CHIDOKA: NO EASY MARK AT 51
Pat Onukwuli pays tribute to Osita Chidoka, former Minister of Aviation
He easily comes across as brilliant and urbane. This may not be the impression of everybody around him, especially those opposed to his politics. But it is well time to admit the fact because beyond the hubbub of resisting it, his genius is stark.
Osita Chidoka is a cut above his peers. He is bold and decisive. He betrays deep intellectual appreciation of issues, most of the time. He is good at what he does and does not shy away from taking on challenges no matter how enormous. He brims with ideas and knows how to put them into practice.
There is sufficient proof of this with his appointment to the Federal Road Safety Corps and the Ministry of Aviation, especially the former. Barely one month to his 36th birthday, he was appointed to the headship of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) where he was saddled with responsibility of managing the safety of Nigerians on the road and contending with road hogs on the wheel. His assumption of duty did not come quite easy. The Corps Marshal – his predecessor in office declined handing over to the “small boy”, Osita. He opted to assign that responsibility to his second in command. Not thinking differently from his boss, the Deputy Corps Marshal also hedged, calling in “sick two hours to the event”. In the end, the handover was done and Chidoka buckled down to brass tacks.
Seven years after, and with his nose to the grindstone, he did not just transform the Corps into a responsive and reputable organisation, but he had it shorn off placidity and squalidness. He had before this time, had a taste of management as a head of a national committee and member of many others, contributing significantly to national development through service. He had served as Team Leader, Committee for the Drafting of the National Policy on Non-motorised Form of Transportation in Nigeria, member Committee for Review of the Abuja Master Plan and Assistant Secretary Committee for the 1999 Military to Civilian Handover, etc. Prior to this, he was personal assistant to Minister of Works and Housing as well as Minister of Transport. He was also in the Presidency as Special Assistant to the Adviser to the President on Legal Matters.
By 2014, Chidoka’s personal stock had gone up with the presidency and he came highly recommended. He was subsequently appointed Minister of Aviation. He held this position until 2015 when his party, the People’s Democratic Party lost control of the central government to the All-Progressives Congress. His years in the FRSC were glorious and beyond his achievements there which included, but not limited to modernizing the organisation through digitalisation of its software, increase of the staff strength from 11,000 to 20,000, erection of the Lokogoma Housing Estate, establishment of Safeline Micro Finance Bank, building of the FRSC Academy, building of two new number plate factories, etc., he led the organization to win many awards.
Under his watch the FRSC became the first law enforcement agency to become ISO 9001 certified, won Prince Michael of Kent Award, National Productivity Award with the World Bank recognising it as the Best Example for Road Safety Management in Africa among others. With these achievements firmly in his kitty, interspersed occasionally with recognitions within and outside Nigeria, Chidoka was up for bigger responsibility, and it came with his appointment as Minister of Aviation. It is important to state here that all these happened within the period of his youth. And to his credit, even with all the idealism of youth he managed the two offices ably well, muffing neither and leaving both with his reputation intact.
On the surface, leaving an office or offices with untainted reputation may not provoke any interest after all “with enough courage”, wrote writer Margaret Mitchell, “you can do without a reputation”. However, in a clime where courage is rare among youths and keeping a good reputation a hard nut to crack, an ounce of the latter is priceless. Over the years, Chidoka has played issue-based politics, maintaining dignified stand on national question. Very few of his colleague ministers still command attention almost eight years after. With no want of ideas, he writes profusely on good governance and advocates for a liveable society. He cuts an image of an elder statesman – one who sets great store by experience even as he is still within the precinct of youth. As stated above even from his time as Corps Marshal and Minister no time did, he did not allow the idealism of youth or its twin spirit of adventurism to get in the way he handled both offices. He saw well ahead of his time and worked hard to improve his environment.
In 2017, he ran for the governorship election of his state. Though he lost to ex-Governor Willie Obiano, but not a few people still remember how he debated his colleagues. He has continued to impress his listeners with his speech delivery and captivates his readers with lucid writings. He is an advocate of the triple values of Uchu, Uche and Egwuchukwu which embody Igbo virtues of diligence, prudence and trustworthiness. These core values shape his political ideology that is founded on veracity.
He can be fiercely honest when articulating what he considers to be truth that liberates. Although some will argue that truth is relative and has many dimensions. However, Willard Mullins in his Reflections on Mannheim’s Paradox argues that “contrary to mainstream views, truth and ideology can be interwoven and are neither antagonistic nor irreconcilable”.
Thus, Chidoka is an inadvertent political scholar that is intensely ensconced in his perceptions and caught between saying it the way it is and being politically correct. Quite often he places truth above political consideration no matter how unpopular. An uncommon practice in the equally uncommon landscape of Nigerian politics, and which can be inimical to political advancement. Nevertheless, veracity is still a virtue in politics because it was its inexactitudes, dissimulations and denials that recently brought Boris Johnson’s Premiership to an abrupt end. His moral high ground and promotions of universally recognised standards of justice whittled him as a conscientious agitator.
Chidoka is one of the few Igbo political leaders who openly endorse the rights of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) to peaceful agitation. On the other hand, he holds the view that might not be popular with the people of his own extraction. Accordingly, he thinks the problem of Ndi Igbo is not marginalisation by the Nigerian state, but rather the failure of Local and State governments to be accountable to the people. He thinks that cries of marginalisation will fade into nothingness if governance at the local level is upped some notches higher. There is no doubt that Chidoka like a few others has a lot to offer Nigeria if called upon to do so. In a country of gerontocrats, he has not just the advantage of age, but also of knowledge and profundity. He should be most willing to avail the country his time, energy and immeasurable experience.
As he celebrates his 51 years on earth, he should proudly savour his numerous achievements. However, he should not waver, falter, or vacillate, but continue and double down on his commitment to a fairer Nigeria, and to truth, no matter the political risk.
Dr. Onukwuli writes from patonukwuli2003@yahoo.co.uk
