By Kenechi Ogwu
In his known unstable attitude of always being controversial and economical with the truth whenever he is caught in a mess, the embattled ex- Enugu State Commissioner for Lands and Urban Development, Dr. Victor Nnam, has resorted to using proxies and hirelings to polish his character and reputation in the media. This is an attempt to launder his already dented and questionable image and to cover up his alleged misdeeds in office as Commissioner.
His adoption of this approach of using proxies and pawns to front on social media which is typical of him is not unconnected with his sudden realisation that his afterthought and preemptive exit might continue to hunt him.
Many have since come to terms with the truth that his hurried exit from office has a lot to do with alleged fraudulent deals that prefaced his activities while in office. This is following the shocking disclosures of his activities at the Ministry of Lands which has shown that his holier- than-thou exit is a fluke and fake.
As a drowning man that will not like to go down alone, some of his hired hirelings have been belabouring to present his hurried exit as heroic, uncommon and altruistic. Unfortunately for them, the more they push the false narrative, the more it backfires.
As a drowning man that is already down, but will never like to go down alone, he has changed tactics. In order to attract undue sympathy for him, his plebeians want to drag Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi and his siblings into his self-inflicted predicament.
In an article published on page 17 of The Sun newspaper of November 14, 2021 titled “Deconstructing Ugwuanyi’s Government In Three Paragraphs” written by one Ozioma Ubabukoh, a principal consultant at Plexus Media limited Lagos, Ubabukoh tried to interrogate Ugwuanyi’s innate taciturnity and humility, which he has been known with from birth.
That Ugwuanyi is not loquacious, lousy and noisy is not a weak point. That has been his strength and unique attribute. He has achieved a lot without being noisy.
That he is not talking at all times and on all issues of public interest does not mean that he is not decisive, assertive and proactive. He is and has steered the ship of leadership in Enugu to the good, wellbeing and joy of the people. Ugwuanyi’s taciturnity is not a thing of today. It has been there. He is not expected to start learning how to use his left hand at this age, just to please Nnam’s pawns. It is not possible.
Has Nnam’s media handler forgotten the saying that empty vessel makes the greatest noise? Ugwuanyi is not empty and cannot be noisy about his government and its activities. His works and deeds speak for him and are staring at the faces of Ndi Enugu. They enjoy acknowledgement and appreciation by Ndi Enugu. That is why they have remained cooperative and supportive of him and his government.
Many leaders and people have said so many things right, but done majority things wrong. What makes a man is what he does right and not just what he says right.
Ugwuanyi is and has been mindful of this in his political career right from his days in the House of Representatives, where he effectively represented his constituents and constituency for 12 years before becoming the Governor of Enugu State in 2015. He achieved these leadership exploits and giant strides without blowing his own trumpet or being a swashbuckling.
The office of the Governor is an exalted office that deserves respect and honour. It is not a motorpark or marketplace where noise is the order of the day. Great leaders are not known for being loquacious and noisy. Action speaks louder than voice. Ugwuanyi is a man of action and little words. The style has worked for him and still working.
Nnam and his media spin doctors or anybody shouldn’t expect Ugwuanyi to mount podium to speak on Nnam’s preemptive exit, when there are other pressing and urgent state matters he is attending to. Nnam’s face-saving and hasty exit as Commissioner for Lands is the least of the things people would expect Ugwuanyi to speak on.
This is especially when Nnam’s stewardship is being investigated by appropriate and relevant authorities. Government is an institution and there are procedures and processes of doing things. Ugwuanyi speaking on Nnam’s exit will amount to undermining his government and demeaning his exalted office.
Nnam’s statement on his hurried exit that he proposed for GIPS reforms in lands, but was not allowed to carry it out is laughable and hypocritical of him.
This is the same Nnam who after his failed attempt to blackmail Enugu State House of Assembly members on social media went to them on his bended knees pleading that the Hon members find a place in their hearts to forgive him for his numerous misdeeds as a Commissioner.
He said the GIPS reforms could not be implemented by government due to lack of funds as a result of the dwindling government revenue occasioned by COVID-19. The content of his resignation letter is a complete opposite of his submissions while being drilled by members the State House of Assembly. How do people believe a character like Nnam that is fond of vacillating and double speaking.
On Nnam’s spurious claim that he resigned because workers in his Ministry were redeployed, it is quite unfortunate and disappointing that a man of Nnam’s academic qualifications and exposure who also claims to be a pastor does not know the simple rules of civil service.
Is it not a case of procuring academic
certificates without the simple, required and common knowledge of civil service legal rules? Who doesn’t know that civil servants are redeployed from ministry to ministry from time to time by the government? Who doesn’t know that it is within the constitutional powers of a Governor to appoint, redeploy and sack an appointee including a commissioner whose office or appointment is not tenured constitutionally? When did it become the right of a Commissioner to choose the civil servants he or she will like to work with as Dr. Nnam is insinuating?
Where did a Commissioner derive such power and what motivates a Commissioner to push for such if not for a deliberative, entrenched and conspiratorial fraud against the people, government and the state?
Is Nnam’s baseless, careless and spurious outburst in that direction not a clear case of self-indictment and display of outright ignorance?
Nnam and his collaborators should wait patiently for the outcome of the investigation being carried on their activities in the ministry.
When the ongoing investigation by Enugu state government is concluded and made public, Nigerians will know where to place Dr. Nnam and his afterthought resignation.
No amount of media laundering of Dr. Nnam’s image and name calling of Governor Ugwuanyi and his government will save or prevent Dr. Nnam from being properly investigated and unveiled.
The Enugu state government we know will provide him a level playing ground to account for his stewardship. Instead of engaging in a wild goose chase on media platforms, Nnam should quietly go and account for his deeds in office with incontrovertible evidences to buttress his infantile claims.
It is quite unfortunate that even a journalist of repute like Ubabukoh, who ought to know better is writing like his paymaster, by his statement in his preemptive exit letter from government show that he lacks knowledge of rules of civil service.
• Ogwu, a public affairs analyst writes from Agbani road, Enugu State.