The debate for zoning is far more less important than good governance in the state. It’s a general consensus that Abia State is the worst developed state in the South East, if not Nigeria, as a result of bad governance.
Most constituencies agreed that lack of visionary leadership and bad governance have kept us standstill in the areas of economic advancement and, not zoning arrangements. We are where we are since the last 24 years as a result of bad governance, what I call 24 wasted years. An average man or woman from Abia State does not want to know where the next Governor comes from, his or her concern remains good state infrastructure and better opportunity for his or her children in the state.
Simply put, good road network, adequate healthcare system, good and affordable education, clean water and cleaner environment, what we define as basic needs of life for Abia people. This zoning debate is yet another ploy for few individuals constantly trying to ensure that their little interest is well protected.
We have heard so much about this Abia charter of equity document and so far, that document is not easily available. To the best of my knowledge is not in the party secretariat, not in the internet, and I suspect about 60-70 percent of Abia people have never sighted that document and, yet we are busy debating a document that most Abian’s have not sighted or in possession of a copy. Anybody in possession of a copy should make it available and I promise to make it a public document and widely publicise it. Abia people does not know the participants or originators of that Abia Charter of Equity document, level of consultation carried out before coming up with Abia Charter of Equity document.
This is at least to re-assure Abia people that is not a case of a few men in grey suites or babariga, gathered in a smoked filled room and decided that they should come up with a declaration and called it Abia charter of equity document. Let me come back to my original thinking that Abia state should be about good governance and processes on how leaders emerge and eventually become chief executive of the State. My fellow Abians please this is the time to shine your eyes, more than ever as twenty-four years of our live has been wasted. The quest for power in the past, has created irresponsible governance rather than the hunger to serve the state or the community.
I challenge anybody in Abia state to conduct a sample an opinion poll of Abia citizens and the result will be overwhelming in favour of good governance and not zoning or where the next Governor comes from. We must grow up in Abia State and think again concerning this endless zoning debate. Where we are today in our State, zoning will rank very low in the minds of people of Abia. If we succeed in zoning and fail to get good governance right, am afraid we may not have achieved anything and still will remain where we are as the worst developed State in Nigeria. Let me remind the citizens of Abia, that first fool is not a fool, but second and third fool will remain a fool with minus zero fool.
This is the time for us to remain focus on good governance as that’s the only way of getting people out of poverty. We need a messiah in our State right now, just as we need a capable hand at the national level of governance. Good governance is more powerful than zoning, more so when international and private investors realised that the government is friendly to its citizens, caring and responsive to people of Abia State. In absence of good governance, no meaningful development projects can bring any improvement in the life of the Abia citizens. Again, if the government exercised its power in an irresponsible manner, again the majority of Abian’s will bear the consequences of that irresponsible governance.
Poor governance over the years has dwarfed our social and economic advancement which has caused colossal and monumental corruption and extreme poverty in the State. Reckless governance has now become a culture and deep rooted in our State since 1999. A complete disconnect between the people of Abia and politicians, or sometimes, am tempted to refer them as political opportunists in Abia State. It remains completely not essential to have this endless debate concerning zoning, and focus our energy and intellectual thinking on how we could x-ray candidates that will improve the lives of Abian’s in a way the state has never witnessed before since 1999. In the words of Kofi Anan’s memoirs former Secretary General of United Nation, “Good governance is perhaps the most singular and most important factor for eradicating poverty and enhancing development’’.
We need a candidate that will be able to manage economic resources with effective prudency and govern the state with authority and seriousness it deserves. Someone that can have the ability to assemble a formidable team with character and experience to get Abia State from none-performing state to an active State. This is the time to be sincere and honest with ourselves in the State and to know that no amount of zoning debate will get Abia State out of previous mess which was caused as a result of bad governance. Am quite willing, and ever ready to engage anyone in a debate anywhere why good governance should be the key debate and not zoning. We have tried and tested zoning, and to my knowledge all the zones in Abia State has tested power. Needless to point out that no iota of good governance came out of that principle of zoning. Again, I challenge anybody from Abia State to come out publicly and tell Abian’s what good governance came out from zoning since 1999.
If we in Abia State fail to choose the path of good governance over zoning, I can submit categorically that we are doomed economically, and will continue to be the worst backward State, and badly governed State. Since 1999, what we have witnessed in Abia State is fantastically corrupt previous governors according to David Cameron former prime minister of United Kingdom. No Governor in Abia State 1999 has displayed sense of good governance and responsibility in public office, our suffering today is as a result of irresponsible and careless governance for a very long time.
If we don’t act now and say enough is truly enough by insisting on fair and transparent primaries, then it may be too late for us and economic development and advancement will continue to elude us for a very long time to come in Abia State. The current situation we find ourselves is as a result of poor and bad governance will take us more than twenty years to get Abia State to a reasonable economical platform. Anybody who understands the severe impact of poor governance over the years in Abia State should not be part of zoning constituency debate, primarily designed for selfish interest politicians.
The zoning constituency frontliners do not have the interest of Abia State in their minds, but what they can get from state government. Those are the people use to being serviced from public fund and in this case (Abia State government). We need effective government to be led by effective individual to improve the state of Abia State and break the culture of reckless economic mismanagement in Abia. Am sick and tired of this debate about zoning in my state and not more on service delivery from government. This is twenty-first century when we should be focusing our energy on ability, capability and knowledge needed to run good governance once in office.
Some of us came from a background where Competency and service delivery is the hallmark of holding public office. Politics is about battle of ideas in any modern society and wanting to genuinely serve, and when anything goes wrong someone must be responsible for that error or wrong doing in public office.
Let us be bold and say it without minding who hears it, that good governance is the key for Abia State and must be over and above nonsensical zoning debate. We need somebody that can create responsibility, accountability and transparency in public office or when in State Government House. We must stop falling into this trap in a state with intellectual heavy weights across the state. Let us wake up and x-ray the participants interested in running the state as a Governor. Let us talk about interested candidates in the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), their knowledge, previous experiences in life, previous record in public office if any, their achievements in public office or private sector, and their character.
My brothers and sisters in Abia State this election will be an opportunity to write the wrongs of our previous mistakes, otherwise we risk being labelled as fools for very long time to come. This is why we need a more democratic scrutiny more than ever and more so at a time of poor governance. Right now, we are not getting it and need to overhaul our approach to good governance. Desperate political rogue operators with no Abia interest in their minds are the enemies of our state.
Ogwuru, a social commentator, writes from Abuja
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