Another look at Ihedioha's transition and inauguration committees By Walter Duru, Ph.D

On Tuesday, April 9, 2019, Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, set up a 20-member transition committee, prior to the inauguration ceremony of the governance of his successor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and has clearly defined mandates. The committee is particularly grappling with the heavy responsibility of ensuring a smooth transition of the power of the outgoing administration to the new administration headed by the elected governor, Sanwo-Olu. The inauguration of a 20-member transitional committee by the Lagos state government may have fueled debate in some quarters, calling into question the merits of the actions of the elected governor of the state. , Rt. The Hon. Emeka Ihedioha at the inauguration of a technical transition committee of 139 members.

As the debate raged, the former vice president of the House of Representatives, who had not yet finished, went further. On the same Tuesday, April 9 (as in Lagos), the elected governor, Ihedioha, swore in front of the governor's inaugural committee, whose initial list included about two hundred and eighty-seven names; before an additional list brought the total number of members to about three hundred princely names. During an inauguration, the opponents quarreled!

A relative who lives abroad and has always sympathized with the Hon. The cause of Ihedioha actually sent a text message to my cell phone in protest. The text reads in part: "What meaningless charade is Ihedioha, with over 300 names on an inauguration committee? This is in addition to several so-called deadwood members crammed into a ridiculous transition committee. I'm scared …. "

After reading the message, I took my phone and called it. She cited the example of Lagos, where a 20-member transition committee seemed just enough. At the end of our telephone conversation, which lasted about an hour, she came to understand and appreciate the issues involved and changed her mind. In fact, she apologized for her first explosion.

Where am I going with this story? Is it fair to compare the situation of Lagos State to that of Imo, where an administration headed by All-Progressive Congress-APC pbades the baton to another APC administration? Are our circumstances the same? Is the situation in Lagos the same as in the state of Imo? What is the criterion for measuring this? It would be very naive, if not misleading, to try to compare the 20-member Ambode Transition Committee with that of Imo, because each state has its own peculiarities, and some would say they are "private demons" .

I do not feel like Ihedioha at this point; no one should. It will suffice for someone who does not understand the degree of degradation in the current Imo State to criticize the configuration, size, scale and scope of the two committees' mandate. A careful review of the terms of reference of the two committees, once juxtaposed with the time available to carry out their very important, separate, but delicately overlapping mandates, might even suggest that members might even be conservative. Obviously, it goes without saying that the work to be done to rearrange Imo is huge and tedious. The areas to cover are very large. The time is short. The experience and know-how of the people gathered for the job is the exact combination that the state of Imo currently needs. In fact, the sacred book sums up the very essence of the challenge by stating in Matthew 9: 35-38 that "the harvest is great, but the workers are few".

An badysis of the speech made by the governor-elect, rt. L & # 39; Hon. Emeka Ihedioha at the inauguration of the transition technical committee makes it clear that he knows the direction in which he is heading.

His address reads in part:
"In establishing this transition committee, we were very cautious and deliberate. We have selected some of the brightest and best of our collaborators in different areas of human activity. I know each person in this room, if it is not, personally, at least by his reputation and I am delighted that you have decided to answer our call. It is even more humbling to note that every individual we invited to this defining state mission responded with a delightful affirmative response.

Let me say here that we are not short of ideas as to what we want to achieve. However, we believe in team work and we will not fail to exploit the well-recognized potentials of our collaborators. We also know that with accomplished men and women like you, our job can not be simpler than making Imo even more formidable. "

"To make the work of this Transitional Technical Committee more effective, it has been subdivided into sub-committees with a clear mandate, which will be handed over to the chairs of the respective subcommittees. The subcommittees will have four weeks to complete their work and forward them to the main committee, which will now have two more weeks to consolidate their report – a total of six weeks. "

"The task of rebuilding our state in this period of our history is very difficult and enormous. I am confident that you will help us all to achieve this goal. "

"Before closing my remarks, it should be noted that I will soon set up a planning committee for the inauguration. This committee will be primarily responsible for ensuring that the activities leading up to the 29 May swearing-in ceremony are peaceful, eventful, historic and memorable. I will ask more of our sons and daughters to serve on this committee. "

For a man who is about to irresponsibly badume a state ruled and robbed for eight consecutive years, Ihedioha understands that there is no easy solution. so there is no illusion of being invited to a tea party. Today, Imo has a demoralized workforce (public / public service); there is no process in place; no independent legislative or judicial power; is hampered by the baggage of harbaded and battered traditional institutions; lack of transparency and rule of law in government affairs; paralyzing public debt, among other scary challenges.

The Transitional Technical Committee has already asked citizens and state stakeholders for memoranda on situations and developments, and many proposals have already been submitted. In fact, following the alleged desperate efforts of the incumbent (outgoing) state to wreak havoc on the political system, urgent steps have already been taken by the elected governor to warn the relevant organizations especially financial institutions, against collusion. further aggravate the over-indebtedness of the state. Similar warnings have been issued against the mbad and indiscriminate issuance of last-minute occupation certificates to friends and relatives of the current administration.

In any case, did anyone take the trouble to ask the overarching question: "Who are the members of these two committees and what is their pedigree?" Never in the history of the State of Imo have we brought together this level of intellectuals with experience and know-how from all walks of life, by agreeing to work together for the common good of the State . There is no doubt that the two committees have a long list of people, but in their opinion the end justifies the means.

Whatever the case may be, some of the arguments against the committees may still be valid. For example, the fact that young people are not sufficiently represented on the transition committee is obvious. The elected governor, however, responded to this concern at the inauguration. Again, concerns have been expressed that the civil society component does not have sufficient local content. There may be other concerns.

However, there is no perfect committee or policy anywhere in the world. Every authority in the world has its shortcomings, both in the formulation and implementation of policies. What is important is the deliberate transition from the old order to a new order where the general interest of the majority of citizens is put forward.

The Imo do not doubt the capacity of the elected governor, Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha and his deputy, Rt. Hon. Gerald Irona will fulfill his sacred common mandate. In fact, they have no reason to fail, unless experience no longer counts in the management of public resources, the delivery of public services and the ability to make decisions that will change the way people live. destiny of the state.

One of the success measures of the new administration is the caliber and skill of the people it will appoint to delicate governance positions. I was therefore particularly enthusiastic when, recently, he stated that his administration would have a zero tolerance for sycophany.

The truth is that sycophangia is central to the failure of successive administrations in Nigeria. Putting round dowels in square holes is a recipe for failure. The new administration must be prepared to give strategic positions to people with the ability, experience and determination to fulfill its mandate, and not to incompetent singers of praise.

The idea is not that the administration does not reward, in one way or another, those who worked for the success of the party at the polls. The fact is that there are creative ways to do this without hindering the free flow of governance.

Another group of people that the administration must watch closely are the old horses, popularly called godparents. It is evident that they are already exerting pressure on the elected governor and his deputy. They are pushing for jobs for their children, some of whom do not have what it takes to deliver a public service in the 21st century. By the time they are denied, they will blame the new administration for so many things, including "disrespecting the elders."

Rt. The Hon. Ihedioha and his deputy are not new to the game of politics. They certainly have the capacity to handle the situation; namely: balancing political interests with good governance.

Above all, they must surround themselves with intellectually sophisticated aids. The quality of advice they receive will certainly determine the type of decisions they will make. Anyone around you who applauds when you are wrong is not a friend and has nothing to do.

The only language that Imo people will now understand is good governance. That alone will satisfy them.

The long-awaited dawn has arrived!
Walter Duru holds a PhD in Communication. He is a communication teacher, public relations expert and advocate of good governance. He writes since Owerri and can be contacted on: [email protected].