KWENU! Our culture, our future

MOE meets…

CHIMAROKE NNAMANI (3)

M. O. ENÉ

New Jersey, USA

Friday, September 30, 2005

All government, indeed every human benefit and enjoyment, every virtue, and every prudent act, is founded on compromise and barter.

Edmund Burke

Compromise makes a good umbrella, but a poor roof; it is temporary expedient, often wise in party politics, almost sure to be unwise in statesmanship.

James Russell Lowell

REACHING OUT

I am big on compromise. I believe that an eye for an eye soon leaves only one-eyed person leading a community of blind persons. So I asked the Governor about the possibility of reaching out to his former political partners because no one knows tomorrow; one of them might even end up safeguarding his legacy. As Niccolo Machiavelli reminded us in The Prince: “men, when they receive good from him of whom they were expecting evil, are bound more closely to their benefactor; thus the people quickly become more devoted to him than if he had been raised to the principality by their favors.” In other words, he could lose nothing by reaching out and providing a plank of inclusiveness; in fact, he could rekindle greater devotion to his course.

Dr. Nnamani was not against rapprochement, as the French would put it. As a Nigerian politician, I believe he knows all about strange bedfellows. However, he has his reservations about empowering potential political opponents. “Our politicians do not know how to lose gracefully.” I see his point, and I know why: Power is a great aphrodisiac; men, mostly men, will kill for power -- if they can get away with it. It is inherently dangerous to empower your opponent. It is not only against the first law of nature -- self-preservation -- it is politically suicidal. Anyone who goes after an opponent the way we go after power in Nigeria should be prepared to win or lose: There is no middle ground; middle ground is for constructive criticisms, and critics make bad politicians.

Those who stabbed Dr. Nnamani in the back in 2002 knew that the man would fight back like a leopard whose cob’s tail was mauled by a hyena. He pounced on his opponents and triumphed. Three years later, almost all the ex-rebels are in political hibernation. It is sad that our political elites are yet to practice politics without bitterness. In every contest, someone must lose and another would win. After contests, life must go on. In Nigeria, those who lose either shun the successes of their opponents or turn out to be noisy detractors. None is a recipe for cooperation. Eventually, the loser is frozen out and discarded like pure-water packets. And this is why politicians contest power like maniacs, killing and maiming to succeed. They think that losing spells a life-sentence of poverty in the midst of plenty. They know that losing is like political leprosy. You are sidelined, shunned. Then again, who is to blame the victor when the vanquished refuses to stay down for a while and allow the victor to savor victory before raising hell?

In Governor Nnamani’s case, he had dealt with the opposition effectively. It got so bad that when prompted by critics, including yours sincerely, he offered them money to organize during the local government elections! They failed woefully, as hungry party chiefs misappropriated the money. However, the recent election of Senator Ken Nnamani produced a nucleus of new power formation within the ruling party, PDP, in Enugu State. Like a magnet, it attracted the rusted iron fillings of former PDPites itching to get back from political prodigality. To show that he was not shaking, Governor Nnamani struck back with stunning efficiency, cutting down the field marshals before the foot soldiers could be mobilized. Some say that Senator Fidelis Okolo (Enugu North) bore the brunt of the preemptive strike; others say some traditional rulers took some side hit, or is it heat. Fair or unfair, one thing is certain: the new nucleus fragmented before it gelled.

Senate President Ken Nnamani has since retreated to Abuja to join the Jim Nwobodos and John Nwodos and others. Governor Nnamani is back on the saddle, but he did not beat his chest when the matter came up in our discussion. He reminded me that his political structure defeated ex-Governor, ex-Senator Jim Nwobodo and produced Senator Nnamani. That’s generally true, but I reminded him that Jim was actually UNPP presidential candidate and that one Nnaji ran for the Enugu East senatorial seat. That was mere semantics; Jim was pulling the ropes in 2003. And now Jim and Ken are back on the same podium.

Politics sef!

I don’t see Governor Nnamani taking the risk of rehabilitating his former foes of the political kind. However, I see an opening in resolving the Reverend Father Ejike Mbaka angle and, by extension, the Catholic Church. I could see the distress on his face when he wondered how anyone could come up with pinning the Adoration Ground Tragedy on the State government. It is sad, but some souls still subscribe to the poisonous-gas theory, even though the bottom has fallen off the ridiculous claim. My interest in reaching out was predicated on the fact that the political climate in Enugu State would be so heated up with a lot of negative energies hanging over some prominent persons. These persons have followers, no matter how we dice it or slice it. So, my take was that there must be something a retiring state executive can do to lower the temperature, especially if he aspires to be the go-to guy in the scheme of things – forget “godfather” for now.

That’s my bottom-line on reaching out, not the engineering of enmity in politics.

REACHING OUT FURTHER

The Governor is probably the only state leader who has not regularly attended the jamboree congresses and conventions abroad. He was in Houston in 2001 for Enugu-USA Convention, and that was it for him. He preferred to channel the colossal sums of money wasted on these trips to developmental projects in Enugu State. Fair enough. So, if the mountain cannot come to Mohammed, shouldn’t Mohammed go to the mountain? I broached the subject. The Governor is open to hosting Ndiigbo, especially after the completion of the ultramodern Conference Center. Now, ever the advocate for Dr. Akanu Ibiam International Airport, I added that a direct flight from USA to an internationalized airport in Igboland would be more than the icing on the cake of his accomplishments.

He agreed.

Of course, pan-Igbo assemblies in Enugu are the norm but, if Dr. Nnamani should hold one specifically targeting Igbo diaspora, I think all efforts should be made to accommodate everyone and even make it an annual event. This way, prominent Igbo sons and daughters who wish to retire in Enugu could secure properties and or investments and begin to acclimatize themselves with the receptive ambiance of our Coal City, which Governor Nnamani restored after the reckless divisions of the military era. Igwe bu ike! I had proposed an Enugu forum to hold on the first Saturday of the year, just before everyone leaves for their various stations abroad. A pan-Igbo forum could be staged for the last week before Christmas, just before everyone travels to the village for end-of-year festivities.

CENTENNIAL OF COAL CITY

Before the British colonist came to Igbo heartland, the Ogui Nike communities lived in the foothills of Udi Hill, in the valley the Ngwo people called “Ofuani” (Uwāni). The people of Enūgwu Ngwo (Ngwo on the Hills) and Abor also maintained farms and settlements in the valley, even though they lived mostly on the hills. Interactions with the greater Agbaja and Nkanu communities to the west and east respectively reside in the annals of history. The Enugu we know today came to be because of coal, and Nigeria’s journey to independence began in earnest with the murder of striking colliery workers of Enugu. The exploration for coal in the foothills of Udi Hills started in 1906. Three years later, Enugu became a mining township. Although the production of coal did not commence until 1916, the beginning of the journey began in 1906. Therefore, next year would mark one hundred years of the beginning of a city that united Ndiigbo from all walks of life. The importance of the Coal City in the history of Ndiigbo cannot be overemphasized; the dawn of Enugu also marked the beginning of modern Igbo nationalism.

It is therefore a thing of joy that this is coming at a time Enugu is witnessing some serious surge of renaissance that would drown postwar problems of structural retrogression. Not since the days of Dr. M. I. Okpara has anyone embarked on so many major projects at the same time. When they all come on stream and the prevailing poverty level is ameliorated, Enugu would become not only the fastest growing city in Africa (before and after Abuja, of course) but a gateway to the great nation I like to call Aladimma (Alaoma Alaigbo). It was therefore agreed that either the State Government takes the lead in organizing year-long centenary celebrations of the Coal City or empower a non-governmental group to harness resources from all over the world and organize a feast like no other. The socioeconomic ramification cannot be underestimated. With the European Union’s support, Enugu could become the pride of all Nigerians again.

MISPRESENTATION, MISREPRESENTATION & MISINFORMATION

There is a lot of misinformation floating in Enugu. I had asked a mechanic if he believed the poisonous-gas theory in the Adoration Ground Tragedy. He shook his head without saying a word. Then the practicing Catholic added: “If those of you abroad could find a way to get Mbaka and Ebeano to reconcile, the matter would just go away.” So when the Governor brought up his lingering sadness about the tragedy, I told him that information is power. There is no need his trying to convince me that he could not in his wildest dream come up with such a weird idea; that would be preaching to the choir. I believe doctors take an oath to preserve life. Besides, it makes no sense spraying poisonous gas on all-night-long worshippers on a major road in Enugu; not even Saddam Hussein would do that to praying Iraqi Christians. The trouble is that the Catholic Church has a direct line to the people who absorb such theories. The only way to counter the spread of rumors is to dish the information out to all and provide exchange of documented opinions. In the absence of a good press, bar banter and tittle-tattle tales prevail.

So what does he think about the renaissance of Daily Star newspaper, formerly Renaissance. He liked the idea, but it would take a lot of money he did not have. I informed him that the State does not have to invest a cent in the matter.

How?

Sell it!

Now, who is going to buy the Daily Star establishment as-is?

My take is simple: I know many folks who will invest in a reputable news organization east of the Niger. Right now, everything we read comes out of Lagos or Abuja. There are many things I had not heard nor read prior to visiting Enugu. For example, I had never heard of the movement for the creation of Etiti State, which will comprise old Awgu Division right to Oji River, parts of Orumba (Anambra State), parts of Okigwe (Imo), parts of Uturu/Isikwuato (Abia) and parts of Ebonyi State. With the exception of Chief C. C. Onoh who supports the movement and that of Adaada state, we do not know the position of Senator Ike Ekweremadu, Senator Ike Nwachukwu, and Senator Anyim P. Anyim, all of whom would now come from Etiti State. Also, I had not read that Enugu State Government officially complained to the Feds about the alleged pollution of Enugu water supply by the multimillion-dollar brewery at Ninth Mile Corner.

In essence, the Enugu State Government is selling itself short in the dissemination of its efforts towards sustainable development. However, this must not compel the authority to reinvest in the cannibalized setup, no thanks to Dr. Chinwoke C. Mbadinuju…. allegedly; the State should let the resurrected press serve the people of southeastern Nigeria through a dedicated crop of professionals ready to raise the bar in journalism and in the promotion of enabling economic environment for the good of Igboland.

The renaissance of Enugu cannot be complete without an informed citizenry. Television and the Internet have not succeeded in supplanting the print media; they merely supplement. We cannot disregard the effect of poor press in Igboland on the socioeconomic status across the Niger. It is a shame that in this day and age, the rumor mills still churn out stories that churn the stomach. Some of the things said and circulated around town are sometimes very infantile; they could only have been powered by the lack of credible press east of the Niger. I don’t think it benefits anyone or any establishment.

WRAP UP

As I wrote in the beginning, I was at the Enugu State pinnacle of power, the top of the political iroko in the State. I didn’t say I was going to gather all the available firewood, and I couldn’t do it even if I wanted. I believe I gathered enough for one morning. I spoke for rural development, I spoke for peace, I spoke for Igbo diaspora, and I spoke for the future. In the concluding part, I will share my purely personal perspectives on the prevailing political permutations.

And then I would have had my way, and you could have your say.

Concluded ::::>

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