MY COMMISSIONERS ARE MORE THAN YOURS

After President Muhammadu Buhari was sworn in on May 29th alongside other freshly elected governors, Nigerians were bombarded with claims and counter claims regarding how much was bequeathed to these office holders by their predecessors.

Buhari fired the first salvo when he told a bewildered nation that his predecessor almost wrecked the national economy because in his estimation not much was left in the national treasury. He literally accused the preceding federal administration of looting the entire commonwealth. Consequently he set up an investigative panel made up of some state governors to unravel the circumstances surrounding the near state of comatose of the country’s savings particularly the accruals from crude oil exports. Various state governors elected for the first term also followed with their own chorus of accusations of meeting empty treasuries. Governor Nassir El-Ruffai of Kaduna State who initially alleged that his predecessor Mr. Ramalan  Yero left the state finances in reds recanted eventually and admitted that at least some few hundred millions were left behind. Bauchi, Katsina and Rivers amongst others made similar or even worse lamentations.

But these governors crying over empty treasury have gone on to make ridiculously huge state executive appointments with some of them approving up to 12 advisers and 24 commissioners in some cases. Cross Rivers State has appointed 12 Special Advisers whilst Enugu has just named twenty four heavyweight politicians as commissioners with no single hard core technocrat.  This is a State whereby rural infrastructures are almost non existent even as scholarship schemes for young but talented youths are not in place but yet the governor who parades a peculiar traditional title of GburuGburu has gone on to introduce a huge list of commissioners as if governance is all about dishing out political patronages to those who supported your campaign and eventual victory at the polls. Some of those in the Enugu’s massive political list are politicians recycled many times over including some who have traversed the entire political environment of Nigeria either as state appointees or federal appointees and National legislators. This is a huge disappointment from a young man who spent approximately eight years in the Federal House of Representatives and so should be privy to the facts that Nigeria’s federally redistributed revenues and financial assets are shrinking by the day because of a variety of reasons including the collapse of the global crude oil buying prices.

Reports in the media disclosed  that Enugu State Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has sent a list of 24 Commissioners nominees to the State House of Assembly for screening and confirmation.

According to the list read on the floor of the House on Thursday July 9th 2015 by the Speaker, Edward Ubochi, the nominees include three former House of Representatives members, Ambassador Fidel Ayogu, Chijioke Edoga and Peace Nnaji.

Also in the list were two former local government chairmen, Dr Sam Ugwu and Ozo Vitalis Onuzulike, founding Chairman of PDP in Enugu State, Charles Egumbe, and Rita Chinelo Mba who was an Adviser to immediate past Governor, Sullivan Chime.

The other nominees are Patrick Ezebuilo Ikpenwa, Udeuhele Godwin Ikpechukwu, Mabeke Obinna Benjamin, Greg Nnaji, Chika Smart Ogbe, Ndukwe Charles Chuka, Chidi Aroh and Sam Ogbu Nwobodo.

The list further includes, Emeka Okeke, Miletus Ezegwuorie Eze, Prof. Uchenna Eze, Charles Ogbonna Asogwa, Solomon Izuchukwu Onah, Mr. Vitus Okechi, Mike C. Eneh, Fide Ani and Eucheria Uche Offor.

Shortly after the Speaker presented the correspondence from the Governor to the House, the Leader, Hon. Ikechukwu Ezeugwu urged colleagues to accept the list of the nominees for consideration.

“I rise to move that the message for 24 nominees be accepted for consideration on a later date,” Ezeugwu said.

Speaker of the House, Hon. Edward Ubosi, urged the commissioner nominees to submit 25 copies of their curriculum vitae for screening. Ubosi said that the curriculum should be submitted on or before July 13, 2015 for the screening on July 14, 2015.

In what has been code named ‘take a bow and go’ process of the so called legislative screenings these 24 or so career politicians were asked to go and assume offices but assuming duties is a different kettle of fish because first and foremost their portfolios were not included in the letter nominating them even as the legislators spent no time to thoroughly extract some forms of commitments on their part regarding the kinds of services to the good people of Enugu that they would individually render. If I may ask how much of revenues does Enugu, a typical civil servants’ state generate monthly from the federally redistributed assets and internally generated revenues? In Cross Rivers State the House of Assembly recently approved a big list of twelve advisers for a state that can barely meet the obligation of monthly payment of huge wage bills to the civil servants. These advisers will also have to work alongside another list of commissioners.

Apart from Kano that has cut down the size of her state cabinet other states are in a race of their lives as if to say they are competing amongst themselves which can produce the longest list. Ebonyi State I learnt also has upto twelve commissioners and a retinue of advisers. Yobe and Borno are no exceptions because in Borno alone the governor was reported to have named at least a dozen commissioners and advisers including four media aides with some in charge of print and new media not forgetting the one in charge of electronic media. In Imo Rochas Okorocha redefined nepotism by appointing both his two in-laws as chief of Staff and secretary to state government. For God’s sake a typical state in these times of financial bad climate isn’t supposed to have more than 9 commissioners and a sprinkling of hard core technocrat as Special Advisers. Ministries should be merged to reduce the cost of governance so these states can afford to have funds to provide necessary infrastructures to the rural and urban population who ought to derive the benefits of the taxes they are compelled to part with. The states in Nigeria must cut their coats according to your clothes/size.

***Emmanuel Onwubiko is Head of Human rights Writers association of Nigeria