INTELLECTUALISM AND GOVERNANCE IN ABIA STATE: A CASE STUDY OF DR IKPEAZU ADMINISTRATION (Part 1)

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According to Burns in 1978, the intellectual leader attempts to transform society by creating a clear vision of the future. He does this by showing the followers how their ideas and values can change the social environment and create a better future for everyone. The intellectual leader, he posits, helps the followers to understand they are an important part of society and should not be satisfied with the status quo. The clarity of vision of such a leader allows followers to understand their place in this future state or society and consequently must accept the vision of the leader.
In all of this, what is important is that the leader inspires his followers through the power of his vision and helps them seek for how they can contribute to this vision; thus join him to move together towards a shared view of the future.
That is what Dr Ikpeazu has done in the last two years he has been in office as the Governor of Abia State. Since the creation of Abia State in August, 1991 no other leader, be it military or political, has been able to introduce what can, without contradiction, be described as intellectual, transformational and visionary leadership which has been the lot of Abia State since 2015.
One of the beautiful things about the present administration under the leadership of Dr Okezie Victor Ikpeazu is his capacity for adding intellect, vision and transformation to every aspect of his government. His desire to create a new Abia State every Abian would be very proud of as has never been equaled as well as his intention to refocus, re-engineer and redefine the operations of the State Government against the backdrop of daunting challenges faced by him since he assumed office.
That notwithstanding, the brand master in chief of the “Made in Aba” product has shown his followers how his ideas and values are targeted at changing the social, economic and political environment of Abia State and thus create a better future for everyone. He has helped entrepreneurs and manufacturers of different classes to understand that they are important members of the Abia society. The clarity of his vision since he assumed office has created the platform for shoe industrialists, tailors and other producers in Abia, with particular emphasis to those in Aba, to understand their place in this future State or society and consequently must accept his vision because he has carried them along in the scheme of things. Is it about the Trip to Turkey with select shoe makers; is it the trip to China and other parts of the world. Is it the market he created for them with the Nigerian Armed Forces, NYSC and others including Obasanjo. That is the power of vision anchored on intellectual sagacity which was brought to bear in the governance of Abia State since 2015.
One does not need to over-emphasize how much the youths have benefitted in the area of youth empowerment. For the first time, this brand of empowerment is not motor park type of empowerment whereby select youths are given barrows, motorcycles and vehicles which are perishable good as they were during their time. This time of empowerment is zeroed on intellectualism and thus academic as our youths are first trained under the South East Development Initiative in collaboration with the Central bank and in active collaboration with Bank of Industry and of course has gotten the World Bank interested in the project; thus create entrepreneurs. These are intangibles yet they are the factors that create the tangibles people seen as the only achievements whereas there are myriads of intangibles.
Dr Okezie Ikpeazu’s sagacity in managing situations is responsible for the warm and cordial relationship he has with the Federal Government-led by the APC; a party that his party is in opposition to. Not just his managerial ability has been brought to bear in the fact that some of the State Government policies are copied and of course are being implemented by the Federal Government. Some of these policies include but not limited to the School Feeding programme initiated by the Governor’s wife which has been copied by the Federal Government as well as the SME programmes which was commissioned by the Acting President of Nigeria, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo,in Aba.
Another dimension is his ability to hold disparate political interests together even throughout the period of the court cases. Time was when the State Governor and his deputy were operating on different platforms because of misunderstanding occasioned by political interests and intrigues. Abians can heave a sigh of relief that under him, such odious period is a thing of the past.
But then, Abians can testify that they were not overly convinced at his capacity to carry out the arduous tasks he levied on himself because of the enormity of the challenges before him. Undeterred, however, Dr Ikpeazu, the courageous administrator articulated adequate strategies and blueprint that has stimulated the sustainable development of Abia State through prudent and transparent management of Government finances.
As demanding as the tasks were, Dr Ikpeazu, like the professional he is and being a man passionate about the development of Abia State, has been able to achieve all of these because of his statesmanship, professional excellence and educational training which were brought to bear in his determination to accomplish these tasks.
Today, Abia State can conveniently be said to be better than it was by May 29, 2015. The reason being that the Governor has, within the last two years of his administration, demonstrated that intellect is an integral part of governance which has been lacking since the State was created.
Time would not permit me in this write up to exhaustively outline the progress made so far to lay a solid foundation for the State’s economic transformation in the last two years, but suffice it to say that Abians can pound their chests with pride and say that so far so good.
It needs to be restated without equivocation that several other State’s key institutions have been rebuilt while others are in the process of being rebuilt and resuscitated. In just a few years from today, the pessimism that greeted the State’s economic fortunes will speedily give way to great optimism but the challenges ahead are huge and daunting.o
Overcoming several decades of decay will task the energies of any strong man. There are huge infrastructural deficiencies to put right, huge wage bills to pay which encompasses pension and gratuity. It is a reality of life for development to exist in an environment fraught with scarcity of funds. That is the challenge the Governor and his administration face today.
These challenges, however are clearly not insurmountable as several countries and States have shown. This excerpt from a book by a one-time leader of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew, “A united and determined group of leaders, backed by a practical and hardworking people who trusted them made it possible…the future is as full of promise as it is fraught with uncertainty. The industrial society is giving way to one based on knowledge. The new divide in the world will be between those with the knowledge and those without. We must learn to be part of the knowledge-based world”. Okezie Ikpeazu as the new Abia leader, is poised to push the State to the frontiers of development. What Abians need to and must do is to be part of the dynamism of this administration in spite of the present difficulties to drive the State out of the quagmire it has found herself due to poor financial situation in the midst of competing demands. That is the beauty of intellect and should be celebrated that at last, there is an intellectual on the saddle…
TO BE CONTINUED.