Chief Ogbonnia Oko Enyim is the chairman of Afikpo North local government area in Ebonyi state. In this interview with PAUL OKAH, he talks about the development agenda of Ebonyi state governor, Engr. Dave Umahi, plans for revenue generation in the local government, insecurity among other issues.
The governor recently passed a vote of confidence on the 13 LG chairmen; what does that suggest?
I have always told people that Ebonyi state governor, His Excellency Engr. Dave Umahi, is a team player. He doesn’t have patience for incompetence. It is only God and the governor himself that know the indices he used to assess us and pass a vote of confidence in all the 13 local government chairmen of the state. On our own part, we pray God to give us the grace to sustain the tempo that necessitated the governor having faith in us.
How prepared are you for the LG election coming up in the first quarter of this year?
Like Governor Dave Umahi, I don’t get worried when it comes to the issue of elections. By the grace of God, my profession has always been politics. All my life, I have not been able to do any other job apart from politics. I have been self employed and I have never depended on anyone for survival. However, I rely on God for my success. My coming into office is because of God and Governor Umahi and I have to do their will. I will not be distracted from my duties because of politics, otherwise I will be a failure. We will be in office to watch people who say they are ready to fight us. They can be fighting us while we will consolidate on delivering dividends of democracy to our people.
What plans do you have for the council if reelected?
We won’t rest until we get Ehugbo people to be happy. We are from Ehugbo and whatever we do for Ehugbo, we are doing for ourselves as well. We have already infused in our budget programmes that will run beyond our administration. I see governance as a continuum and would like our successors to have less to do and to build on our successes. I don’t believe in building a gigantic office, lodge or in sharing money, but in projects that have economic value. I believe in investments that will bring economic value to the council. We will venture into poultry and agriculture so that the council can generate income daily. We have good plans for people that will make them feel happy. If you go to Lagos state, the past governor, Jakande, has not been forgotten. Tinubu still give him credit. It is not about what you met in place, but what you put in place or what you leave at the end of your tenure. So, our plan is that we will do more. There is no greater office than the opportunity to serve your people as a local government chairman. Other positions are just additions. Presidency, governor and local government chairman are important positions, so we should always do our best to serve humanity.
What is the council doing with regards to economy?
My team members have been trying to beef up or revive the economy of the local government. When I came into office, we discovered that what past chairmen did was to sit in the office and wait for money from Abuja. When the allocation comes, the chairman would then siphon the money for private use. However, we started thinking of what to do in order not to rely entirely on the allocation from Abuja. After meeting with my team, we discovered that a plaza will be befitting. For instance, if we collect rent for a year, we will be making nothing less than 10 million naira. Even if we now want to borrow from the bank, we will have collateral and not using allocation to borrow. We will then use the borrowed money for another economic development of the local government. If you go to other local government areas, it is the institutions they have that give them money. If you hear today that Nigeria has disintegrated and everyone is to return home, what then do we have in the local government to return to? Our next plan is to put a dredger at Ndibe beach that will give the local government money. We don’t need to wait for Abuja or use allocation as collateral because that is a problem.
When we came into office, we met a huge debt of N5 million. Today, it is a problem between a bank and the council. It was initially fifteen million naira debt, but the former government was paying it when we came in. It gave me a great concern; how can you be running a council on debt? Past local government chairmen came to steal from the Council and built mansions without keeping anything back. However, I prefer to invest for the council. That’s why people like me can die for the state governor, Engr. David Nweze Umahi. Look at what he is doing. Look at the Ecumenical Centre and shopping mall and so forth he is constructing in the state. That shopping mall is more than Shoprite if you go in there. As a leader, look for what you should do for your people and make them to remember you even when you leave office. Therefore, instead of using allocations from Abuja to build mansions in my compound, while the council doesn’t have anything, my conscience won’t allow me. Instead of dividing N100 million to people, to eat and hail me, I rather choose to invest it in building a plaza and carrying out projects that will generate money for the council.
When will the plaza be ready for use?
If not that I insisted that they will parapet it, the plaza is supposed to be roofed by now. The parapet and zincs have been paid for. Between now and next month, work will be almost completed in the plaza. The project was initially for a storey building, but Afikpo is a big city so we decided to make the plaza a two storey building with 30 shops. The suites have conveniences and offices and we are making it better than Abuja standard. Ehugbo is second to Abakaliki, the state capital and we hope the plaza will reduce the congestion in Eke market. Those who are selling provisions and other things can come up and rent shops in the plaza. Therefore, between now and March, we will finish the plaza. If not for the additional storey building, which is as a result of suggestions of interested people like Rev. Fr. Azubuike, who suggested that the building should have an ICT centre, it would have been completed by now. Some people frowned at my building the plaza at Ehugbo instead of Amasiri, since we are coming into government for the first time and I laughed. Can you go to Mgbom or Ozizza and build a plaza? You have to check the place. Ehugbo is the economic hub of the local government. There is no way you can expect me to execute such a project in Unwana or Amasiri. Perhaps I can do that later, but not now.
What necessitated the renovation of the Magistrates Lodge beside the plaza?
When we came into office, we discovered that the magistrate lodge was burnt down and three successive chairmen didn’t do anything about it. Ehugbo is second judicial division after Abakaliki. While there is slow dispensation of justice in Afikpo is because the magistrates don’t stay back in Afikpo after court sessions, because of lack of accommodation. Each time they come from Abakaliki, they are always in haste to rush back. Therefore, we approached His Excellency, Engr. Dave Umahi, and he approved it for us. If you go there now, the building has been roofed. It has almost been completed. The plaza beside the Lodge is also to ensure that the environment will be serene, not like beer parlours scattered around for people to drink and make noise. In fact, when we were young, the Magistrates Quarters was a quiet environment. No car horns of any form. It was Justice Ewa Udu’s house that was the only house around the area. There was also quick dispensation of justice then. Therefore, between now and February, we will ask the governor to come and commission the Lodge. We are struggling to ensure that we complete the two projects by March and then turn attention to other projects.
What can you say about the incessant hiring and firing of appointees by the governor?
Each time I speak with the state governor, His Excellency Engr. Dave Umahi, I am always amazed at his ingenuity and innovations. Ebonyi is not like Anambra or Lagos states, where there are industries or companies everywhere. Ebonyi was just like a village when the governor came into power in 2015. To reduce crime and unemployment, the governor focused on making appointments and he does not owe anybody. He doesn’t have patience for incompetent people or incompetence. Those he fires are incompetent. Nobody will like to relate with anyone who is incompetent. People see government job as patronage and something they can joke with. Government job is service to the people. If you are appointed, you should research on something to do to make impact. There is no village, community, hamlet or family that Umahi has not given appointment. He is doing it so that people will not feel bad about the little money that comes from Abuja. If it is N200, 000, you can use it to cater for your family and not for you to use it to sabotage him. If he gives you an appointment and position and you go there to sleep, do you expect him to clap for you? Nobody does that. If he sees you are not helping his administration, why should he allow you to stay? Stay as what? You should be on your way out. Or he can suspend you so that you can sit up.
How would you describe the governor as a leader?
When the governor came into office, he revived the whole sector, which hitherto had collapsed. That’s why I always marvel at his dexterity. He doesn’t sleep. 24 hours, he is working. He is everywhere. He knows something about every profession. If you want to talk with him as a lawyer, doctor, engineer or whatever profession: you have to be ready for him. All the governor wants is to develop Ebonyi state so that his successor will see a foundation to build on. We came into Ebonyi as a marginalised people. It was like a gloried local government: nothing was working. Everyone was poor. You hardly found people owning cars, but Ebonyi was already a state.
The first people that came were military administrators from various states, but they couldn’t do much. They met confusion. Even the civilian governors met confusion everywhere and did little. But this man from God called Umahi was watching carefully, just like Joshua watching Israel in captivity in Egypt. He kept going to Moses to learn the way, while God was preparing a David. David Umahi came with the whole capacity being anchored on God and has entered everywhere. If you say you are the best, he will give you a free hand to operate, while he watches. He gives people all their need to deliver and the benefit of doubt. Governor Umahi was duped in 2015 and in 2019 by those who claim to be leaders of a formidable political group in Afikpo North, but couldn’t even deliver their polling units in the election. It was after the election that the governor knew who is who and who is a mere social media propaganda tiger. However, in his magnanimity, the governor still forgave them, but needless to say he is now wiser and wary of them.
Some people are of the opinion that certain projects initiated by the governor are not relevant…
(Cuts in)…I call those criticising the governor as political miscreants and never-do-wells. They don’t have any thought in their medulla oblongata. Presently, Enugu airport is closed and you can see the type of stress we undergo by going to Owerri. If you watch the cargo airport the governor is constructing, it has a very high economic value. If you reflect on the nearness of Cross River state and Enugu to Ebonyi, you see that the choice of Ezza North is central. Umahi is a man of equity. He is from the south, but chose Ezza as location for the airport. The governor checked the state and discovered that Ezza North is the ideal place. Because it is a success, the opposition and detractors will be criticising it. However, if you are focused, you will ignore them and go ahead, because the same people will be the first to rush to make use of it when completed.
What is the Council doing about insecurity in Afikpo North?
There is no way you can completely eradicate crime from a society: you can only ameliorate it. Anybody who tells you otherwise is a liar. I am a sincere person. Insecurity is everywhere, not only Afikpo North. Cultists are our children and we have to take it easy with them. You use a very amiable system to relate with them. Let them know that they are into negative things. We are doing our best to see that we reduce cultism in Afikpo. We are working with security agencies to ensure that burglary, car theft and petty crimes are curbed. Before we came into power, you hardly park your car and meet it safe anywhere in Afikpo North. The car or its batteries would disappear.