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His Eminence, Anthony
Cardinal Okogie is someone whose views and opinions on national issues I
respect so much, even though I do not share the same religious beliefs
with him. So, each time he speaks on issues of national importance I
accord him all the necessary attention I can muster as there is always
one thing or the other to gain from this ‘man of God’.
Therefore, when His
Eminence was interviewed recently on his visit to Rivers State, I was
glued to my television set with rapt attention. When asked to comment on
his purported endorsement of Dr Peter Odili for the 2007 presidential
election as reported on the pages of newspapers, Cardinal Okogie said he
was misquoted. In our society, ‘misquoted’ or ‘quoted out of context’ is
an acceptable way of refuting a statement you regret ever making in the
first instance. Nigerians would have accepted his excuse if even if he
had made the statement in unequivocal terms. The largesse of Peter Odili
to the selected few he invites to see his good work and to subsequently
endorse him for the post of president is enough to make even saints and
angels say what they would later regret. If you must know, Peter Odili
has a special way of spoiling his guests a little. I have not mentioned
Ghana- Must- Go treatment.
Cardinal Okogie went
further to make clarifications on his misquoted statement. According to
him, the evidence on ground in Port-Harcourt is there for those who have
eyes to see. He buttressed his position by making references to the
newly constructed State House of Assembly and the Government House in
the state. This is where I have cause to disagree with Cardinal Okogie.
First and foremost,
people are elected into offices with the belief that they have visions
and that these visions will translate into positive results that will
better the lots of the citizenry. Hence, a candid assessment of any
political office holder must be based on the impact of his policies on
the well-being of the masses.
If the respected
Cardinal based his assessment of Peter Odili on the State House of
Assembly, the masses will like to know how this beautiful edifice makes
life better for them. We all agree that the State House of Assembly is a
developmental project and that the honourable members deserve a better
working environment to enable them give in their best in the discharge
of their duties. According to a management expert there is a positive
correlation between a better working environment and employees’ output.
Going back to the
issue of evidence on ground. It is rather unfortunate that after eight
years of governance, the most visible achievement of Odili’s
administration that readily comes to mind is the newly constructed State
House of Assembly and the Government House. If this man is voted into
power to rule this country the possibility exists that he will to spend
another eight years building a replica of America’s white house in
Abuja? Anyway, that is by the way.
Before I digressed, I
was talking of the impact of this project on the lives of the citizenry.
Yes, the people of Port Harcourt can boast of having the best State
House of Assembly in the country in terms of structure. Without
exaggeration, it can be compared to any State House of Assembly in the
whole world. Kudos to a visionary leader like Odili.
Without fear of
contradiction, most of the materials used in its construction are likely
sourced outside the shores of this nation. For instance, the roofing
sheets could not be the Lento Aluminum type nor are the tiles and
toilets seats sourced from Royal Ceramics in Abuja. The construction
company is again most likely a foreign firm that has expatriates as core
staff. The implication of all these is that the bulk of the capital
expended on the project is repatriated. I am not against this. After all
we are trying to move to perfection and as they say 'you can eat your
cake and still expect to have it'.
In this part of the
world we lack maintenance culture. Therefore, for this beautiful edifice
to continue to remain what it is, the services of the construction
company would be needed for quite sometimes. If the incoming
administrator does not have the same vision like Odili has, a sad story
will ensue. It won’t be a surprise if after a while the toilet area of
the building stinks for lack of water to flush or the entire building is
thrown into darkness for lack of diesel to power the plant anytime the
almighty PHCN decides to strike. God forbids.
Methinks the provision
of basic infrastructural facilities would have benefited the masses more
than the construction of a new State House of Assembly. We have to
prioritize our needs. The Assembly building can wait. What the people
really need after a long period of suffering are accelerated
developments in terms of uninterrupted power supply, portable water,
decent and affordable shelter, durable roads, poverty reduction,
security etc.
Real sector
development can then follow when the above have been taken to an
appreciable level. The cases of two state governors readily come to mind
here. Donald Duke and Bukola Saraki have chosen tourism and agriculture
respectively as their areas of interests. The development of Obudu Ranch
embarked upon by Duke is a world class resort centre that has attracted
people from far and near. Many Nigerians now prefer to spend their hard
earned naira on vacations at the serene atmosphere of the ranch for a
lesser amount than visiting far away London. In the same vein,
foreigners besiege Calabar to holiday. The resultant effect is a boost
in social activities in that particular State. For instance, airline
companies and other firms in the hospitability business have experienced
a tremendous boost in activities. Thanks to Obudu Ranch.
Bukola’s agricultural
project has also boosted economic activities in Kwara State. At take off
over 500 youths were engaged in one activity or the other. As time
progresses, auxiliary industries will spring up. Production of fruit
drinks, tomato ketchup, macaroni, spaghetti, yam flower etc will soon be
a common thing in Kwara State. To me, this is an investment that is
rivalry to none in the entire country. It is not when a State governor
publicly distributes bags of fertilizer with much fanfare amidst media
coverage that I regard as investment in agriculture. Afterall, the
fertilizers are usually given to political associates who in turn sell
them at exorbitant prices to the end users.
In the course of the
interview, the Cardinal made reference to Kaduna State as one of the
northern states that have performed averagely. I would like to again
disagree with the Cardinal. Governor Makarfi of Kaduna State has, in the
execution of rural electrification projects, connected over seventy
villages in his state to the national grid. With electricity in the
villages there is a drastic reduction in rural-urban movement. He has
also constructed at least six kilometers length of quality road [not the
type you pour bitumen on the ground and then later pour gravel on top]
in each ward of all the local government area councils of the state. He
has doused the tension in the southern Kaduna part of the state by
creating more chiefdom from the former Zaria emirate council even though
his kinsmen were not in support of this. Hence, religious disturbances,
communal disturbances and ethnic rivalry which used to be prevalent in
the state have been kept at bay.
Other developmental
projects abound from the afore-mentioned states and other states of the
federation that are beneficial to the populace than Odili’s State House
of Assembly is to the people of Port-Harcourt.
I implore Cardinal
Okogie to visit the state once again to re-assess Governor Odili’s
performance over the years before giving him an endorsement for the
exalted post of the President and Commander in chief of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria. I am very optimistic that His Excellency will be
delighted to have Cardinal Okogie in the state again and again. After
all, the governor has been spending a reasonable chunk of the state’s
resources on hosting traditional rulers, religious leaders, and opinion
leaders etc to get endorsed for the 2007 presidential election.
It is incumbent on
Cardinal Okogie to do this because today it is big news that Governor
Odili has gotten the much valued endorsement. Your teeming religious
followers and others like me who hold you in high esteem will cast our
votes for any candidate you endorse without a second thought.
Nuhu Shuaib
enshuaib@yahoo.com
Zone 2, Wuse Abuja
Federal Capital
Territory
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