Kalu dynasty & endless looting of Abia

Although she prides herself as the only state whose name is located in the Holy Bible, Abia state had, since creation in August of 1992, remained one of the worst governed states in Nigeria. (Pictures show, left, former Governor Orji Uzor Kalu and, right, his crony, incumbent Governor Theodore Orji)

Perhaps, except the brief civilian administration of Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu which got terminated midway, the military regimes of Temi Ejoor and Moses Fasanya were, to say the least in a mild way, a bouquet of disaster, as the new state never experienced any lease of development.

Abians who taught that their state would change for better with the election of (Dr?) Orji Uzor Kalu as the fourth republic governor of the state in 1999 were dead wrong! Kalu who held the state hostage for good eight years from 1999 to 2007 came, saw, conquered, looted and is still looting the treasury of Ndi Abia.

At the expiration of his tenure, Orji Uzor Kalu, using the platform of his People’s Progressives Alliance (PPA), installed his crony (his erstwhile Chief of Staff), Chief Theodore Orji, who was then in prison, as governor.

It is, therefore, understandable why Governor Theodore Orji is methodologically toeing the rotten path of Kalu’s government. It is a well known fact that for the eight years Orji Kalu plundered Abia state, development was at a stand-still in the state. And why shouldn’t it be like that when he deployed funds of the state towards the establishment of his personal companies, including Slok Airline and Ship, as well as Sun Newspapers among others. Even when he is no longer governor, Orji Uzor Kalu continues to suck Abia state’s treasury to death.

At the moment, KlinReports learnt that Orji Uzor Kalu, tidying up plans for his presidential campaigns come 2011, coaxed the Abia House of Assembly, of course, dominated by members of his party (PPA), to pass a bill authorizing the state government to secure N30billion Bond from the capital market. Abia state House of Assembly is made up of 16 legislators while the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has only 8.

We learned that, rather than the reasons adduced, Abia state government is, actually, going for the bond for the sole purpose of sponsoring Orji Uzor Kalu’s 2011 presidential bid.

And this is evidenced by the nature of projects included in the bond bill by Theodore Orji government to the state legislature for approval. The listed projects included roads which the government claimed that the bill would finance, but investigations reveal that some of the listed projects had been paid for, either fully or partially.

An instance is the Umuahia-Ossah road which was recently commissioned by Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan- of which Orji government already spent over N10million advertising as one of his government achievements in his first year in government.

The other road project item in the Bill includes the Abia-Owerri road and the Aba-Port Harcourt road. Both contracts are valued at N5.2billion, of which the Orji government has already reportedly paid out the entire money.

Even more interesting, the N5.2billion contract for the two roads, which are federal roads, was awarded to two firms, Zerock Construction Company and JPROS Limited who, it was discovered, belongs to Orji Uzor Kalu and Theodore Orji respectively.

This situation becomes more heart-rending when one recalls that Abia state is already in red, owing several commercial banks in the country about N26billion. It will be recalled that a large chunk of this fund was used to prosecute the electoral petition brought against Governor Theodore Orji and his deputy, Chris Akoma by the PDP governorship candidate, Chief Onyema Ugochukwu.

Many indigenes of the state see the proposed heavy borrowing by the government of Abia state, being run by Orji Uzor Kalu dynasty, as a calculated scheme to defraud the state through the award and re-award of phantom projects.
Going down paved memory lane, the practice of plundering state monies via Bond is not new to Abia state.

Preparatory to his re-election in 2001, Orji Uzor Kalu, as governor, submitted a similar bill to the state House of Assembly for approval to seek a total amount of N15billion from the capital markets. The bond was to be collected in five stages. But the attempt was not successful even though the pliant state legislature approved it. The Bond did not work out because, as it was learnt, the then President Olusegun Obasanjo, and Abia Elders Forum, sabotaged it, and ensured that the capital markets did not approve the funds.

Yet, Orji Uzor Kalu moved to take another bond in 2007 as a result of huge expenses he, alongside his PPA, incurred in their two governorship victories in Abia and Imo states, as well as in his failed presidential bid in 2007. Governor Theodore Orji thus presented another bill to the state Assembly for a total amount of N50billion Bond from the capital markets. The government, using its officials, subsequently, mounted an intensive secret campaign to influence the capital markets. The trio, during the period, shuttled between Abuja and Lagos, the hub of the nation’s regulatory agencies and financial sector. But this attempt, also, failed.

The continued looting of the resources of Abia people by Orji Kalu and his gang is in addition to the on-going prosecution of the gang by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for laundering and diversion of Abia state’s funds to their personal pockets, crimes punishable under Section 17 of the Money Laundering [Prohibition] Act 2004. On trial are five of Kalu’s officials then including Governor Orji (former Chief of Staff), former Finance Commissioner, Moses Agoh, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Local Government, Elder S. Iheke, former Director of Finance and Supply, Government House, James Udeogu and Nnana Uzor.

But the on-going trial has not, in any way, served as a deterrent to the Orji Kalu dynasty from further looting the funds of ‘God’s Own State’. Aside the present controversial bond, Orji Uzor Kalu has continued to bestride the narrow walls of Abia politics like a colossus, further deepening the state’s financial crisis.
It is unfortunate that this is happening right in the full glare of prominent citizens of the state without challenge.

KlinReports, therefore, calls on well-meaning people of Abia to stand up against the on-going plundering of their state by economic monsters who have continued to hold the state to ransom.

Ekiti, Nigeria & 2011 Elections

My concern on the Ekiti re-run election was the large scale violence recorded during the exercise. Guardian newspaper of Sunday 26th April 2009 online version reported that; a Senator was attacked with machete and hospitalized, thugs harassed journalists, poll observers arrested, 25 people arrested by the police, and all night shooting by suspected thugs.(Picture shows President Yar'Adua)

Guardian newspapers of Tuesday 28th April 2009 online version also reported that four people who were shot have had their arms and legs amputated. Three policemen were shot at and they are being hospitalized. These events happened despite the reported deployment of about 10,000 police personnel by the police high command Abuja.

Prior to this time tension was really high and could be felt from far and near. I knew there will be serious violence the moment I watched Segun Oni and Ayo Fayose together on an AIT TV programme (Focus Nigeria). The tone of their debate could tell there is danger waiting to happen. The degree of the violence led to the postponement of election in Oye-Ekiti area of the state. Another reason was the pressure of the exercise on the INEC officials and the reported illness of Mrs Adebayo (The Resident Electoral commissioner). Therefore INEC had no choice but to postpone the re-run election in Oye-Ekiti.

My simple question is, if 10,000 police personnel drafted to Ekiti State could not prevent or even stop the violence recorded so far, then what will happen in other re-run elections to be conducted and 2011 general elections? Ekiti crisis is simply an insight to what will happen in 2011 elections. However, applying the principle of collective responsibility the President of the country becomes responsible for whatever happened in Ekiti State.

Another dangerous twist to the drama in Ekiti re-run election came when Mrs Adebayo (The Resident Electoral commissioner) disappeared. The next we heard was that she resigned her position in her letter dated 28th April 2009. Police declared her wanted. The next day, she reappeared and said that she was still a member of INEC. However her reason for initial resignation was that Ekiti governorship re-run election did not run on the right course. This is simply the truth. Let it be known to all Nigerians that the government is not sincere about conducting a credible election in the country. The failure of INEC in Ekiti is the failure of INEC through out the country. The purported electoral reform will be a sham.

Ex President Obasanjo who is still the chairman PDP board of trustees said that he is not aware of any electoral reform being undertaken by the Yar’Adua government. This comment was reported by Thisday newspapers of Saturday 2nd May 2009 online version. For an ex president to make this comment confirms the fears of Nigerians that Yar’Adua is not sincere. Ekiti crisis is a second example.

The present system in Nigeria is a recipe for disaster. The desperation and do or die approach to election in Nigeria is encouraged by our system. Political aspirants involved in these acts are obviously not the servants of the people. They are not leaders but looters. Desperation in our politicians shows their greed and the winner takes all mentality.

When Ghana did all their elections and several re-run elections, there was no violence. South Africa had a violent free presidential election on the 22nd April 2009. The only problem with the South African election was that former President Olusegun Obasanjo was among the African Union election observers that monitored the election. I wondered what he was observing when his government was credited with conducting the worst elections in Nigeria.

Each time I see or hear about electoral violence in Nigeria, my mind bleeds. How many more violence or troubles do we need before we can change our electoral system to Option A4? I have preached the message of Option A4 on different occasions. I have also written a lot about it. On a particular occasion I wrote to the British Prime Minister (Gordon Brown) about supporting the re-introduction of Option A4 back in Nigeria.

For Gods sake, we do not need Angels to tell us that the solution to our electoral problems is the re-introduction of Option A4. This is a tasted and trusted method. Nigerian government tends not to learn from the past otherwise I see no reason why they should not go the way of Option A4. As the philosopher Soren Kierkegaard observed, “Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards”. There is nothing wrong to look back to the benefits of this Option A4 system.

Not only its Option A4 system free, fair, and violent free. It’s also very economical. Can the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) or Prof Maurice Iwu tell Nigerians how much the federal government has spent conducting the yet to end 2007 elections. This Ekiti re-run election is part of the 2007 elections and many more like it. Had the option A4 been used, the nation would have saved a lot of money, time, energy, etc. The Option A4 electoral system provides a good taste of popularity. You cannot win if you’re not popular. Experiences form 1992/93 elections is a good example. It’s hard to believe that our leaders do not learn from the past.

The Ekiti experiences should be an eye opener to Nigerians of what will await them in the future elections. Except there is Option A4 electoral system, I doubt if some thing meaningful will come out of 2011 elections. There is fire on the mountain. The shady performance of INEC in Ekiti re-run election including the violence recorded so far will surely destroy the voters’ confidence in the electoral process.

Finally Nigerians will hold this government responsible for any breakdown of law and order in Ekiti State. May God Bless Nigeria?


Scripted by: Chinedu Vincent Akuta, an activist and leader of “Support Option A4 Group” Leicester-UK (akutachinedu@yahoo.com)
http://briefsfromakuta.blogspot.com/

Andy Uba Withdraws case against Obi

Andy Uba, yesterday May 7, withdrew his case against Anambra state governor, Peter Obi, at the Supreme Court challenging the June 14, 2008 tenure case victory on the reason that Obi’s Notice of Appeal (at the Supreme Court) was faulty.

The Notice of Withdrawal filled by his lawyer, Barrister Taiwo Abe, dated 6th of May, but filled on the 7th reads: “Take Notice that the appellant do not intend to further prosecute this appeal and accordingly withdraws.”

KlinReports recalls that the case which last came up on the 23rd of April at which Barrister Emeka Etiaba, son of Anambra state Deputy Governor, Virgy Etiaba, appeared (Not on the side of the Governor) was adjourned sine die to enable Supreme Court to constitute a full panel to adjudicate on it.

‘We do not know what informed the withdrawal, but Nigerians simultaneously rose against the case as making mockery of the Supreme Court’, Obi’s government opines.

When the news of the withdrawal frittered into the state yesterday, Anambra people who were angered by the court case as destabilizing a performing Governor saw it as a good development. There were celebrations in parts of the state. Some people who spoke to the press said it was another defeat inflicted on those who are bent on destabilizing the State by Governor Obi.

When contacted for his Comments, Senior Special Assistant to the Governor, Mr. Valentine Obienyem, said that though the Governor had never been distracted by the case, but that, nevertheless, it was a good development. He called on those who he said pretended to be interested in the Governorship seat of Anambra state to emulate the wise decision of Andy Uba and avoid acts that will overheat the State.

Obienyem described as regrettable, a situation whereby grown up adults would deliberately choose to destabilize a Government they are, in a manner of speaking, part of. He insisted that all those doing so, especially by dropping famous people’s name in the name of endorsement, should be thoroughly examined, even if it means at psychiatric hospitals.

Three-storey building collapses in Enugu

God did a lot of miracles when a three storey building yesterday, Wednesday May 6, collapsed in Enugu without killing anybody. The building under construction was marked 26 Ochi Street, Achara layout, caved in and came crashing around 12 noon.

The workers at the site had just been asked by the builders to take a break when a vibration like sound was heard from the rear of the building. It was followed by a thick cloud and the three top storeys collapsed on the ground floor. Several cars parked at the building beside were damaged by the crushing weight of concretes.

The building was said to have belong to a Pentecostal church. No membr of the church was around to offer comments and the engineer handling the project was said to have gone under ground as soon as the news of the collapse got to him.

Eye witnesses said they had observed the low and inferior materials being used for the construction and had subsequently alerted the owners but to no avail.

As at the time of filing this report, nobody had come forward to identify with the building. Only security agents were sighted at the scene ostensibly waiting for the owners and the contractor.

Onoh joins his ancestors at 82

When he celebrated his 80th birthday two years ago, Chief Christian Chukwuma Onoh told the large and appreciative audience that rejoiced with him that his life was “quarter-to-going”.

On Tuesday May 5, 2009, Onoh’s final curtain fell. He was 82 years, born at Ngwo, Enugu on April 27, 1927. C. C., as he was fondly called by his contemporaries, was many things to many people. He was a philanthropist who awarded scholarships to promising but indigent students from his home state.

He was among the first generation of trained lawyers from Enugu. He was a church leader. More than any thing else, he was a controversial politician who did not care a hoot about voicing his position on any topic that came up at any given point in time.

Onoh was educated at the Ngwo Central School from 1934 to 1936, before he transfered to St. Peter’s Primary School in the metropolis of Enugu. He had his secondary education at the famous College of Immaculate Conception (CIC) Enugu between 1945 and 1948. After working for a few years in Enugu, he proceeded to the University College in Wales where he took a degree in Law in 1957, during which year he was also called to the Bar.

Back in Nigeria the young Onoh went straight into politics, winning election into the Federal House of Representatives in 1958. He was Chairman of the Nigerian Coal Corporation from 1959 to 1965, Chairman of the Enugu Market Authority in 1974 and Chairman of the Enugu Urban Council in 1975.

Chief Onoh got married in 1959 and had nine children, including the elfin Mrs. Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu who won the 1988 edition of the Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria pageant, and Joe-Joe, the precocious young lady and doctoral degree holder that perished in the Nigeria Airways plane crash at the Enugu Airport in 1983.

When the Nigerian civil war began in 1967, Onoh pitched his camp with Biafra and supported the cause of the secessionist republic until it collapsed in January 1970. His credential as a church leader is underscored by the fact that he was for many years the Chancellor of the Anglican Church in Enugu. As a member of the Constituent Assembly of 1977-1978, he played a prominent in the creation of the Constitution of Nigeria’s Second Republic.

He joined the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) at the resumption of partisan politics. It was on this pedestal that he won the 1983 gubernatorial election of the old Anambra State, beating the incumbent Governor, Chief Jim Ifeanyichukwu Nwobodo of the Nigeria Peoples Party (NPP)in controversial circumstances. Governor Onoh was in office for a spare three months when the military seized power on the last day of 1983 to introduce the Draconian regime of Major General Muhammadu Buhari.

Onoh returned to partisan politics during the Fourth Republic but no longer ran for any elected office. Yet he was a thorn in the flesh of Governor Chimaroke Nnamani, as he had been to Governor Nwobodo. He continued to identify with the cause of Ohanaeze Ndigbo right to the very end of his life, and professed support for the cause of an Igbo President of Nigeria.

Christian Onoh listed cycling, farming and walking as his hobbies in the Raph Uwechue-published Africa Who’s Who, forgetting to add “building houses” as he had done in a famous newspaper interview. Onoh probably had more landed properties in Enugu than any other human being living or dead. Indeed, there is an Onoh Estate in Enugu and his ownership of all the houses therein was undoubted.

Chief Onoh’s best legacy lies in the fact that he laboured more than most for the creation of Enugu State, which is why he is sometimes referred to as the father of the State. He was the most prominent politician to come out of Enugu State. He will be sadly missed.

Written by Chuks Iloegbunam (Courtesy Vanguard)
Wednesday, 06 May 2009

Continue till 2014

Anambra Solidarity Forum has once again emphasized the need for continuity in governing the state. Making this statement in Awka after visiting some of the projects undertaken by the Peter Obi administration, its president, Nonso Okaka, observed that with another four years for Governor Obi, Anambra state would never be the same again.

While reeling off some of the projects sites visited to include Odor Bridge, State secretariat, Overhead Bridges at UniZik and Upper Iweka, Iyiagu flood Channel, Amaku Hospital which is currently being equipped with the trappings of a Teaching Hospital, Onitsha General Hospital already accredited, Umueri General Hospitals, Faculty blocks at Igbariam and Uli campuses of the Anambra State University, School of Agriculture, Mgbakwu, Judges’ Quarters at Onitsha among others, the group wondered where the government sourced the money to execute all the projects even as it is common knowledge to all that it never borrowed a dime.

Commending Governor Obi further, the group promised to ensure that the votes of the electorate will count in next year’s election. Allaying the fear of corrupting the process of electing the next governor of the State by unscrupulous politicians, the group promised to safeguard every vote cast. The era of rigging and foisting unpopular candidates on the people is dead and buried, warning that such act would not be tolerated by Anambrarians again. “Let every aspirant be allowed a level playing ground and let none seek recourse to wire pulling influence of any type so that the expectations of the people should not be thwarted” the group said

On the vexed issue of people claiming credit for work done by the Obi administration, the group urged the Governor not to be distracted by such trifle but to continue to remain focused in his onerous task of giving democracy dividends to the citizens of the state since, according to them, every laborer has their reward.

They called on Anambrarians to be wary of those who have nothing to offer the state but are today flaunting their wealth and dangling all sorts of carrots to get their votes.

400 ex-Biafra army die out of hunger!

Reports have it that about 400 inmates of the Oji-River Ex-Biafra Settlement near Enugu have died following frustration, hunger and starvation borne.

The Nigeria, Biafra war was fought between 1966 and 1970, and many wounded and homeless soldiers from the Biafran side were resettled in Oji River. (Picture shows protagonists of the Nigeria civil war, Ojukwu and Yakubu Gowon, the Nigeria military head of state, as well as Biafran and Nigerian flags)

What is scaring, however, is that the inmates have linked the mass death of their colleagues to neglect by the former Biafra Leader, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu (Ikemba Nnewi).

The disabled war veterans accuse Ojukwu of not having visited them at the Oji-River Camp where they have been quarantined since 1970 the war ended.

Spokesman of the inmate, Joseph Akani, relayed the pathetic conditions of the inmates to officials of the ‘Humanitarian Demining Team’ from the Ministry of Defence, Abuja who visited them at the Oji-River Camp recently. The demining team, led by Commodore Essien Ekpiken (Rtd), was on a tour to detonate mines across states of Nigeria.

Akani said it was sad that their former leader, Ojukwu, had not deemed it fit to visit them at the camp almost 40 years after the war, pointing out that they had been living on charity.

Pathetically, the disabled Biafra soldiers who were about 697 when they came to settle at the camp are presently less than 100, as the others had miserably died for lack of food and care.

Although KlinReports has not heard Ojukwu’s side of this story, it is very, very unfortunate, if it is true, that he has not visited these handicapped soldiers of his in the past 40 years.

The rehabilitation of these disabled veterans ought to have been uppermost in Ojukwu’s mind.

KlinReports, therefore, calls on the Ikemba to quickly prevail on the Federal Government of Nigeria to, as much as possible, rehabilitate these disabled veterans. Though the ex-Biafra warlord is gradually ageing, nearing 80, he still has the ability to improve the lots of these men who lost everything to fight on his side during the internecine war.

Igbo youths warn Supreme Court

Youths of the southeast geo-political zone have called on the Supreme Court of Nigeria to exercise caution in the hearing of Andy Uba’s case. (Pictures show Idris Kutigi, President, National Judicial Commission (NJC) left; Uba, right and Governor Obi, down left)

The youths, operating on the platform of South East Youth Movement (SEYM), argue that it is strange, elsewhere in the world, for the apex court to revisit a particular case for three consecutive times, as is presently the case with the Andy Uba case.

Condemning the idea of litigating on Andy Uba’s case against Peter Obi several times, Chuka Olisadebe (Esq) and Justine Nwadiogbu, chairman and secretary respectively of the group, in a statement made available to KlinReports, contend that any case which has made two appearances in the same court of law ought not to be heard again.

The group regrets that the reverse had been the case in Nigeria where, instead of protecting the hallowed chamber of the apex court by being strict on the kind of case to hear, Nigeria’s Supreme Court allowed itself to revisit one case over a period of time.


While calling on Andy Uba to think twice over his quest to become governor of Anambra state, SEYM, also, asks him to refrain from acts capable of portraying him as being desperate over the seat. They warned that any untoward development in this regard may throw the state into darkness which the youths and every law abiding citizen of the state can ill afford.


The youth group said it had to disregard the rumor making round that the court would return Andy to Government House Awka, willy-nilly, even as it sincerely believes that the Supreme Court is peopled by men of integrity that will always stand on the part of justice no matter whose ox is gored.

Recalling the important role played by the court in clearing the heap of mess called election conducted by the duo of former President Olusegun Obasanjo and INEC Chairman, Professor Maurice Iwu, the youths believe that the court would always be on the side of the people.


While restating their confidence in the ability of the court to do what is right, the group urges it to end the matter once and for all when next it comes up for hearing, even as they called for caution.


Earlier, the youths who commended Governor Obi over his giant strides in the transformation of the state, said his ability to revitalize both education and health sectors are yet to be rivaled by any Governor within the zone.

They said Obi is the first Governor of the state to look in the direction of the long neglected people of the riverine areas and touched their lives in many ways.

They cited massive construction of roads and sinking of water boreholes among others as some of the things for which Obi is to be remembered by all. The southeast youths asks Governor Obi not to be distracted by provocative utterances or frivolous cases as Anambra people are solidly behind him

Chime is a failure

Barrister Ray Nnaji is both a claimant to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) chairmanship seat of Enugu state and spokesman of the Ebeano political family which wholly installed Sullivan Chime governor of the state. Apart from vigorously waging a legal battle to stop the Vita Abba-led faction of the party from ‘usurping’ his office, Nnaji vows that Governor Chime would not be re-elected as governor of the state come 2011. With two more years to vacate office, Nnaji argues that Chime’s government is still grappling with the execution of only one out of its much publicized four-point agenda. Scoring Governor Chime low in performance, Nnaji retorts “The next two years will be a total disaster”. Nnaji says Ebeano is already shopping for Chime’s replacement in the 2011 guber poll.

Former Governor Chimaroke Nnamani recently stated that Ebeano is intact. How do you react to that?
Yes, what do you expect him to say? He is the father of the group. And no father wants his family to be in disarray. Even if the family is in disarray, he will be doing everything not to allow the public to be aware of that problem.

At the moment, what are the operations of Ebeano?
Our operations is that we continue to make sure that Ebeano is moving forward; to make sure that Ebeano is in existence, and that Ebeano is much more noticeable by everybody.

What is your view on the Total Mandate Group of Governor Chime?
The Total Mandate they said they had launched, nothing is happening there. And most of our people who have actually gone to see if anything is happening there have actually started trooping back to our group (loud laughter).

Now that your Ebeano Family does not relate well with the incumbent governor who it installed, do you want to labor to install another?
No. That is not the issue. The issue is that 2011 is far from now, and we have not determined where we are going, but we know quite well that the mistake of the past will actually be corrected. But we don’t know, for now, how we are going to correct it. But luckily God has made it in such a way that we have been able to stand our feet and we are able to maintain the fact that a son is not bigger than his parents. We are the parents of the governor, and the governor, as the son, cannot be bigger than us no matter how wealthy or how powerful he may be. He should understand and realize that his parents are still around. And he should pay homage and loyalty to his parents.

Chime’s tenure will be two years old very soon, May 29. Could you dispassionately assess this government?
If the two years are anything to go by, Chime can only be said to have done something in the area of road rehabilitation within Enugu city. But we find out that most of the caterpillars and other materials bought for the road projects are all refurbished. The caterpillars are not genuine. They have been refurbished and most of them have already broken down even before getting to their destinations. So, these are issues they have actually used to siphon funds. Other purchases they have made have the same problems. Like the graders have broken down. There is no reason why Chime should not have gone for quality materials. Taking into consideration the kind of money the government was getting, Chime’s performance cannot be said to be optimum. In the last two years, I score Chime’s government 40 percent which is, of course, a weak pass. Road rehabilitation is not the only indicator of good government; there are other areas like education, health, sports-all other sectors. I don’t think he has measured well in them.
In the area of sports, Enugu team has performed woefully. Enugu came last in the southeast, and scored 27th position in the whole federation which is the worst ever result achieved. And look at the Rangers team, despite all the money invested in the club, it is having serious problems. The other day, they beat up referees as they were trying to get result at all cost. And you know the disastrous consequences of this. Third, the education sector is nothing to write home about. Because of this, teachers had to go on strike. So many things are not working well in the state.
The only sector where Chime could be said to have done fairly well is road rehabilitation, not road construction, within the metropolis.
But I must have to tell you that he was doing that when the oil price was 140, 145 dollars a barrel. He had a lot of money and excess crude. Now, there is no more excess crude except the one they are going to share recently, and the oil price is now down to about 40 dollars. It is going to be difficult. Most of them are even finding it difficult to pay salaries. So, I don’t see how he is going to continue with the project as there won’t be such huge funds as in the past. If that is taken into consideration, the next two years will be a total disaster.

This government is running a four-point agenda. Can you examine the extent of implementation of these agenda in the past two years?
Yes, the government is running a four-point agenda, but only one point has been taken care of in the past two years. If that is anything to go by, you find out that for him to complete one of the four-points with this kind of allocation coming down, it will be a herculean task. At the end of the day, one over four is failure (General laughter).

But indigenes and residents of Enugu may not agree with you over this assessment because they appreciate the road rehabilitation project a lot?
It is just that the government is blowing the project out of proportion. Members of the public don’t even know that some of the rehabilitation projects are attached to World Bank projects. Some of them are World Bank projects indeed. Though Chime has performed fairly well in the road rehabilitation, but you know that, because of that thing he did, the state had gone into serious debts.

What’s the size of the debt?
I cannot say, but it runs into billions of naira. Billions of naira! And I must have to tell you that from the grapevine, even the resources that were put into the litigation that was terminated on July 11 of last year are yet to be discharged.

Are you talking about the court of appeal verdict?
Yes! Debts procured to get judgment in the court of appeal are yet to be discharged. The debts are much, and this is what is weighing the state down. I must have to tell you that it will be a very difficult task in the next two years.

Could you look at the governor’s relationship with the people?
Ah, Chime’s relationship with the people is zero. That one is zero. Chime’s PR is completely zero, because he is highly incommunicado. You really can’t see him. He doesn’t even attend functions, but that has been Sullivan Chime for you. That was his character from day one. Everybody knows that he does not want to mix up with people.

What does this portend for the state?
That is why the man is championing the fact that primaries should not be done; that governors should be given automatic ticket; that they should be unopposed.

He’s championing that?
Yes, he is championing it-that the party’s constitution should be amended so that there won’t be primaries. That governors should be given automatic ticket. This is because he knows he can’t do it because of the fact that he has his poor public relations and human relations. And in politics, if you don’t have those things, no matter how strong you think you are, you should forget it.

If you say the governor does not relate with the people, how does he run the state?
That is the point. He runs the state through proxy, and administration through proxy has never achieved any desired result. So, that is it, and it has actually been a very big factor, and a bad one for that matter. The state has passed that stage that we have had vibrant people that have actually been at the helm of affairs in this state in the past and people enjoyed their relationship. But now, we hardly can see our governor; we hardly can notice his presence. It is very unfortunate.

Maybe, the situation would have created defacto governors?
Yes, that is what we are trying to say. There are too many defacto governors. That is the consequence of running government by proxy.

Are you saying that Chime’s re-election is not going to be realized on the platform of Total Mandate?
Does Chime have any structure? The man has no structure (laughter). Chime has no structure. And the earlier he realizes that the better for him because it is gradually getting to the point that it will be too late for him. Even as it is now, it is too late for him.

But he has created some structures at the local government level?
Those structures, are they loyal? How many of them can he count on? How many? And can he be holed up in his enclave to know what is happening in the state? It is when you come out that you sample people’s opinions and know how things are moving on. It is very unfortunate for him. The earlier he realizes he has no structure the better for him, though I was meant to understand that he said he does not want to re-contest. Some people were saying that, and if he said so, it would be the best decision he has taken in his life.

So, how fulfilled is the Ebeano Family in installing Chime governor?
We did not know Chime would be like that, though some of us who had the ability to read him very well doubted his loyalty and sincerity in following the policy and manifesto of the structure that brought him to office. Unfortunately, he departed from them and jettisoned every other person. That is why the Ebeano Family is not happy with him. And that is why he had made attempts to proscribe the Family (his parents). I don’t see how one can disown his parents when it is only parents that disown a child. Installing Chime governor is a decision we took in Ebeano that we actually find to be a very bad one, and a terrible miscalculation. Our prayer is that we avoid making such mistakes in future.

Culled from THEWEEK Magazine

I’ve endorsed Obi for second term

Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, Chairman, Board of Trustees of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), warns all politicians in Anambra state to stop dropping his name for cheap political gain, saying he has endorsed Governor Peter Obi for a second term in office. (In the pics, Ojukwu, left and Obi, right)

Ojukwu who told newsmen after a courtesy call to Governor Obi that, ‘for some of you who think I only love Peter, I adore him because he has made us the people of Anambra state proud’.

Ojukwu who doffed his cap and threw it on the ground for Governor Obi as a mark of endorsement said: “If I have to choose again who will govern Anambra state, I will choose Peter a second time because he has done us proud.”

Turning to the Governor, he says, ‘Peter ride on, wherever you are, I am there with you because everybody is happy with you. I am proud of you and I assure you that whenever you look back you will see me standing with you’.

Ojukwu maintains that he found in Peter Obi a sufficient man with the character needed to govern Anambra state that made him to “release” his son to work with him.

The war hero says that Governor Obi’s marvelous work in the state would continue to endear him to him, and appeals to Obi to continue to ignore the antics of politicians running from pillar to post in the name of criticisms because the Governor has not allowed them have access to the treasury of the state.

On whether he actually endorsed Emeka Etiaba, the angry Ojukwu said: ‘How can I when I have a Governor who I have had no cause to be doubtful of. Addressing journalists, he said you can say that some others are critical of Peter because he is not giving them what they want, but you cannot say that of Ojukwu. My interest in government is that services are delivered to my people and it is only a sadist that would want me to forsake a man who is doing a great work in my state’.

The Ikemba says he would not only support Obi for a second term, but would go to the centre as a worthy son of the state.

KlinReports recalls that Emeka Etiaba has been going round the town boasting that Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu endorsed him, a claim that has prompted the leadership of APGA to accuse him of trying to destabilize the party by working for external agents.