How Governor Elechi and sons run Ebonyi

Democracy is traditionally defined as government of the people for the people and by the people. But this definition is bunkum to the governor of Ebonyi state, Chief Martin Elechi (picture top left). As far as the over 70 year old Governor Elechi is concerned, this universally accepted definition of democracy, which originated from the ancient Greeks, should go to blazes and burn to ashes. Elechi believes that democratic principles, with all the good attributes, should never apply to the pauperized people of Ebonyi state. No, not at all!

It has become common knowledge that Elechi runs Ebonyi state with only the members of his family. An indigene, in a recent interaction with KlinReports, described Elechi’s governance style as nuclear family system, in which other people, except members of the governor’s family and a few kinsmen, are completely shut out of the governance of the state. That is, Elechi’s perception of democracy is that of government of the people for the Elechis and by the Elechis.

Governor Elechi has been consistently accused of awarding contracts to only himself and members of his immediate family. For instance, he awarded most of the on-going contracts in the state to his company, called MJ Construction Company. This company is solely run by his son, Martin Elechi (Jnr) and his other siblings. Of course, violation of the principles of due process in this kind of contract awards has been glaring, the contracts having been unilaterally cornered by the governor’s family.

And there is a tinge of fraud in Elechi’s contract awards to self. It was learnt that some of the road contracts were actually awarded to Elechi by the immediate past government of Dr. Sam Ominyi Egwu, but he (Elechi) carried on with the job until Egwu left office. But as soon as he emerged governor through the instrumentality of Egwu, Elechi, it was gathered, re-awarded the contracts to his company, and at outrageous terms. Yet, these contracts are moving at a snail speed, and there is no hope that the his company would complete any of them even before he leaves office.

Although Governor Elechi pretends to be saintly in his administration of Ebonyi, findings by KlinReports have proved otherwise. Recently, the Nigerian Army ceded a part of its plot of land, located in Abakiliki capital city, called mammy market, to Ebonyi. In return to this gesture, Elechi’s government promised to build a new market for the army in the state. Of course, the governor has kept this promise, having completed the market project. Any moment from now, Elechi would officially hand it over to the Nigerian Army. But this is not the story.

The story is that Elechi, ignoring due process, gave the market contract to his daughter who is being married in Delta state. Agitated indigenes of the state insist that, apart from the fact that Elechi’s daughter is now an indigene of Delta state by marriage, she did not have the professional know-how to have been awarded the contract in the first instance. But Elechi, like most other Nigerian leaders, is not interested in this balderdash. As far as he is concerned, Ebonyi’s new name is ‘Elechi & Sons’ state.

Award of contracts to self is just an aspect of Elechi’s filth in Ebonyi. Favoritism is, also, another trademark of the septuagenarian governor. It is discovered that all juicy appointments either go to the kinsmen of Elechi or those of his wife, Josephine. For instance, Chief Chris Nwankwo, quite alright, used to be a prominent politician, but went into oblivion overtime. But Elechi, immediately on assumption of office, brought Nwankwo back to political relevance so much so that, at the moment, Nwankwo’s word has become law in the state.

Another instance: Governor Elechi, late last year, sacked workers who participated in partisan politics, but had earlier been given waivers to return to work. But this policy was selectively applied, as Elechi spared some kinsmen and close associates of his. Prominent among this favored group is Professor Chigozie Ogbu, the state’s deputy governor, who had resigned his position as Chief Medical Director in the Federal Medical Center, Abakiliki to participate in the elections. Ogbu and others have remained in service while those who have no ‘Abraham’ as father were hauled out of service.

Immediately Elechi assumed duty as governor in 2007, he sacked permanent secretaries, auditors-general, and accountants-general amongst others because they paid themselves arrears of harmonization, that is, some debts owed them by the state government. But, again, the sack was a one sided exercise because Fidelis Mbam, Secretary to the State Government (SSG), was guilty of the same offence, yet he is allowed to remain in service. Mbam was Chief of Staff as at the time, and he, also, got paid his own arrears of harmonization like the others. Elechi is yet to sack Mbam.

Even among the 115 sacked senior officials of government, Elechi, through the back door, brought back his other kinsmen. For instance, Willy Nkwagu, a relation of the governor’s wife from Izzi, was brought back and appointed a commissioner. And Tony Nwigberi, one of the sacked permanent secretaries, is now back as Chairman, Local Government Service Commission. Nwigberi is from Governor Elechi’s Ikwo community.

Recently, Chief Godwin Ogbaga, clerk of the state House of Assembly, was curiously removed and replaced with a relation of Josephine, the governor’s wife (picture to right). This new clerk now works with an already caged speaker of the state legislature, Barrister Augustine Nwankwoegu.

At present, the scenario in Ebonyi state is like that which existed when the Israelites of the Bible transited from Jeroboam to Rehoboam. Before Rehoboam’s emergence as king, the Israelites complained bitterly about the tyranny of Jeroboam, his father. But Rehoboam turned out a worse ruler. While Jeroboam chastised the Israelites with rod, Rehoboam chastised them with scorpion!

Bringing this analogy down home, Ebonyi people who thought that the previous Sam Egwu government was hard on them, seem to have lost their speech over Elechi’s style of running the government like his personal estate.

Egwu, to an extent, ran an inclusive government, but it is, at the moment, easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one to be given a political appointment without the approval of the Elechis, especially, Elechi (Jnr). It is, indeed, a well known fact that if one is close to Elechi (Jnr), one has seen God as far as perks of office in the state are concerned.

Inquiries made by KlinReports concerning Elechi’s style of governing Ebonyi state were, indeed, rebuffed by his media aides, including Dr. Onyekachi Eni and Abia Onyike, Chief Press Secretary and Special Adviser on Media respectively. As at our publication time several hours after we sent text messages to their mobile telephone handsets, neither Eni nor Onyike could send us a response.

But will Governor Elechi remain the way he is? Or will he run an inclusive, more objective and corruption-free government in the salt state of Ebonyi. KlinReports is watching!