THE ROBIN HOOD OF AWKA FORESTS
By Prof. Chike I.D. Anamdi. MD
Recently the Governor of Anambra State of Nigeria was quoted in the press as boasting of collecting bribes from the contractors he awards contracts to effect government projects in the state. He is quoted as saying that the contractors simply besiege him with offers of gratuities. He had no choice than to accept such offers.
But as a practising Catholic: if my information is true , he is even a Knight of the Catholic Church, he turns the money into doing charitable things in the state. He boasts of buying vehicles and distributing same to his favourite charities.
Perhaps he thinks that his personal wishes supersede the sovereign will of the citizens as expressed by the State House of Assembly. He was quoted as saying that the money belonged to the state anyway. Is he not aware that he cannot spend any kobo not appropriated by the State House of Assemly? No matter how charitable he may think his actions are they are illegal and impeachable offense.
For sometime, I had been a silent admirer of this quiet pulic servant. This is a governor, who chose to be addressed simply as Mr. Peter Obi,shunning Nigerian perchant for titles. He asked that no communities should bestow him with chieftaincy titles as long as he remained governor.
I was, therefore, flabbergasted beyond speech to read the piece about his acceptance of bribes or gratuities to do his private good. I have now waited for his assistants to deny this without any relief. I cannot believe that with all the assistants the state pays to help him that this information was allowed to remain in the public domain unrebutted.
The governor is now complaining that contractors are not living up to the terms of the contract and is threatening to cancel such such contracts. What moral right can he now stand on to protest? Well, ofcourse, if the contracts are cancelled, they will be re-awarded and that would provide another opportunity for another gratuity.
As a citizen of Anambra State, I have had cause to comment and bemoan what has become the fate of the state since the days of Zik, Dike, Chike Obi, Nwafor Orizu etc.I had thought that the state had bottomed out with the UBA-NGIGE saga, but I was apparently mistaken.
Does the governor, the chief executive and chief security officer, of the state not know that accepting gratuities from contractors doing business with his government is a crime, which he swore to uphold and defend? Is he not aware that he has been breaching the most fundamental of his oath of office? Does he not have a Commissioner of Justice and Attorney General, who is supposed to advise him? Is he aware that he has confessed to an impeachable offence?
In any other polity, there would have been calls for his resignation or impeachment. But there has not been one single voice raised in the state against this confession. It is pertinent to note that the Governor's party has little or no representation in the State House of Assembly, an organ charged with the responsibility of impeaching him. The House has infact already 'impeached' him once, but for the intervention of the judiciary. Since his return, the House has been blackmailing him with a second go at impeachment.Yet, this is the governor who went to the press with admissions of collecting bribe! However, not a member of the State House of Assembly, Anambra press or a stake holder has caught on this show of shame!
Again Anambrarians are due to go the polls in a year. Peter Obi is a candidate for re-election! Was his party aware of his press briefing before he gave it? Why has the party not corrected this treasonale confession?
What is wrong with Anambra? We are always quick to blame marginalisation for our problems. Were it the Hausas and the Yorubas, who put these words in our governor's mouth? Which other governor in Nigeria has made such public announcement of abuse of office? Which reminds me. I was in Nigeria during the last census. MASSOB prevented the counting of citizens in practically every town. Their arguement was that the census was for the counting of Nigerians. Biafrans were not Nigerians! Well, census has come and gone and Iboland was the only area that almost decreased in poulation. When the census result is used in delineating constituences and allocating of amenities, we cry marginalisation.
I have refrained from commenting on Nigerian affairs in the past four years. It was not because of the threats and family concerns: the comentaries simply did not seem to have had any salutory effects. But there is the old Ibo adgate that an elder does not remain silent while the goat gives birth in tethers.
Prof. Chike I.D. Anamdi. MD
Owelle of Awka-Etiti
canamdi@aol.com
