By Hamilton Odunze
I realize that in an election cycle with a sea of qualified candidates, it is difficult to write an endorsement for one candidate. It is also difficult to use a head-to-head comparison to measure the differences between these candidates. I will instead focus on highlighting the raft of achievements that make Mr. Frank Nneji a clear choice for Imo State. I aim to also persuade those of you who are hesitating to vote for Frank Nneji, either because he is not from your neck of the woods or because he has not yet touched your emotional buttons. The first thing I want to say is that emotions will not solve the problems of Imo State.
I also realize that most people in Imo State are emotional voters. By that I mean people who base their voting decisions solely on infatuation and professed goodwill. Personal affiliation and admiration, clannish sentiments, and baseless assumptions that a candidate understands their problems are all wrong reasons to vote for a candidate. When people base voting decisions on these parameters, it circumvents all possibilities of electing credible candidates with real problem-solving skills.
Consider, for example, the election of Rochas Okorocha as governor of Imo State. People voted for him because he was able to hoodwink them into believing that he understands their problems and that he is one of them. He did this by stopping to eat and drink with everyone on the street during his campaign. Eight years later, the problems in Imo State persist: unpaid or slashed workers’ salaries; unpaid pensions; infrastructural decay; wanton destruction of property; youth unemployment; and widespread poverty and insecurity. In fact, some argue that these problems have been compounded. People are waiting for the vagaries of Rochas Okorocha’s administration to be alleviated.
Fortunately, there is a myriad number of qualified candidates vying for the governorship seat in Imo State. Many of these candidates understand the problems in Imo State. In fact, their goodwill and enthusiasm are palpable. But there comes a time when goodwill and enthusiasm are not enough to solve problems. When this is the case, serious and conscientious people look for real solutions to their problems. If you look at the caliber of people running for the governorship of Imo State, it is encouraging, indicating that quality people are no longer standing aloof and watching as the masses suffer.
But even more encouraging is the goodwill that these candidates have shown. However, it is critical to evaluate these candidates on the skill sets they possess relative to the problems in Imo State. This kind of evaluation is a painstaking exercise. Therefore, weeks ago when I wrote about this, I reserved outright endorsement of a candidate until later. But as the time of party primaries draws closer, it is crucial to bring down the gavel on one side. Let me dare to say that Imo State is fortunate to have Frank Nneji as one of the candidates seeking the mandate to be governor of Imo State at this pivotal time in history. To re-enforce this point, let me turn the spotlight on him and why I have decided to write this endorsement.
Frank Nneji is disciplined and possesses a high level of self-accountability. The primary reason why people vote in a democracy is to be able to hold public officials accountable for their actions or inactions. But in a society with no clear structure for accountability, it is important to elect leaders with an intrinsic sense of accountability. Rochas Okorocha plundered Imo State because he has no intrinsic sense of accountability. For Imo State to make steady progress after eight years of massive mismanagement, it must elect a leader with an acute sense of discipline and self-accountability. Anything short of this is to apply the same solution to an old problem while hoping for a different result. In other words, elections become the proverbial arrow that keeps missing the target. More than anyone else in the race, Frank Nneji has demonstrated a high sense of discipline and self-accountability. This is how he built from scratch the only publicly owned transportation company in Nigeria. Over the years, these qualities, which have made him a successful businessman, have been perfected.
Frank Nneji is an experienced job creator. Imo State lags other states in job creation and employment. Yet, the state produces the highest number of university graduates in the country. As a private citizen, Frank Nneji has been giving jobs to youths in Imo State both at graduate and artisan levels for over 30 years. Besides government, Rapido Ventures and ABC Transport are the biggest employers of labor in Imo State. My endorsement of Frank Nneji is rooted in the fact that he is uniquely qualified to tackle the problems that Imo State faces. I am not being mawkish. In fact, I have closer affiliations with most other candidates in the race. It is my intention to persuade you to rise above the blemish of emotions and sentiments and elect Frank Nneji as the governor of Imo State.
But above all these, Frank Nneji represents the true courage and tenacity that the Ndi Igbo are known for. It was courage and tenacity that lifted the Ndi Igbo out of poverty immediately after the civil war. And courage and tenacity is also how Frank Nneji became the second largest employer in Imo State, through Rapido Ventures and ABC Transport. In this regard, he is a good example of the kind of people that the Ndi Igbo must consider in choosing the next generation of leaders. Choosing these kinds of leaders is the best way for the Ndi Igbo to put their best foot forward in making the case for the presidency of Nigeria. I strongly believe that an Igbo presidency will put Nigeria in the right direction for progress and global recognition. But the kind of mediocrity we have witnessed in governance across Igboland makes this argument difficult.
Since Sam Mbakwe, Imo State has not been fortunate enough to have good and dedicated leadership. It has seen politicians coming out of the woodwork in search of personal gain and enrichment. Frank Nneji is not a politician. The only thing that makes Frank Nneji a politician is his asking for Imo State to vote for him. Otherwise, his resolve and ambition to change the trajectory of Imo State is nonpolitical. Ahead of everyone else in the race, Frank Nneji possesses the three most vital qualities that will allow him to turn the vicissitudes of Rochas Okorocha around: skills, discipline, and self-accountability. Imo State should put Frank Nneji to work, because goodwill is not enough to solve all of its problems.
Hamilton Odunze