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From Wilson Okereke, Afikpo
The newly inaugurated Commissioner for Commerce and Industry in Ebonyi State, Oguzor Emmanuel Offia-Nwali is a young man bubbling with enthusiasm on how to make the state work and take it to the next level.
In this interview, he was vocal in denouncing the state of affairs of the ministry which he inherited as a commissioner.
With the elections over and subsequent swearing in, did you at any time imagine you were going to emerge a commissioner?
Never a time. Never a time, because we live in a part of the world where the youths are always “leaders of tomorrow.” It was a surprising thing to me.
What is your mission and vision for the ministry?
We want to industrialize Ebonyi to be able to employ youths. We want to take the youth off the street. Whatever should be done to employ our people; whatever should be done to liberate our people, we shall do it, whatever should be done for us to have a state where those few things we do order from Lagos, Port Harcourt and other states, that we have them on ground here, from small companies to bigger companies.
We will address those things that cannot thrive in a government that has zero tolerance for investors; nobody likes a place that he would be harassed with exorbitant Internally Generated Revenue and a place that he cannot comfortably operate in its environment. We are going to provide that enabling environment that will make them very comfortable to be able to bring their money and invest in Ebonyi and I know that my governor is ready to partner with investors.
The functions of your ministry seemingly overlap with that of finance and Local Government. How do you hope to synergize to avoid conflicts?
We have a working agreement with the Commissioner for Finance; he is my very good friend, the local government – the Special Assistant to the governor and Commissioners for Local Government and Rural Development, we are all young people. It is going to be very difficult for any of us to feel that we are overlapping others or for another one to overlap us, because in the exco we are like a family. We partner with one another and share spirit of partnership. We don’t dwell on unnecessary backbiting or rivalry. So, what we are trying to do is to provide leadership for our people, make our people feel the impact of the government, whatever is to be done to make them feel government’s presence, thus this administration is all about the people’s welfare, the government is going to focus solely on how to make Ebonyians feel better.
As a new person in this ministry; what did you meet on ground?
It’s a story for another day, what matters is that the government is a continuum and then for me, I didn’t meet what I should be proud of. I am a very vocal person and I say it the way it is. Civil service died in the state, my ministry is about revenue and those who are working here are always in the field, we want to revive it to be able to have those small amounts of money as revenue to the state.
It has died! I met a dead zone but I assure you that the governor of Ebonyi State, Chief Ogbonna Nwifuru has a whole lot of plans to revive the civil service because the civil service is the hallmark of every administration. The people who are employed should know why they are employed, we will find a way to ensure that we do the best to enable the ministry grow, help the state grow the economy. So, we are here to do everything possible to make sure that the old orders are no more in existence.
Trade fair is an annual ritual that attracts patronage in other states but in Ebonyi, the same cannot be said of its yearly outing. How do you prop the chamber of commerce to be up and doing in this direction?
One week after I assumed office, I invited the HOD Commerce to update me on the documents relating to his office; in fact, I told all HODs to give me memo about their offices containing what they feel that will improve their offices and how to remedy the deficiencies, if found. I specifically told HOD Commerce to give me the file on trade fair and I have communicated with my counterparts in Enugu and Lagos states, so we are looking for a way of organizing international trade fair where Ebonyi State would feature prominently.
So, we will find a way to make people know that trade fair is one programme that helps to build the state and also partner to improve local patronage of state products; we are stopping at nothing to make sure that we get the state working again.
You also met a situation where Abakpa Market has been relocated to new international market. Today, Abakpa market is an eyesore. How do you feel about that?
It is one of the things that I am going to discuss with the Commissioner for Market Development. I will also discuss with Head of Parks Development to fix everything in that particular location.
It will also help in rebuilding that location, we had a government that was only interested in picking from that particular location but not interested in making use of the money made from that location to build the place; the officials felt that market is a museum where people just come to view antiquity in the name of trading.
They didn’t know that markets should also have welfare for a conducive environment like toilets and security post to safeguard wares, otherwise, the moment stealing of goods is noticed, the market will die gradually. There are a whole lot to be done to see that the trend is reversed because what had happened had happened.
We are starting a new government and whatever we can do to make sure this state works, we will do it. Just as the governor always said, if you feel you have your children trained overseas, you unfortunately fail to realize that the daughter you trained very well in overseas, will still come back to marry the same children of others that are not trained very well, from there, you will also be in the same shit that you are running away from.
It is either we find a way to make sure that things are solved or we will still be faced with it much later, so, we are not leaving Ebonyi for anybody.
Some of the traders who were dislodged and displaced from the Abakpa market are yet to find their bearing. Do you have any plans for them?
We have to get facts as the government works with facts and evidences. The fact on ground is that the market was relocated. What happened next? Why were you dislodged? Why were you moved from a place and could not find a place again? We need those things as concrete facts.
As a journalist, you are to help us make them come up with a proper complaint and with that, the issue would be revisited so that we can discuss with the governor and he is ever ready at anytime to listen to anyone that approaches him on what is needed be done, he responds immediately.
He feels the pulse of the poor, we are all poor, we were once poor and we were once in very difficult positions. So, we understand what they are going through, whatever we can do to help them, if it is in a blueprint, that can be accessible. Some of us will take it to the governor to appeal to him and I know if it is a genuine appeal, he will not hesitate to do everything possible to ensure that those affected will have a redress.
Like you said, some people are making a case for that market to be reopened and it is lying fallow, can anything be done about it?
They can bring their memo to me. Let me study it and find a way to appeal to my principal. I am sure that if it is the way they present it, we will find a way to do something.
