The Obino Performance Controversy, By Chris Mccool Nwosu

EKWULU GINI MBOSI UTUTU?
(What was the understanding ab initio?)

(By Chris McCool Nwosu)

It is trite that in every examination, there are always set basis upon which scores or marks are awarded. Attempting to award mark or score under such scenario without premise could be likened to attempting to put something on nothing. It thus follow that there has to be an empirical basis to conclude that Governor Willie Obiano has either performed well or dismally.

For individuals like myself who allow themselves to be guided by both history and empiricism, there are but two perspectives from which His Excellency’s performance over the last three years and three months that he has held the reins of power in the state could be fairly evaluated.

Firstly and most appropriate for the purpose are his campaign promises as encapsulated in his twelve (12) page campaign MANIFESTO under the very STRONG and INSIGHTFUL theme: “OBIANO 2013 – MY ARTICLES OF FAITH” (CONTINUITY, FORWARD EVER).

(For emphasis and for whatever it may be worth, Ndi Anambra may wish to note the choice of language couriered by the term, “My Articles of FAITH” and ruminate over the quality of commitment or conviction that it must have elicited from an unsuspecting electorate while the campaigned peaked).

Secondly (and in the event that the first for whatever reason(s) becomes untenable) is the performance of Obiano’s recent predecessors over same period of time. In this instance, Dr. Chris Nwabueze Ngige and Mr. Peter Obi’s performances with their respective first three months in office. (It should be noted that Dr. Ngige was two months short of three years in office when the Supreme Court sacked his administration follow the success of Obi’s tenure interpretation suit at the Apex Court)

It was based on the above reason that I initially personally employed Obi’s first three years performance; as well as Governors Dave Umahi and Okezie Ikpeazu of Ebonyi and Abia states’ performances in less than two years in office to contradict and effectively douse the fallacy flying around the media that Obiano was ‘working wonders’ in Anambra; when, on the contrary, what was on ground was and is still nothing near the massive organized propaganda being peddled about the media and which, unfortunately, Ndi Anambra resident in the Diaspora were beginning to consume hook, line and sinker. Even as political aides and interests directly or indirectly patronized by the state government in one form or another; or those out to foster kinship interest complemented the efforts of the organized orchestrators’ of the soaring attempt to hoodwink the gullibe.

The fallacies ranged from the reckless and (as has become the culture of the regime) unsubstantiated claims of having ultimately attracted investments worth over USD $7.5b to the state (when about 80% of the sum being quoted is presently only domiciled in the form of mere memorandum of understanding – MOUs entered into with private investors yet to commence the processes of material translation), to the ubiquitous “Doing more with less” cliché evolved and popularized by His Excellency’s SSA New Media, Mr. Ifeanyi Aniagoh (until the unfounded claim was similarly ripped bare by the result of compilation of the cumulative share of state and local government funds obtained within same period from the federation account by ex-governor Obi and Obiano) and lots more.

Obviously hit below the belt by the potpourri of glaring contrasts couriered in those expose, cronies and some aides of government reverted to asking whether Obi was contesting for third term each time the comparison was raised. Yet, the other key import of resurrecting the Obi example of detailed listing of his administration’s accomplishments (for me in particular) was to drive home the campaign and demand for ACCOUNTABILITY and TRANSPARENCY from the incumbent administration which claimed and often referenced ‘monumental accomplishments’ on the pages of newspapers, television stations, billboards, et al are yet to be listed or conveyed with explicit details in a manner that could proper verification. (Yet, this is something all truly performing governors do annually).

For example, none of the HUNDREDS of political aides His Excellency has hired over the years (the consultants and professionals among them inclusive) is in position to tell Ndi Anambra explicitly (before now or even as I write) how many kilometers of road Obiano has completed; how many are ongoing and at what stages of completion; how much he collects monthly as security vote, how many SSAs, SAs and Special Advisers the governor has employed or what the government has explicitly put into supporting security agencies to sustain the security situation in the state. And so on and so forth. (Let one of them prove me wrong for once by producing answers to the posers above)

The only thing that they are very good at while canvassing an undeserved second term for their principal is bandying prompt payment of workers’ salaries (as if the two governments before the present owed workers or did not do more); as well as advancing the alibi of recession as excuse for Obiano’s dismal showing over three years and counting. Quite laughably too, while plying these excuses, they are also quick to point at a few states owing backlog of workers’ salaries without recourse to the quality of state they inherited from their predecessors or correspondingly equating same to the unencumbered quality of state Obi bequeathed to Obiano upon the exit of his administration.

Nevertheless, the salient question should be whether Obiano’s financial behavior or management of the state’s resources reflects that of a state in recession? Your guess is as good as mine. But then, it makes no sense to live like a king and then turn round to advance recession as alibi for non performance. That, certainly, is not a path of honour. And Ndi Anambra knows this.

Invariably, it will be interesting for those who want us to accept that Obiano has been quintessential performance-wise (as if we are not all privy to the depreciating returns being experienced in the fortunes of state judging by the heights we were coming from) to explicitly (note the word ‘explicitly’) educate the rest of us on the other side on the premise upon which their judgment was or is founded.

Is it based on the performance of his immediate predecessor? Or his campaign manifesto?

Or is it based on an entirely foreign or newly imported pedestal? It will be interesting to know.

Those who have read through may wish to expand the discourse with comments and reactions.

Have your say.