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Tag: Chime

  • I had cancer, but fully okay now – Chime

    I had cancer, but fully okay now – Chime

    Governor Sullivan Chime of Enugu State on Tuesday opened up on his health condition, admitting to journalists that he had cancer of the nose.

    Chime, who returned to the country after almost four months stay in United Kingdom, was quick to add that he has been given a clean bill of health by the British doctors.

    “I have been completely cured and declared cancer free by the doctors,” he told journalists.

    Looking hale and hearty, the governor spoke at length on his sojourn abroad and the unfair publicity given his absence by the Nigerian press.

    “When I read in the papers how I died in India, we then turn Nigerian papers to entertainment forum. We read what they wrote about me and laughed. It became an amusement kind of thing,” he said of Nigerian papers.

    Chime, who has fully resumed duty said although cancer is a deadly disease, he was never admitted in the hospital as in-patient but was going for treatment from his apartment in London.

    According to him, the treatment took complete 12 weeks and the doctors advised that he should be out of work for at least six months to ensure full recovery.

    But the doctors were amazed at the speed of his recovery and declared him cancer free and completely cured on December 14.

    “I left London a healthy man. I went on my own and not on emergency, and insisted that the lump I noticed be removed. Cancer is curable once you discover it early,” the governor admonished.

    He thanked the people of Enugu for their prayers, patience and for “rebuffing those from outside who came to deceive them and cause confusion while he was away.”

    Chime declared: “I have fully resumed. There is no doubt about that. I’m back and I’m back. No regrets whatsoever for going for treatment while on my vacation. If I have the opportunity again, I will do it.”

     

  • Chime’s hide and seek

    Chime’s hide and seek

    On Thursday, Enugu State Governor Sullivan Chime flew back to the country as quietly as he jetted out last September. His return brought relief on the one hand, and profound grief on the other.

    I explain. Chime’s departure was on medical grounds, as everyone later came to know; so his return is good news. In fact, as this piece shaped up, part of the story was that he was eager to pick up from where he left off. I rejoice in the governor’s recovery, knowing that life, even for the rich and privileged, is in the hands of God. But I am deeply troubled by the fact that Chime and his managers failed to use the opportunity of his return to correct the grave mistakes surrounding his departure over four months ago. One reason for this is that neither the governor nor his handlers realised they were in error in the first place.

    Leaving Enugu in the third week of September, the governor divulged little information beyond the fact that he was proceeding on his annual leave and that his deputy would govern the state in his absence. There was no indication of where he was headed. There was no word on how long he would be away. Neither was anything said about his real mission, his health. That was wrong and it brought Enugu people no joy, neither did it do Chime himself any good whether as governor or politician. Such executive silence was in utter disregard and disrespect of the people who voted him into power. Enugu people and the entire country were clueless as to the state of their governor’s well-being, just as they had no idea when he would be back home. Such behaviour of leaders suggests that the people they lead count for little and are not qualified to know their leaders’ health status. This is in spite of the fact that those neglected people provide the money with which the leaders feed and fund their privileges. It smacks of downright disregard.

    Chime’s silence created a vacuum filled only by rumours and speculation, both unhealthy for the people, their governor and their state.

    It was a grave error his administration failed to correct upon his return. The blunder of silence at departure would have been corrected on his return with full disclosure and a heart-felt apology. Such humility would have appeased the people and rallied them behind him with prayers and thanksgiving. Also, such humble dispositions have a way of not just winning the people over but also helping the leader to realise his immortality. For sometimes, leaders fall into error thinking they may possess some superhuman qualities. They imagine they cannot fall ill, but when they do, they think it best not to let lesser mortals know.

    This is erroneous and harmful, for we all have a headache or flu now and then. Our economic strengths may vary, as may also our options of where to seek remedy, but ailment is no respecter of persons or status. The sooner our leaders came to grips with this fact, the less secretive they would be about their state of well-being.

    “I have recently been told that I am one of the millions of Americans who will be afflicted with Alzheimer’s Disease… At the moment I feel just fine. I intend to live the remainder of the years God gives me on this earth doing the things I have always done…I now begin the journey that will lead me into the sunset of my life. I know that for America there will always be a bright dawn ahead. Thank you, my friends. May God always bless you.”

    President Ronald Reagan wrote those words in August 1994 as doctors diagnosed a disease without cure. Goodwill messages flooded his California home. He was aged 83 then, but lived for 10 more years before succumbing to pneumonia. Were Reagan a Nigerian, perhaps only his wife Nancy and one or two other people would have known what ailed one of America’s most memorable commanders-in-chief.

    All over the world, the health status of national leaders is not such top secret, except in old Communist and totalitarian regimes. Former United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s health challenges are public knowledge. She has spoken of her concussion and blood clot near her brain. Chelsea, her daughter, has not held anything back. Neither has her father, President Bill Clinton who, himself, has well-known health issues of his own.

    On these shores, things are remarkably different but Chime’s health secrets are nothing new. They only conform to an ugly standard set by even more powerful forces.

    On November 23, 2009, then President Umaru Yar’Adua was flown out of the country and did not return until February 24, 2010. In the period, everything that should not happen to a country, happened to Nigeria. Amid concerns over his well-being, there were agitations as to the direction of the country, considering that no handover instructions were left. In fact, Yar’Adua’s aides made such capital of the fact that the ailing president could run the country from anywhere in the world. When his condition was very bad, his minders said it was splendid.

    Late last year, the whole country was enveloped in a cloud of needless controversies surrounding the health and whereabouts of First Lady Dame Patience Jonathan.

    When will our leaders demystify themselves and learn to value the people they lead?

  • Chime and the Enugu groups

    Chime and the Enugu groups

    It is no longer news that the Governor of Enugu State, Mr. Sullivan Chime, returned to Nigeria on Thursday after 140 days sojourn abroad where he reportedly attended to his failing health.

    It is also public knowledge the governor who came into the country through the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, from London, was received by a mammoth crowd of well-wishers.

    The interest here is that while his supporters and associates have been having field days talking about his re-appearance, those who championed the agitation generated by his disappearance have also expressed joy at his return, blaming his associates, who they said caused the whole confusion by hiding the truth from the people and engaging in unnecessary cover up.

    Groups like Save Enugu Group (SEG), Enugu Mandate Forum (EMF) and the likes, are now part of the jubilating crowd.

    The message we can all learn is that handlers of our leaders can save us unnecessary antagonism if they are more open and truthful over the affairs of our leaders.

    Chime left the shores of the country since September 19, 2012, ostensibly on holidays but his prolonged stay abroad had attracted public angst even as many believed the governor’s health had failed.

  • Chime reported back in Abuja

    Chime reported back in Abuja

    Ailing Governor Sullivan Chime of Enugu State is reported back in the country.

    Reports said Chime arrived Abuja on a scheduled British Airways flight at about 5.45am on Thursday.

    The Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Chukwudi Achife confirmed the governor’s return and said that he will be in Enugu on Friday.

    More details later…

     

  • Enugu without Chime: Intrigues without end

    Enugu without Chime: Intrigues without end

    The accumulated leave taken by the  Governor of Enugu State, Sullivan Chime,  for about five months now ought to raise a crucial constitutional issue of how long  public officers could be away from their duty post, but the motives and antecedents of the members of the Save Enugu Group (SEG) who are calling for Chime’s impeachment raise serious doubts about their credibility and the genuineness of their motives, Olukayode Thomas, who was in Enugu, reports

    JOY and misery abound in equal measure on the 15th of December 2012 when news filtered in first from the social media and later other sources that the Governor of Enugu State, Sullivan Chime, has gone to the realm where all roads ultimately lead in far away India.

    For a majority of Enugu indigenes who believed that the state did not start reaping the dividends of democracy until Mr. Chime became governor in 2007, it was day that their hopes of a better tomorrow turned into despair.

    While the period between 1999 and 2007 was regarded by many of the state indigenes as years of the locust, in Chime’s five years, they have seen some development,  especially in the provision of infrastructure and security.

    But for his opponents, who felt betrayed that Chime refused to follow the script laid down by their godfather, who chose Chime above other ‘more qualified candidates’ to become the state chief executive officer, the news of Chime’s death was a vindication of their earlier statement that the governor had long died and that a cabal that is ruling since he left the state since September 19, 2012, had been deceiving the public.

    But within hours, the two sides soon traded places, as the news of Chime’s death filtered out as it filtered in, it was just a rumour. The State Commissioner for Information, Chucks Ugwuoke, then described the  rumour as coming  from the pit of hell.

    But while a majority of Enugu indigenes, including Chime’s political opponents, believe he may be alive, they doubt claims that he is healthy, and that he is just enjoying his accumulated leave.

    Majority of Enugu residents interviewed last week by The Nation are not only wishing Chime speedy recovery, they are also praying that he returns to Enugu immediately and continue his ‘good deeds.’

    For members of the opposition or other Enugu indigenes, especially members of the Save Enugu Group (SEG), Governor Chime is seriously sick, incapable of ruling again, therefore the Deputy Governor, Mr. Sunday Onyebuchi, should be sworn in immediately as the new state governor.

    Even when photos of a fit-looking Governor Chime with Governors Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom), Gabriel Suswam (Benue) and Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers) in London, was released last week, SEG, the main protagonists in the ‘’Chime must surface or be impeached’’ campaign declared the photos to be fake. SEG Convener, Maxi Okwu (Ikenecheoha II), President Citizen Popular Party (CPP) and National Chairman Conference of Nigeria Political Party (CNPP) said: “The Enugu State Government (ENSG) came up with that photo trick to meet our deadline.”

     

    BETWEEN SEG AND THE SPEAKER

    Apart from  Chief Okwu, other prominent members of the SEG include Igbonekwu Ogazimora, a former Commissioner of Information in the last dispensation , Chief Willy Ezugwu, National Secretary of CNPP, Mr. Ibuchukwu Ezike, a prominent indigene of the state, Mr. Victor Eneh, another prominent indigene and Mr. Ray Nnaji, a Commissioner under Nnamani and Chime. They had demanded that Acting Governor Onyebuchi must constitute a delegation of prominent leaders of Enugu to visit Chime. They suggested Bishop Callistus Onaga, Catholic Bishop of Enugu, Revd Hyde Onuaguluchi, Prof Bath Nnaji, Igwe Paul Egbogu, Chief Mrs Grace Obayi, Chief Nduka Eya, Secretary General Ohanaeze Ndi-Igbo and Dr Louis Anya Chukwuma.

    But the Speaker, State House of Assembly, Eugene Odo, dismissed the demand of the SEG. Odo posited that the House of Assembly could not invoke the Doctrine of Necessity because the governor followed due process before embarking on his accumulated leave.

    Odo believed that SEG members may not really know what the Doctrine of Necessity is all about. He insisted that the circumstance of Chime’s absence is completely different from that of late President Umoru Yar’Adua’s circumstances.

    He stated: “And under the 1999 Constitution, section 190, whenever a governor is travelling and he intends to stay for more than 21 days, he should transmit a letter to the House of Assembly, in which case the deputy governor becomes the acting governor, which Chime had done.”

    Odo revealed further that Section 189 of the constitution clearly states that if the governor is sick,  only  the State Executive Council is empowered to generate a resolution to the House of Assembly, the Speaker can then nominate five medical practitioners, including the governor’s personal doctor, who will examine and report on his condition. According to Odo, none of the people nominated by the SEG is qualified according to the constitution.

    Investigation revealed that insinuations that the acting governor’s approval is only N500, 000, may not be true, ditto for allegations that workers are being owed salaries since Chime travelled and that all ongoing projects have been abandoned. The truth is, Enugu workers are paid as at when due. Salaries alone gulp about N800 million monthly, so if the deputy governor’s approval limit is only half a million naira, salaries would definitely not be paid.

    Also, multi- million naira worth of projects are going on in various sites across the state. The state budget for 2013 was presented to the State House of Assembly last month. So all these give the impression that all is well.

     

    IS CHIME A VICTIM OF EBEANO POLITICS?

    If Chime followed due process before embarking on his accumulated leave, if he has not breached the constitution and the acting governor is in charge of the state, why has the state been in the news for the wrong reasons since Chime travelled in September?

    Political observers in Enugu who spoke on the condition of anonymity claimed that most members of the SEG either have personal problems with Chime because of the volatile nature of Enugu politics or they are members of the Chimaroke Nnamani Ebeano group who felt it is now time to get back at Chime, the ‘traitor’.

    Investigation in Enugu revealed that Chime and Okwu were once best of friends and their fathers were both ministers in the First Republic.

    The duo fell apart when Chime reneged on an earlier promise to host the chairmen of all political parties in Enugu. Okwu, the chairmen of CNPP  had made elaborate preparation and invited all the chairmen to Enugu, only for Chime to renege on his promise at the last minute. Since then, things have fallen apart between the two friends.

    Ogazimora and Nnaji, both prominent members of SEG, were Chime’s colleagues as commissioners under Chimaroke Nnamani, Nnaji was also at a time commissioner under Chime.

    Just like Nnamani and Chief Jim Nwobodo, Chime and Nnamani fell apart barely a month after the later installed him as governor when he declared that Enugu state was not really working, a sharp contrast to the “EBEANO” slogan that Enugu was working.

    Since then all hands had been on the deck to ensure that the ‘traitor’ is dealt with. In the run up to the 2011 election, the  Ebeano Group  dumped PDP for PDC in their bid to unseat Chime. Ogazimorah said then , “the Ebeano, which is the real PDP in Enugu State, had been floating as we were rejected by both government and leadership of the PDP. That is why we have entered this party called PDC to find a way of restoring our voice. The PDC is a small party, we don’t pose a threat to anybody, we are dealing with a very powerful incumbent government that claimed to have performed well, we are the underdog, but we just want to participate politically, and whether we win the election or not is not a priority, but to ensure that we participate in the polls.”

    All efforts to speak with Ogazimorah the voice of SEG, to ask him if the present campaign against Chime were a continuation of the struggle for power between Ebeano and Chime, proved abortive. On three occasions, appointments were fixed but Ogazimorah’s busy schedules did not permit him to keep  appointments.

    But a source, who is on first name basis with major political actors in Enugu politics, doubts if Nnamani is behind SEG,

    ‘‘ Nnamani is not civil, his style is an Agbero style, and Ebeano means ‘Crush Them’. If the former governor was behind all these, he would mobilise people to occupy the Government House. Give it to Chime, he is a fine gentleman. Under Nnamani, our state was not like this. All opponents of the governor were chased out of the  state, but most of the actors are people that are close to him.”

     

    FOR HOW LONG CAN PUBLIC OFFICERS BE AWAY

    But for doubts over the intentions of members of SEG, the prolonged absence of Chime and other public officers raises a serious question about how long a public officer should be away, and this calls for genuine discussion by the National and State Assemblies to help resolve an issue that the constitution is silent on. As at today, apart from Chime, the governors of Cross Rivers and Taraba State are outside the country for health reasons.

    The official statement from the Enugu State Government  is that the governor is enjoying his accumulated leave. Since he joined  the state service about 14 years ago (eight years under  Nnamani ‘s administration, six years as governor) Chime has never gone on leave. So, if Chime is entitled to a month of holiday yearly and he has not gone on leave since 1999, that means he is entitled to a 14 month holiday.

    An Enugu based lawyer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said all the hue and cry by SEG and others asking about Chime’s whereabouts may amount to nothing.” The governor followed due process. Even if they decide to go to court, they will lose because the constitution says if a governor will be away for more than 21 days, he should transfer power to his deputy, which he did. The law does not say he must return in six weeks or six months. On that, the constitution is silent.”

    Going forward, the lawyer wants the National and State Assemblies to amend the constitution and stipulate the number of weeks or months a public officer could stay away from his/her duty.

     

    IFEOMA NWOBODO AND ENUGU CABAL

    Apart from Chime and his absence from the state, one person that is much discussed among the elites, politicians and civil servants in Enugu State is the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Mrs Ifeoma Nwobodo. Politicians loath her, civil servants wish she lost her job penultimate week when the acting governor almost fired her, while those who hang around the corridors of power and contractors always pray that their files do not go through her desk.

    An accountant, married to a High Court Judge in the State Judiciary, Mrs. Nwobodo was recruited by Chime from Nike-Lake Hotel where she worked as Director of Finance when he was elected Governor. Investigation in Enugu revealed that no contract file passes through her table with the contract amount not being reviewed downward. This no doubt creates more enemies than friends for her.

    Secondly, with a private sector background, she is said not to have patience for politicians and civil servants. She has also been severally accused of being rude and brash.

    One of the many ‘sins’ Mrs Nwobodo was accused of include sacking of the Head of Service, Mr. Dennis Eze. She was also accused of sacking the Head of Enugu SUBEB  because of power tussle between them over who awards contract for rehabilitation of dilapidated primary schools in the state. Another alleged prominent victim of Nwobodo is the former head of Enugu Waste Management Board, Mrs. Thelma Ogakwu.

    Efforts to get Mrs. Nwobodo to talk were abortive. Aides said she would not grant a telephone interview, while appointment for a formal interview has to be prearranged.

    But a prominent indigene of the state, who spoke on the condition anonymity, revealed that Mrs Nwobodo is well loved by the masses and honest people in Enugu State, adding that it is only the elites and those that hang around government, looking for inflated contracts and politicians that hate her.

    He revealed that Nwobodo’s problem stems from her profession, accounting. He said ‘’Being an accountant, she is over prudent and our people don’t like people like that’’. He also said that unlike under Nnamani where there were lots of patronage, it is not so under Chime and Nwobodo is seen as one of the people that is behind this.

    On the people allegedly sacked by Nwobodo. He asked: “Where does she derive the power from? Sack the Head of Service? Stop the Acting Governor’s allowances? These are pure lie. Infact, she almost lost her job last week.”

    Giving an insight into why the government sacked the head of Enugu State Waste Management (ESWAMA) , Mrs . Chinyere Ogakwu, the source revealed that waste management had always been a problem in Enugu and that before she was sacked four other heads of ESWAMA had been relieved of their appointments.

    He revealed that it was the Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Amechi Okolo, acting on the instruction of the Acting Governor that announced the sack and named Dominic Okonkwo to oversee the affairs of the agency until further notice .Ogakwu’s problem with the state government, he said,  began when it became obvious that she could not successfully keep the state clean before Christmas and New Year. The Government had wanted visitors coming home to see a clean state .

    By December, the state was so dirty that government had to hire trailers to move waste. In the face of the glaring failure by the agency, the head had to assume responsibility, that was why she was sacked by the state government. ‘’ Let me also tell you that Mrs. Ogakwu is not just a relation of Governor Chime, they are from the same place Udi, so there is no way anybody would have sacked her unless she actually failed in the performance of her duties’’.

    He equally revealed that the Head of Service Mr. Denis Eze was relieved of his appointment by the Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Amechi Okolo who also asked him to hand over to the acting Head of Service, Mr. Chidi Ezema within 24 hours.

     

    ENUGU IS WORKING –CNPP

    For the Chairman of Enugu State chapter of CNPP, Mr. Afam Ani, the absence of Chime has not stopped Enugu from working. Ani said he saw the letter the governor wrote to the Speaker of the State House of Assembly transferring power to  the Deputy Governor ‘’he is away legally,  and his absence is not causing any problem. There has been no problem with payment of salaries, projects are going on and the budget has been presented.

    ‘‘But we are watching the government and the moment we smell anything bad we will raise the alarm. People are worried about the condition of the governor  because he is a good man,” he said.

    On the insinuation that a cabal led by Mrs. Nwobodo has sidelined the Acting Governor, Ani said , ‘‘It is cheap propaganda by SEG, there is nothing like that. Mrs. Nwobodo is a very strong woman, a rare bred who is a blessing to Enugu state. When you are talking of people in charge of government it is the Acting Governor and the Secretary to the State Government. I don’t know why they are shouting about Nwobodo, even when Chime was here they said all manner of things about her. if there is a cabal,  the local CNPP will be the first to raise an alarm. She has no power to sack anybody, it is the secretary to the government empowered by the  Acting Governor that has such power,” he said.

     

    CHIME’S ADDMISSION OF ILL HEALTH AND VISIT TO UDI

    While controversy about his whereabout rages in Enugu, Chime has surfaced in London with three other Governors and has tactically admitted he has been sick. “I am alive and well, I will be back very, very soon. I am great, very, very great. Tell Nigerians to discountenance all the rumours about my health.” Rotimi Amaechi, the Governor of Rivers State, speaking on Chime’s health, reportedly said, “We saw him in an atmosphere of recovery. We were able to go out with him, he is in good shape and is getting ready to come back home very soon. We thank God for what He has done, how He has helped him to recover.”

    Gabriel Suswam of Benue State said: “Chime has been discharged from the hospital.” While Godswill Akpabio said: “He has recovered tremendously, I am very happy and I give glory to God. We should pray for our leaders instead of wishing them bad.”

    Back home, Enugu residents are worried. A visit to Chime’s home town in Udi revealed a people who are worried and are desperate to see their son again. The palace of Igwe Chris Ogakwu, the Okwuluoha 111 of Udi, was locked when The Nation visited last week, but an elder lady said, ‘’ the king is probably in Enugu, but I cannot give you his number, but you are a journalist, you should be able to give us information about our son, we are worried, we are praying for him every day, we are sure God will bring him home soon’’.

    At Chime’s expansive house in the village, two security men wearing Vote for Chime T-Shirts told this reporter that the house has been locked for a while and no member of the family who could grant an interview was around. But from white to blue workers in Udi, the only news they want to hear now is that Chime is back in town.

    But some like the Chairman of Enugu State Christian Pilgrim Board and Bishop of the Enugu Anglican Communion, Emmanuel Chukwuma, is not happy being in the dark about Chime’s whereabout

    ‘‘ I must say that I, Bishop Chukwuma, am one of those behind the installation of Sullivan Chime as the Governor of Enugu State. I gave him support and I was the only bishop who blessed him. No other bishop blessed him when he was coming into government. Even his Catholic bishops rejected him because of how he was brought in by the former Governor, Dr. Chimaroke (Nnamani). I was the only bishop and I’m still praying for him. But the family of the governor has to be blamed for all that is happening now because they are not sincere and open on the matter. When the late Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu was sick, his family was open to let us know he was sick. And I personally visited Ojukwu at the hospital in London. One of my visits was at the London Clinic while the other was at the Wallington Hospital. And I was able to see him and pray for him. But up till now, nobody has told me where my governor is, which hospital he is; they are hiding it. But we are praying. All I know is that he is not dead. I even received Christmas greeting card and gifts from the Government House sent by him. Okay! But what is the state of his health, nobody is telling us.’’

    But another clergy, the Catholic Bishop of Enugu Diocese, Bishop Callistus Onaga warned against wishing Chime death and called for prayers for his recovery.

    Bishop Onaga said “We miss Chime now that he is not around. But there are many reasons why a chief executive of a state can travel outside. The important thing is that he complied with the laws of the land. He’s entitled to his holidays during which he can do other things which he wishes to.”The present situation is that things are not retarding because he’s not there. So, we’re praying that his being outside would augur well for him and eventually favour the whole state. We’re asking our people to be patient and try to understand that with time, we shall all smile. I’m quite sure that he probably has some health challenges, which are normal to every human being. But there is no reason people should hide it. Rather, we should be told the details of the whole thing so that we can intensify our prayers for him. Many of us have set up prayer warriors for him because he has been a very hardworking governor. He has made the Coal City to become one of the best states with good road networks in the entire country. And we want him to come back and complete the work.’’

     

     

  • Chime: Bishop condemns death wishes

    The Catholic Bishop of Enugu Diocese, Bishop Callistus Onaga, has faulted those making uncomplimentary remarks on the absence of Enugu State Governor Sullivan Chime.

    The bishop, who spoke yesterday in Enugu, noted that it is morally wrong for some people to wish a fellow being dead.

    Bishop Onaga urged the people to be patient and wait for the governor to return to his desk.

    He congratulated Acting Governor Sunday Onyebuchi and his team for effectively piloting the affairs of the state in the absence of the governor.

    Bishop Onaga said: “We miss the fact that Governor Chime is not around. But there are many reasons why a chief executive of a state can travel outside…”

     

     

     

  • Chime: Enugu royal fathers call for restraint

    Eminent traditional rulers of Enugu State have called for restraint following recent developments over the absence of Governor Sullivan Chime.

    They insisted that only peace can guarantee the continued transformation of the state by the incumbent government.

    They made the call against the background of a recent pronouncement by Save Enugu Group, a group in the state, which threatened to disrupt the pervading peace should the governor fail to return to the state within a stipulated time.

    Igwe Osisi Itodo, one of the renowned traditional rulers in the state expressed dismay at the ultimatum, saying that there was absolutely no need for such a call.

    “As elders, we cannot fold our arms while some of our sons threaten to cause any breach of peace,” he said, adding: “Governor Chime has done so well that all that any genuine citizen of Enugu State can do is to support him. We appeal to our sons (in the Save Enugu Group) to embrace peace. We may all have our different views on many issues and even on the absence of our governor.

    “But it will be bad if we give any impression that there is trouble in our state because there is none. We know that the governor will soon return to his desk.”

    Speaking in the same vein, Igwe Spencer Ugwoke of Obimo in Nsukka Local Government Area called on the group and others to “sheathe their swords and embrace peace. There’s nothing unusual to warrant such a proposition.

    “My appeal is that no matter our political leanings, let us come together and help the administration to continue to deliver democracy dividends. As traditional rulers, we don’t play politics, but we have the duty to advise our people when they tend to take the wrong steps.”

    Igwe Greg Ugwu of Attakwu in Nkanu West Council said: “It will do nobody any good if we create tension in our state. With what this man (Chime) has done in Enugu State, every well-meaning citizen, no matter the issue, must support him.

    “I’m not even talking about the group that issued a threat; I’m talking about all the sons and daughters of Enugu State. There is security in our land, there is progress, there is unity. No matter our ambitions and positions, let us unite to move our state forward.”

  • Chime: The hawks at it again

    Enugu State has always had politicians who play politics in very unique ways that almost always attract national attention, either due to the roles played by the key actors or the hilarity that their acts arouse.

    It was more verbal than physical wars between the candidates themselves and also supporters of Chiefs Jim Nwobodo and Chukwuma Onoh during the battle for the governorship of old Anambra State. That was during the 1979 and 1983 general elections. In those days, different camps composed songs to denigrate the other. Their media interviews were spiced with all kinds of inelegant words. But there was no bloodshed, just occasional flexing of muscles by their distinct supporters. The election that ushered in Okwesilieze Nwodo as the first civilian governor of the new Enugu State was full of its own intrigues, climaxing in the former being donned in the same campaign uniform as his elder brother, Joe who had been disqualified with Hyde Onuaguluchi. It was a tragic-comedy that threw up mundane issues as electioneering progressed.

    Then came the period of Chimaroke Nnamani, the Ebeano godfather and an ardent lover of political sloganeering. This was an era when opposition elements were hounded out of the state. Those who dared to visit came with truck-load of soldiers and policemen. Ask the Nwodos, Nwobodos and others.

    Enugu began to breathe fresh air with the coming of Sullivan Chime as the governor of the State in 2007. The political temperature in the entire state has remained calm since then. There is accommodation of opposing views. Yet, the development under his charge has been so unprecedented that even his political rivals acknowledge that fact. But some people, for obvious reasons, have seized the opportunity of his absence to try to portray Enugu State as a place where nothing works at the moment. For those of us who live here, nothing can be farther from the truth. One has read a lot of jaundiced articles that have no bearing with what is on ground in the State.

    I am not a civil servant here neither am I a political appointee. But I know that they receive their salaries promptly and regularly. Road projects are on-going in both the urban and rural areas. Aside the roads, other projects are being executed. There is an acting governor who is in charge and who presides over the state executive council meetings and gives all approvals and directives.

    Yet, some mischievous politicians from the state working in concert with some hired hands in the media have been sponsoring reports to suggest that the Acting Governor, Sunday Onyebuchi is not the one calling the shots. Has he told anybody that? If, as we are told, he approves payments for contractors, chairs state executive council meetings, supervises on-going contracts and gives all due approvals, so who else is running Enugu State? This is a clear case of some interested politicians out to cause unwarranted anxiety, crying more than the bereaved. We must show this fine gentleman some respect that he deserves. Just like his boss, Onyebuchi abhors the limelight. It is an insult to suggest that he is not the one calling the shots when in truth, he is.

    Some even go to the ridiculous level of calling on the Enugu State House of Assembly to either impeach Chime or make Onyebuchi an Acting Governor! What has he been ever since the governor left? As a lawyer, I have gone through the Nigerian constitution and I see no place where

    Chime went out of line. As the constitution stipulated, he transmitted a letter to the House of Assembly to the effect that he was proceeding on vacation and that his deputy would act in his absence. From reports, he also announced same to the state executive council. Either out of sheer ignorance or outright mischief, some persons with hidden agenda have even made allusions to when the late President Umaru Yar’Adua was out of the country and the National Assembly came up with the Doctrine of Necessity. There is no relationship between the situation then and what it is in Enugu today.

    The difference is that Chime transmitted a letter to the state House of Assembly that his deputy would act in his absence. For those of us living in Enugu, especially citizens of the state, we do not lose sleep over those sponsored stories in the media which are aimed at painting a hopeless picture and to get the House to act rather unwisely. If things go bad in our state, we the people will be the first to experience it and shout out. If the government is no more delivering services to the people, we will be the first victims to feel the pains.

    For those who go to the extreme case of wishing a man dead because of the lure of power, I urge them to have a rethink. That is not the way to play politics. Only God will determine when each and every one of us will die. As for the newspapers, I sometimes pity them. How do readers take a newspaper seriously when it publishes that a man is feared dead on the strength of what one mischief maker posted on the internet? The other day, one national newspaper published the falsehood that Governor Chime’s brother, sister and children had travelled abroad because his “health” was “unstable.” Yet, both Jide Chime and Mrs. May Oji, the governor’s siblings as well as his children were all in Enugu at the point of the report. I was dumb-founded when I saw May at the church that same Sunday that the newspaper published this story. It reminded one of the slip made by many newspapers which reported the death of Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe some years back when he was at his Onuiyi Haven in Nsukka. Those who control what get published must do their papers and all of us a lot of good if they cross-check the information at their disposal before they present fiction as facts. Of course, I can predict that those behind such false stories concerning Chime will not relent because it serves their narrow interests to present Enugu State as one where nothing works at the moment. We have heard that the sponsors have set up a team co-ordinated by a media aide to one of the former governors with a charge to continue to publish lies in order to create an impression that governance has broken down in Enugu State. Today, they write articles with pseudo names and send same to their contacts in the media houses. Their sole goal is to encourage an unwholesome act from both within and outside. Fortunately, that is the sharp opposite of the situation on ground.

    •Ezekiel Nwafor, a lawyer and public analyst, contributed this piece from Enugu

  • Chime alive, says Orji

    Abia State Governor Theodore Orji has said his Enugu State counterpart, Sulivan Chime, is alive.

    In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Ugochukwu Emezue, the governor said Chime is hale and hearty.

    He warned those peddling the rumour to stop it.

    Orji noted that a God-fearing person would not wish his fellow being dead. The governor said he has been in touch with Chime, adding that the Enugu governor would soon return home.

    He urged Enugu residents to remain calm because their governor is in good condition.

     

  • Chime is alive, says commissioner

    Governor Sullivan Chime of Enugu State is alive, contrary to the rumours of his death, the Commissioner for Information, Mr.Chuks Ugwoke, said last night.

    Speculations about the health of the governor have been rife in the last few weeks.

    But when contacted,Mr.Ugwoke said he had just spoken on phone with Governor Chime.