News
Application of common sense in leadership versus propaganda
By John Okiyi Kalu
There are three issues most national opinion molders hold against former Governor of Abia State, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu: N500 for pregnant women; hunters and palm wine tappers as Ebubeagu operatives, and Chicken Republic as metaphor for economic growth.
While the then Governor might not have used the language of the media to explain those issues, it has always been clear to me his actions were common sense solutions that should be studied and applauded.
According to Section 14(2) (b) of the 1999 (amended) Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government. It is left for every leader in government to evolve policies and programs that will deliver on the purpose of its existence. It follows therefore that a successful government in Nigeria is one that fulfills the purpose of its existence and not the one that made the most noise in the media. While some leaders prefer to silently do their job, others deploy media noise as their cardinal focus of governance.
Common sense is simply the ability to think and behave in a reasonable way and to make good decisions. Common sense leadership dictates that in prescribing solutions to a challenge, leaders must think things through, have good knowledge of the environment and use what they have (including human and financial resources) in the right mix to deliver and sustain good governance.
N500 to pregnant women in Abia State
While reviewing data on maternal and infant mortality in Abia State, it was discovered that most women in rural Abia preferred to use the services of traditional birth attendants whose methods have long been judged to be crude and unsafe by health authorities. Yet, those birth attendants were the closest to rural women.
Ikpeazu’s solution was to equip and proliferate primary healthcare centers (PHCs) across the state (over 700 located in 184 wards of the state) and link them to a 24/7 Telehealth center (dial-a-doc) located inside government house, Umuahia, with medical doctors on call to attend to issues from all the PHCs. With that firmly established, the challenge was how to get pregnant rural women to visit the healthcare centers instead of patronising traditional birth attendants.
Governor Ikpeazu decided to incentivise change by simply approving N500 for transport to a healthcare facility to be paid on every visit. The implication was that if a pregnant woman visited 20 times for checks, she would collect N500 multiplied by 20. In addition to that, every pregnant woman was offered free birth-pack, valued at more than N40,000 at the time, as well as delivery at zero cost. In most public hospitals in Nigeria it costs at least N200,000 to deliver a baby.
Available data clearly shows that as a result of the common sense measures put in place by Governor Ikpeazu, attendance to healthcare facilities in Abia increased by 71% under his watch with maternal/infant mortality rate dropping by more than 30%. In fact, the World Health Organisation and the Federal Ministry of Health issued its first and only gold award for Primary Healthcare Under One Roof to Governor Okezie Ikpeazu for doing an excellent work.
Hunters, Palmwine Tappers and Ebubeagu
In the days when the formation of a regional security force was popular within the South East, there were two major related security issues: farmers-herdsmen clashes and kidnapping for ransom. At the heart of the two security challenges were reports of armed gangs living in forests in Igbo land from where they attacked security agents and innocent folks then take their victims back to the forests until ransom was paid.
Our people wanted the criminals removed from our forests and believed that the formation of an armed Ebubeagu force would achieve that. But Governor Ikpeazu was not convinced about arming Ebubeagu because he recalled the extra-judicial activities of the defunct Bakassi Boys that led to loss of several innocent lives in our state and said something profound during one of the meetings of the state executive council: “No doubt, we have a problem and must solve it but we should ask ourselves this: if we arm our people to fight the criminals how do we retrieve the arms afterwards and what will a hungry man with skills in use of arms do when people are not looking?”
We decided that since there were conventional armed security forces like the police, army, navy, DSS, civil defence and others operating within our state the solution should be to empower and deliver prompt and precise information to them to ensure they do the job for which they receive salary. We approved massive support (financial incentives, vehicles, communication gadgets, monitoring and control centers, modem operational structures etc), from the government of Abia State to those agencies.
In addition to increased funding for regular security forces, improvements in crime fighting infrastructure, we also approved take off resources for Ebubeagu strictly as community-based information and intelligence gathering outfit that did not bear arms while concurrently developing a second-to-none information sharing structure between the government and security agencies. I make bold to state that under Ikpeazu it was near impossible for new faces to enter any of our communities without the information coming to the center in Umuahia. Suspicious visitors were monitored until they left or were interrogated by regular security agents.
The result of Ikpeazu’s common sense approach was that Abia became the oasis of peace in a troubled South East region and among the top three safest states in Nigeria. In contrast, those states that celebrated armed Ebubeagu with popular applause recorded higher crime waves and widespread insecurity that still haunt the states to date. Ikpeazu received national awards on security without toeing the popular path but rather applying common sense approach to leadership.
Chicken Republic as a metaphor for economic growth
While answering questions on investment and economic growth under his watch, Governor Okezie Ikpeazu cited proliferation of Chicken Republic Restaurant branches in the state as evidence of improvement. The usual crowd decided to make a joke out of it without reviewing to understand where he was going with that. But few correctly understood his example to mean that increased consumption and patronage for luxury food brands signpost growth in economic activities within a location.
Permit me to briefly digress with VAT collection before returning to the Chicken Republic metaphor. Definitionally, VAT refers to a consumption tax on goods and services levied at each stage of the supply chain where value is added. It goes without saying that its volume in a locality can be used as an indication of the volume of buying and selling in the area. So states with low economic activities usually have low VAT collection and vice versa.
Recently, NBS reported that Abia State has dropped to 35th position on VAT remittances. With an economist as the current Governor of the state he should ordinarily be worried because the ranking shows very low and declining economic activities within the state. More crucially, it is a valid indicator that whatever the government is spending in terms of construction, payment to workers etc, are not being felt in the state but rather being siphoned out of the state. A government that claims to have spent more than N300 billion in infrastructure and salaries should be worried that VAT collection is declining on its watch.
It is also very easy to guess that low VAT collection means outfits like Chicken Republic are making much less than they were doing before now and if that trend continues, they will close shops in Abia and go elsewhere. Meanwhile, the propaganda mill says Abia has improved a million times under the incumbent Governor but simple check with independent data suggests otherwise to the educated mind. The situation raises very profound issues for further research on what is happening to Abia money.
So, when Governor Ikpeazu pointed to proliferation of Chicken Republic and such other outfits on his watch he was rightly advancing the case that economic activities were improving including investment in the state from outside. He was simply saying money was flowing into his state and the economic wellbeing of his people was improving on his watch. VAT receipts and other data supported his position.
When the NBS, World Bank and relevant Federal Government agencies studied multi-dimensional poverty index across the country, they rated Ikpeazu’s Abia as the third best in Nigeria with indicators that included employment, healthcare, security and economic growth. What does that say to you about commonsense approach to leadership compared to high sounding propaganda?
Chief Kalu was Commissioner for Information, Trade & Investment in Abia State
“He is running in contempt of the court. Justice Lifu should be arrested because he is acting in contempt of the court which is a criminal act,” were the exact words with which the African Democratic Congress (ADC), demonstrated its angst over the court ruling on Monday, ordering its de-registration as a political party in Nigeria.
A furious Bolaji Abdullahi, spokesman of the party, told his host while appearing as a guest on Monday’s edition of Politics Today, a public affairs programme on Channels Television that the judge of the Abuja Federal High Court who gave the order was actually playing with fire because of the consequences.
Directly accusing him of playing the script of the All Progressives Congress (APC), to ensure that President Bola Tinubu emerged the sole candidate for the 2027 presidential election, the party spokesman, was emphatic that the plan would not work, as head or tail, ADC must be on the ballot in all the elections.
Hear him: “There is a Court of Appeal order saying don’t hear this case until October 27. So, on what basis? You can’t place something on nothing. The Court of Appeal said don’t act on this until I hear it on October 27. So, on what basis did he deliver the judgement
“So, for us in the African Democratic Congress, what we’re convinced and they know is what they have done has no leg to stand on legally. What they want to do is to create doubts in the minds of the people that this ADC has too many legal cases, can we actually run on this? And to distract us. But we’re not distracted.
“We’re very clear. It was in spite of all they have done since ADC came on board that we ran one of the best and one of the most comprehensive direct primaries in the history of democracy in Nigeria. So, we are strong enough to withstand this. And that’s why I’m saying that we are going to contest in 2027. We’re ADC. We don’t buckle before dictatorship.”
Stressing on the implication of the judgement, which also affected Accord Party (AP), Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) for allegedly failing to meet constitutional and electoral performance requirements, following a suit by the National Forum of Former Legislators, he said it portended grave danger.
He added: “We are not surprised. We know that the Nigerian people believe that there is a problem with the judiciary, but what we did not expect is the level of judicial rascality that was demonstrated today.
“What we are saying is that we reject it in its totality, and we are saying that the people behind this are playing with fire. Hundreds, if not thousands, have obtained nomination forms and contested elections and emerged as candidates on the platform of the ADC.”
Peter Obi, candidate of the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC), in the 2027 presidential election, is peeved at the decision of the Federal High Court, Abuja, ordering the de-registration of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), saying the move is a heavy blow and dangerous to Nigeria’s democracy.
Justice Peter Lifu, who made the order, based on an action brought by National Forum of Former Legislators, agreed that the parties, including Accord Party (AP), Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), failed to meet the requirement for continued existence in Nigeria.
But Obi, who left the ADC coalition to join the NDC, incidentally, based on what he explained resulted from the multiple court cases hanging on its neck, expressed his disenchantment, in a statement by the Peter Obi Media Reach (POMR), on Monday.
Signed by Ibrahim Umar, its spokesman, the group quoted the former Governor of Anambra State as decrying the growing damage to the nation’s sacred institutions on the altar of politics.
Stressing that the rise of nations depended on stronger institutions devoid of political influences, the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, wrote on his X platform: “When the controversy surrounding the removal of the former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Walter Onnoghen, unfolded, I expressed a concern to a friend: that the greatest damage might not be immediate, but the message it sends about the sanctity and independence of our institutions to the world.
“Strong economies are built on trust. Investors can manage security risks, policy risks, and even market risks. What they fear most is uncertainty in the rule of law and a judiciary that is perceived to be vulnerable to political pressure.
“Today, many Nigerians have lost confidence in systems that should protect them. Businesses increasingly request that their contracts be governed by foreign jurisdictions because they have greater confidence in those institutions than in our own. That should concern every patriot.
“We must never sacrifice our sacred institutions on the altar of politics. Nations rise when institutions are stronger than individuals. The Federal High Court judgment ordering the deregistration of the ADC and other political parties is just one of those activities that further reduces the common man’s trust in our legal systems. It should be reversed.
“I pledge that we will restore the dignity, independence, and integrity of the judiciary. The common man must have a voice. The business community must be protected from legal uncertainty and intimidation. Justice must be impartial, accessible, and respected by all. To our judges, legal luminaries, senior advocates, and lawyers: this is your moment. Rise, defend the rule of law, take back your country! A new Nigeria is POssible.”
Not even Lamine Yamal’s second half introduction could help Spain break through the defence of debutants, Cape Verde, in their first ever meeting, as the ongoing World Cup event produced another one of the stunning results on Monday.
Yamal, the Barcelona superstar just recovering from a near two-month hamstring injury, was brought into the game in the second half to zest up the one-time world champion, but failed to break down the Cape Verde’s dogged defence.
Spain’s in the game played in Atlanta, one of the cities hosting the three-nation Mundial, displayed the same dismal outing, which saw them offering far less than the quality, which saw them lifting the trophy for the first time in 2010.
The European champions, which have not won a knockout game ever since, failed to dominate the African side, replicating their less than impressing outings and their eventual exit in 2018 and 2022 editions, even with the claims of coach Luis de la Fuente that the squad was the best in the competition, Spain were considered among the pre-tournament.
Neither Yamal nor Nico Williams, who also was hit by an injury-disrupted season at Athletic Bilbao and was not introduced until the 87th minute, were able to rise to the occasion against the 500,000 people African side, ranked 67 in the world, which is making their debut on the global stage.
In stark contrast to the searing temperatures faced by some other sides, Atlanta’s state-of-the-art air conditioned stadium meant there was no excuses for the slow tempo of Spain’s build-up.
Indeed the mid-half hydration break was met by boos with fans frustrated at the break in play despite the cool conditions.
The only serious move from the European champions only came at the sixth minute to half-time, when Marc Cucurella, fresh for sealing his move from Chelsea to Real Madrid, sent over a teasing cross that Ferran Torres turned onto the crossbar and Cabo Verde goalkeeper Vozinha got back on his feet to turn Mikel Oyarzabal’s looping header over the bar.
Even after the break, the Blue Sharks, were also able to hold back from the onslaught as they did in the first half, where Vozinho, managed to make another superlative save against Aymeric Laporte’s header just before half-time.
Despite the excitement from the crowd after he was introduced, Yamal, billed as one of the stars of the tournament, failed to create any magic with his first touch being the set-up of a decent opening for fellow substitute Mikel Merino which was too close to Vozinha.
In fact, Cabo Verde billed to take on Uruguay in Miami, nearly snatched a famous victory in the final minute of the 90 when Dani Borges planted a header too close to Unai Simon, who saved the occasion, to prevent the former world champions, billed to face Saudi Arabia in Atlanta on Sunday from humiliation.
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