‘Chime’s Political Engineering In Enugu Is Very Progressive’ by Ibukunoluwa Kayode Chief Frank Agbedo, lawyer, author and Executive Director, Global Center for Defence of Human Rights (GCDHR), Lagos, is President, Ezike Diamond Club, Nigeria, a not-for-profit club of professionals from Enugu-Ezike, Igbo-Eze North Local Council of Enugu State. In this interview, he speaks on Governor Sullivan Chime’s response to clamour for power shift in Enugu State come 2015, the club’s contribution to political discourse in the state and Nigeria generally through its well-advertised annual lectures, and other matters. WHAT is your take on Governor Chime’s support for power shift to Enugu North? My candid response here is that the action of the governor by openly supporting power shift to Enugu North in 2015, represents the triumph of equity and justice over impunity and injustice, an obvious anomaly perpetrated by previous administrations in the State, to marginalize the people and deprive them of the dividends of democracy and other constitutional entitlements, in favor other zones in the state. I believe that the governor is very serious about his pronouncement especially because of his antecedents as a highly focused and principled leader, who is also a senior member of the noble profession of law of which I am equally a part. We should, therefore, rest assured that he would not renege on his promise, which was voluntarily made and inspired by his desire to engender equity and fair play in the governance of our beloved Enugu State. So, I urge our people to trust His Excellency for the above reasons and also because, as a lawyer, his word is his bond. What is your assessment of Gov. Chime’s administration generally? Looking at Enugu State now and how it was before the advent of the present administration, any sincere observer will agree that the governor has done very well not just in the area of urban and rural infrastructural development but also in the prevalence of relative peace and security—Enugu State is rated as one of the safest places in Nigeria to live in and or to do business. However, having said that, the highpoint of Chime’s administration, in my view, is its recognition of the grave inequity and injustice in the denial of political power to Enugu North by successive administrations in the state over the years and the steps it has taken to correct the anomaly. It is to the eternal credit of Gov that through his leadership, Enugu’s pragmatic stakeholders met and agreed that Enugu North should produce the next governor of the state come 2015. I reckon this to be his greatest achievement not because I come from that zone but because that pronouncement accords with the twin pillars of equity and justice as the bedrock of human existence, without which genuine peace, a condition precedent for development, would not thrive in the land. What kind of candidate must Enugu North project for the governorship project? This is a very good question in the sense that it is one thing to aspire to leadership but another thing to meet the prerequisites for leadership. Again, I believe that we do not need to re-invent the wheel to get a good leader. The qualities required of the candidate for this exalted position must be in tandem with those associated with a good leader. The candidate of our dream must first and foremost be a graduate, with at least a first degree in any discipline from a recognized university. He must have an undiluted commitment to excellence and selfless service and possess exemplary character, integrity, cognate experience and track record of performance, as well as acceptability not just within his domain but also throughout the state and even beyond. Above all, he must be God-fearing and have a clear vision and mission to deliver good governance to the good people of Enugu State. He must be trusted and known to have lived his life with honesty and integrity. The good news here is that the zone does not have a dearth of good candidates that meet the above criteria for leadership and as such the people are sufficiently well prepared to present from within their domain the best candidate for the job who would not only meet but clearly surpass all the expectations of the good people of Enugu State. Beyond this, such a successful candidate should be able to leverage on the solid legacy of good and exemplary leadership provided by Chime in Enugu State to consolidate on the integrated development programs of his immediate predecessor in office. What the people of Enugu need is an efficient, highly focused and development oriented governor, not a loud, noisy one who is more interested in attracting attention to himself than service in service delivery to the people. Why the choice of the theme for this year’s Diamond’s lecture? It has become the tradition in our club that each lecture is uniquely designed to address matters of utmost importance and currency in the polity. Understandably, the theme of this year’s lecture is centered on the imperative of power shift. With the Re-Engineering Inclusivity In Governance: The Enugu Example, the lecture is slated to take place this Saturday, October 5, at Mandela Hall, Golden Royale Hotel, Independence Layout, Enugu. The choice of this topic therefore speaks to the reality of the present political dispensation in Enugu State where the political leadership has taken bold steps towards building a culture of inclusivity to enable every zone in the state participate in governance. It seeks to underscore the significance of Chime’s pronouncement on power shift and its role in deepening democracy in Enugu State. The lecture, which will be delivered by Dr Nick Okonkwo Idoko, a university lecturer and peace builder, who was also a former journalist and newspaper publisher, will be chaired by former President General Ohaneze Ndigbo and former Chief Judge of Enugu State, HRM (Igwe) Eze Ozobu. We are privileged and highly honored to have His Excellency, Barr. Sullivan Chime, Executive Governor, Enugu State, as Chief Guest of honor, supported by all political office holders of Enugu State origin from all tiers of government, political aspirants and all other stake holders in the state, including the clergy, academia, students, trade unions, political associations market men and women, and the general public. Participants at the lecture are expected to reinforce the case for power shift, which had earlier been made by Governor Chime and unanimously affirmed by the state’s elders at a meeting in Enugu recently. Tell us a bit about Diamond Club. What does it stand for? Ezike Diamond Club is a non-partisan not-for-profit, socio-cultural group of professionals of Enugu-Ezike indigene based mainly in Lagos state. Members are bound together by a common desire to attain excellence in our various professions and a strong passion to affect the society positively through the instrumentality of community service and human capital development. We believe that good education be best expressed by the ability to engage the polity in a battle of ideas aimed at creating a conducive forum for lively conversation between the government and the people to drive productivity, accountability and good governance. Source: The Guardian
Posted on: Sat, 28 Sep 2013 19:53:10 +0000
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