Opinion: Ohaneze and genuine Igbo interests

by Okey Ikechukwu

  ohaneze-igbo-people

On the matter of the Enugu Disco, Ohaneze’s concern about the South-east being at a disadvantage is genuine. But its apparent endorsement of the fact that “the five South-east state governments are part of the reserve bidder consortium” must be called to question.

Just before the 1999 elections, Onhaneze Ndigbo put out a well-worded advertisement claiming that Igbos had endorsed Chief Olu Falae as their candidate, against Chief Olusegun Obasanjo. When the results were announced, Obasanjo got 99 per cent of the Igbo votes.

The same, perfectly scandalous, scenario played itself out in 2003. Before then, several Igbo aspirants to the office of president were invited to Enugu and each was asked to pay the sum of N2 million, to enable Ohaneze sensitise Nigerians about their respective aspirations. Hearing this from the late Oyi, Chuba Okadigbo, who had summoned a meeting to be advised on what to do about the money, my position was quite simple: “Oyi, if you are coming out then it is the duty of Ohaneze to ask some cockroaches prancing around the neigbourhood whether they have not heard that you are coming out. You stand diminished by this proposition and our people say that a rabbit does not go out for fresh air when the lion is taking a stroll”.

Okadigbo took that up, rising to his feet with blazing eyes (and Hon. Eziuche Ubani is my witness) “Yes! Oh yes, my brother; because any rabbit that tries such a thing has notified its ancestors to expect it at short notice. Ladies and gentlemen, please delete the N2 million to Ohaneze from our agenda”.

Last Thursday, Ohaneze Ndigbo took a full-page advertisement in The Sun Newspaper to lament two developments in the public domain. The first is the fear that: (1) “…while other zones are improving in their electricity infrastructure and power availability, we will be witnessing no infrastructural upgrading and power availability in the South-east”. The second issue has to do with statements credited to the Chairman of the National Population Commission (NPC), Chief Festus Odimegwu. Ohaneze’s reaction to the charges of indiscretion levelled against Odimegwu, including calls for his removal as NPC Chairman, can be summed thus: “We stand by the statements made by the Chairman and call for a proper census complete with all indices and without political interest”.
On the face of these are reasonable positions on the issues in contention. But are they truly so, especially when seen against the background of realpolitik and the challenges of our operating environment?

Perhaps we should begin with Ohaneze’s full-blown defence of Odimegwu. All attempts at honest exegesis must admit that there is nothing essentially anti-Igbo or anti-Odimegwu in the reactions of those who had issues with the NPC Chairman’s unfortunate public statements. The complaint of most of his critics is that the man did not seem to demonstrate the nuances of leadership and political maturity expected of a person in his position. They felt that he should know what to say in public, how to speak in public and how not to upset or frighten co-travellers when dealing with contentious issues. The NPC Chairman offended sensibilities in a way that could make those ‘apparently’ impugned by his utterances to even strive to undermine him and revalidate whatever real or imagined mischief they may have perpetrated.

A sitting commission chairman can do a lot of things. He can make recommendations about what the census should capture, without first alerting and mobilising beneficiaries of the status quo against himself and his tenure. He can consult quietly, build irreversible consensus on core index areas and align with others who will benefit from his new ideas, before anyone even knows what is afoot. But Odimegwu, apparently mistaking himself for an activist rather than a leader, jumped off the aircraft without a parachute. That he landed on rocky ground is not the fault of the ground at all. He has eyes, does he not? Did he do a ‘terrain analysis’ before his misadventure? In a world that has perfected the art and contrivance called ‘outsourcing’, should Odimegwu have been the one making the point that is so obviously pro Igbo – if indeed his intervention was a strategic one?

To protect its own, Ohanaze could have made the limited point that Odimegwu’s observations were among the ‘widely held views of many informed persons, including credible local and internationalorganisations about the Nigerian census data’, while urging public office holders to be less indiscrete in his public statements. But in a clear case of ill advised “my child cannot possibly be at fault” (Igba ogu nwa) syndrome Ohaneze diminished itself. In sum, Odimegwu has himself to blame for the hullaballoo and Ohaneze should know that an elder does not display the hindquarters of his offspring in the village square, just to prove to the community that he births the child with extreme care. It is also the duty of elders to urge an apprentice archer to stay away from the market place, since that is not the place for him to learn, practise or perfect his art.

On the matter of the Enugu Disco, Ohaneze’s concern about the South-east being at a disadvantage is genuine. But its apparent endorsement of the fact that “the five South-east state governments are part of the reserve bidder consortium” must be called to question. The world is moving away from state-encumbered inefficiencies in the conceptualisation, construction and management of social and institutional infrastructure to more viable business and infrastructural investment models. While alleging lack of transparency and sundry ills in the Enugu Disco privatisation, Ohaneze said nothing to support its assertion in the advertisement. It is, in fact, fighting an Igbo investor in its support for the five South-east states, which are yet to demonstrate any capacity, or disposition to carry out any joint endeavour successfully.

The burial of Ikemba Nnewi, more than anything else, gave them all away. The modicum of cohesion on the table today is actually thanks to Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State, who has been covering their shame.
It will perhaps help to highlight some events leading to the much-touted suggestion of lack of transparency on the Enugu Disco.  It is a matter of public record that Interstate became the preferred bidder when, on the opening day of the bids, it posted the highest Aggregate Technical Commercial & Collection Loss reduction (ATC&C), as required by the Request for Proposal (RFP). But typographical errors were discovered in the bidder’s submission prior to official declaration of Interstate as preferred bidder; and it was subsequently invited for clarification by the BPE, cleared the issues raised and was declared the preferred bidder on the strength of its ATC&C loss.

It was now for the organisation to meet all its obligations in line with the RFP, including, but not limited to, the payment of the required 25% of the $126 million. It arranged its financing of the balance of 75%, concluding arrangement with African Export Import Bank and a consortium of local bank for this balance. Then, in line with the Share Purchase Agreement (SPA), Interstate wrote a letter dated August 2, 2013, and specifically addressed to the Director General of  BPE, and requesting the formal approval of the financing arrangement it had entered into with Afreximbank. The letter was received and duly acknowledged on the same day. The relevance of this letter is predicated on the fact that it is precisely the instrument (as approved) needed by banks to grant investors’ request. This is a condition that the SPA signed between the vendors (BPE) and the preferred bidders stipulate in no uncertain terms. It was therefore only reasonable that Afreximbank should request this formal approval as a pre-condition for allowing Interstate to draw down on a facility meant for the consummation of the transaction. Come the 19th of August 2013, Interstate wrote another letter to the BPE seeking its formal approval of the financing arrangement entered into with Afreximbank.

The unfortunate fact that the BPE was yet to communicate or convey this approval by the 20th of August 2013 is therefore the issue. Had the approval been given, or reasons given for non-approval, to Interstate there would actually be nothing to talk about here. The questions then are: (1) Could a financier act on such a matter without getting any clear signals on the approval (or non-approval) of an instrument that is crucial and critical to its next line of action? (2) Is a bidder deemed to have failed or reneged when he is constrained to lose 18 days due to the failure of a moderating agency to communicate in good time; especially when the issues in contention have to do with its drawdown request to Afreximbank.

It is also a matter of public record that the SPA between the BPE and Interstate clearly states that where either party fails to meet part or all of its obligations on any specific matter, the defaulting party was under obligation to give the other party 20 working days for remedial action and purpose. It was therefore on the basis of this clause in the SPA that Interstate in its letter to BPE asked for 20 working days – by invoking the provision. By virtue of a letter dated August 21, 2013 but received by Interstate on the 22nd of August 2013, BPE gave the much-needed approval of the financing arrangement between it and Afreximbank.
Matters of record are fairly open to reviews and evaluation and the records in this case are available to the public. Apparently the circumstances and the explanations were not. To now turn around and wonder, even marvel, that an organisation   activated a clause in the SPA it freely entered into is strange indeed. Those who are in a position to take decisions are deemed compete to exercise informed judgment. In the case under reference, the issues are on the table and the rambling has lasted long enough. Let us have light to drive the manufacturing capacities of the South-east” – while praying that Ohaneze will rise to its name as the cohesion of the voice of 0ha (the people) na (and) Ndi Eze (the leaders and elders).

 

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Read this article in the Thisday Newspapers

Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija.

 

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