I address this open memo to you as one of the millions of your admirers, a concerned citizen as well as a public affairs analyst who has followed the affairs of Benue state over the years from within and outside government.
Let me begin by congratulating you and Dr. Sam Ode, the Deputy Governor-elect, on your victory in the March 18, 2023 gubernatorial election. In spite of whatever might have transpired during the conduct of the election, your emergence as the Governor-elect, from my gauging of the public mood, accurately represents the popular wish of Benue people as at today. That popular wish is anchored on the belief, conviction and expectation of Benue people that as a man of God, you can bring into the governance of Benue state a refreshingly positive change from their governance experience over the years.
And now that they have overwhelmingly voted for you, they have played their part in kick-starting the change process. They can’t wait for you to be sworn-in on May 29 so that you can begin to play your own part, that is, giving them the government that distributes dividends of democracy fairly and equitably; a government that provides security for their lives and property without sacrificing development; a government that meets its obligations to its workers and pensioners as at when due; a government that uses state resources transparently for the provision of evenly distributed infrastructure and other dividends of democracy; a government that gives everybody or every component a sense of belonging. In short, they are waiting for you to run a government that reflects the true meaning of democracy – a government of the people, by the people and for the people. That kind of government might sound utopian or idealistic, but the people believe, are convinced and actually expect that you can achieve it.
The purpose of this memo is to offer you the simple guide for putting in place the government that will meet the expectations of Benue people as from May 29, 2023.
Let me classify these expectations broadly into three categories, namely, (1) running a government based on fair and equitable representation and distribution of dividends of democracy; (2) provision of physical infrastructure; and (3) payment of salaries and pensions to workers and pensioners in the state.
In discussing these categories, please, permit me to draw examples from the Igede axis, my primary constituency, to illustrate my points.
(1) Fair and equitable representation and distribution of dividends of democracy.
You may recall that the build-up to the primaries for the recent general elections witnessed an unprecedented agitation for power shift to Zone C. The zone failed to secure the position of Governor into which you have now been elected. The Benue Rebirth Movement (BRM) which led the agitation has, in line with the democratic norm, pledged its support for you and requested your incoming administration for the positions of the Secretary to the State Government, Speaker of the House of Assembly, amongst other benefits of democracy, for Zone C. It is my view that you make yourself the Governor Zone C never had by meeting or exceeding their expectations.
To do this, you will require the unfettered application of wisdom to the exercise of power which has been bestowed on you by God through the people. Here, one has in mind the application of the principles of fairness, equity and balance in the distribution of appointments, recruitments, infrastructure and other benefits.
You should avoid your predecessors’ mistakes in this area, especially with regards to political appointments. For instance, right from the word go, Governor Ortom made it clear to those around him that he would exclude some sections of the state from benefitting from his Government for their failure to secure victory for him during his election. Oju Local Government Area is one of the victims. The Governor made sure he appointed no commissioner or public officer of equivalent or higher rank from there in his entire eight years in office; he equally repeatedly told his aides from the area that he owed the people of Igede no obligation to do their roads because he claimed they did not vote for him.
Dear Governor-elect, you have at least two months to prepare to set up your government. This is enough time to reflect on the mistakes of your predecessors. For instance, in making appointments, they used the ‘long-leg’ approach and disrespected existing rotational and sharing formula which combined to create lopsidedness in appointments going to some areas and a feeling of exclusion in others.
All these were complicated by the imposition of candidates from the wrong components of constituencies to cost PDP considerable goodwill and, eventually, the elections of February 25 and March 18.
Within the Igede nation, for example, irrespective of whichever party is in power, the lines of rotation and sharing of public offices are clearly spelt out well ahead and people look forward to them. Party leaders from the area who know this always strive to follow the pattern religiously . Our incoming Governor, for you to get it right in the Igede axis, like elsewhere, I advise you to allow the party structure (the EXCO), rather than individual party chieftains with access to you, to determine who gets what using the mix of Local Government, clan and ward configuration. This was the approach adopted by Governor Suswam and it made his Government inclusive. The approach could serve as a template to be applied to other parts of the state, adapted only for local perculiarities.
And, in making your appointments, you would do well to go for the best hands in terms of educational qualifications, competence and experience, to put an end to the era of erand boys being put in positions they can obviously not handle. You could even invite competent hands from other parties to enhance cross-partisan inclusiveness. It is advisable to let the Grade A positions also get to less advantaged areas, specially Zone C, including the Igede axis.
(2) Provision of Infrastructure
You cannot provide all the infrastructure needs of the state in four or even eight years. But you can select and execute key physical infrastructure projects based on priority needs and strategic geo-ethnic balancing such that many years after leaving office you will be remembered by them. The state’s first democratically elected Governor, Aper Aku, did just that. He built the State Secretariat, the Aper Aku Stadium, amongst other infrastructure.
The Late Governor Moses Adasu established the Benue State University and the College of Education Oju. He started the construction of the Awajir – Oju Road. George Akume established the Benue State University Teaching Hospital and completed the Awajir-Oju Road in addition to picking an Igede son, Dr. Ogiri Ajene, as his Deputy Governor.
On his part, Governor Suswam was the first Governor to extend electricity to Oju and Obi LGAs, in addition to constructing the Oju-Idelle-Utonkon Road. The expectation of Benue people and, in particular, the Igede nation, is for you to join Adasu, Akume and Suswam in leaving lasting legacies for the people to remember you by. In the Igede axis, this could take the form of the reconstruction of the Awajir-Oju Road, rehabilitation and completion of Oju-Idelle-Utokon Road, the construction of Aliade-Obarike Ito Road, etc
(3) Payment of salaries and pensions
Your Excellency, you will do well not to pay lip service to the issue of payment of salaries and pensions, current and arrears, as your predecessors did. It is the biggest destroyer of governmental goodwill and giant killer during elections in the state. In the build up to the 2015 elections, the Gabriel Suswam administration was owing workers about three months salaries and a sizeable volume of arears of pensions. It became a huge campaign issue. Ortom, the then APC gubernatorial candidate, openly shed tears and rolled on the floor publicly during his campaigns in sympathy with, and supplication to God for the suffering of workers and pensioners. In response, Suswam’s PDP gubernatorial candidate, Terhemen Taazor, was rejected at the polls by the electorate in favour of Ortom.
Fast-forward to 2023. Salary arrears now stand at 8 months and pension arrears have become almost unquantifiable. And, once again, the people have voted out a ruling party in the state, the PDP, largely on account of its failure to meet its financial obligations to serving and retired civil servants around whom the livelihood of a significant proportion of the population and economy of the state revolves. The easiest and fastest way to fritter away the hopes, goodwill and support of the people when you assume office is to treat this issue with levity.
Make no mistake about it: availability or otherwise of funds to meet expectations (2) and (3) above will become an issue, especially in the face of many other competing and urgent demands. In the circumstance, people will watch out to see the difference between your adminstration and the government they have just voted out in terms of the transparency, frugality, commitment and fairness or otherwise which you put into the allocation of state resources to various needs.
It is my wish, hope and prayer that you make the difference very clear.
Hon. Ode, a Media Consultant is based in Makurdi
