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Emeka Omeihe
The texture and direction of the incoming administration in Imo state seem to have emerged last week when the Governor-Elect, Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha unveiled his transition committee. Tagged Transition Technical Committee, the star-studded team, is headed by an accomplished banker and former deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Ernest Ebi. Its composition depicts a harvest of very prominent and distinguished sons and daughters of the state carefully selected to serve in the various sub-committees in line with their professional competences.
Altogether, there are 13 sub-committees covering project review, finance review/ funding initiative, integrated infrastructure, health, human capital development and good governance. There are also the agriculture, commerce and industry sub-committees with a former minister of commerce and renowned rice farmer, Charles Ugwu as the chairman, job and wealth creation headed by former director-General of Nigerian Stock Exchange, Prof. Ndi Okereke-Onyiuke, tourism and hospitality, talents and opportunities, security, Diaspora initiatives and Owerri Town Planning sub-committees.
The inauguration last Wednesday turned out a very colorful and well attended ceremony that underscored the high premium the governor-elect attaches to the effective functioning of the business of the incoming government. Its composition is also symbolic in more ways than one. By assembling the best of brains in the state to husband a quick and smooth takeoff of his government, Ihedioha underscored very poignantly, that merit and competence will count as irreducible decimals in his administration.
That is the vision that informed the painstaking efforts in assembling very distinguished professionals in the banking and financial institutions, captains of industry, the academia, former ministers and former diplomats. The target is to tap into and leverage on the wealth of professional experiences and expertise of these men and women to launch Imo state on the path of steady growth and development.
A very perceptible dimension of the composition of the committee is the very deliberate efforts to ensure that it is inclusive of all the interests and shades of opinion in the state. This can be gleaned from the generous accommodation of youths and women, labor groups, sports administrators and entertainers. By this, the statement is clear that youths, women and all shades of opinion and interests will have accommodation in the new government. It therefore strikes as a committee of hope and the reawakening of a new dawn.
But more than anything, the inclusion of four former governorship candidates of the political parties that participated in the last election in the committee, demonstrates most unambiguously, the commitment of the governor-elect to run an all inclusive government that is accommodating of all shade of political interests. The candidates are Humphery Anumudu, ZLP, Linus Okorie,YPP, Excel Ochiama, Fresh and Casmir Anyanwu, SDP. Their appointment no doubt, is a clear statement that the elections are over and irrespective of political persuasions, all those who wish the state well, must join hands and move it forward. It is also a clear indication that he intends to work with other political parties to lift Imo from the helplessness and retardation into which it had inevitably sunk. The imperative of inclusiveness in governance cannot be overemphasized. This is especially so given the awkward way the outgoing regime of Rochas Okorocha ran the business of governance since he was elected into office. That government paid scant heed to capacity and professional competence and ran the government as a family business. That disposition inevitably saw to the shunting out and driving away of many of those who had valuable contributions to grow the state resulting in the abysmal devaluation of standards in all critical sectors of the state economy. The damage is very fundamental and Ihedioha will have to start from the scratch to reinvent standards and values in all our institutions and governmental processes. And in doing this, he does not seem to have any other choice than putting square pegs in square holes. That is exactly the underlying philosophy for the composition of the technical committee.
The level of damage to the state and the imperative to retrieve it from the increasing slide to the precipice was the major reason the Imo electorate voted overwhelmingly for Ihedioha in the last elections. The electorate was united there was a common enemy who had to be dislodged for real progress to be recorded in the state. They therefore yearned for that candidate with the capacity and requisite credentials not only to sack that government but to put things right. And among the array of candidates that offered themselves, the PDP candidate offered the best promise both in terms of qualification, training, temperament and upbringing. It is therefore only proper that in running the affairs of the next government, Ihedioha does not lose sight of the broad based support that saw him to victory.
By the texture of the committee, he has shown very clearly that he understands what the challenges are. And since the diagnosis of an ailment is half way to its cure, he is surely on the right path to breathe life to the state again. Imo state rates very high in youth unemployment. It also scores very low in the industrialization matrix. The committees on job and wealth creation and human capital development are targeted at addressing these deficits. The enormity of challenges confronting the state is the reason for the seeming large size of the committee. The expectation is that with the professional and technical competences of members of the sub-committees, they will be in a better stead to pay attention to critical details and assist the government to quickly deliver on its promises of good governance and stimulating development in all sectors of the state and across the zones.
While inaugurating the committee, Ihedioha made it clear that the initiative is not an indication of dearth of ideas but a belief in and commitment to team work and harnessing well acknowledged potentials of the members. He therefore charged the committee to “help us identify measurable policy frameworks and how to raise and manage the requisite resources after taking a critical look at what the out-going administration is handing over to us”
One thing that stands out very distinctly here is that the success of the committee bears positive correlation with the level of cooperation they receive from the outgoing government of Rochas Okorocha. It is hoped that the outgoing government will not place thorns on the path of the incoming government by contriving sundry subterfuge to deliberately withhold vital information and data that will enable the new government take off seamlessly.
Apparently to guide the work of the committee, the governor-elect did not leave members with any iota of doubt that he already had a very carefully articulated manifesto. The task of the committee is therefore not to draft a manifesto since there is an existing one but to “bring life to the manifesto so that we can hit the ground running, with deliverables and timelines” He has said it all.
There is no doubt; he has clear vision as to the level of assistance he expects from the committee. And given the professional competences of the appointees and the radiating enthusiasm they displayed during the inauguration, hope is alive that Imo will once again assume its pride of place in this country. The chairman of the committee, Ernest Ebi captured the prevailing sentiments very succinctly when he described the inauguration as a new dawn in Imo state with a promise to deliver on the objectives and ensure a smooth and seamless transition. He appreciated the governor-elect for his painstaking efforts in putting together “distinguished professionals who are fired by what they can do for their state”.
That is what stands out the transition committee; they are largely people motivated by what they can do for Imo state and not what the state can do for them. With this positive disposition, expectations are high that the state stands to benefit immeasurably from their wealth of experiences and contributions.
Omeihe writes from Owerri
