Payment of stipends
to Ebonyi founding fathers in order –Former Algon boss
From GODDY OSUJI ABAKALIKI
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
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•Uguru
•Photo: Sun News Publishing
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Against the backdrop of criticisms trailing Gov. Martin
Elechi’s romance with the founding fathers of Ebonyi
State former National Vice Chairman of ALGON Chief Emma Uguru
has justified the payment of stipends to the founding fathers
of the state by Elechi’s administration. Arguing
that they are not dictators to the Governor as speculated.
Uguru also said that the development of the rural areas
in the state was as a result of the mistakes of Enugu state
where development is concentrated only in the state capital
and advised against granting complete autonomy to the local
government councils in Nigeria, pointing out that such an
action could be abused.
The former Abakaliki local government chairman in an exclusive
interview with Sunday Sun observed that even if one does not
appreciate the role of the founding fathers, “we should
appreciate that they founded this state”. It is because
of fighting and finding the state that government is just
appreciating them in just a little way by placing them on
a monthly stipend. I don’t think what they are giving
them is as a result of what they are doing today. It is as
a result of what they have done and again these are elders,
they have worked, today not all of them have the capability.
They should be resuscitated somehow and I think that is what
government has done. I don’t know if they are dictating
to the government and I don’t know if they are paid
for the dictation. What I know and what I stand for is that
even if they are being appreciated, there can be no enough
appreciation because God used them to achieve the state today.
But I don’t think they are commissioners, special advisers.
They could still be advisory because as long as your father
is living, once in a while you go to him even if he doesn’t
call you, sometimes the capabilities they have may not be
what it was. All they have to do is to cheer you up but there
are some advises they will give that will contradict and there
are those that will prove that the voice of the elders are
the voice of wisdom. I will never be a party that will say
they should be discarded
PDP in South East
You know we are in learning process. Never can there be a
time one will say I am okay, so if PDP gets up to say I am
okay, then it will be an over statement. No matter how good
the party is, there are still room for improvement. If there
are roads are there water, if there are water, is education
working well? Of course you must keep improving. If you go
to Enugu nobody ever believed that there were still leftovers
that were not done by the past administrations.
Here in Ebonyi, you may not see what you are seeing in Enugu
because Enugu has been the seat of government under former
Eastern Region, East central state, Anambra and Enugu and
there’s still development going on. I happen to be of
one those who say there are still developments in Ebonyi state
but the issue is that we want to begin from where others did
not start. Where are those areas, it was when we went on tour
of the state with the governor that I had to change my impression
about this government. If those things done by the former
administrations were done in the form I think here would have
been heaven, but how many persons are living in the town if
they are clustered in the town. You have completely marginalized
the other people.
What are the priority needs of the people today. It is good
road, my father in the rural area is talking of light but
not much of it, what they want as farmers is how do they evacuate
their produce to where they will sell them and get more money
or how can people come into the rural areas and I think that
is the essence of making impassable roads and bridges to be
passable and Ebonyi is a beehive of agricultural activities
and are they happening in the urban areas; no! that is why
I appreciate in no small measure what the previous administration
did in the rural areas and what the present administration
is doing to improve the lot of the people, and that is why
if I am to compare the administration in Enugu and Ebonyi
not because I am in Ebonyi, I will say yes Ebonyi is gaining
from the mistakes of the other states by going to the hinterland
so that before we know it something will be coming out from
there. People can now go to their villages.
A place like Nguzu-Edda was completely impassable but
today people from that area can return during Christmas and
other festivities with their cars. That is why I am saying
that the administration of PDP is service to man, people and
God. Never a time can one say he has done everything, if you
solve this problem another one comes up, the only thing is
that we have to be a little patient. Just like I said let
people criticize but constructively and those being criticized
listen attentively as they get those critics because sometimes
those in government will always sing the songs the leader
will hear they don’t tell them the truth some of the
times. let them hear from both sides so that they can balance
it and I think that is what the government of the present
administration is doing by going to the hinterland to do one
or two things.
PDP nationwide
Let us take PDP like every other house where the father and
mother are the leaders of that house. Not at all times will
they feel comfortable with what the children are doing but
that wouldn’t suggest that they will get out of the
house. If you have a house that is leaking stay there and
identify where it is leaking and patch it up. Everything depends
on man. There is nothing in PDP,PPA or PP this or that man.
Man has to make those things get better than they were.
National vice chairman’s comment on members
Well I wasn’t there when he said it and I didn’t
know the justification. However, he has every right to condemn
certain things that are not being done or which he sees that
have gone wrong. The statement perhaps was to chasten members
as a father chastens his beloved child so that he doesn’t
do it. The fact that he said it probably in the open doesn’t
mean much.
So for Olisah Metu to have chastened those who are not doing
well is welcome and such people will definitely improve and
by the time they improve that is all what we want and the
party becomes better. And of course out of 12 there must be
a Judas. I have never seen where people are corrected and
they all took the correction but that doesn’t mean that
it is the party that made him a bad person because you never
had a child to become an armed robber but if he chooses that
way that is all for him.
Opposition as a threat
I am not a party and will not be a party to that. If you are
not criticized you must not know where you are going. And
criticism whether they are constructive or destructive makes
one to sit up.
However if anybody knows that his criticism is to destroy
then, I don’t know where the person is going, it means,
he is equally a destroyer.
If there are punishment meted or be given to the person he
is criticizing then he will get a bigger share of the punishment
because everybody’s criticism should be geared towards
correcting. If it is not and you are all out to destroying
simply because you are not on that seat, by the time you get
there you are going to get it back. However on a general note,
there is nothing wrong in opposition. All of us must not sing
the same song. Sing your own song and let me sing mine.
By the time my own echoes higher than yours accept it. Accepting
does not mean for me to swallow you but if there are good
things I am doing take it, and if there are bad things tell
me why not this. If am a rogue and you come in public to accuse
me I may not take it. Draw my attention to it and the chances
are there that I may change.
However I don’t think government is foolish to have
established different parties. If they weren’t let them
scrap them and leave one. If other ones are there then live
and let live but the ones that are not in power should allow
the one in power to control within that period and of course
the one in power should not be the issue of winner takes all.
Bring them together for block interest.
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