Governor Otti And True Citizenship

By Godwin Adindu*

Did you come across clowns in the course of your reading? They are characterized as jesters. They are not to be taken seriously. At best, they are mere entertainers. Then, the plebians? You must remember the Roman Plebians. They do not have a mind of their own. They are swayed by every argument, moved by emotion and sentiment. They are not guided by critical logic. In the new public sphere, as it concerns engagement with Governor Alex Otti, I see an increasing crowd of clowns and plebians. I see a new wave of clowning as against committed citizenship.

The duty of committed citizenship behoves us to raise constructive criticisms and set an agenda for good governance. Committed citizenship stands for national or state interest and applauds a leader in the right direction while setting a new agenda. This is why I am miffed by the new gang who have deliberately determined to be blind over the reforms and innovations of Governor Otti that have changed the Abia narrative. It beats my imagination that this new political rating cannot see the massive expansion work going on along the Umuikaa to Owerrinta Road.

They cannot jubiliate over the construction of the long stretch of road leading from Umuahia through Uzuakoli, Ovim to Ohafia. They pretend to be unconcerned about the flagging off of the expansion work on Onuimo to Abia Tower; the flagging off of the Ntigha, Mbawsi to Nsulu Road; the flagging off of the Construction of the rural road from Omoba, Itungwa to Nkwowelechi in Obingwa. They are insensitive to the spate of road commissions that this state has witnessed under Governor Otti.

Clowns and plebians are experts in diversionary tactics. Instead of raising the banner for the Governor over the N150 million grant for the best-graduating students of the Ogbonnaya Onu Polytechnic and the commissioning of the newly renovated Rector’s Lodge and the Administrative Building, they are preoccupying themselves with the improvised academic gown worn by the Governor at the last convocation of the school, when the school just witnessed a convocation ceremony after twelve years. Instead of seeing the vision behind the new roads under construction and the ones newly flagged off, they are talking of caterpillars parked at Mbawsi.

Instead of appreciating the sincere effort of the Governor to structure and sanitise the civil service, they are making caricature content with the result of the just concluded promotional exam of the civil service even when the workers have the opportunity to retake the exams.

This is certainly not how to engage a serious-minded and highly focused leader like Governor Otti. I believe in checks and balances and in playing the watchdog role of active citizenship.

I had also, in one of my writings, commended the Governor for accommodating the alternative voice. But, I am afraid we have brought down opposition movement in the state to the sore level of clowning. Or how best will I describe the people misinterpreting the renaming of the polytechnic to honour the first executive Governor of the state as an act of ethnic witch-hunting?

How best will I describe those making a mountain out of the promotional exams? Or how best will I describe those who cannot be happy that Abia money is no longer being shared with godfathers but used for building a new future for our posterity?

I call for development citizenship. Students of modern Developmental Studies will remember the community model or the bottom-top approach where citizens are partners with the government in the business of good governance geared towards development. Citizens must highlight areas of deficit in development, areas being neglected by the government, and areas needing urgent government intervention.

Citizens must point out anomalies in society like drug bunks and underground crime rail lines inhibiting harmony in society or sabotaging government efforts in delivering dividends. They must scrutinise the policies and programmes of the state and offer alternative voices or choices.

The reform drives of the Governor are self-evident. We can see a sincere and altruistic commitment to building a new Abia and doing things differently.

The best that Governor Otti requires from us, I suppose, is patriotic citizenship and not diversionary clowning.

• Adindu writes from Umuahia