Dr. Emmanuel Ezeh’s Rejection of Gov Nwifuru Economic Team Role and Culture of Sycophancy in Ebonyi state
Recently, the governor of Ebonyi state, Francis Nwifuru, constituted an Economic Advisory Committee for the state. Those on the committee are prominent Nigerians. Renowned professor of Robotics and Chairman of Geometrics Power, Barth Nnaji, was named as chairman of the committee. A highly respected and prominent son of the state, Emmanuel Eze, who is the CEO of Immaculate Group of Companies, was also named to the committee. However, he respectfully declined the appointment. And he gave cogent reasons for doing so. One of the reasons Eze gave for declining the appointment was that such a committee ought to have been constituted before the commencement of the tenure of the governor so that it would help formulate policies and would lay the framework for the economic development of the state.
As practiced, economic teams of governments are constituted in the early days of the life of a government or even before the inauguration of a government. The idea behind this is that such committees would brainstorm and draw up the pathway for the governor as he begins the task to executing his mandate. The implication of this is that members of a governor’s economic committee, who are supposed to plot the pathway for a state’s economic recovery, are not persons seeking political appointments from a governor neither are they persons seeking to stand on any mandate. In other words, they are not job-seekers and as such are not expected to jump at any crumbs thrown at them by a governor.
Governor Nwifuru, who suddenly remembered to constitute an economic advisory committee, was inaugurated on May 29, 2023. He is two years and three months into his four-year tenure, and has not disclosed why it took him more than two years to realise that Ebonyi state needs an economic advisory team. Being one year and eight months to the end of his tenure makes it difficult to understand what exactly he intends for the committee to achieve when in essence, the state economy has been run underground by high level mismanagement, lack of focus, dearth of priorities, shadowy practices and absence of leadership focus. Perhaps, the governor did not realise in May 2023 that his tenure is just for four years and that a second term is not a constitutional right, but a privilege to be enjoyed as a consequence of performance in the first term.
Dr. Emmanuel Ezeh
Sadly, Eze’s gentlemanly action in declining the appointment, which many Ebonyi people view as the governor’s clever way of subtly developing an alibi for his failed leadership, has attracted the anger of acolytes of the governor including many of his hero-worshippers and crumb-chasers, who argue that Eze’s action was a snub on the governor and people of the state. These reactions, which removes the veil on whatever is remaining of the integrity of the state government, shows that many of those who hang around the governor expected Eze to automatically accept the appointment as sign of loyalty to the governor. In essence, the expectation in Abakaliki is that the acceptance of appointments by the governor, irrespective of how inappropriate or absurd they are, is a sign of loyalty. This is the worrisome development that has blighted merit and competence in the government of Ebonyi, which ought to be critical in developing participatory government in the pursuit of the overall vision of good governance.
Those who see Eze’s decision as a mark of disloyalty to the governor, in essence, express their sycophantic tendencies, which is a reigning trait among political appointments in Ebonyi state. The first question people who fall into this bracket ought to ask themselves is if Governor Nwifuru’s appointments prioritises competence and commitment to development, or are they a tool for consolidating power through patronage? Whatever answer the above question generates, leads, also, to the question of how the governor’s previous appointments have impacted the quality of governance in the state since 2023. I will like to challenge the power-worshippers in the state to a detailed analysis of how previous appointments have positively impacted governance and economic development of Ebonyi.
This has become necessary because sycophancy thrives in the state due to economic dependence, limited opportunities, and a political system that rewards loyalty over competence. These are no doubt some of the signs of a failed leadership. And, unsecured leaders always use appointments to committees, boards, or advisory roles as rewards for political allegiance rather than recognition of expertise. This dynamic fosters a culture where dissent or independent-mindedness, as exemplified by Eze’s decision, is rare and is often met with defensiveness, as exemplified by the state government’s response.
For Ebonyi to grow beyond this cycle of self-inflicted woes, which have neither delivered the best of dividend for the greater number of the electorate nor fostered the development of competence in governance, Governor Nwifuru must look beyond his choir of power-worshippers, which had blighted effective governance, and work, for the remaining months of his tenure, with competent hands that will develop, implement and deliver on tangible deliverables. This has become necessary to radically alter the poverty index of the state. If he surrounds himself with sycophants rather than critical thinkers, his ability to address complex issues like youth unemployment or poverty alleviation will be compromised, and he will fail woefully. It is for him to realise that when people are selected for tasking leadership roles based on their willingness to flatter or align with the ruling authority, the quality of policy formulation and implementation suffers.
Therefore, the state government’s defensive response to Eze’s decision further illustrates how power-worship stifles constructive dialogue. This is because rather than engaging with Eze’s critique about timing, the government dismissed it, and in the process discouraged others from offering honest feedback. This dynamic can lead to policies that are poorly timed or misaligned with the state’s needs, while also hindering sustainable development.
Before Governor Nwifuru goes into the next election, he ought to do himself, and the state, a favour –keep his power-worship choir at bay and recalibrate his government with the promotion of meritocracy in appointments, encourage constructive criticism, create an inclusive atmosphere by empowering independent contributions, investing in education and public awareness as well as addressing the root causes of political apathy, which had challenged the outcome of elections in the state. It is my belief that by prioritising meritocracy, encouraging constructive criticism, and fostering independent contributions, Nwifuru can counter the detrimental effects of power-worship and unlock the full potential of Ebonyi state. Eze’s decision should, therefore, call Governor Nwifuru’s attention to the fact that true development demands courage, integrity, and a commitment to the collective good over personal gain. However, for the governor to imbibe these ideal, he must go beyond his penchant for narrow-mindedness and appreciate Eze for his courage in declining an appointment which time is past.
