Orji Challenges Nigerians To Emulate Umahi's Style Of Politics
Orji, in his interview with newsmen in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State Capital, spoke on various issues in the state including payment of the new minimum wage, massive appointments by the incumbent administration, the infrastructure development in the area and other sundry subjects. Excerpts:
Already permutations are ongoing, alignments and realignments as to who could emerge successor of Governor David Umahi come 2023. How do you think the governor’s successor will emerge?
When we get to the bridge, we will cross it but it is important and critical to know, emphasize and highlight the potential and credential of the governor of Ebonyi state. There is nothing wrong in emphasizing it so that whoever that is going to come should know that this man has a very big shoe.
All I am praying is for someone that will succeed him to have at least half of the size of his shoe to be responsible to the people. But the governor of Ebonyi state is one I describe as one in a generation. If a state or nation is blessed, they will have one like him once in hundred years.We are lucky as a state and we are also lucky as a country to have him at this point in our history. Honestly the governor of Ebonyi state qualifies to be one of the world class leaders. What he has done as the governor of Ebonyi state shows that he is a man of extra ordinary ability.
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It shows that he is a man carefully created by God for a time of our need. Let me tell you, in 1996, Ebonyi was created and called Salt of the Nation. By that time, it was the dust of the nation because of the underdevelopment we suffered; because of the criminal neglect that we suffered, hence time came, almost 20 years after, a great man emerged as governor.
He emerged under the most turbulent situation where his boss said you cannot be. He rose to become the first deputy governor in the world to become governor when his boss said he cannot be. And he became governor at a time we had the highest record of economic recession in Nigeria.
So it was a double jeopardy so to speak. But the governor was not deterred. He became the best and today, Ebonyi state is now a shining light of the nation. Today, Ebonyi state is a signpost of excellence. Today, Ebonyi state has the best road network among the 36 states of the federation.
Ebonyi state government built the biggest shopping mall ever built by government in Africa to the credit of Governor David Umahi. Ebonyi state has the biggest International Market ever built by any government in the southeast. Today, in the southeast, Ebonyi state has the highest number of flyovers.
Today, Ebonyi State is one of the highest producers of rice in Nigeria. Today, Ebonyi State has the biggest fertilizer plant in the south east. The fertilizer plant has 80metric tons per hour before and the governor doubled it. Today, Ebonyi state has streetlights that work 6pm to 6am. It goes to show that if Umahi becomes the leader of the nation we should be rest assured of steady power supply. If that happens, it means that the Private sector will strive. Economic development will speed up. Today, Ebonyi state by indices of economic development is rising higher on daily basis. So, for who will succeed Umahi, I do not know. God at the appropriate time will speak to the Governor.
What of the speculation making the rounds that the Governor actually said he belongs to PDP and APC?
How can one person belong to two political parties? Commonsensically, it is a trash. Whoever that is saying that is saying it to malign, incite people or bring about something that’s not in existence.
I feel so bad that people would want to say anything just to blackmail people. By the way, Governor Umahi is a strong chieftain of the PDP. He was the best chairman of the PDP in the federation at his time. He is the only chairman that built the biggest PDP office in Africa till today. But like I did say, his style of administration is rare, divine because you need to understand that after partisan politics, comes governance. In governance, you are the governor of APC, PDP or what have you. You are the leader of everyone.
He is also the leader representing Ebonyi in the national politics. So he has every duty to relate with everybody no matter your political colouration. He has the duty to go to anybody to seek for intervention. We should emulate Umahi’s style of politics. If we must move our country forward, politics of myopism and bickering must be pushed to the dust.
How has the state government managed the issue of New Minimum wage for civil servant?
The governor has demonstrated highest sense of responsibility as the Chief Executive of Ebonyi State. When the issue of Minimum Wage came up, the governor rightly promised that if the national Minimum Wage was implemented, that Ebonyi state would be one of the first states to implement it in line with the negotiation that would be made with the civil servants.
The governor also swung into action by constituting a joint Negotiating committee between the government and the civil servants. And the committee consensually resolved to implement the minimum wage in line with the principles governing the national minimum wage. That is to say that from levels one to six, the increase was progressively protective. For those above level six, the increase was marginally protective. That was what was resolved and the governor started to implement the payment of the national Minimum wage in January 2020.
Government was mindful of ensuring that the least paid civil servant gets nothing less than N30, 000. That is the philosophy of Minimum Wage. The very good thing is that Ebonyi was the first in the south east to pay the minimum wage and it was paid at the middle of the month. Many states are yet to start and Ebonyi state governor has taken the lead and we need to commend him.
Before the implementation of the new minimum wage, some civil servants had questioned the rationale behind the appointments of over 1000 political aides by the state governor which they claimed were higher than the workforce of the state. What is your view?
What I will say by questioning the rationale for the appointment of Executive Assistants (EAs), Senior Technical Assistants (STAs), Technical Assistants (TAs) is that they need to understand that civil service is different from political office. The idea of the governor in appointing EAs, STAs, TAs is to enhance mentorship of the future leaders and to ensure that our people are empowered. Talents are discovered identified and empowered through understudying the present leadership so that by tomorrow when the governor would be bowing out, we would have raised leaders from the various wards of the state.
These creams of appointees are helping essentially on the monitoring and evaluation processes which is the secret of the good governance we are having in Ebonyi state. That’s to ensure that the school, health systems are going on well. Good governance requires more hand and that is the very essence of the appointment.
I must tell you that anybody who is talking about increase in civil service should also talk about productivity first. Now the emphasis of government is productivity. As far as we are concerned, we are satisfied with the number of civil servants. There’s no way to increase by way of employment now because the number we have is enough to help to move the state forward.
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