Nwuke: Living His Words

The term democracy is derived from two Greek words demo and krations which means people’s rule. In ancient Greece, every adult male citizen participated in the process of reaching decisions for the governance of the community. The practice then was called direct democracy which implied that every adult male citizen must be physically present to participate in taking decisions over things that affected him and his community.

But over the years human race has increased in population and modern societies larger and more complex than the societies in the ancient Greece, and therefore it will be cumbersome to practice direct democracy. It is for this reason that modern societies, including Nigeria, have settled for representative democracy as an acceptable arrangement where the people elect some persons in a periodic, free and fair election to represent them in government.

The beauty of democracy is that those holding political offices can be challenged and displaced in accordance with the will of the people through a wide range of institutional mechanisms. Political offices are not chieftaincy stools where the occupants have life-long tenure.

For advanced democracies you would appreciate how elected representatives apply themselves to the work they were elected to do so as to sustain the confidence reposed in them by the electorate. They consider it as a mark of honour to be chosen by their fellow compatriots to initiate and implement policies and programmes that will bring about dividends of democracy for their common good.

But in developing nations, particularly in Nigeria, politicians see public office as a goldmine. They hoodwink the people with mouth-watering promises during electioneering campaigns and turn their back on them as soon as they find themselves at the corridor of power.

Nobody can gainsay the fact that Nigeria is blessed with natural and human resources. But a situation where celebrated thieves and rabble-rousers steer the ship of state is not acceptable.

The problem of Nigeria as an independent nation is centred on leadership. Nigeria has continued to suffer from the misfortune of having leaders that place their personal interest high and above the collective interest of the generality of the people.

Public utilities and institutions are collapsing by the day while those that have been entrusted with the resources of this nation are feeding fat from the commonwealth. For this country to move forward the leadership must be prepared to purge itself of corrupt elements. This, the leadership cannot achieve by mere official pronouncements. Rather, deliberate actions should be taken to ensure the delivery of dividends of democracy to the people.

It is against this backdrop that the Rivers State Governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi kick-started his administration by appointing Hon. Magnus Abe as Secretary to the State government (now Senator representing Rivers South-East). Chief Nyesom Wike as Chief of Staff, Government House (now Minister of State for Education) and Hon. Ogbonna Nwuke as Director of Press  Affairs to the Governor, (now member, representing Etche/Omuma Federal Constituency at the National Assembly). Six months later, Hon Nwuke was elevated as Commissioner for Information when the governor constituted his cabinet. He also served as Commissioner for Commerce and Industry where he later resigned to seek his people’s mandate to represent them at the National Assembly.

Before he was invited to serve in Governor Amaechi’s government, Hon. Nwuke had carved a niche for himself as a consummate journalist both in the electronic and print media. He worked in Radio Rivers for many years, churning out well-researched and incisive commentaries that received the commendation of the public in the 1980s. He founded the Port Harcourt Telegraph in 1999 and nurtured the Newspaper to become one of the leading tabloids in the Niger Delta region.

Ogbo as he is fondly called is also a social critic. He would bare his mind on topical issues and stand on the side of the voiceless majority. When he decided to join partisan politics some people felt he would compromise himself by doing those things he copiously condemned in his write-ups, because it is widely believed that decency and selflessness are not the attributes of a Nigerian politician. Moreso, social crities more often than not merely propagate theories that are not easily implementable.

Again some of them that were privileged to occupy public offices did not fare better. They were myopic and failed to realize that it takes a team to win a tournament. Probably they would have performed creditably in a civilized clime where people work assiduously to leave enduring legacies.

However, Hon. Nwuke proved skeptics wrong when he gathered his people on Wednesday, November 7, 2012 to appreciate them for their goodwill. On that occasion he empowered 150 persons from his constituency by awarding scholarships as well as presenting motorcycles and vehicle to them.

The ceremony which took place at Okehi, the headquarters of Etche Local Government Area was attended by political stalwarts, traditional rulers, students, youths etc.

Speaking at the ceremony, Hon. Nwuke thanked the people for giving him the mandate to represent them at the National Assembly, saying “we have come to give back a little in appreciation of your goodwill”.

He emphasised the importance  of education to human development, stressing that the best way to show love to a child was to send him or her to school to acquire knowledge to live a meaningful life.

He said that he had instituted a scholarship scheme for 20 students from his constituency in higher institutions of learning, pointing out that each of the beneficiaries would receive N100,000 annually for a period of four years.

The law-maker stated that he had earmarked the sum of N8 million for the scholarship scheme and advised the beneficiaries to take the studies seriously.

He also warned that he would not hesitate to withdraw the scholarship award from anyone that failed to measure up in his or her educational pursuit.

Hon. Nwuke noted that 129 Motorcyclies would been distributed to widows, ward chairmen and secretaries of his party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and other members of his constituency to aid them in their daily pursuits, adding that the Lexus Jeep was for the Etche PDP Secretary, Mr. George Nwanjoku.

He assured that he would give out 100 motorcyeles every year to members of his constituency as their representative at the National Assembly.

It is interesting to note that all those who benefitted from the scholarship scheme are indigent students.

According to the chairman of Proud To Be Etche (PTE), the group that conducted the screening exercise, Hon. Nwuke did not interfere in the selection process.

Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, Queen Nwala expressed gratitude to Hon. Nwuke for his magnanimity.

What Hon. Nwuke has demonstrated by this singular act is that leadership entails responsibility. A good leader must embark on programmes that will positively affect the lives of his people to sustain their loyalty and support. Therefore, those who are of the opinion that Hon. Nwuke has done well should say aye, while those who have a contrary opinion should say nay.

The ayes have it.