If the intention behind the carving out of development centres is to bring development and democracy to the grass root, that aim has been defiled. Development centre system has further alienated people from government. The project has become a siphoning symbol and a shadow of rural involvement in governance. If they have served any purpose, it is the turning of visionless touts into petty tyrants, public enemies who block people’s access to the benefits of democracy.
Inexplicable is the joy of Ebonyians as they keep vigil to bid adieu to their grass root leaders, the personal staff of the state executive, the development centre coordinators. The public mood in the state changed as soon as government known its intention to recall the rural mayors from their looting posts after six years of sweeping in public naira, toying with people’s destiny and backsliding of critics, real or imagined. A new spirit is rising among Ebonyians. It seems to say we have had enough; we need a breath of fresh air.
Power is comparable to a bottle of cold whisky. You take the first sip, you enjoy it and you move for the second and before long the bottle is empty but you are drunk and want to continue the sipping. As soon as these coordinators got access to the oil money six years ago they ignored gauging public mood, forgot their people and walloped in the ocean of vested interest. They declared themselves public enemies and resolved to annul all internal urge to be responsible.
Those who fail to look forward to history never look forward to posterity. Tyrants generally forget where they come from and where they are going to end up. Call to public office is a call to witness. It is always an opportunity for one to perform on political theatre and fret away. Those who have common sense use it to buy people who will opt for them in case another opportunity for witnessing comes up again. The self-made, however, insist on satisfying the self before others. But, leaders who bank their hope in their loot need to look back to Abacha to understand that nothing is sufficient.
It is now fact well understood that never in the history of Ebonyi has a group demonstrated the type of political arrogance, rascality and impunity than that shown by some of the outgoing development centre coordinators. Acting on the euphoria of being called ‘Governor’s Personal Staff’, they squandered common expectation with impunity and showed by words and actions that their people were not needed. Many repeatedly said before their people that they never elected them and were therefore not needed for them to remain in office.
Suspicious of the people, they chose to play to the gallery of the powers that be. When public outcry for their sack rent the air they re-strategized and carved a niche in the heart of state chief executive and earned the title of ‘governor’s personal staff’. They used the remaining years they earned to avenge those who had risen to condemn.
Two things can make a leader to live up to his responsibility. One is the fear of the masses and the second is the love of the masses. Elected leaders who have no love for the people at least in developed democracies fear the masses for their power to effect change that can see them in offside position of power play. Masses can rise against leaders as seen in Arab spring. At polls, masses can vote against the leader they do not want in democracies where votes count. Mursi of Egypt rose to power through popular uprising and decided to do away with the same masses who paved way for his ascendancy to power. Today, he remains stark naked as a failure symbol of those who under-estimated the power of the masses. You cannot sit on the masses’ nose and balance well.
The outgoing coordinators neither feared nor loved the masses. They scolded them and diverted monies meant for them into private purses, built for themselves castles along Onwe Road, Low Cost Estate, Hill Tops etc, changed cars for themselves and their petty first ladies while other members of the management committee stood aloof.
It is shameful that after six years many coordinators couldn’t plaster rooms they used as offices claiming low funding, sometimes indicting the top government officials for interference. Many claimed to be so financially incapacitated that they could not sand-fill potholes in front of their headquarters. There is no story they did not tell to cover up. Some complained that they were to poor pay workers and ended up embezzling workers’ salaries and emoluments. Others claimed they were required from time to time to sponsor one government function or another. Generally, they used state chief executive emphasis on cost effectiveness to abscond charity.
Gov Elechi’s tour of DCs was an eye opener this year. During the moment the coordinators who had complained of poor capital all the while started grading roads, constructing converts and painting headquarters. My coordinator rented a room and decorated it with Pentium III PCs and labeled it ‘Skills Acquisition Centre’. Others went for one cosmetic project or another.
One thing is certain; governor Elechi is a character one can with serious cleverness deceive only once. He is not one you can out-win all of the time. And so be it that that infamous era will be consigned to the dustbin of history with the last second of the last day of the seventh month of 2013.
As we log out of this ignoble period, we need to emphasize that allowing this scenario to replay again would be fulfilling worst fears. This will be a mockery of democracy and all it stands for. The incoming coordinators or whatever they may be called owe Ebonyians a great deal. They need to learn in advance that a leader’s achievement does not consist in public naira pocketed in private accounts. Ill-gotten money easily depletes. Achievement lies in creating an environment for people’s participation in the way they are governed and allowing them access to the benefits of office.
We wish the outgoing leaders well. If they have served us well we will call them in future for communal service. But if they have looted our treasury the nemesis will go after them. Looters normally sow seeds of their own destruction. They acquire taste without skills. The taste depletes the stock and makes them more miserable. This has been the lot of Ebonyi politicians who find themselves outside office. Check it out! Theirs will not be different too. Adieu governor’s personal staff! Say to your souls, you can rest in Comfort!
