Simon Utsu|14 December 2016
I don't know how many times I'll have to tell Cross River state Federal appointees/politicians to clean up their acts.
It's more than a year now since several Cross Riverians were appointed into top positions in Buhari's government and the state is yet to experience any significant human capital face lift or have a positive feel of their impact. Cross River state alone has the Chief of Naval staff, Head of the Federal Civil Service, SA to the President on Prosecution, NCC south-south Director, NNPC south-south Director, Niger Delta Affairs Minister, Chief Justice of the Federation, Chairman of the NDDC Board and wait a minute, Buhari yesterday sent the name of another Cross Riverian, a Mr Anthony Ayine to the Senate for confirmation as the Auditor General of the federation. I stand to be corrected but I doubt if there's ANY state in Nigeria in this dispensation that has been favoured by this kind of rich blend/spread of Federal appointments.
I asked this several months ago and I'll ask again, how many Cross Riverians have so far been 'helped' by our people in Abuja? Abuja people who una don epp?? Instead, they've been busy fighting themselves and Ayade for supremacy. Ironically, Ayade that we used to laugh at before now, for hiring 2,000 aides seems to be the only Cross River 'big man' in the last year that has done anything major towards human capital development in the state. How many Cross Riverians have been conscripted into the Navy via the back or front door with the help of Rear Admiral Ibok-Ette since he assumed office last year? What about the Head of the Federal Civil Service? How has she helped out to reduce unemployment in her home state? Usani Uguru? Is he still locking horns with everyone in his party at state level? How many Cross Riverians has he 'empowered' in or via the Niger Delta Affairs Ministry which he oversees? So many questions begging for answers.
I still think it's too early to write our appointees off but I've heard lots of disappointing stuff about them that I won't share here but like I said, let me not write them off just yet. Benue state got just one major federal appointment during the last dispensation when Abba Moro was appointed as Goodluck Jonathan's interior minister; he flooded all the major parastatals under his ministry with his Idoma ethnic people such that, I doubt if there's any Idoma family that doesn't have at least one person working in one of those parastatals. What a legacy! What a hero! Moro the Hero! If you move further North, the Hausa-Fulani's are flooding the federal ministries and even African Union (like I reported weeks ago) with their people via all sorts of secret recruitments. The Yorubas who head most of the multinationals and lord over the private (corporate-subdivision) sector don't think twice when it comes to carrying their people along. The Igbos are the kings of commerce and industry; they also carry their brethren along.
But a Cross River man will want you to worship him 24-7 or be 'loyal' for several years before he even thinks of you… to hell with that! Personally, I've long outgrown the habit of going cap in hand to loiter-around politicians from my state in order to get them to fix me up somewhere, this rant is for the sake of the tens of thousands of jobless but qualified Cross riverians who are helpless. Our politicians should stop being selfish and wicked because what they do to people's children in their time of need will be done to theirs in their own time of need. In addition, history will be very unkind to them.
I'll end this post by digressing a little bit; I think the Muritala Muhammed entrance highway into Calabar should be renamed after Donald Duke. We shouldn't wait for him to be old and frail before naming a major highway or state monument after him. I don't know if this request I'm making is beyond the jurisdiction of the DG of the state's signage board(Hon Stanley Nsemo) but if I were him, I'll look into it. I get a bit emotional whenever I remember Donald Duke as a governor, he was such a selfless, industrious and innovative leader. God bless him wherever he is.
Simon Utsu
Is a Social Commentator
