His Excellency
Sen. Hope Uzodinma
Executive Governor
Imo State.
Douglas House
Owerri
My Dear Governor Sir,
GOVERNMENT EXISTS FOR THE PEOPLE AND THE PRIMARY FUNCTION OF EVERY RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT IS TO PROVIDE GOOD LIVING TO THE PEOPLE.
It is with profound sense of humility that I write this open letter to you. With my experience in life, I have come to the conclusion that abusive leadership has been the bane of our underdevelopment. When a leader elected to serve the people, begins to see himself as being above the people he was elected to serve, that society will begin to witness steady decline in the vital areas of human endeavors.
You became the Governor of Imo state in a very complex and controversial manner which as at that time, divided our state and with mixed reactions in favour and against the superior politics that brought you in power. You were faced with the herculean task of trying to bring together a people that saw your elevation as detrimental to the well being of the state and a political class that welcomed your ascension with mixed feelings and uncertainties. However, you swung into action and surrounded yourself with some credible egg heads who started making governance a bit easier for you. But not too long, you started showing traces of a man on a hidden mission. You refused to set up a proper administrative governance system that will be accountable to the people. You dismantled well established governmental administrative systems and replaced them with a Unicentric administrative system which tends to concentrate power in a single but highly policed system where every item of government that requires system approval must pass through you. In fact, the real essence of competitive governance rooted in accountability and transparency disappeared under your nose.
Your Excellency, gradually, you became ruthlessly and dangerously unaccountable because you swiftly started seeing Imo state as a Private Estate where you are the undisputed CEO. You abandoned populist governance and bequeathed yourself a larger than life maximum emperor and ruler that must be obeyed.
Your biggest undoing was when you could no longer draw any line of distinction between public funds and your legitimate income and earnings. You abandoned the primary responsibility of providing good living to your people.
Your Excellency, you exposed your people to so much danger and allowed them to be killed like fowls as insecurity rages in the state. In the heat of the insecurity, you were nowhere to be found as Abuja provided a safe haven for you and your immediate family while you left your people at the mercy of the Unknown Gun Men who were prowling everywhere and almost ruined your government.
A popular Military General said that if insecurity lasts for 48 hours, then the government of the day should be questioned. It is quite unfortunate that you could not stand your feet on ground to protect your people, rather you have been busy playing National politics with tax payers money. “Onye oku na ere ebe ya, ona chu oke?” You abandoned your own house that is in flames and went to help other states that are even managing their own crisis better than you. What kind of leadership style is that?
It is time to tell you the naked truth Mr. Governor. You have wasted five years chasing rats. You still have three years remaining to correct the spoils of those five years.
First thing first, you must start addressing the issues of transparency and accountability. You are the most untransparent and cloudy Governor in Nigeria. You have NEVER followed due process in all your contract awards in the last five years. Everything about you, is shrouded in secrecy. We don’t know who your contractors are, we don’t know how much you award contracts and we don’t even know how and when you pay them. Is government work shrouded in this much secrecy?
You have refused to decentralize power and allow constituted authorities perform their duties. There is no healthy department or agency of government in Imo state. All of them have been crippled and financially strangulated and their powers taken over by you. You didn’t stop there Your Excellency, even the services of the Accountant General of the state has been withdrawn and transferred his powers to your private consultants. What an aberration in dealing with public governance system?
You have destroyed the other two branches of government and subjected them to public ridicule. The Legislative Arm of Government in Imo state is completely non existent. The leadership of the House of Assembly are the boys you handpicked to do your biddings at all times. The most ridiculous aspect of your Legislative governance system is that laws are written in the ‘wee hours’ through administrative methods anchored by a certain female Clerk. And no member of the House dares to question such illegality. Your Excellency, you are gradually criminalizing politics in Imo state. I think you have to stop now.
You have also rough handled the Judiciary in Imo state. Any Chief Judge who refuses to dance your own music, had always ended up humiliated and shown the door out. You created fear in the hearts of people who suppose to be feared. You virtually, captured every organ of Authority in Imo state and killed the spirit of public service delivery system.
Your Excellency, just look at the way you have strangulated the Local government system in Imo state. For the past five years, you have not given account of what you have done with LGA funds running into hundreds of billions of Naira. How can you claim that you have been fighting insecurity when you don’t even allow LGAs to have access to 10% of their own money? In my opinion, you have overstepped your bounds and you have got to stop now. It is time to call all the Executive Council Chairmen and direct them to start work immediately with their money in UBA as we speak. Furthermore, you should grant them permission to open bank account with any bank of their choice. Your job is to monitor them through a Committee set up by you. This is the right thing to do Your Excellency.
Let me also advise Mr. Governor, that it is high time you reviewed the welfare packages of people working with you. It is important that you heed to this advice. Pay attention to the welfare packages of your staff. It will do you a lot of good. You are taking billions of Naira as security votes every month but you allow your Commissioners and other senior government officials to wallow in abject poverty, hardship and deprivation. Do not think that God is not watching you.
Finally, you have to release Chinonso Ubah NONSONKWA unconditionally for your own peace of mind. He has not done anything to warrant the kind of punishment being meted out at him. Hearken to the voice of reason and do the needful.
May the peace of the Lord which passes all understanding be with you, Your Excellency
Dr. Fabian Ihekweme Omu
De Ancient Seer
