ABIA AND HER NEW BROOM

 Chuks Akamadu reckons that emerging pattern in Abia presents prospects of a brighter future

Not too long ago I had cause to lament the littering of the major Abia cities of Umuahia and Aba with billboards adorning the image of an incumbent governor. It was such a despicable sight and, to make things worse, they were virtually sprouting from all corners of the named cities every other day.

It was an era when sycophancy became a virtue and thus was mainstreamed into Abia’s base political culture. The billboards in their various shapes and sizes were emblematic of the decadent governance mode and norm at the time. I had found it both distressing and scandalous that a governor could degenerate to a point of relishing such pathetic humoring by desperate and disparate interest groups justling for sundry government patronage.

The foregoing therefore explains the joy in my hearts as I proudly report that things have changed and, for good measure, are now looking up for Abia and Abians. Foremost, I would like to concede that Abia has not become “heaven on earth” overnight and that the current administration under Dr. Alex Otti’s watch still has a huge task staring it in the state; but thankfully, there is an emerging pattern that presents prospects of a brighter future.

I am an Abian and have visited home monthly on the average for the 17 months the present administration has been in existence. It was a relief to find that those billboards are no more and a lot more refreshing to observe, in addition, that they were not replaced by those of the incumbent governor. In the same vein, the culture of naming state-sponsored intervention projects after the governor also appears to be going extinct. There is, on the whole, an appreciable degree of sanity that is creeping back into Abia’s political firmament with a new spiritual ambience in the horizon.

It should however be noted that this is not an attempt to roll out the drums for the current administration – far from it; rather, it is an acknowledgement of the irreducible minimum that is required of a purposeful administration that does not perceive power as a place of comfort but as a burden to serve the people diligently. In all fairness however, this broom sweeps better. What is left to be seen – which is in the womb of time – is whether it will continue on its present trajectory.

In the interim, Abia has been on a journey of self-rediscovery with Governor Otti superintending. Judging by what we have seen so far, he came prepared. From the composition of his cabinet, pronounced fidelity to his social contract with Abians and sublime governance artistry to prudent management of resources, the man at the helm of affairs in Abia has proven to be on top of his game.

Interestingly, his personal attributes of calm mien, warm disposition, moderation and discipline seem to have also robbed off positively on his lieutenants. We now have a cohesive team with shared vision of where they would love to take God’s Own State to by 2027. This is what you get when a team-lead has a good head on the shoulder and is also able to optimally harness abundant human resources available for the good of society.

Noticeably too, Abia’s social space has witnessed sanitizing in recent times. Pubs in and around Abia are no longer the playgrounds of jobless political thugs, hirelings and gossip merchants who hitherto fed fat off government coffers. The culture of hard work is gradually returning and productivity is being warmly embraced for mutual benefit, sustainable economic growth and shared prosperity.

Similarly, Abians are enamoured by the swift manner Dr. Otti’s administration has turned their state into a construction site. To be sure, the priority given to rapid infrastructural development is commendable and the fact that this is not happening at the expense of human capital development is indicative of a well synchronized development plan that is being implemented with clinical precision.

For once, Abia has a government whose policy thrust aligns perfectly with the legitimate yearnings of the people. It is equally heartening to note that government is showing sufficient sensitivity to the people’s aspirations. The implication of this evolving positive reality is that to whom much is given, much is expected. Suffice it to quickly say that with Dr. Otti-led administration’s fat goodwill and trust reserve, it is within the rights of Abians and Abia residents to expect government to do much more for the unexpired period of its life span.

In view of this, the state government is advised against seeing all opposition perspectives as voices of detractors or the ventilation of bitter hearts. While I grant that a fraction of Abia’s opposition community, as rivals, might not exactly mean well for the present administration, there are also those who legitimately disagree with government policies and programmes based on their respective standpoints as patriots and genuinely desire to contribute to good governance. This set of people deserves government’s ears and their submissions courteous consideration.

The beauty of democracy is the supremacy of the people. What this means is that government should at all times view calls for accountability and transparency as a crucial feature of democracy that falls within the precincts of the rights of Abians and respond to them with the requisite sense of duty and right temperament. Rather more importantly, Dr. Otti and his team should continually up their game on the governance front because ultimately, it is their long list of achievements and sterling accomplishments that will speak the loudest for them and keep detractors in their place when the chips are down. Their best vuvuzela, that is!

On a parting note, yes, we have heard and seen enough to cheer about in the area of judicious allocation of resources so far, but there seems to be gaps with respect to wealth creation and economic diversification. This potentially leaves Abia vulnerable to the pitfalls brilliantly identified by Richard Auty in his Resource Curse Theory and the temptation of resorting to an anti-people tax regime – which Abians might not be able to survive.

There is no gainsaying Abia’s resources are limited, so the task of meeting the expectations of the masses couldn’t possibly be adequately taken care of by monthly FAAC allocations from Abuja. There is, therefore, an urgent need for Abia government to explore other economic frontiers where the state has comparative and competitive advantage notably Information Communications Technology (ICT), Cultour (culture+tourism) and agriculture, with a view to significantly shoring up its internally generated revenue (IGR) base.

 Akamadu Esq. FIMC, M.IoD, is

Managing Director, Afrocultour Limited