Leadership (Abuja)
22 August 2008
analysis
Perhaps, on account of the excesses and experimentation of the preceding eight years of democracy in Nigeria , there appears to be a general tendency for state governors to take measured steps in their attempt to give responsive governance.
For instance, in Ebonyi State, the challenges on ground are not such as could be tackled by playing to the gallery. Infrastructure is lacking, attitude to government property is abysmal and the confidence of the people is waning. Much, therefore, is expected from Governor Martin Elechi who is the second elected chief executive of the state that was created in 1996. In terms of style and approach to the issues of development, the contrast is sharp and markedly different. Governor Elechi has, by bringing a social science approach to governance, given the people of the state food for thought. With sure, but measured steps, the quality and depth of developmental programmes embarked upon by the administration speak of a genius and revolutionary bent. But the citizens seem not to fully accommodate the new style. They want hand outs!
At inception, Elechi, based on the colossal social challenges facing the people, as well as their high expectations, stated that "ours is not an all-knowing administration. Therefore, we expect persons with genuine ideas and suggestions on the way to move this state forward to feel free and make such contributions". And to demonstrate the sincerity of his words, the governor who is also a champion of the state creation movement, set up committees peopled by intelligent and experienced Ebonyians to undertake a study of the economic, educational, infrastructure sectors and the civil service. He said: data, inferences and recommendations from the various committees would assist the government to "not only do it right, but above all, provide quality programmes that meet the yearnings and aspirations of our people". Though it is widely believed that as the chairman of the Ebonyi State Movement, the organisation which agitated for the creation of the state and as chairman, Ebonyi State Development Authority, Elechi knows the problems of the state and how to go about solving them, his approach was a demonstration of humility. The findings of the committees he set up confirmed the nature of the problems and furnished him with empirical data to work with.
After a little over one year in office as the executive governor, Elechi has been able to confirm the superiority of scientific methods over guess work and blind leaps in public policy formulation and implementation. A poignant statement about the new style of governance in the state is the painstaking effort to avoid any likelihood of the administration embarking on white-elephant projects. The general complaint of inertia leveled against the administration at inception has given way to subdued enchantment, based on the evident good results on ground. What is more, all loopholes for fund leakages have been effectively plugged, thereby underscoring the prudent use of public funds by the administration. It was based on his insistence on financial good sense that Elechi carved out a Ministry of Grants and Donor Agencies with a full fledged commissioner to keep tabs on funds coming to the state from the special national funding, development partners and international donor agencies. With the creation of such a ministry, the governor has actually provided a platform for documentation and generation of sundry data relating to funds flow and funds disbursement. The initiative has other sterling benefits that include a ready answer to what has been carried out in different areas, as well as how much was expended through counterpart funding. This way, international development agencies or humanitarian organisations can easily see the ministry as a window on development and areas of need in the state.
While many state governments talk glibly about the need for even development and a desire to abolish squalor in their states, Ebonyi has been silently actualising its blue print for even development. No programme has outlined Elechi's drive for even development more than what have become his legendary 19 bridges of unity and construction of 164 kilometers of access roads spanning all the 13 council areas in the three senatorial districts of the state. Speaking during the flag-off of the construction of the projects, Elechi said his desire to change the structure of the local governments to make life more meaningful for the new generation of Ebonyi people was not a mere campaign talk. He said: "With this, I decided that we would build a few bridges code-named Bridges of Unity across the Ebonyi river and other rivers; for that was the only realisation that our people needed to come together for social cohesion, business interaction and for over all development. The road network is what I consider the most critical, as it is the infrastructure of all other infrastructure. How can we talk of providing water to a community if we have no access roads to that community; how can we talk of healthcare delivery in a community if there is no access to that community?" Being a product of extensive study, the governor outlined that his administration has made sure that the projects would be completed within his four year term, expressing with joy that "by the time all these are brought to completion, Ebonyi State will be qualitatively different and at the same time, leave no debts behind to be inherited by our successors".
Elechi has completed his drive to open up the hinterland by embarking on the aggressive rural electrification of various communities in the state. The commissioner for public utilities, Mr. Celestine Nwali, two months ago, signed on behalf of the government, contracts for consultants to supervise and offer technical back-up to the three contractors handling the massive rural electrification projects. The commissioner stated that the projects have been broken into segments with 56 communities selected in each senatorial district to ensure a smooth operation and quality jobs. Through this approach, Nwali told the people that more towns had been added to the list of 171 communities ear-marked for the programme, adding that before December of this year, a significant number of these communities must have been energised.
Ebonyi is blessed to have a mature hand driving its government at this point in time. The fact to be gleaned from the foregoing is that at the end of the day, when all these initiatives have fully materialised, the state would have conquered rural to urban drift. More importantly, by opening up the rural areas, the government would have achieved even development, increased social and economic activities and upgraded the living standards of the people. Empowering rural dwellers, which constitute more than 73 percent of the population, is a real boon from a responsive government, by all standards.
Ebonyi has had a history of guinea worm infestation; as such, provision of potable water remains a big challenge to every administration in the state. Elechi has tried to meet this challenge by taking the bull by the horns. His administration has embarked on the creation of two additional water schemes to complement the old regional water schemes at Ezillo and Afikpo. When completed, the new water schemes at Ukawu and Ofrekpe, would help to ensure that all parts of Ebonyi state has water round the clock and throughout the year.
Another wonderful initiative of the government is the re-introduction of boarding school system in the state. Presently, work on the construction of boarding facilities for 27 pilot secondary schools has reached an advanced stage. It is expected that beginning from next term, students who have been selected for those schools would resume. Elechi stressed that the boarding schooling system would not only help to raise the quality of education in the secondary schools, but also acculturate the products for a greater sense of patriotism and reduce their appeal to clannish sentiments. The social re-orientation that would attend the boarding school system would assist the state, which has many language groups, to conquer ethnic jingoism and incessant civil strife that have dogged its development. The programme would also remove the inferiority complex that has been the lot of many Ebonyi children.
A visit to Abakaliki would startle anyone that had been there before the inception of the Elechi administration. There has been a radical urban facelift for the capital city. One only hopes that this effort is sustained throughout his tenure.
Dr. Onyekanna Ali writes from Abakaliki, Ebonyi State.
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