A rejoinder to Steve Oruruo’s article: Governor Ugwuanyi; Martyr of Nigeria’s Socio-political Renaissance.
By Onyema Okoani
Steve Oruruo’s “GOVERNOR UGWUANYI: MARTYR OF NIGERIA’S SOCIO-POLITICAL RENAISSANCE” is unarguably one of the most dazzling and captivating pieces of prose I have read in recent times. His ability to marshal all the hocus pocus of sophistry relied almost completely on his mastery of casuistry, the close cousin of sophistry is like the erstwhile ETV slogan “Second to None”. His grandiloquent deployment of mesmerizing words serves as a convenient camouflage for fundamental distortions. I marvel, tremble and bow.
Interestingly, one does not know where to begin expressing one’s astonishment that a brilliant lawyer and soccer pundit, who by all standard is already-made will attempt to bamboozle everyone like a delinquent propagandist seeking for a first time job. Are we not all in Enugu State? If you are not, please pardon me, but welcome to a State where the Governor’s slogan is “Enugu State is in hands of God”. Where you will hear all kinds of tales by moonlight, like “Governor Ugwuanyi should be given Nobel Prize for Peace”.
There is one confession I need to make; I disagree with this your line “As one of Africa’s most peaceful leaders and icons of democracy, Governor Ugwuanyi remains undeterred in his divine destiny and sworn commitment to rooting for the ordinary man”. Frankly speaking, as we have Nobel Awards for Academics, Oscar for Movies, Grammy for Music, Grand Slam for Tennis and Ballon d’or for Football, if we had a global stage for Cunning, Gburugburu would have won the awards for eight years running. That is my verdict – he is the archetypal Tortoise in Igbo folklore.
To avoid confusion, I am aware that the debut of this republic ‘Praise Singing’ is a lucrative career in Enugu State. Enugu indigenes are largely intelligent illiterates, who do not bother about statistics. If not, why would Ugwuanyi’s Media Aid blow his mediocre achievements out of proportion. Well, I have the fact and figures, there is not a snowball’s chance in hell that Gov. Ugwuanyi is or will ever be an “quintessential leader” like you want us to believe in paragraph four of your article.
He is a definition of a mediocre politician. A man with a myopic worldview. The only Nigeria politician I know who spent 12 years in the National Assembly and nearly 8 years as governor but have not seen where he granted interview to any national broadcast media. Not NTA, Arise TV, TVC, AIT, Channel or even the new entries; AfiaTV.
In his 12 years in the National Assembly 2003-2015, he did not self-sponsor one single bill. There is no record of him ever raising his hand or even having the courage to stand up and speak. What then is he going to do in the Senate? The people of Enugu North Senatorial zone did well by pounding him like cocoyam fufu on 25 Feburary 2023. How he was able to become the governor of Enugu State of Nsukka extraction in 2015 against numerous capable and competent personalities in the likes of vibrant Senator Ayogu Eze should be a research project interest for the students of political science department.
For the sake of arguments, and to base my opinion on facts that is easily accessible to the public, we need to know that Enugu State’s current debt profile is over 126 million dollars. According to Mr. Frank Nweke Jnr, former Minister of Information, the APGA governorship candidate in the just concluded 2023 election at Enugu Catholic Diocesan Politics Commission event which had all the governorship candidates in attendance, Mr. Frank Nweke who stole the show, gave statistical break-down of monies borrowed but not invested by the outgoing Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi-led administration.
Steve Oruruo, Special Adviser to Enugu State Governor
Citizen Frank Nweke Jnr made a comment that each one of Enugu State indigene is indebted to the sum of 23,000 naira. Which means that my little son Oko be Okoani, who has never benefited from Enugu State public health care, Enugu educational public system, Enugu public transportation system, Enugu pipe-borne water etc is also owing 23,000 naira.
So, let me end this take, for my beloved late Nkanu public intellectual; Barr. Sam Mba who if he were to be alive today will find this your article disturbing and repulsive enough to raise his voice and write lines in defence of Ndi Enugu. I have no doubt in my mind that with hindsight you wouldn’t have penned this piece which is an exercise in intellectual hypocrisy.
I also have no doubt in my mind that we owe a duty to our faith to say the truth always no matter whose ox is gored.
I weep for Barr. Peter Mba because the ‘Praise Singers’ are gathering.
Fiery Onyema Okoani writes from Amakpu Agbani, Enugu State. GMTNews
