Obinna Anyanwu
THE race for Government House, Imo State, has gathered momentum and a number of aspirants from registered political parties have already started jostling for the number one position in the state ahead of the 2019 gubernatorial elections. However, the recent declarations reportedly made by Governor Rochas Okorocha on who he intends to support as successor to his office has unsettled the political landscape of Imo, my home state. The governor was quoted in the media to have publicly declared support for the Chief of Staff, Government House, Mr. Uche Nwosu, who also happens to be his son in-law.
Public resentment on the issue went wild and majority of those critical to the governor’s declaration are crying foul that the number one citizen wants to convert the number one position in the state to a family affair and by so doing extend his uninspiring administration through covert means. As the resentment against the governor rages, the number of aspirants to Douglas House, the seat of government keeps increasing by the day. But there is the need to re-engage the current public discourse on the subject of succession in Imo state for a different set of reasons if we are to effectively checkmate the reoccurrence of the sad experience that the state is witnessing currently.
I was born and raised in Imo and I am aware that the forebears of our state had wonderful ideas on how to provide good leadership essential for placement of the state in an enviable position among the comity of states in the country. Sadly, see what we have today! The socio-economic situation of the state is already in ruins Therefore, the discussion on succession in Imo state, to my mind, should take the shape of a genuine quest for an ideal leader for our state. Put simply: who should be the appropriate governor of Imo State come 2019? What qualities should be inherent in the ideal governor to earn our support? This question has become pertinent if we must collectively challenge our leadership problem as a state.
There is no doubt that the state’s past and present leaders have left Imo battered and drifting. At the last count, Imo ranks among the top contenders on the poverty index in Nigeria, going by a recent publication by the United Nations.
With over 70 percent of its revenue base dependent on Federal Allocation and a staggering domestic and foreign debt profiles, our quest as patriotic Imo people must focus on the task of collective self-preservation through the choice of a leadership that understands the uniqueness of Imo and the imperatives of smart governance.
The priority issue that ought to inform the search for and the choice of the next governor of Imo, is that the state is currently lagging dangerously behind in many areas and as such it requires a tested and trusted leader who would be a manager of resources and creator of wealth for public good in a republican sense.Experience and a track record of performance are urgently needed to address the social and economic headaches inflicted on the masses of Imo State by successive administrations. The new leader must recognise and respect diversity of views, talents, dispositions and aspirations that make Imo different from other states.
The new leader must have adequate knowledge of the dynamics of modern ways of driving the economy of a state effectively and efficiently. A departure from politics of “anything goes” towards politics of ideas must form a major policy thrust of the next administration of heartland state in order for us to break away quickly from the socio-political and economic stagnation currently besetting the state. The ideal governor must be someone who understands the plight of majority of the Imolites and possesses the capacity to point in the direction of enduring change that would impact positively on the living standards of the greatest majority of Imo people. He must also be passionate about reversing the ugly trends manifesting in the form of hopelessness and fear of insecurity among the citizenry.
The solutions we seek are urgent and clear cut, leaving no room for sentiments and unmerited consideration of personages with doubtful experience and lack of track record of achievements and capacity to transform Imo in the shortest possible time.
As tough as the times are, the selection of the successor to Douglas House becomes easy. This is the time to weigh and balance interested aspirants to the exalted office of governor of Imo state on a scale, especially as it relates to the originality of their visions and capacity to match their words with action.
However, in a sample of the profiles of some of the notable aspirants to the coveted office in the state published recently in the media, I could not find anyone more qualified to hold the office of governor of Imo with capacity to turn around the fortunes of the state in the shortest possible time than Mr. Okey Ezeh.
Though I have not met him before, but listening to his presentation at a forum in Owerri recently on the way forward for Imo State where he featured as guest speaker, I could not but beat my chest that in our search for an ideal leader, such a personality suits our desire and we are lucky that he is offering himself for service of his fatherland.
His track record of achievement is legendary: He has a wealth of banking experience spanning over a decade and a half, rising to senior management cadre. He was the first franchise owner of the European Armoured Trucks Bureau (BV) of Netherlands to introduce secure armoured cash- in transit for Nigerian banks among numerous other achievements. He is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Savvycorp Limited, a cutting edge treasury and investment advisory based in Lagos.
Okey is a grassroots politician with a modern inclination to running public affairs and if Imo must advance rapidly in socio-political and economic spheres, deploy we need a man like this young technocrat who is poised to his versatile experience and knowledge to transform the state.
Anyanwu writes from Owerri