Oseloka Obaze redeems self at his book launch , see Iconoclastic man brother

Redeeming Myself, Honoring My Values
Remarks By Mr. Oseloka H. Obaze
On the Occasion of the Public Presentation of his Books
Here To Serve-Advocacy for Good Governance and Regarscent Past- A Collection of Poems
On Friday 6 May 2016, Crowne Plaza Hotel, Elizabeth, NJ, USA

Your Excellencies, Family, Friends and Distinguished Guests,Good evening. Welcome and thanks for joining us this evening, when you should be home resting after a week of hard work.  But thank God it’s Friday. I do not take your presence for granted and appreciate your support and your being here. 

Let me dispense first with the acknowledgements. Everyone here is dear and important to me, but I must recognize a few people, as protocol demands.  I thank our able Master of Ceremony and my collaborator in many literary endeavours, Dr. MO Ene, for accepting to anchor this event. We have guests from Nigeria, the UK, California, Ohio, Massachusetts, Texas, Georgia and Maryland here with us.  I welcome them all, as I welcome each and every one of you. My dear wife Ofunne, our children and my siblings, Ifeoma and Chio are here; but I also have very dear family membersand friends, who though not physically here, are with us in spirit.I salute them. I love you all.

You may not realize it, but we are situated right on the boundary of the Town of Elizabeth, NJ and the greatCity of Newark, NJ currently celebrating its 350th year.  So let me salute and thank our presumptive host, His Hon.  Mayor Ras Baraka. Deputy Mayor of Newark,   Hon. Ugo Nwaokoro and his dear wifeare here physically, and I thank them. My own brother and friend, Gen. Emeka Onwuamaegbu (rtd) is here. Sir, your stellar and unblemished service to Nigeria resonates. I welcome and salute HE Amb. Antonio Tete, the Permanent Representative of the African Union to the United Nations. I also salute HE Hon. Mr. Adao Pinto the Consul-General of Angola to the United States. 

Closer home, I salute HE Amb. Eloho Otobo, my dear friend, associate and our reviewer this evening and his dear wife, Esther;I salute HE Amb. Sola Omoregie; a fellow diplomatic traveler and writer, Prof.& Mrs Ferdinand Ofodile, my surrogate parents, Chief and Mrs Chike MomahChike Momah. Nnabuenyi, thanks for that magisterial and melodicrecitation of some poems. I salute Prof. NT Izuchi, my senior and dear friend. I thank Prof. Emeka Aniagolu, who previewed Regarscent Past,and Barrister Elsie Onubuogu and Dr. Nkiru Balonwu, who respectively previewed Here To Serve.

Besides my wife, Ofunne, several people have made this book writing, publishing and this evening’s event possible. I have acknowledged them variously in the two books.  But let me convey my special thanks to Ben Emeka Bosah, my publisher and dear friend. Ben, two down; several more to go!  I salute my publicist, Odili Ujubuonu of Brande Aristotle and Mr. Moses Adedeji.My longtime associate, colleague and legal Counsel, Dr. Francis Asokwu Sea, is duly appreciated.

Finally, I must salute members of three core groups: my United Nations friends and colleagues who are here tonight; Marilyn, Obinna, Vida, Rita, Samba, Sahed, Jean-Francis, et. al. and the alumni of two of the greatest high schools in Nigeria, which I had the rare privilege of attending: Christ the King College Onitsha and Dennis Memorial Grammar School, Onitsha.
This evening for me, is very poignant because I am most delighted to be here and to be honored by your collective presence.  But more so, because this eventmarks for me also, a remarkable threshold – my formal transitionfrom an aspiring writer, to a publicly acknowledged writer. The two books being presented today, Here To Serve- Advocacy for Good Governance and Regarscent Past- A Collection of Poems are my second and third published books. The fourth book is already in the works.

Nonetheless, this is certainlyfor me not a night of long speeches.  Rather it is a night of gratitude to God, country, family and friends. And thanks to those who educated me, wherever they may be. The two books we present today come from the head and my heart. In writing them, I sought to redeem myself and honor my values.  Both books derive their impetus from that wise sage, who counselled us to always, “speak with honesty, think with sincerity and act with integrity”.  These are not easy goals, but they are ennobling and achievable, if we set our minds to it. The very narratives of the life we live will be meaningless if we did not act, observe and record our experiences.  Life would be even more meaningless, if we failed to add value to our humanity through our respective undertakings; and life would be utterly meaningless, if we did not seek to make a difference and if as Edmund Burke cautioned, we allowedthe triumph of evil, because as good men we did nothing. 

Let me focus briefly on the two books.  The anthology, Regarscent Past, is a product of my peripatetic natureand wanderlust, resulting from my career choice as a diplomat.  Consider it as the title suggests, my Polariod camera or Kodakmoments– which, instantly captured and froze in chrome, and at times hazy color, people, places and events that I encountered. And that’s all there is to it. If you find any of the poems exhilarating or cynical, or trending toward the demythologization of people and events, please blame the camera!

Here To Serve, is not a memoir; that will come, God willing! Yet, the events chronicled in the volume speak for themselves. They fall into four clusters; Responsive Leadership; Ethics in Governance; Policy Interrogation and, Confronting Realpolitik.Pulled together, these strands form the bedrock of good governance, where the political will exist.For my part, I was opportune to have been in Anambra State, Nigeria,at a time in its political history, when good governance mattered most, and was indeed making a great difference at the grassroots.  My being there for three years was an act of fate; and my contributions derived from a salient environment, my personal fixation with making a difference in whatever capacity I found myself, and a leadership that was not insecure or averse to advice and creative policy ideas. As such, the volumeis not about politicking in any form or by any means.  Rather, it is about hands-on practical governance, and an unvarnished account and recording ofgovernance activities and happenings as they unfolded, and the policies and challenges that were prevalent at those very moments during the last two years of Gov. Peter Obi’s second term and the first year of Gov. Willie Obiano’s tenure.

Now, you need to read the book to find out the rest, beyond the preview, what Amb. Otobo told you already and what I’ve just said.

But in a nutshell, let me say that I found in my three year in office as the Secretary of State in Anambra, enriching, exhilarating and constantly challenging.  It was a very rewarding experience. But I encountered also a benumbing mindset, fraught with undue expectations that militatedagainst good governance. There was hardly any meaningful voice of opposition in politics; it was like the Rodney King mantra, “why can’t we all get along?” even when things were falling apart.  Within government, progress was routinely impeded by the so-called stakeholders, who were indeed, stake takers. There was also a surfeit of yes men in government, who by their mere presence stifled policy debates. And there were many, who’s only question was: what’s in it for me. Hence, policy was often driven by transactions rather than public interest. Often good policies were turned on their head for selfish and personal reasons.

Nonetheless, during my time in the service of the Anambra government, a lot was accomplished, including poverty mapping, Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT), Senior Citizens Social Welfare Scheme, for the aged and the concerted implementation of the MDGs. The ANIDS strategic development schema in place ensured that none of the 177 communities was left behind in terms of service delivery and infrastructure. Both soft and hard infrastructure received equal attention.  More importantly, there was fiscal discipline, the state was not indebted and there was enormous savings for the future generation. The Peter Obi administration finished strong, which ensured a seamless transition. Since I left on office on 8 June 2015, Anambra has advanced: a bit more has been accomplished, especially in the area of security and attracting investors. But there’s more to be done; there is room for growth and development and certainly, ample space for entrenching good governance and best practices.

In the familiar U.N. parlance, what were the lessons learned?   I’ll offer a synopsis.  There is an insidious nexus between poor governance and the rise of poverty, ill-health, urban blight, unemployment and infrastructural decay. Addressing these proactively requiresvision, focus and unfettered commitment to good governance, anchored on the rule of law.  These were the values I met in Anambra in 2012, and supported by fostering policy coordination and coherence. I took away also, the knowledge that to govern properly at the state level remains imperative, since the states are the drivers of our federalism. Accordingly, we must overcome some of the prevailing mindset, and recognize the bond of performance between the government and the people.  While ethics, integrity and transparency in governance remain imperative, the people meeting their tax and other civic obligations, and respecting public property are as equally important.  

I will end these remarks here, by borrowing a few words from the last paragraph of Chapter 3 of Here To Serve. Those of us involved in governance must have a mission based on personal realism. For my part, I was (and remain involved in governance) for the sake of our posterity—and because my children and grandchildren deserve a far better Nigeria than the one handed down to my generation. Only such a transformational outlook, largely individualistic, will lead to improving governance-in-government.  Our earnest collective aspiration, therefore, should be to serve like Abraham Lincoln, and before leaving public office to have “plucked some weeds, and planted some flowers”.  In writing this book, I hope I have redeemed myself and honored my values, “plucked some weeds, and planted some flowers.”

Finally, in all we do, what we seek most in life is justice and peace. Our Igbo people say, Udekaor Udoka ~Peace is Supreme.  May we all find peace in our everyday endeavours. Thank you and God bless us all.