than the reality.

In the past 40 years, l have written on the judiciary, right from the time Chief Justices Atanda Fatai-Williams, George Sowemimo, Ayo Irikefe, till date and l haven’t seen a situation where the Supreme Court would attempt to gag members of the public, legal practitioners inclusive, from criticizing the judgments or even conducts of judicial officers. Apart from being an infringement on section 39 of the 1999 constitution (as amended), it portends grave danger to the administration of justice.

I have, in the past risen to defend the judgments of the Supreme Court, not just as articles but in book form. See “The Sokoto Election Debacle and the Supreme Court” (2012) and “In Defence of the Supreme Court: Rivers state Election judgment”(2017).

My Lord, if l defended the Supreme Court in the past by putting issues in proper perspective, beyond emotive vituperation, why wouldn’t l have the locus now to disagree, criticise or even upbraid it’s judgments in respect of the Senatorial seats of Yobe and Akwa Ibom as they relate to Ahmed Lawan and Godswill Akpabio?

As a matter of fact, C.C. Nweze, JSC, who read the lead judgment in the Lawan’s matter has been a long-time friend right from when he was on the High court Bench, Enugu. A cerebral, highly articulate, intellectually deep, incorruptible and uncompromising judicial officer for whom l have tremendous respect. I cannot, by any stretch of imagination denigrate him but l disagree with his judgment and l have the right to do disagree and make public. So, why should l be gagged for disagreeing with the majority judgment? Interestingly, the same highly respected Nweze, JSC, in his lone dissenting judgment in respect of the controversial Imo Governorship judgment of 2020, had stated in his dissent, that the majority judgment “will continue to haunt our electoral jurisprudence for a long time”. This presupposes that the court’s judgment would have to pass through the litmus test of scholarly and public scrutiny. As a matter of fact, in my analysis of the judgment, l described it as SUPREME INJUSTICE. In 2008, after the controversial Supreme Court judgment in respect of Amaechi v. Omehia, Gani Fawehinmi (of blessed memory), in his criticism of the judgment, he described it as “perverse”. Heavens didn’t fall. Till now, Nigerians are still debating the propriety of the 1979 twelve two-thirds judgment of the Supreme Court in the Awolowo v. Shagari election. Heavens have not fallen. So, why now?

My Lord, the Supreme Court has a lot to do to change the public perception about it because justice is rooted in public confidence and this cannot be achieved by threats and gagging members of the public from criticizing its judgments.

May l end this letter, my Lord, with these quotes:

“Judges and court alike are open to criticism and if reasonable argument or expostulation is offered against any judicial act as contrary to law or public good, no court could or would treat that as contempt of court”

-Lord Russel in Reg. v. Gray (1990) 2QB 40.

“Justice has no place in darkness and secrecy. When a judge sits on a case, he himself is on trial…If there is any misconduct on his part, any bias or prejudice, there is a reporter to keep an eye on him”.

-Lord Denning (Address before High court journalists Association, Dec.3, 1964).

“Justice is not a cloistered virtue. She must be allowed to suffer the scrutiny and respectful, even through outspoken comments of ordinary men”.

-Lord Atkin (Ambard v. AG of Trinidad and Tobago (1936) AC 322.

Having said that, with profound respect my Lord, l want to put you on notice that l would criticize the Supreme Court judgments if and when necessary.

My kind regards

RICHARD AKINNOLA

Publisher/Editor-in-Chief, COURTROOM;

Publisher/Editor-in-Chief, MEDIA LAW DIGEST;

Publisher, CORRUPTION CASES JOURNAL

Director, MEDIA LAW CENTRE

Director, LEGAL HISTORY CENTRE

By M. O. ENE

A pretzel is a baked pastry made from flour rolled into distinctive intertwined and twisted shapes. January 13, 2002: President George W. Bush was watching Sunday night American football on television in the White House. He chose to snack on crunchy pretzels, instead of his regular cheeseburger pizza. Somehow, a piece went the wrong way into his pipe. He choked, fainted, fell flat, bruised his lower lips, and suffered a bloody abrasion on the left side of his face. We almost lost the world’s most powerful person at the time to a piece of presidential pretzel.

Nigeria’s oldest subsisting political party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), is snacking on pretzels, ignoring the five flies perching on its scrotal boil. Embattled party chairman Iyorchia Ayu just took a big bite. In a looming but still surprising move, his National Working Committee (NWC) expelled Senator Chimaroke Nnamani and six others.

In a statement by its national publicity secretary, NWC “approved the expulsion owing to anti-party activities and other grave offences in violation of the Constitution of the PDP … from today, Friday, February 10, 2023.”

No matter the offence, the expulsion did not follow due process. Senator Nnamani is the PDP candidate for Enugu East senatorial district. He has frowned at the party’s decision to flout its own rules on rotation of the top ticket, hence his support for Bola Ahmed Tinubu of ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). Why not support Labour Party’s Peter Obi? We do not have to like his decision, and that is a different matter.

A press release through his Counsel Olusegun O. Jolaawo, SAN stated clearly that Ayu’s NWC has no powers to suspend or expel a sitting senator; it can only refer such disciplinary matter to a properly constituted National Executive Committee (NEC).

“It is evident on the basis of Articles 57(7) and 59(3) of the Constitution of your party …, that no organ of the party, including the National Working Committee, has the competence to entertain any question of discipline against our client, except the National Executive Committee of the party. :::: Your committee has not claimed to be the National Executive Committee of the PDP and in fact, is not.”

As-is, Senator Nnamani is expected to win the February 25 Enugu East senatorial election. Conspiring to unsettle him or conniving to unseat him is counterproductive. There are permutations on how the party could missteer his legal checkmate and bring to an excruciating end its 100% hold on Enugu State’s elected offices since 2003.

A foreseeable opposition alliance may readily mop up the fallouts from the great party of Alex Ekwueme, no thanks to the rolling stone of Nigerian politics, Atiku Abubakar, and his inordinate ambition to rule Nigeria even if for one day—a trait he shares with APC counterpart, Tinubu.

Revolution 2023 is about the ability to deliver dividends of democracy, not party politics. The revolution is real. Peter Obi is the symbol of that change, the change from party politics to productive progressives. Win or lose, Nigerian politics will never be the same again. Both APC and PDP are slowly becoming dinosaurs living in the wrong age.

With the challenge of Chimaroke Nnamani, opposing partisans could in future partner for assorted purposes. It will ensure that democracy does not die in the darkness of partisanship. The challenge is deep and evolving. In a free country, anyone is free to support whomever, admitted that it is not great for party discipline. This will force party patriarchs to abide by set rules and give little room for aggrieved associates to seek dogmatic or ethical excuses elsewhere.

After his recovery, George Bush told the media, “My mother always said, ‘when you’re eating pretzels, chew before you swallow. Listen to your mother.”

Chairman Ayu must chew the next pretzel properly. The Chimaroke challenge should teach him to tread carefully before he takes on Governor Nyesom Wike’s G-5, especially since he (Ayu) is the bone of contention in the emerging northernization of PDP. Else, he may take PDP down the cliff if February 25 reshapes political platforms with another PDP presidential defeat.

©MOE: Saturday, Feb 11, 2023

@aladimma

On Sunday, February 5, the Okeifufe Campaign of Frank Nweke Jr, the gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance delivered a wheelchair to Abdullahman, a PLWD in Enugu.

The man, who is lame and mute, had a chance encounter with Nweke while the APGA governorship candidate was on a campaign market tour of Ogbete Main Market the previous week. The interaction ended with the promise of a wheelchair which was delivered by members of the campaign team.

The recipient beamed with excitement and gratitude, while his friends thanked Nweke’s team profusely for the kind gesture.

It will be recalled that Nweke has consistently stated his commitment to prioritising the rights and well-being of People Living With Disabilities in the State, backing his words with the provision of wheelchairs and crutches to those with mobility problems.

In previous engagements and from his manifesto, he has outlined the following key way his administration plans to improve the lives of the Physically Challenged and provide opportunities for every individual to be a partner in the development of the State.

“We will develop a data-driven approach that identifies the vulnerable in our State and integrates everyone in our plans for Education, Health, Human Rights, Environment and Social Services.

“Our administration will be inclusive and PLWD will have adequate representation in our government. The APGA philosophy of Onye Aghana Nwanne Ya will be what guides everything we do and no one will be left behind.
We will ensure that our urban planning, infrastructure, regulations, institutions are developed to foster accessibility, inclusion, protection of rights and implementation of the Disability Act. We will begin with ensuring that public buildings are well equipped with ramps to make mobility easier.

“We will work with all stakeholders from non-governmental organisations, the private sector and faith-based organisations to create opportunities for empowerment and self-sustenance, while providing welfare packages for the most vulnerable members. Our mission is driven by the 8th Sustainable Development Goal which aims to “promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.

“We will embark on reorientation and enlightenment programs to shift cultural beliefs and behaviours about PLWD. We will leave no one behind”.

With these foundational approaches, Nweke’s administration seeks to restore dignity to all regardless of status and drive inclusion at all levels of government and the economy.

Also worthy of note is that the All Progressives Grand Alliance in Enugu State have PLWD as party leaders and candidates, with competence, character and the capacity to deliver being the criteria.

By Steve Oruruo

It was Ralph Waldo Emerson who made the immortal assertion that life is a journey and not a destination. Unarguably, Enugu state owes much of its tranquil political climate and robust democracy to PDP’s unwritten zoning formula – a principle deeply rooted in the power of ideological variety, equity, fairness and egalitarianism., The first Enugu Governor of the fourth republic, His Excellency, Distinguished Senator Chimaroke Nnamani, an Nkanu stalwart, in his conscience conceived and advocated for power shift to Enugu West at the twilight of his memorable tenure. His decision was without prejudice to the plausible expediency to brazenly enthrone another Nkanu man with the prevailing brutality, brigandage, rascality, electoral flaws, distrust, unbridled fear and an apparent conspiracy of silence that accompanied our nascent democracy from 1999 to 2007. That rational thought led to the emergence of His Excellency, Barr. Sullivan I. Chime, the colossus of Agbaja extraction, who modernized Enugu’s sociopolitical culture and transformed its infrastructural landscape. It was only fair and intuitively right for Enugu North Senatorial District (Nsukka Zone) to produce the next governor in 2015. Despite appearing perhaps a simple decision on the face value, a critical mass of the Enugu stakeholders under the auspices of PDP CAUCUS MEETING unanimously agreed that the gubernatorial rotation should not only be officially adopted but entrenched forthwith in the same sequence. Yours sincerely had the singular honour and rare privilege of signing the minutes of the aforesaid meeting as the then Secretary of the Caucus of a party that dominantly conscribed the state to a one party system. This heralded the emergence of a temperate governor, His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Lawrence Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi. Thanks to the good people of Nsukka who birthed and nurtured Governor Ugwuanyi into the caliber of person and titan of a leader he is and has blessed Ndi Enugu with. As we approach the end of his time in the Lion Building, Governor Ugwuanyi’s reformative footprints on every inch of Enugu’s canvas will forever be indelible.

The axiom that there is richness in diversity is exemplified by Enugu’s dynamic political history and structural blueprint under the leadership of the PDP. A people soldered together under the wawa thicket, yet proud custodians of a variety of socio-cultural norms, religions, leanings and values. Rotating the mandate for the highest office in the state among the zonal tripod, like has been done for the past 24 years, guarantees that the state optimally benefits from the potpourri of talents and differing perspectives available to it. The alternative is a society afflicted with political inbreeding, deprived of the spice that is variety and deliberately programmed for an unending strife. The Enugu we would have in this forbidden imaginative scenario is one allergic and deliberately resistant to change and growth; plagued by chronic reinvention of the wheel stemming from a monotony of ideals and ideas, and ticking down rapidly to self-destruct. Sequel to the speculative power of clairvoyance of a visionary PDP who officially instituted the zoning arrangement through old-fashioned but sophisticated dialogue and humanism, Enugu doesn’t lack the variety of leadership potential, talents and ideologies needed in its determined momentum towards being a truly resilient modern society.

As Governor Ugwuanyi prepares to hand over to Dr Peter Mbah, whose massive victory at the polls is all but guaranteed judging from his antecedents as an accomplished captain of industry and public servant and his unassuming and genuinely godly persona, some Nsukka elites, disgruntled by their failure to impose their selfish interests on Enugu State or milk the state dry, have been working overtime in an attempt to malign the Ugwuanyi brand and quench the phenomenal flow of an irrepressible Mbah tsunami. Slaves to their pecuniary and parochial agenda, they seek to break faith with Enugu’s loyal constituents who willfully entered into a gentlemanly agreement to rotate power amongst themselves. Thankfully, the majority of Nsukka people, admired for their faultless sense of discernment and unimpeachable mastery of modern society’s mechanics and Enugu as a political microcosm, stand solidly behind their inimitable leader, brother and friend, Governor Ugwuanyi. Unfortunately for the few bad eggs and their cabals, desperate for continued hegemonic relevance in the face of a flurry of inclusive positive change inspired by Governor Ugwuanyi, the Nsukka man is not susceptible to manipulation; they have historically been able to sniff out gutter-level mendacities, transactional chicanery and brazen deceit from miles away.

You can take it to the bank that the good people of Nsukka are not only going to fully support Peter Mbah as he claims his God-ordained mandate, but they will also ferociously chart Governor Ugwuanyi’s triumphant entry into the Senate to continue his unrivalled record of public service. Nsukka felt the impact of Governor Ugwuanyi’s inventive policies and projects oriented towards systemic transformation, as an astute House of Representative lawmaker and as an epoch-defining and dogma-disrupting governor. While truly enacting the “for everybody and for nobody” rhetoric, Governor Ugwuanyi has always delivered to his kin and kith in Enugu North, their fair share of the state’s patrimony, even more than his predecessors. From Nsukka town – a fast-rising cosmopolitan megacity to the suburbs and across the stretch of the rural fringes, Ugwuanyi’s impact has been of immeasurable magnitude. He built modern road networks to facilitate Nsukka’s access to Enugu metropolis and to connect remote villages to the state’s main economic arteries. A new tertiary institution in Igbo-Ano, an annex of the state secretariat, modernization of Ogige Main Market, a state-of-the-art stadium and socioeconomic elevation of the enterprising Nsukka youth, name them all. Needless to say, no governor has done more for his people than Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi.

What manner of stunted logic makes Governor Ugwuanyi’s naysayers believe that the true Nsukka man or woman will abandon or defy their finest hero or unplug themselves from the mainstream of political contention by going against the PDP? The Nsukka man doesn’t turn his back on family because family is everything, more so when that family member is Governor Ugwuanyi, a man of unequalled pedigree and character and an iroko; a true scion of the Nsukka stock – godly and amiable yet relentless, enterprising and resolute. A man whose loyalty to his people has always stood the test of time and whose mission to elevate Nsukka to the Everest of economic prosperity is clear even to the blind. Enugu needs an Nsukka united around her trueborn heroes who keep its engine of progress revving, because the state and nation will always rely on the trove of potential and talents from this orchard of intellectual giants, think-thanks, business masterminds and indomitable youths.

It is refreshing to see Nsukka people massively rally around Governor Ugwuanyi. A fence of support is building around him, stronger than the city walls of Constantinople, fending off blunt arrows and tame cannonballs from the enemy. Governor Ugwuanyi is an Ijele-masquerade that must not fall. His career in public service is an empire and a crusade, highly profitable to the ordinary man and aligned with Nsukka interests, that must never be defeated. Fidel Castro was protected by the Cuban people during his protracted strife with the American government who tried several times to depose him. He was Cuban by blood and essence, and a symbol of resistance against foreign intervention and imperialism, so his people stood by him despite perceived shortcomings. His Excellencies, Chimaroke Nnamani and Sullivan Chime were stoutly defended by the Nkanu and Agbaja clans respectively, during the tempestuous periods of their political careers, and so were countless other leaders in Enugu and beyond. Governor Ugwuanyi’s people-centric leadership, ideals which he integrated into Enugu’s sociopolitical fabric has made him powerful enemies – resentful narcissistic elites who can no longer treat the state as a cash cow. Nsukka people cannot afford to abandon Ugwuanyi to be a lone warrior amongst beasts. A stronger Ugwuanyi is a stronger Nsukka as a new regime beckons .

The Peter Mbah brand is one Ndi Enugu should embrace for several reasons. His issue-based campaign which touches on all critical areas of governance is unprecedented. Take your pick among his endless list of qualifications – his undented image and reputation, his pedigree as an accomplished industrialist, his limitless brilliance and undying quest for knowledge, his unfaltering fear of God, or his genuine empathy and camaraderie. The Nsukka man or woman who is concerned about losing power at the helm, can be assured that a dispassionately rational, buoyantly articulate and conscientious Peter Mbah is poised to carry everybody along. Dr Peter Ndubuisi Mbah realizes the gem that Nsukka is owing to its strategic geographical position on Enugu’s landscape, its abundance of resources, its rich cultural heritage and the uniqueness of its people. As the Peter Mbah campaign train gains momentum in the coming days and weeks, the opportunity presents itself for Ndi Nsukka to reaffirm their commitment to Enugu’s longstanding political contract, take a solid stance on the right side of history and pat Governor Ugwuanyi on the back for a job well done through a resoundingly vociferous support for his senatorial ambition.

Oruruo is the Special Adviser to the Governor of Enugu State on Information.

By Ozor Chuma Ike Magbo 

When the Bolivian military managed to find Che Guevara out of hiding with the information off a shepherd, they asked the shepherd: “Why denouncing a man who sacrificed himself yet for your freedom and well-being?”

The shepherd replied: “I denounced him because the crackling of arms scares my animals in pasture”.

When Mohamed Karim, the Egyptian who undertook to resist the assault of Alexandria launched by Napoleon, was arrested by the army and sentenced to death, Napoleon appealed to him and said: “I have the trouble to execute a man who has valiantly defended his country, I do not wish history to retain the image of a person who stifles the impetus of the patriots that defend the integrity of their homeland, so, I promise you freedom if you pay ten thousand gold coins as financial compensation to my soldiers that the resistance killed.”

Smiling, Mohamed Karim replied: “I do not have the full amount requested on me, but I am indebted more than 100 thousand pieces of gold by the merchants of Alexandria, they will pay for sure, this fine, so that I have my life saved!”

Chained, Mohamed Karim was driven to the Alexandria market for a tour of the market in search of the sum on which his freedom will depend.

But, to his great surprise, no merchant was on his fate, worse, the natives accused him of being a troublemaker, destroyer of property, and undermining the economic vitality of the port city of Alexandria!

Napoleon, in view of the resignation of his family towards him, declared: “I will concede that the sentence of capital punishment be executed not because you killed my soldiers, but for having fought for cowardly people, who care more about their business than about their integrity!”

Mohamed Rachid Rida, Syrian Arab reformator said: “To revolt on behalf of an ignorant people, is like to set yourself on fire in order to light the way for a blind man!”

The Ezeagu man who is against Chima Obieze’s return to the House of Assembly is either blind, ignorant, short-sighted, myopic, or just wicked.

People should endeavour to study the doctrine of “comparative advantage” in politics.

Beyond the fact that we have never had an agreed number of terms a State House member can serve, Ezeagu must begin to look at the bigger picture. The truth is, the agenda to return Chima Obieze back to the House of Assembly is not for Chima Obieze but for the good of Ezeagu in general. I am part of this project & if you truly love Ezeagu you should join the movement to return Obieze back to the House of Assembly.

If we can support Sen. Ekweremadu in 2011 to go for 3rd term, in 2015 to go 4th term and in 2019 to go for 5th term, because we believe in the comparative advantage of having him back in the Senate, then why can’t we do the same for our own son, Hon. Obieze. The opportunities are enormous. Ezeagu let’s start playing politics of development of progression.

For me the young man has over the years demonstrated that he is capable in paying attention to the welfare of the people of Ezeagu. He is the most accessible, he is the most friendly, he is the most available and he listens when you talk to him. In need Obieze will always do his best for our people. As of today, he is our finest, so we must do everything we can to support him to grow.

Within 7 years of his triumphant entry into the political space, Rt. Hon. Obieze expanded the space and demonstrated to the youths its possible to explore their political horizon. Today, more than 50 youths that were under his tutelage are seeking elective positions while over 5000 more from across the state are still taping from his wealth of experience and mentorship.

Obieze demystified political office that during his first term, his office at the state House of Assembly was code-named “Youths Constituency Office.” He’s so accessible that even youths outside his Ezeagu Constituency run to him to resolve their issues.

It’s no longer news that today, a lot of youths can look back and say that “If Obieze can succeed in politics, I can.” I ask umunnem Ndi Ezeagu, how else can you measure impact?

Sending Obieze back to the House of Assembly I will say is demotion because his capacity and contributions towers above that currently, thus, him accepting the clarion call to go back to House Speaks volume about his service-driven style of politics.

Unlike Executives, Legislators gets better with years and Obieze will be very important to the success of 8th Assembly when he makes it back to the house.

I don’t want to talk about the number of persons that are graduates today because of him, widows and market women that are still in business because of his interventions. Do we talk about the number of persons he facilitated their businesses? These will be stories for another day.

Magbo writes from Imezi-Owa.

… Representation: Based on Track Record of Stellar Performance or Empathy to Fault-finders?

By Nnamani Samuel Freeman (Ilo ka n’ Uno)

Given the deservedly popular political status of the incumbent Governor of Enugu State, His Excellency, Lawrence Ifeanyichukwu Ugwuanyi (CON), not only in the South-east but in the Nigerian political sphere, it is presumably no longer news or surprise of any sort to the politically informed Nigerians that as his tenure as the governor of the state is winding down, Ugwuanyi has an eye on the Enugu North Senatorial seat, to further his representation to his people of Enugu north Senatorial zone as a lawmaker on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. Sequel to this, and like a stroll across the park, Ugwuanyi clinched the nomination ticket by defeating the incumbent Nkpologu, Uzo Uwani-born Senator Godfrey Chukwuka Utazi, who has been in the red chambers since 2015.

Not disconcerted in any way by the cacophonies of vituperations occasioned by series of disappointments emanating from the camps of the opposition, detractors and a few politically obsolete narcissists from the Enugu North Senatorial zone, the incumbent Governor, Ugwuanyi, and his team, with stardust scattered across the zone by the splendour and glamour of his lofty and well-calculated achievements in massive infrastructural and human capital development, are standing shoulder high and unstoppable from emerging victorious in the polls. Based on his competence and service delivery to the Enugu north zone, more so from the perspective of an unbiased political analyst, defeating Ugwuanyi in the polls come March 2023, will go into the history book as the 8th wonder of the world.

In a democracy, however, no matter how popular a given candidate appears in the eyes of the electorates, it will be grossly insensitive and may amount to political suicide if the tendencies of the opposition are not given due scrutiny. A reasonable analysis of the core aptitudes of the opposing camp and political parties, no matter how trivial they may seem, is the bedrock upon which suitable strategies for competitive advantage are built. From this premise nevertheless, it has been observed that Ugwuanyi’s seemingly infinitesimal pockets of opposition from the Enugu North Senatorial zone, are being spearheaded by a group of over-the-top pantomime villains who have consistently allowed their consciences to be veiled by cultural sectarianism. They have repeatedly argued among other things that, first, Ugwuanyi committed an unforgivable sin by not supporting the emergence of a candidate from the Nsukka cultural zone as his successor; second, that Ugwuanyi did not jettison the expected developmental balance which the whole Enugu state should experience, to focus attention only on developing the Nsukka zone using all of Enugu resources.

As banal and myopic as these assertions appear, an impartial observer may wish to know if Ugwuanyi has not done well enough for his Enugu North zone, to not deserve their unflinching backing in the race to the red chambers. The truth is that the activities of the naysayers cannot outweigh the glaring fact that Ugwuanyi, taking into cognizance the fact that Enugu North is just one of the three zones in Enugu state, all of which merit fairly equal opportunity for a decent percentage of the developmental strides of the government of the day, managed to complete some legacy projects which have inarguably elevated the Enugu north zone to the status of another South-eastern state, should federal legislation permit. There is no disputing the validity that Enugu north is the most economically developed and viable part of Enugu State in the absence of the Enugu metropolis, which to date remains the commonwealth of the eastern region. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi orchestrated these developments bearing in mind the validity of the age-long saying that there is no place like home.

To quickly refresh the poor memories of the Enugu North defeatists who are always in search of Ugwuanyi’s faults, it’s on record that Governor Ugwuanyi’s administration completed the first fourth republic flyover in Enugu. It’s nonetheless fundamental to note that though the masterpiece is located at the Popular T-junction in Abakpa Nike, Enugu East senatorial zone, and while it is designed to tackle the menace of the intractable gridlocks the popular T-junction was hitherto known for, there is also no debating the fact that easing transportation in and out of Nsukka through Abakpa as an alternative route, to enhance the economic viability of the Enugu north zone by connecting it to the capital city, was also in the mind of the ever-pensive Governor Ugwuanyi. Truth be told, the Enugu North road transport has been improved by more than 30 per cent through the strategic positioning and timely completion of that flyover. It has more direct economic benefits to the Enugu North zone than any other zone in Enugu state; courtesy of the Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi  led administration’s resourcefulness and sense of developmental balance.

Moving further into the university town of Nsukka, Ugwuanyi’s detractors, no matter how awkward their self-deceits have pushed them away from the time-honoured act of appreciation, must have secretly acknowledged the impacts the newly reconstructed Opi-Nsukka dual carriageway, fitted with street and traffic lights, have on the zone. The section of the road threatened by flood has since been tackled decisively using the state of the art facilities such as underground drainages by the Ugwuanyi administration. Pursuing his rural development strategy across Enugu state as a whole, the nsukka zone profited enormously with the completion of the 22.44km Obollo- Etiti-Ogbodu-Aba road that spans Mbu to Neke in Isi-Uzo LGA. In Uzo-Uwani Local government also, his administration finished in record time, the reconstruction of the 26.66km Ukpabi-Nimbo-Ugbene Ajima-Eziani road.

Furthermore, to strengthen the foothold of the zone, especially Nsukka on the global education map, Ugwuanyi’s government facilitated the completion of the State University of Medical and Applied Sciences(SUMAS) Igbo-Eno, Enugu State. This, on record, is the second state-owned university in Enugu state after the Enugu State University of Science and Technology ( ESUT) in Agbani. The Federal Polytechnic, Ohodo, in Igbo-Etiti Local Government area also facilitated by the Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi administration, is yet another educational laurel added to the Enugu North zone by their illustrious son, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi. The like of the now functional 5,000-seat capacity township stadium built by Ugwuayi’s administration in Nsukka can not be found in any other zone in the entirety of Enugu State except in the state capital.

In the area of Human Capital Development, selfish critics are blind to the fact that the Enugu North zone is at the top considering the number of their illustrious sons and daughters gainfully employed by Ugwuanyi’s administration. Time will not permit me here to name them.

Whereas indeed, adjustments and frictions, balancing and counter-balancing, push and pull, allegations and counter-allegations, confrontation and cooperation and rivalry of all shades are a few of the processes that are inevitable in the evolution of Nigeria’s emerging democratic dispensation, it is edifying to also note that democracy has allowed the people the freedom to choose their leaders based on their visible and measurable accomplishments, not on lies and a show of excessive desperation to take over power. To this, it is conspicuous that no leader from Enugu North and the whole of Enugu state has developed the zone more than Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, and having been unanimously chosen by his people once again to continue holding their mandate in the Senate, not even the raucousness of his adversaries can stop him. The die is now cast.

By M.O. Ene

“Uche bụ akpa; onyeọbụla nya nke ya.” (The mind is like a bag; everyone has one.) Everyone has something to say; opinions are a-dozen-a-dime. When we craft a mantra, a slogan, we must clarify what it means, no matter how catching the phrase. Clarification is more desirable when a mantra is rendered in a different language. That’s why many Igbo idiomatic phrases fail to have the same meanings or effectiveness when translated into English.

In “Tomorrow is Here,” there has been an apparent inability to adapt and adopt an acceptable Igbo equivalence. It left everyone using the English version, which still needs clarification. Lately, some critics question the real meaning of the phrase, the campaign slogan of PDP gubernatorial candidate, Dr. Peter N. Mbah.

Almost everyone agrees that Enugu State is not where it ought to be. The reasons may vary, but the facts on the ground are self-evident: deficiency in infrastructure, endemic exploitation, lack of basic amenities… especially water and waste disposal, and intractable insecurity. Amidst these social problems hangs the mantra: ‘Tomorrow is Here’! It raises more than a few eyebrows.

Peter Mbah knows the facts; he is a resident. Addressing a forum of special assistants to the current state governor, Mbah gave an insight into the philosophy of tomorrow manifesting in the present:

“We have what it takes to move Enugu to the next level of development. We have development programmes that will scale up production. The time for the industrialisation of our state is now. There is no more time to waste. There’s no more procrastination. That’s the meaning of our tagline, ‘Tomorrow Is Here’” (petermbah.net, 11.11.22).

In essence, Enugu State has here and now all it takes to build a better tomorrow, make Enugu great again. At a town hall meeting with the people of Nsukka at Ovogovo on the same Friday, Felix Asogwa, a professor of international relations, reechoed a reason for the choice, “Your slogan, ‘Tomorrow Is Here,’ is beautiful because you have manifested it in the private sector, and we believe you’re bringing in that knowledge to our state.”

Just yesterday, Buchi Nnaji posited in a pro-youth piece titled, “Understanding the DECEIT of ‘Leaders of Tomorrow’ and the HOPE of Peter Mbah’s ‘Tomorrow Is Here’:
“’Tomorrow Is Here’ as declared by the PDP guber candidate is not just a slogan, but more like a mission statement. It signifies the arrival of a systematic plan to liberate youths from the bondage of deceit. It is a wake-up call to give the young generation who are of productive age a sense of responsibility. It means that Peter Mbah is coming to hand over leadership to the youths proper.”

The mantra is a message of hope, a call to check what we have, and use it to embrace a new dawn for all. The Igbo say that “echi dị ime” (lit. ‘tomorrow is pregnant’): We know it will bring forth a child; with current technology, we can foretell the gender and plan a baby shower with the correct colors! Thus, tomorrow favors those who prepare plots, plant seeds today, and plan to reap bountifully. We cannot wait for heavy, dark clouds to drop contents before taking utensils out of the way.

I get the current concerns of those who find the mantra either empty or arrogant. I did not take wholesale to the chant when it first appeared. My contention was on finding an easy Igbo equivalent phrase. To date, no equivalent Igbo catchphrase resonates; none makes good sense to me.

In a campaign meme came “Echi abịago” (‘Tomorrow has come’); that means ‘today.’ There is the English-Igbo gibberish: “Echi atụgo down”! Monsignor Obiora Ike used “Chi efogo” (‘It’s a new dawn’). “Nke iru ka” (‘the future is great’) makes good sense, but “nkeiruka” now applies to ‘voluptuous bosom’ (as “azụka” applies to ‘daring derriere’). Other suggestions include: ‘Echi abịala, Taa bụ gboo, Echi dị ime,’ etc.

The solution to understanding the slogan better, as stated earlier, lies in adapting and adopting an appropriate Igbo idiom: “Chi echi efoo taata!” The phrase implies that the dawn of tomorrow has been revealed by current developments, which is what “Tomorrow is Here” means with the emergence of Peter Mbah: Here is the future.

A search reveals that “Tomorrow Is Here” dates to a 1977 album by American jazz musician Willie Bobo, where he needs no alcohol to get energy flowing through the veins and the body to the brain because “tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow is here!”

In a 2021 online article, Ralph Hamann borrowed the title from Gretchen C. Daily’s moving mantra: “Tomorrow is here. There is a role for everyone.” He wrote about renewed commitment to action on global climate crisis: “Here is yet another instance, where the future has arrived: In this turbulent time of transition, we are all called to reinvent ourselves.” The 2023 elections call for nothing less.

With these clarifications, we will wrap this up with some relevant lines from a song by The Monkees titled, “Look Out Here Comes Tomorrow”:
Look out, here comes tomorrow
How I wish I could borrow
I see all kinds of sorrow
Look out, here comes tomorrow!’

Regardless of ‘all kinds of sorrow,’ we should borrow the hope of tomorrow. Yes, tomorrow is here. #ChiEchiEfooTaata

#moe, 1.23.23
@aladimma

…The desperation of Lucky Chukwu and his notorious cohorts

By Ability Chukwuemeka Mbah

Waking up this first Saturday morning of this beautiful year 2023 to a video making round our social media spaces of Chief Lucky Chukwu, the elder brother to Enugu East Labour Party Senatorial Candidate, Barr Oyibo Chukwu addressing some of the Party’s supporters with Barr Chijioke Jonathan Edeoga seated, and saying that Barr Dr Peter Ndubuisi Mbah, Enugu State PDP Gubernatorial candidate is an Ezza man claiming to be an Nkanu man; was to say the least a brazen dispel of ignorance. As an indigene of Owo, that is politics taken too far. While we are proud of our fraternity with the great people of Ezza Ezekuna, but the feeling of a man whose identity has been misplaced and robbed is better imagined. Chief Chukwu’s tone was rather to derogate the people of Nkanu nation, Enugu State and PDP for electing an “Ezza man” their Gubernatorial candidate as if anything is wrong with that in our Nigerian Constitution. That will be a thesis for another day.

Normally, such ignoramus speech won’t have elicited reaction from anyone but for the sake of our future generations. I would have allowed him to wallow in his ignorance, but as is usually the case, where knowledge is lacking, speculations tend to flourish; and such speculations gets elevated misguidedly to the status of historical facts, through unchallenged repetitions over time.

The ubiquitous nature of oral and written history of Nkanu nation and her people requires I don’t repeat them here. Great sons of Nkanu land have done justice to that, especially on Community by community level. However, Pastor Barr Anayo Enechukwu in 1993 wrote what can be termed to be a wholesome history of the Nkanu nation in his book titled; “History of Nkanu”. To the glory of God, he’s still alive here with us and can be referenced.

Owo is a Town in Nkanu East Local Government Area of Enugu State, South-East Nigeria. She is bounded on the North by Ubahu, on the East by Amezu, Umuhuali, Nkalagu and Ubeagu (four of the popular Igbo Esaa towns of Ishielu LGA of Ebonyi State – the remaining three are: Ezillo, Nkalaha and Iyionu); on the West by Nike, and on the South by Oruku and Amechi Idodo. She is made up of six ancient clans – Ashishi, Ohuani, Ogere, Ishiegu, Emene and Ndiagu; the last two has different epoch of migration and historical origin. In 2006, Mbulu Owo was created as a separate Autonomous Community.

Owo is one Nkanu Town with certainty in pattern of migration. Unlike other Igbo towns still being confronted with varying information surrounding the migration of the different people to their present abode. This is one of the major problems of African historiography, but Owo was spared that confusion.

Their migration started from Umuatugboma, Akegbe Ugwu in Nkanu West LGA – who themselves traced their origin to the Ntuegbe Nese clan – a confederation of five groups of towns all of which claim descent from a legendary founder, Ntuegbe. His five sons founded the towns of Ogwugwu(Ogugu), Owelle(Owelli Court), Ihe and Agbogwugwu(Agbogugu); all in present day Awgu LGA, and Akegbe. Any elder from Akegbe Ugwu knows that Owo and Akegbe people don’t see each other’s blood; we know what that means in Igbo cosmology. Till this present day, Ndi Owo still have their own stone in Akegbe for the worship of “Ani Akegbe”, situated at the ancestral shrine of Umuatugboma. From Akegbe Ugwu, they migrated to Ugbene Nike in present day Enugu East LGA. In search of greener pastures, they made further migration to their present location.

The leader of the second migration from Ugbene Nike was a great hunter called Ugbene, according to oral history; the son of Emeli Agada of Nike. He had four sons – Otuwa, Navugo, Eze Onyikuchi and Igwe Onyieze. In one of his hunting expeditions, Ugbene through the assistance of his dog, discovered the Idodo River and relished the vegetative nature of the surrounding area. He went back to his people and announced the good news. He later set sail, with his entire immediate family; to occupy the Idodo area on both banks of the river.

Otuwa, the first son of Ugbene founded the clan of Ashishi – where Barr Dr Peter Ndubuisi Mbah is among the descendants. He had two sons – Adenyi Aga and Akiyi. From the lineage of Adenyi Aga, came Nnamchi Aniowo Arum Aga Adenyi – the great Anukaenyi of Owo. He is the first Chief of Owo and a pacesetter unequalled in the anals of the people. As a result of his dexterity and hardwork, he was appointed the Warrant Chief of Idodo clan by the British authorities and presided over the Idodo Native Court – one of the seven Native Authority Courts established by the British in the Nkanu sub-district of Udi Division, Onitsha Province. He is the great grandfather of Barr Dr Peter Ndubuisi Mbah – whom many believe is a reincarnation of Anukaenyi himself. The rest is history as they say, as I implore Chief Lucky Chukwu to explore the National Archives, Enugu along Colliery Avenue, behind Enugu State Ministry of Agriculture, GRA; to cure his ignorance.

I don’t want to venture into the history of Amurri in juxtaposition, because I believe Chief Lucky Chukwu spoke for himself, not for the people. My advice to the opposition in Enugu State is simple: there is life after politics. Let’s stick to the issues because the power we seek is to do good and develop our people and State. I am not imbued to insulting elders and I won’t start today. I only have a simple advice for Chief Chukwu of the great Amurri Kingdom who threw caution to the wind and choose to dance naked in the open: “a freeborn given the job of a slave must at the very least apply the work ethics of a freeborn”.

Mbah is a Doctoral Student in the History and International Studies Department, University of Nigeria; and writes from Onukwachi village, Ogere Owo