by Ikechukwu Idibia

When has it become a crime for government to point at projects it has executed or is executing, especially in Nigeria where armchair critics and columnists can sit down in the comfort of their rooms to concoct anything against any government that is not in their good books or that of their paymasters’ without inquiry or investigation of issues?

Some cynics, including those who once had opportunities to serve at the state governments in this country with no concrete or visible achievements to point at have been so critical of the Good Governance Team being currently led by the Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku that is presently touring the states across the country to assess and ascertain the level of democracy dividends being delivered to the people by the governments, especially in the area of infrastructural developments.

Recently, a former commissioner in Abia State, former Secretary to the State Government and now a columnist in one of the national dailies owned by the former governor of the state who is his close ally called on President Goodluck Jonathan to recall Maku and his team from the ongoing tours. His argument for the call was that the team has lost focus and strategy in its approach. In short, he argued that they are being guided on the project tours by the officials of the state government who normally show them what they want them to see and ensure that they did not see the other side. Traditionally and protocol wise, a visitor anywhere, especially to a state government is always guided by those on ground, but that does not in any way take away the import of such visit or tour, especially when there is nothing on ground to point at as giant stride of the government. He also argued that there were no journalists from private television stations on the team; that it is all about Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) and what the government wants to show the people. Well, from what I saw during their tour of projects in the state, the team is made up of seasoned journalists from all the print and electronic media in the country, including the National President of Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ).

Obviously what informed the former commissioner’s critique of the team was nothing less than the team’s three-day tour of projects in Abia State after which they passed objective judgment on the outstanding performance of the Abia State governor in the area of security, youth empowerment and infrastructural developments, which has not gone down well with the former governor of the state and his allies who have been doing everything possible to pull down the state government for refusing to be tied to the apron sting of the former governor. Fortunately, this ex-commissioner was in-charge of a ministry in the state when this kind of media tour was organised by the then Minister of Information, Prof. Jerry Gana during Chief Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration. Unlike then when the commissioner and his boss have no tangible projects on ground in the state to show Gana and his team as their giant strides, the present government in the state showed several legacy projects which they have completed and about completing to Maku and his team. Such projects include the New Judiciary Complex, the ultra-modern five-storey Workers’ Secretariat that is unique in many ways ranging from the conception to execution. The state-of-the-art facilities already installed in the secretariat include lift, ceramic tiles, which was used both in and outside the building in place of paints to avoid fading. Beside the new secretariat is the old one that is undergoing rapid renovation. Just a stone throw from the secretariat is a modern 6,000 capacity sitting International Conference Centre that had been roofed with interior works going on. Also undergoing construction is the new Government House.

Apart from this, more than 4,500 youths from the council areas in the state are being presently paid N15,000 monthly by the state government as a social security to help themselves. The state in collaboration with the Federal Government was responsible for the evacuation of power from the Ohiya power sub-station, which has restored steady power supply in Umuahia and its environs. Today in the state capital and its environs, power failure is a thing of the past and this was witnessed and experienced by the professional and seasoned journalists in the Good Governance Team. Several roads, hospitals, schools and others have been constructed in the state. The state of security in the state, since the ugly experience of kidnapping menace is exemplary and worth emulating. In the commercial city of Aba, several roads have been reconstructed since the rainy season subsided and illegal structures demolished. Many compactors have been procured by the government for the easy disposal of refuse in the state, especially in Aba, which was taken over by filth before now. The notorious Osisioma junction in Aba, which was once turned into motor parks by touts who made life difficult for commuters has been cleared and reconstructed. To assuage the suffering of motorists using the park before now, a new motor park has been constructed by the state government along the Enugu/PH road just close to the junction.

These are verifiable and visible projects executed and being executed by the present government in the state that were not in existence when the government came into office in 2007.  When has it become a crime for government to point at projects it has executed or is executing, especially in Nigeria where armchair critics and columnists can sit down in the comfort of their rooms to concoct anything against any government that is not in their good books or that of their paymasters’ without inquiry or investigation of issues? Even the critics of the Good Governance Team tour of the state, including the ex-commissioner in the state never deny or dispute the fact that these projects are in existence, and were initiated and executed by the present government in the state. The most important thing is that the tour and evidence on ground has deflated and punctured the media propaganda being orchestrated by the former governor of the state and his media allies that the present government of Governor Theodore Orji is not performing, whereas it is not true. And again, the state government during the tours never lay claim to any project it did not execute.

Ironically, Maku and the ex-commissioner in the state were before now professional journalists who had served their various state governments on different capacity. Obviously, both of them should know better and should be in a position to assess issues critically without sentiments, which was what Maku and his team did in Abia during the tour. For the ex-commissioner to call for the recall of Maku, because of his apparent personal interest in Abia politics marks the height of hypocrisy and self-deceit. There is urgent need for politicians to differentiate facts and reality from politics, no matter where their interest lies, because they surely have a date with history.

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Ikechukwu Idibia is a cleric based in Umuahia

 

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