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LIARS INCORPORATED: Critics’ Assessment of Nigerian State Government
When his Excellency, Mr. Peter Obi was about to be impeached in 2006, the House wanted to impeach him together with his deputy, Dame Virgy Etiaba. Obi who detested, Hon. Mike Balonwu, taking over power, not only wanted Dame Etiaba, to succeed him, but was also said to have influenced the appointment of certain persons into the LIARS INCORPORATED impeachment panel to make sure that this objective was achieved. But when Dame Virgy Etiaba actually took over the reins of government, the music dramatically changed. Obi went about telling anyone who cared to listen to him that an ‘Nnewi Coup’ had been committed against him. He insinuated that the trio of Dim Odumegwu Ojukwu, an Nnewi man, Justice Chuka Okoli, an Nnewi man and Dame Virgy Etiaba, an Nnewi daughter had undone him. Every Anambra man or woman knows that the only period that there was a semblance of government since the Peter Obi tenure was during the memorable three months period of Dame Virgy Etiaba. She lifted the embargo placed by Mr. Peter Obi on employment (a man who promised that he would fight crime with employment during his campaign; what a breed of politician!). Etiaba built and initiated over 90% of the roads built by the Peter Obi administration. Despite the turbulence of that crises riddled era, Etiaba was so popular that the masses called her Mama Anambra. Perhaps Obi was jolted by Etiaba’s performance during the turbulent 2007 polls. Sensing that Etiaba has become a strong factor in Anambra State politics, Obi and his men moved swiftly to destroy her. Liars Incorporated! Pronto, they rushed to the press and said that Dame Etiaba gave Andy Uba 4billion naira. When it was noticed, that Sir Victor Umeh was not happy over what was happening to Etiaba, the rumour mill in Awka started saying that Dame Etiaba gave Sir Umeh 3billion naira, thus effectively casting a question mark upon Sir Umeh’s character among the unsuspecting. Liars Incorporated! Not yet done with Etiaba, Obi and his men announced to the world that Dame Etiaba squandered 38 billion naira, of Anambra money. How old was Obi’s administration then? What was the monthly allocation of Anambra State then? Total of how much had Anambra State government received by then? You see what a human being can do to a fellow human being. Dame Etiaba was shattered. She had to play the role of an obedient deputy. The poor lady had to bear her cross in silence. When Dame Etiaba spoke up threatening that she would invite the EFCC, if Obi was not man enough to invite them, Obi panicked, hurriedly paid the woman her accumulated allowances changed her vehicles and brought the elders to pressurize her to drop the case. Liars Incorporated! When Obi came back from his impeachment, he called in Obele Chuka and started reading out a malicious document on Etiaba. When Chuka asked the governor to give him a copy of the document, if he were certain of the content, the governor flatly refused. An enraged Obele Chuka simply dozed off right in front of His Excellency. Liars Incorporated. A day before the appeal court returned His Excellency after the impeachment, he begged Obele Chuka to come and become his attorney-general, when Chuka asked him how he knew that he would win, he was taken aback. Chuka simply turned down his offer. When Chuka threw the bombshell, the governor embarked on a multimillion naira campaign to smear the young man’s character. Liars Incorporated. We earnestly pray that things don’t degenerate to the level of the Mbadinuju era. We pray that the Good Lord in His infinite providence provide that the young man’s head remain intact on his shoulders. Immediately Peter Obi came back after the supreme court judgment, his men told the whole world that Andy Uba has sold Ikenga Hotel. When Andy Uba threatened court action, they hurriedly apologised to him. The same hotel is said to have been sold to Protea Hotels, acting of course as front for His Excellency. Liars Incorporated! When Isuanioma community built a house designated as a hospital and handed it over to the government for equipment, His Excellency rushed out to announce that his government has built and furnished a state of the art general hospital at Isuanioma, courtesy of ANIDS. That building is still empty even today. Liars Incorporated. I will build an industry after every 100 days. So when Val said that I am mad, you can understand that a government is at its worst which unfortunately is the best it is capable of. I wonder what has happened to the mind of a man. So such highly placed Anambra State official can tell such a blatant lie using the name of a public officer. Obi is teaching us ethics! ‘The society we abuse today will take revenge on our children tomorrow’. The society Obi and his men are abusing today is taking revenge on us today. See what a governor of a state has in stock for one of the best of its youths! It is no longer news that Nigeria has no program for its youths. Thanks to our leaders. Is there any wonder that everybody is running away from the country, and those who have not yet run away from the country are running away from the state? When I wrote ANAMBRA: 2010 AND THE LIMITS OF PROPAGANDA, Val called me for hundred and seventeen minutes. What was his mission? I should come to Awka and collect money, and never write again. I told him no. He pleaded with me to come and join the journalists on a guided tour around the state. I told him I was not a professional journalist. He asked me to name my price; alarmed, I told him that my conscience was not available for sale. He then appealed to my soft spot: His Excellency would now give me a job if only I relented. Much more alarmed, I told Val that man shall not live by bread alone. I told him that in as much as I needed a job, I would not collect it as a bribe from His Excellency. Val continued pestering me until I had to switch off my phone on him. On 28th August, 2008, I called Mr. Peter Obi on his program on ABS, THE PEOPLE’S GOVERNOR SPEAKS. I drew his attention to several newspaper publications where he kept saying that whoever makes first class in Anambra State, shall be given automatic employment. He acknowledged the statements. I told him that I had one in philosophy. Pronto, he said that I should come to his office ‘tomorrow morning’ to collect my job. All this happened live on ABS TV. Naively, I went to his office; the rigmarole started. Sincerely, I believed he was not getting my mails. I met the commissioner for information, Prof. Mrs. Okunna. She took my application to His Excellency. I took my application to the chief press secretary, Mr. Mike Udah; he took my application to His Excellency. I met with the special adviser on communication, Mr. Chuks Iloegbunam; he ensured that my application got to His Excellency. When nothing happened, I decided to speak with someone who is not His Excellency’s employee. I spoke with Chief Victor Umeh, the national chairman of APGA. He took my application and personally delivered it to His Excellency. True to his word, he got back to me when he did. When nothing happened months after that, I took my case to Ndigbo. I spoke to the then president general of Ohaneze, Dr. Dozie Ikedife. Dr. Ikedife specifically went to Awka to discuss my case with the Governor. The governor told him in no uncertain terms that there are no jobs. I should continue with my PhD program, and look for a job after the program. After relaying to me the governor’s message, Dr. Ikedife ended on this sorrowful note, ‘I feel pain in my heart for the future of your generation, Nigeria is no longer about what you know but whom you know’. So it took the governor of Anambra State, a critical article to agree to give a job he had publicly promised on the state run media. This is ANIDS at work. The Peter Obi magic, developing all sectors simultaneously. Developing human capital and encouraging scholarship. Only yesterday evening, I saw students of Queen of Rosary College, Onitsha trouping out of the school to fetch water in the streets! Yet Obi had been telling the world that he had sunk boreholes for them to checkmate the incidence of rapes. ANIDS magic. I wish I had a digital camera with me. When I told a townsman that Obi has promised to give me a job, he said I should forget about it as the governor would not give it to me so far as I am from Umuchu. I never believed it until it happened to me. His Excellency had awarded a 27million naira contract for the refurbishing of Ozara Akukwa Technical School , Umuchu. To the chagrin of the community, the work done was less than a million naira (Of course, contractors had to cough out offerings!). When the community discovered, that the governor was more interested in shielding the matter than investigating it, of course, they smelt a rat. Accordingly, they took the matter to the EFCC. That was the sin of my fathers for which I am paying dearly. ANIDS at work! I pleaded with His Excellency, begging him not to punish me for the sins of the fathers. Four o’clock in the morning and late in the night every day, I would text His Excellency, praying, pleading that he be magnanimous enough to give me the job irrespective of whatever wrongs my community did to him because I am just a young man trying to succeed. My entreaties fell on a Pharaohic heart! This is ANIDS at work! So, I had to flee the state in search of greener pastures. Now that the matter, has gone public, Liars Incorporated has activated, a smear campaign against me, telling journalists that Obi was about giving me the job until I became critical of his government. This is ANIDS at full speed work! Now, they want to confuse the public by saying that I am mad and of unstable character! The ANIDS magic! For the avoidance of doubt, my Head of Department Rev Fr Dr Celestine Mbaegbu has REPEATEDLY recommended me for employment. My referees are all professors from the department. They are Prof. Maduabuchi Dukor, Dr Godalex Ezeani (associate professor). My supervisor (MA) is Dr Barr Payke Ogugua. Anybody can call them concerning my character. This is ANIDS at work. Liars Incorporated. The greatest headache Obi and his men have concerning me is: being a group people which holds money as the maximum value and worships brazenly at the altar of Mammon, it puzzles them to no end as to why a hungry, unemployed graduate refuses to be bribed. My answer is very simple: life is a matter of meaning. The unexamined life is not worth living. Is Socrates an Igbo name? I am the Socrates Incarnate. So, terming my principled stand ‘stubbornness’, I have been told that I had to be taught a serious lesson. I have been told that so long as His Excellency remains the governor of Anambra State, I shall never be employed by any establishment in Anambra State, be it federal, state or private. Being a fast learner, I am already assimilating the lessons. My humble appeal to them is that they be magnanimous enough to allow my head to retain its position on my shoulders. Our generation already knows that their generation has nothing in stock for us. As for me, I shall continue to work for the principled odi mma Anambra State even if it means paying the supreme price. N.B. I would not have bothered replying Val if not for the numerous calls I got from concerned readers urging me to reply him. Thanks for your concern. Additional note: Ebo Chigbo Socrates, Ph. D candidate writes from Awka, Anambra State, Nigeria |
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