Cornucopia: Odogwu’s mischief, Obiano’s political obituary? By Odogwu Emeka Odogwu

“No one in this world is pure but if you avoid people for their little mistakes, you will always be alone. So, judge less and love more”! –Jabez

I am not pure and the governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano, Akpokuedike Global, is not; neither is any of his aides, including my friend, James Eze, SSA Media to the Governor.
He made Obiano to love me and he also made Obiano to hate me! Obiano celebrated me March 28, 2014 and sooner, we fell apart because he was made to understand that I was commissioned to rubbish his mission and vision for Ndi Anambra.  Whatever that means!
            No ill feelings. He remains my governor, and I remain a journalist with multiple links, standing in for the truth as much as my conscience could go.
            But that breeds the friction between me and Obiano’s aides. At the end of his or their tenure, they should be able to say who really did his duties aright for the society. Praise singing; forget it; unless you are the one saying it, not my opinion.
That is exactly my point, but the jesters called political appointees would not allow reason to prevail. Imagine the enmity and beefing they have created between a good man, Governor Willie Mmaduaburochukwu Obiano, Executive Governor of Anambra State and his benefactor, former Governor Peter Obi, as well as the good people of Anambra State.
For real, this is not the best of times for Governor Obiano as these jesters and merry makers have brought him enormous ill will than imagined. 90% of them would not be able to win their wards. We pray his won’t be worst than former Governor Chinwoke Mbadinuju’s experience, but my spirit tells me Obiano is already tired of the mockery and tremendous criticisms and is preparing himself for graceful retirement. If not, why is he abandoning governance to pursue frivolous and numbskulls actors forced on him by desperadoes; forgetting that bulk stops at his table. If all the mundane acquisitions are true, then, Obiano would shock many observers as he participates in 2017 Anambra Governorship for the sake of participating.
For his team, especially the media team, they are a bunch of people not focused on Obiano, but people who seek their welfares, except a few struggling to swing opinions in favour of the government.
They lack the qualities required of Governor Obiano’s media team. These are fellows that would never answer phone calls and would never return calls or even respond to inquiries, not to talk of going to a media person, or react immediately when a media person calls to get the clarification.
James Eze led the pack of ignominious media team of Obiano. What is his stake? After all he defeated all of us from Anambra to become SSA Media to Obiano even when he hails from Enugu, adding that he has no experience in the media, if not telecommunication Industry PR Unit where they intimidated many. Nobody knows anything except James Eze. He claims to know all but knows nothing! After all, writing good essays does not make one a good media man for a personality like Obiano. But, James speaks fine, and, writes fine though, but,  that does not make one a better media manager. He needs to reach out.
Obiano’s media aide should step in the gap, not playing tantrums and combative all the day. He should court the media in the state. Almost every journalist complains of Obiano’s media team and aides!
If I should ask Governor Obiano to drop all of them I would be tagged a devil. So, I beg the team to sit up and adjust as 2017 approaches. It is better to be proactive, be on top of the game and approachable than what is currently obtainable.
If our now “deaf and dumb” journalists in Anambra State, according to James Eze, could teach Peter Obi, our former governor to start reading newspapers and value journalists; Obiano has no choice than to do so!
Deaf and dumb era in journalism will soon be over. Even those media houses allegedly bought over by government would jump the ship to be able to get advert money from others aspiring for governorship position.
So, Your Excellency, if the bloated cabinet is an excess baggage, drop them or recall them. I put it to you that you are not preparing for 2017 election, but just dancing Skelewu waiting for your time to bow and run back to Houston. How can you have hundreds of aides being paid with tax payer’s money, who could not add any value to the system but scramble for avenues to create revenue with your tacit approval?
My dear governor, what kind of aides do you have in Commissioner for Information and Communication Strategy, Ogbuefi Tony Nnacheta and Commissioner for Works, Chief Law Chinwuba, that since September 21, 2016, they cannot pick their calls or even respond to text messages requesting from them the list of roads you awarded and constructed since you assumed office and the number of roads you inherited that have been neglected? When I contacted your ‘’almighty’’ SSA Media, James Eze, he replied and I quote “Odogwu! What new mischief are you up to this time? ‘’
Nothing else came from my inquiry. Others in the media team like Emeka Ozumba, another SSA, and others did not reply but Chucks Iloegbunam, who dignified me with a reply against my expectation stated thus: “Dear Odogwu Emeka Odogwu, Good morning, on the information you seek, a media inspection of Anambra government projects is in the office. If your scheme can’t wait for that opportunity, you may directly contact the relevant Honourable Commissioner for help,’’.
But MD National Light, Chuka Nnabuife, who put his head in the ring to ensure that a pro-Obiano, so to speak, emerged NUJ Chairman, destroying the spirit of a family election, could not even suggest answers to this inquiry even when he is almost available in all government activities.
He did not dignify me with a reply. MD ABS, Uche Nworah, who has now popularized the Nze title using his medium, directed me to the Commissioner for Works. The Chairman of ABS Board , Emeka Maduagwuna, with all his PR tags, even when he once accused me of sabotaging the Obiano administration by not getting their views or writing warped materials, did not give me any reply. He gave me punches for blogging in www.odogwublog.com and other platforms online and offline yet, he could not respond to the inquiries. I await his second attack as he even warned me not to trouble him with inquiries on government issues as he is not government spokesperson.
Ifeanyi Aniago, SSA Social Media, my friend, though on a later date, also did not respond immediately but later simply replied me, “kindly get the accurate list from the ministry of works, brother’’.
Again, shockingly but not surprisingly, SSA on Politics to Obiano , Chinedu Obidigwe, though he loves Obiano to die, yet he did not give any reply to this inquiry; neither did he pick his calls or return same. Chinedu, yesterday’s boy, is today’s power broker. When I do my reports, he would be the first to crucify me. He forgets I was part of his political history when he dresses like scum in tattered APGA wares, lanky and helpless staging all manner of protests for survival and later, Prince Chinedu Idigo, a gentleman, stepped him up and God used Idigo to salvage Obidigwe, with me and Emmanuel Uzor of the SUN newspapers championing the media front.   
What has Obidigwe contributed to my survival to have such hatred on me for simply being professional? Well, I don’t care for his threats because God is the ultimate decider and whatever He allows, let it be.
            God has been merciful on him; let Obidigwe not forget in a hurry for I watched him grew from rag to riches, courtesy of former Governor Peter Obi, who loved Idigo. Nobody is begrudging him of his God given opportunity which I am happy in a way for him because so many youths are benefiting from him. Kudos to him on that note as drummers of yesterday have become Special Advisers and Committee Members. That is the way to go. Something must make or mar somebody.
Oh! Bring back our Uju Nwogu, a law teacher, a woman that faced media criticism unprecedented. She braced up with adversity. She does not know and needed to know. Uju Nwogu (PhD), within a short while, mastered journalism pranks and became the best friend of the media and did her job well, but alas, the devil we know was removed and she is shining in Sports and Youths Ministry today. But we are brought back to Chief Tony Onyima , former MD of Sun Newspapers days of not answering calls and this and that. Is Onyima not even better than the present commissioner, Tony Nnacheta?

            These bunch are daily digging the grave for the “political obituary” of Governor Willie Obiano for no just cause; yet, nobody is noticing them because, any opposing view is an opposition, and my constructive criticism is death sentence.
Brethren, sit up now that there is still daylight. What shall it profit Obiano’s Media Team and all his Social Media Team to be reacting and combating in the face of deluge anticipated in 2017. Time to change tactics is now. Time to reconcile and reposition is now. Though governance suffered for ambitious second term promoters who declared for the government rather too early leading to abandoning of governance, but let it be clear that I wasn’t saying that Obiano worked on roads or not but, his aides gave room for hasty conclusion that Obiano’s government did less to nothing on our roads, yet, the noisemakers had opportunity to flaunt these feats or adumbrate much but went dumb.
            Could words be matched with action on the package by Governor Obiano out of recession? The Revenue agents alleged they have license to collect tax one year and now the government wanted to change the goal post at the middle of the game. I don’t know the details but if this ultimatum is to start immediately, there would continue to be issues.  The disengagement would have been gradual. How would revenue collectors recover the money they paid into government accounts or ones used as bribe to get the IGR window?
Obiano was goaded into dissipating energy on former governor, Peter Obi, an enigma who walks around sharing money to schools and institutions unmindful of targeted disgrace and calls for his probe by EFCC by Obiano’s aides. Obi would have been Obiano’s strong ally, but today, an albatross; no thanks to his aides. The same aides probably encouraged him to abandon Bishop Alex Ibezim of Awka diocese with full guard of honour mounted for him on strong assurances that he would attend the all important State Eucharistic Service on Sunday 25th September, 2016 , even when all his State Executive Council members were waiting.
Before I went to press, a friend of Chinedu Obidigwe, and member of Petroleum Committee read my protest in a forum and called and gave me the number of Engr. Julius, SA Works to the Governor. That guy was more than a Chief Press Secretary. I called him and he was on call. I sent text. He returned my call and explained that those materials and photos are available that he would avail me all I needed by evening, though we did not meet before sending my report, he remained the greatest dude in the spirit of serving a government. I will still track him to have my curiosity quelled. His likes should be in the government. 
            But if truth be told, Obiano’s recession relief packages were good, only if revenue agents could be contained with a monitoring team for compliance in both urban and rural settings because, as at press time, many were still collecting the levies with aggression at Nnewi, etc, demanding that they must recover their money. My Governor , Chief Willie Obiano, now is the time!
Odogwu is the Editor Authority Newspaper, South-East. He could be reached on 08060750240 or e mail [email protected]