What is the problem with Jim Nwobodo?

What the hell is the problem with Jim Ifeanyichukwu Nwobodo, former governor of old Anambra state, former minister of sports, and former senator of the Federal Republic (of Nigeria)? Is it old age (senility), or just a case of political ‘jobbing’-for which some of our rudderless politicians are noted?

Senator Nwobodo is, for the second time in just one year, assuring incumbent governor of Enugu state, Barrister Sullivan Chime, a second term ticket. Not up to six months he declared that there would be no need for a governorship election in the state come 2011 following what he described as Chime’s ‘superlative’ performances, Nwobodo, again, on Sunday December 29, during a thanksgiving service for his conferment of the national award of Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON), said Chime’s second term was a forgone conclusion. Senator Nwobodo explains that his curious crusade’ is borne out of Chime’s ‘commitment to the total restoration of peoples’ hope in governance in less than two years of his assumption of office’.

According to Nwobodo, “The government of Sullivan Chime is a blessing to people of Enugu State. Based on what he is doing now, his second term is assured”. It has to be pointed out that Nwobodo’s on-going second term campaign for Chime is despite the fact that Chime is still in the second year of his current tenure, and still has over two more years to concentrate and deliver democracy dividends to over two million people of Enugu people.

Actually, KlinReports does not see anything wrong with Senator Nwobodo supporting Chime, especially, if his (Chime)’s government has done well so far. But the point is that Nwobodo is taking his support to a ridiculous pavement. Or, is he not?

We view Senator Nwobodo’s pronouncements on Chime’s second term as undemocratic. For saying there would be no election in Enugu state simply because, in his opinion, Chime is doing well is, by implication, a violation of a section of the Nigerian constitution which prescribes four year term for state governors. That is, Senator Nwobodo is suggesting that the constitution be hauled into the Atlantic Ocean as long as Governor Chime (and a second term ticket) is concerned. Nwobodo is, also, suggesting that the Independent National Election Commission (INEC) should not conduct any election in Enugu state come 2011 because Governor Chime is doing well.

Because Senator Nwobodo finds himself ingratiated by Governor Chime, individual differences and opposing views should go to hell and burn to ashes. Because the elder statesman is consumed in his ‘Chime-for-second-term’ crusade, he has chosen to shut his eyes towards other views on Chime’s administration of the state.

It is irritating enough that Nwobodo sees achievement only from the prism of road reconstruction, prompt payment of workers salaries and release of monthly allocations from the federation account to local councils in the state. Are all these not part of a government’s responsibility to the people?

Nwobodo knows that, apart from extravagance (as reflected in his second marriage sometime ago), the opposition accuses Chime of not being transparent with his government’s road contracts. For instance, how much has his administration spent on reconstructing these roads so far? How much does a kilometer road cost to reconstruct? Does the amount tally with the Federal Ministry of Works rates for road construction/reconstruction projects? But Chime government would prefer not to be asked these ‘stupid’ questions. As such, the cost of the contracts, which Nwobodo has been making a hell of noise about, remains mired in secrecy.
There are views that 98 per cent of the work so far done by the Chime administration is concentrated in just three local government areas of the state namely, Enugu East, Enugu North and Enugu South respectively. That is, one senatorial zone! What this means the government’s presence is yet to be felt in the remaining 14 councils of Udi, Awgu, Nkanu East, Nkanu West, Ezeagu, Isi-Uzo, Oji River, Aninri, Igboeze South, Igboeze North, Nsukka, Uzo-Uwani, Udenu and Igbo-Etiti.
While roads in Enugu are wearing a new look, those in rural communities are practically impassable. Apart from Awgu and Inyi communities where electricity supply was restored after years of darkness caused by pipeline vandalism, several rural communities in the state are still without electricity supply. Of course, the rural populace lacks adequate health facilities. For instance, in Udi and Nkanu West councils where the Governor and Senator Nwobodo respectively come from, the natives still trek as much as 30 kilometers to have access to health centre or drug dispensary. Facilities in public schools in rural areas are, also, in a state of dilapidation, and the state-owned tertiary institutions are not faring better.
Worse hit is the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) which is, at the moment, being threatened by the National University Commission (NUC) with closure over non-accreditation of most of its courses.
The economies of the rural communities, which are predominantly agrarian in nature, remain very weak with inadequate incentives to farmers by the government. When the Chime administration came on board in June of 2007, it flagged off an agricultural revolution with the distribution of tractors to farmers and provision of revolving loans. It, however, took a few months for the agricultural revolution to fizzle out, with very little or nothing heard of it.
Though Chime donated eight Mitsubishi trucks to the state Water Corporation, portable water remains a problem to the residents and indigenes of the Coal-City state.
But from his utterances, Senator Nwobodo is not interested in these stark realities starring his Enugu people in the face. For all the former governor cares, contrary views on the performance of Chime’s administration are nonsensical. One thinks that Nwobodo, as an elder statesman, should be more pre-occupied with assisting Chime achieve even development of the state through fatherly counseling, not flattering him out of proportion to its simplicity.
It can be seen that Chime has shut out many productive politicians from the governance of the state, yet Nwobodo sees nothing wrong with this exclusion. Chime has been at daggers-drawn with his predecessor, Dr. Chimaroke Nnamani who facilitated his emergence as governor, yet Nwobodo is yet to sincerely call for a truce between the twosome.
By his repeated unilateral endorsement of Chime for a second term, is Senator Nwobodo saying that, without Chime, Waawa Land has no other son to govern the state, even better? What a shame!
KlinReports certainly thinks there are more to Nwobodo’s political acrobat than meets the ordinary eye. It is either the aging politician is looking for contracts in Chime government, or that he is lobbying for a political position, not for himself, but for his son, Dr. Ifeanyichukwu Nwobodo (Jr), or both. No more. No Less. But Nwobodo should go about this new past time of his with decorum.