April 18, (THEWILL) – No government fails on its own without the silence-based interest and collaboration of the elites, the media and the society at large. We have this unwritten code of table manners as far as you are eating from the system do not talk even suggestively to the government, some of us have become extremely irredeemable to the point of only praise singing without any progressive suggestion as far as we have a seat on the board of appointments or a few crumbs here and there. We only speak against those in power when they do not share part of the glory with us. No society becomes great with this kind of mental numbness.
We are a Society ready to trade good governance for appointments. Now that the elections are over, the next in-thing is who gets what Politically, some have gone the extra mile, voodoo-wise, just to have a seat as Commissioner, Permanent Secretary, Secretary to the State Government, Local Government Chairman, Special Assistance or Adviser or senior Special Adviser, even Councillors etc. These longings in themselves are not devilish, but rather a part of the process towards making campaign promises of the winning Party realisable. The challenge is in the over-dependency and desperation of either getting appointed or losing societal relevance.
Like a Bachelor or spinster who is daily bombarded with the question of ‘when are you getting married?’, our youths are loaded with the baggage of now that it’s all over ‘ what are they (the system) giving to you for us?’. We have to get to that point where good governance rules the minds of the people rather than individual appointments.
Yes! Political appointments can translate to evidence of good governance when done with the inclusion of a people in view. Drawing from the wisdom of Pst Umo Eno who said that those seeking appointments should have house(s) in the villages they live in, he even said they should have farms also. Pundits believe that if he sticks to these benchmarks without succumbing to pressures the issue of good governance trickling down to our rural areas and the peasants will be easily achievable with economic proof.
I do not know how true it is, but there exists an understanding or assumption that our Igbo Youths are less Political but more business focused than we are. Why so? Presumably, it’s because of the Entrepreneurial drive of their culture. With Pst Umo Bassey Eno, an Entrepreneur par excellence with a proven brand (The Royalty Conglomerate) we should expect deliberate energy focusing towards building an Akwa Ibom State of more Entrepreneurs and less desperate Political appointees.
The more Businesses, and startups the system can help to stand the less pressure the government will have on who to appoint to what. A workable System of social reorientation should be put in place to liberate our minds from the Political stigmatism of those not appointed. We should grow to a point where those not in business should feel a bit embarrassed for not taking advantage of government credit to start a business to also create employment while building the true Akwa Ibom dream.
If we build a system where Politics is less lucrative while Entrepreneurs flourish, the government will be able to deliver on its mandate in record time. Such a system will save the government and the people time, energy and money as we aim for a good life.
A lot of us have confidence in Pst Umo Bassey Eno’s Arise Agenda which is an improved version of the Dakkada Philosophy of His Excellency Mr Udom Emmanuel. We see deliberate revolving Economic plans for the State where nothing just happens for mere Political Goodwill but for lasting results that can’t be forgotten at the expiration of a tenure. The Golden Era shall not just be a slogan, it shall come with the required change that breeds great and lasting economic growth and development.
***Micheal Joseph Okon is an Associate Chartered Economist (ACE) and
International President Coalition of Youth Leaders In Akwa Ibom State.*
18042023
