By: Sam Onwuemeodo.
lmo Governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma had, weekend, given the indication to inaugurate the total of two hundred and fifty political appointees he unveiled between February 25, and March 14, 2023. The inauguration, according to the notice to that effect, was slated for Monday, July 17, 2023 ( today). And that's almost six months after the appointments.
l had thought about giving this essay the caption, " GOOD ACTION, GONE BAD". On the second thought, l decided to settle for the one up, since the governor had finally decided to inaugurate them.
Yet, that won't stop us from telling the governor the "home-truth". The "home-truth" and not the "bitter truth".
ln case anybody has forgotten what transpired, l do this . A day before the February 25, 2023 Presidential and National Assembly polls, the lmo Governor rolled out a total of two hundred and Seventeen political appointees. All of them, Special Advisers.
The appointments occasioned or elicited joy on the parts of the appointees and their individual families. And equally, on the sides of all men and women of benevolent spirit and good tidings. Of course, the reasons for the joy or celebration were obvious and do not need to be overstretched here.
Yet, there were also sceptics. Those who were sceptical about the governor's intention. Those who had doubted the sincerity of the appointments, especially with the number and timing. For such people, the appointment of 217 people as political appointees twenty four hours to the Presidential and National Assembly elections was somehow. Looked somehow . Such doubts, however, never diminished the fact that, the appointments were good developments. Steps in the right direction. Those who were in support of the appointments obviously out-numbered those who had misgivings or who had doubts, looking at the number and the period.
Not withstanding all these, on March 9, 2023, the governor also released the list of seventeen more appointees. Also Special Advisers.
Few days after, to be precise, on March 14, 2023, the governor unveiled Sixteen additional appointees, out of which, were eight Special Advisers and eight Senior Special Assistants, respectively.
In other words, between February 24 and March 14, the Governor had announced or made public, a total of two hundred and fifty appointees. And ninety nine percent of them, lmo people. Our brothers and sisters. That's the good news. The juicy story. The banner headline. The top story. The crux or the nucleus of the story or matter .
But, you know what?. About Six months after the appointments, the appointees could not be inaugurated. The governor who appointed them on his own, without known pressure from any quarter never deemed it necessary to inaugurate them. Assign functions to them . Give them offices where available. And pay them accordingly to propel them live upto the biddings or demands of their respective offices or portfolios . The governor decided to abandon them. To keep them in abeyance until this time. This is not funny. At all, at all, at all. Very demoralizing. Very disturbing. Very embarrassing, both to the affected appointees and to the State and her people. And even to the government, since the Deputy Governor could have also inaugurated them, assuming the governor was indisposed.
By keeping these appointees stranded for six months could have the potential of making one believe that those who had doubted the genuiness of the appointments, abinitio, had a case . Those who had seen the appointments as not real.
lt's a good development that the governor has remembered to inaugurate them. But the truth has to be told to enable us build the nation. And to discourage such or similar development in future.
It's even more worrisome when one had remembered that, among these concerned appointees are former speakers, former Commissioners, former Chairmen of Political Parties, former Local government Chairmen . Men and women who could raise their fingers proudly to be counted or to be enrolled or enlisted in all ramifications of life. You can simply say, successful men and women in their own rights. You raised the pole or volume of their joy with appointments and equally dashed it by delaying their inuaguraion for almost six months. Making them look small. And by so doing, injuring their personal or individual egos. This is not how to give citizens appointments. lt diminishes the very essence of such appointments. The aura of the appointments.
With this delay, the governor, perhaps, unknown to him, has succeeded in opening a new chapter on the issue of Political appointments in the State. He perhaps, unknowingly, perforated the prestige that goes or is associated with political appointments.
ln case the governor has forgotten, he should be reminded that, as the governor of the State, the political appointments are not his personal belongings. Those who came up with the idea of Political appointments knew why. They had known the efficacy. The need. It's within the right of the governor to dispense or give political appointments. But they are not his personal properties. Afterall, he would not pay them or he does not pay the appointees with his personal money . He would pay them with state funds. From lmo allocations or incomes.
l would also not like to say that the lmo governor seems to be proud with political appointments, but l would rather allude and humbly too that, he makes " iyanga or shakara" with appointments . Otherwise, he would not have had any reason or excuse not to inaugurate our brothers and sisters he gave political appointments six months after. lt has never happened in this state before. The state has never witnessed or experienced this kind of development since its creation in 1976.
The Military Administrators or governors that had administered or governed the State had inaugurated appointees few hours or few days after announcing their appointments.
Appointees make every government thick, Vibrant and attractive. When they are not there and those available are not encouraged or propelled to function, the government stagnates. Begins to foot drag, thinking about which leg to put forward first. Such government makes the whole thing look like "Agnes nwanma". But that won't be the portion of Onwa or his 3R Government. But all we are saying is this; may this kind of delay that became the lot of the 250 appointees not happen again in the State in Jesus Name, Amen. The prayer of the saints avalieth much.
The attendant result of the "abandonment" of these 250 appointees was that, most of them who had gotten the liver, "inaugurated" themselves and also assigned to themselves taskforce jobs. The most lucrative job for the 3R appointees. The reason the number of taskforces in the State has increased to a very large extent. With the taskforces and their operations eating very deep into the fabric of the Government. lt's a long story. A very lengthy tale. We would shorten it. Make the long story short. Brief.
The governorship election in lmo is about four months from now. The Governor has remembered or decided to inaugurate these appointees in question. He would also give them appointment letters, assign functions to them, give them offices where available and pay them. Pay them, perhaps, in arrears. From the month they were appointed. The only way to recover or resuscitate the joy of the appointments. These are the wisest and advisable actions to take by the governor in the prevailing scene or scenario. So that those of them who had taken soft or hard loans with their names published as appointees could pay back. And they would form parts of the governor's "foot soldiers" for the November election . I am gossiping here. Onwa and his politics. Do you understand?
All things bright and beautiful, God made them all.
You may wish to repeat after me. Political appointments are not favours. But patriotic call or invitation to serve. To render service(s). To assist the governor or whoever, to drive the government or administration for results. All these should be understood and properly situated. Are you still here or there?
We shall continue to clap for Jesus.
