MOE meets…
CHIMAROKE NNAMANI (4)
M. O. ENÉ
New Jersey, USA
Saturday, October 1, 2005
...There is nothing more difficult to carry out, nor more doubtful of success, nor more dangerous to handle, than to initiate a new order of things. For the reformer has enemies in all those who profit by the old order, and only lukewarm defenders in all those who would profit by the new order, this lukewarmness arising partly from fear of their adversaries...and partly from the incredulity of mankind, who do not truly believe in anything new until they have had actual experience of it.
—Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince
EXIT
Thinking about it on this Nigeria Independence Day, I must have taken a full hour of the busy executive’s time. For a quickly arranged visit, that was stretching it. I had to call it a day; besides, both the Attorney-General and some other commissioners were waiting. The Governor summoned a media assistant, and we posed for a digital photo. The photo was processed and presented within minutes. Hmm, I mumbled, a truly digital and wired world. It is another plus and something to talk about, but I really must let the man get back to governing.
I rose to leave. The Governor asked
how I was coping with security and transportation, whether the State Government
should help. It sure felt good that the State chief security officer considered
the security of its common citizen -- prominent or not. Having enjoyed the
pampering of CVU limos and Federal Ministry of External Affairs officials in
Abuja the week before, I know that a dedicated driver and an ENSG vehicle would
make life easier for me. From the plane chute at Nnamdi Azikiwe International
Airport until I left Abuja, I was treated like a Commonwealth ambassador, to
whom no harm must come. I did not get used to the treatment; I knew it would not
last long. So, confronted yet again with a repeat and with just one day to stay
in Enugu, I decided against it. First, I hate to impose on hosts, albeit a
government; and, secondly, I had not made a prior request. I informed my host
that I had basic four-wheel transportation, thanks to loving family members. On
security, I somewhat surprised the Governor when I stated that Enugu was safe;
in other words, no reason to worry about security.
Eyes raised; demeanor indescribable. By their rekindled intensity, his eyes could have been asking something like, 'Enugu is safe? You don’t believe that, do you?'
I answered the unasked question: “Don’t get me wrong, there is no crime-free society in the free world. In any given year, the number of homicide in New York City alone is probably more than the crimes committed in the entire Igboland… probably.”
I was not sure of the actual statistics, but it was reassuring that a visitor from the US considered the level of crime not abnormal. Yes, there were serious security concerns, especially at night. What was left of the nightlife was section-centered. For example, the Tinker area of Coal Camp could be breathing well into midnight; the Mayor area along Agbani Road could be buzzing into the early hours of the morning; and an Internet café in Achara Layout stayed open 24/7 -- NEPA or no NEPA. For those in the Independence Layout area, night life begins at 10 PM! A sister had a dinner date for me to end at that time, but I was on the other side of town, and my hosts would be worried sick if I stayed out until ten. I declined. So I don’t know how exactly uptown big boys and gals swing the nights in Enugu.
Taxis are few, and all of them are old, junkyard-resurrected jalopies that threaten to come apart at the endless wet-season potholes. The taxi fares are relatively cheap for short main-street rides. Taxis are cheaper rides than the okada (commercial motorcyclists) but, since they ply only major roads, the okada riders exploit their monopoly. Alas, the banning of okada after 7 PM makes cross-sectional travels at night few and far-between. The banning of okada after 7 PM did not help night-life, but many folks I spoke with preferred the perceived lower crime rate that the ban brought. I use “perceived” because there are no readily available or published before-and-after crime statistics. Personally, I hated the guts of the annoying and largely lawless (traffic-wise) okada hordes; there must be a better way of organizing the new traffic paradigm presented by okada phenomenon.
On okada phenomenon, I must stop and give kudos to Governor Nnamani for taking the bull by the horn early enough. He did not only ban the high-capacity motorbikes that almost fly across town, he imposed the now welcome curfew on motorbikes It must have made a difference because Delta State successfully implemented the policy, and I just read that Edo State Governor is introducing the policy to stem the tide of robbery in Benin City. The okada policy that didn’t fly was the uniform. I think numbering, color-coding, and good old intelligence in the midst would stem the tide of okada tornados.
It was this consideration that informed my submission that Enugu was safe. Hey, no one picked my pocket, and I was all over the place. While I was in town, there was no incidence of snatching people’s cars, locking them up in the trunk of their cars, and operating with the vehicles. A nephew was a victim of the early-evening criminals earlier this year; and he was only moving his mother’s car so a visitor could pull out of the common parking space! As widely reported, the State Attorney-General was also subjected to the dangerous indignity. I believe the deployment of military men, especially around Independence Layout and major entries into Enugu (Gariki and Relief Market), contributed to the chilling of car-snatching criminal gangs.
Once outside, I took another look at the portraits of military men sharing the glory with such greats as Dr. Michael Okpara and Chief C. C. Onoh. I was impressed by the preservation of history, but I wondered whether MILAD Akonobi and his fellow military travelers belonged up there. I looked away and saw an ex-colleague at then ASUTECH, now ESUT. A civil engineer, he is now in charge of water supply in Enugu. We exchanged greetings and numbers. I urged him to persevere in the provision of clean water to all parts of the city, for that’s a legacy worthy of a true ex-ESUT lecturer. ESUT is indeed impacting the state; its Deputy Vice-Chancellor moved over to the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and he is making great changes as its first Enugu-native vice chancellor. With the move to the permanent site, ESUT will be positioned to address the educational needs of the state like never before.
EBEANO
I left on a happy note: I was happy because we covered the basics and my major concerns were addressed. I was happy with what was achieved and the promises. Those who criticize the Governor for the lack of industrial establishments should ask themselves how many of the old setups from previous administration are still functional or how many structures did successive military administrators that ruled Enugu from 1983 to 1999 erect. The enabling economic environment that brought the multimillion-dollar brewery also brought many banks to town. The ongoing constructions have created jobs, and the poverty alleviation initiatives have helped. And this is in a city that ballooned since many families came back from the north, due to unrelenting religious disturbances, and stopped running.
Let’s not get the impression that all is rosy, or soon-to-be, in Ebeano country; but the journey of a million miles starts with one single step. I was disappointed with our poor maintenance culture and with our chaotic way of doing things. Those who were in town during Buhari-Idiagbon will understand what I am talking about. I think the level of indiscipline in our society needs to be lowered. It will take a serious national orientation to educate people on how their public acts affect the society. Nonetheless, I was impressed by the community spirit of our people, especially in rural areas.
In
interacting with the Governor, I see a man who is very happy with his
accomplishments, albeit weighted more in and around Enugu. In fact, I see an
accomplished man, a man who believes he had a date with destiny, and he made it
on time. I see a fulfilled man who believes that his legacy is guaranteed to
affect the lives of millions yet unborn. Truth be told, Governor Chimaroke
Nnamani has injected intense intellectual juice into an otherwise bland
democracy and spiced democratic debate. Hate him or love him, he is primus inter
pares; he came up with original ideas and he delivered on concrete projects. In
telling me about the visit of the
European Union Ambassadors, the Governor didn’t fail to stress that they
were not coming on a state-by-state visitation; like the wise men from the east,
they were coming to Enugu State to see development projects.
It surely feels good these days to come from Enugu State.
EBEANAEJE
One wonders what would have been had the initial missteps and misfortunes that dogged Dr. Nnamani’s administration had been prevented. A lot of water has passed under the bridge; I believe he would change a few things if he could, and I know some could be changed or corrected. But some of the waters run very deep; some people have become blood enemies without being related to him! It all boils down to the fact that our people do not lose power contests gracefully. We do not lose gracefully because we do not contest gracefully. They will curse your father and make fun of your person. God bless you if your mother sells or sold akara (bean cakes); they will turn it into a crime! People who turn a simple electoral process into a do-or-die affair sow water and wind; in the end, we all reap hurricanes and tornadoes.
The
lasting legacy of Ebeano Epoch may not depend on the 2007 tenant of Lion
Building. It would be a big mistake to project that a loyal lieutenant of
Chimaroke Nnamani would emerge and continue the legacy across the three hills of
Enugu State. It won’t happen… well, it may not happen as one would want. Man has
a way of trying to make his own marks by destroying those of predecessors.
There are too many power-hungry and cash-starved folks out there. In a setup where there is one political party in reality, the only serious opposition to the State PDP structure could come from within the Ebeano political structure. In 2001, I made the recommendation that the State PDP should cultivate some opposition to heal the opening Nwobodo-Nnamani gulf, or the camps would feed off each other by 2002. I was right. This is 2005. Many erstwhile prominent Enugu politicians have brought out their long knives and they are sharpening them in Abuja. Unless a focused and credible open opposition is presented to force-heal the tiny crack in the State PDP, we could have a fracture in the ranks… again.
No nation has survived two civil wars; will Enugu PDP family be an exception? Only time will tell.
EPILOGUE
The eight years of Governor Chimaroke Nnamani will come to an end in a few months. The period will be known as the “Ebeano Epoch” or by whatever local lingo someone might proffer. For putting his minds on concrete structures that are neither white-elephant nor mediocre, I give him kudos. Whatever happened in the past belonged in the past; no one can turn back the hands of the clock. As they say in Igboland, Nke iru ka. The coming months will be full of both sycophants and foes playing the field; together, they will form the two sides of a coin. But there is a third side: the edge. Those who genuinely help to turn the wheel of progress are not on the side of sycophants nor on the side of foes; they are on the edge and they turn the wheel of progress. These are the people he needs to solidify the good work he has embarked on.
It must have been a tough time getting to this point, if Niccolo Machiavelli is to be believed. The political elites hate his guts because he has changed the old order by which they profited, and they are not about to start liking Governor Nnamani at the end of his tenure, even if every other person sings halleluiah to him. These are the foes; only a powerful external realignment would bring them into the same political camp. Then again, no one would expect them to trust him, nor he them. The defenders of Governor Nnamani’s new order are indeed not as hot as one would expect of a high-flying state executive. I mean, I expected some high profile dogged defenders, especially where there is something to showcase. For whatever reasons this is so, their Machiavellian “lukewarmness” is not going to heat up in the dying days of Nnamani’s administration– especially when they don’t know who is going to carry the touch of possible victory.
It is therefore not surprising that those who would stoutly defend the democracy dividends of Chimaroke Nnamani would be accused of being under the influence of material inducement. The issues would become secondary; the person would become target, not the facts. The reason would be simply to lose the message in the messenger or muddle the mail. It will work if the base is not fortified. It is therefore obvious that Governor Chimaroke Nnamani has no option but plot to play a major role in the 2007 elections, and the role might not be exactly what you expect -- based on present political permutations in Abuja. This is the much I gathered from our discussions; this much I am willing to share.
Traveling to Naija can be stressful; I was stressed, but I count myself blessed -- if only for the journey mercies. So, as we say in Coal City, to God be the Glory.
::::Concluded::::
MOE meets... Chimaroke Nnamani (1)
MOE meets... Chimaroke Nnamani (2)
MOE meets... Chimaroke Nnamani (3)
MOE meets... Chimaroke Nnamani (4)