Enugu monarchs want Chime’s successor

Royal father says they’re better placed to nominate next gov

His Royal Highness Igwe Spencer Ugwoke of Obimo in the Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State is one of the outspoken traditional rulers in the state. The royal father, who has spent about 35 years on the traditional stool, x-rays the Chime administration, noting that the governor has done so well.

Igwe Ugwoke is, however, not the only one with this idea, another prominent traditional ruler in the state, HRH Igwe Gabriel Agbedo of Amachalla also argued that giving royal fathers the opportunity of choosing the next next governor of Enugu State will reduce tension in the build-up to the election.

Speaking further on the issue, Igwe Ugwoke said he is grateful to the governor for zoning the governorship position in 2015 to his Nsukka people. However, the Igwe would like a situation where the traditional rulers in the zone are allowed to recommend the best materials they have for the governor to make his choice so that the position does not go into wrong hands. He spoke more on this and other issues with PETRUS OBI in Enugu. Excerpts:

How would you rate the present administration in Enugu State?

As far as I am concerned, Enugu has been the most enjoyable state in the South East in terms of discipline.  We owe the peace in the state to Governor Sullivan Chime who has shown that peace could come and we are proud of his administration.  We are happy he has laid the foundation for us to achieve other goals in the state.

In Nsukka senatorial zone, his impact is felt in road construction; before now there were places you in the university town cannot pass but today he has reconstructed all the roads in Nsukka urban. He has also touched our schools and health centres. In fact, recently, we were discussing about going to him again to ask for more teachers because Nsukka zone is losing in primary schools due to fake records of staff in the primary schools. And you know as a traditional ruler I have no right to go to primary schools in my domain to ask of the whereabouts of teachers, yet those who have the powers cannot come. Recently, we were holding a meeting of Nsukka Local Government Traditional Rulers’ Council and they were telling us that in a school you have one headmaster and one teacher. This UBE, they have sacked all the teachers in Nsukka LGA; this is an unconfirmed report from a reliable source.

I don’t know how you people will report me but for me there is apartheid in the sense that if you go to primary schools in the urban towns, if you like I take you to Nsukka now and then we come to my community, Obimo, the ones in the rural areas, you will see the difference, but we are in the same local government.

What is your take on the succession battle for the state Government House next year?

If I am allowed, I will advise the governor; we are very proud of him for zoning the position to Enugu North. He has members of the Council of Chiefs and we are happy with the appointment of competent men to man the affairs of the council, especially the appointment of Ambassador Agubuzu, as the chairman of Enugu State Council of Chiefs. From Enugu North zone he has appointed Barr. R.S.N Eze as the first deputy chairman and chairman, Enugu North Traditional Rulers Council. If it is possible, let him allow us give him confidential advice on the issue of his successor. We know our people better and we can suggest to him; give him five names to choose from. But whoever he chooses, if he doesn’t need our advice, our own is to advise. Even if he selects a wrong horse, he will just ride us for another eight years, we  will continue fasting and continue praying.



Is your community also feeling the impact of what Deputy Senate President, Senator Ekweremadu has been doing in some communities in the state?

Senator Ike Ekweremadu has laid a very good foundation for others to emulate; he has never been to my palace, I learnt he has been to my community for five or six times; he is constructing a very big road in my community for public interest. He is also sinking a borehole in a village here in my domain; I have not seen him, but it’s for public interest and he is from Enugu West doing such things in my community. Ekweremadu has done very well for his people and extended his stewardship to Enugu North and my own community is benefitting from it; won’t I say so? I am making plans now to go and see the church he built for his community; I am an Anglican and I want to go there and pray and see things for myself.



Are you aware of the rift between Ekweremadu and Chime?

That’s what the politicians use to deceive people, I don’t see any rift there. Both men are not supposed to quarrel because we have nobody at the National Assembly today who we are proud of. I didn’t say we are not proud of the others, but Ekweremadu has been outstanding. Enugu State is very lucky; we‘ve held the post of Senate President when it was rotatory among the five states, I am happy we enjoyed some few months as Senate President. But today, for the past six and half years we have Ekweremadu there and we are proud he is making an input there. Anybody who tells you that he is not, let’s go and get the statistics of appointments made by the Federal Government to states. But for example, this Nsukka senatorial district we have never had a single minister since 1999, we have never had ambassador, only ambassador to Guinea Bissau and Equatorial Guinea which is not up to Nsukka zone. So, the governor and Ekweremadu are in concert, when the time comes they will reconcile.

Yes, we are proud of Vita Abba, the state PDP chairman. If he is not working well with the governor, the running of the party will not be as smooth as it is. And he has been representing Nsukka the way we know our people to be; we are disciplined people.

Are you worried about the growing number of governorship aspirants from the zone?

Yes, we know the number of those interested in the position has continued to rise but the problem is that we have no forum to control such things. We know two persons, one federal legislator; I don’t want to mention names, if given the mantle of leadership, will do so well. We know somebody in the party in the state who will also do well if given the mandate.  Others are looking for appointments. So, when the time comes, they will be considered for having picked the guber ticket. And sometimes in Igbo land we don’t throw things open for everybody to scramble for; it’s just because we have no forum. If Enugu North has a forum, traditional rulers can come around, that’s why I said I will like the governor to seek the advice of traditional rulers. Then we can give him about five names to pick from. All I am saying that I want every local government area to be represented; this is democracy. Five are many, give him two names  to pick from.

But Enugu North is made up of different nations?

If you take Nkanu as an example, it has five local government areas and they all have blood relationship. It’s only Isi-Uzo that was added to them; so if you ask them to bring a governor now, the five local government areas in that zone and decide on who it will be. You come to Enugu West which is Udi and Awgu, don’t mind what we are doing today; it’s from Udi that Ezzeagu was carved out; also it is from Awgu that Aninri emerged. It is only Oji-River that is left a fallow land. But in Nsukka, Enugu-Ezike, Igbo-Eze North has no common culture; Udenu has nothing to do with Nsukka town, both in language and culture. There is no culture in Enugu Ezike being practised here in Obimo. So, it looks as if we were just tied together to answer Nsukka. That’s what I am saying that it is  not a man made problem that makes it difficult for us to sit together and make a choice but we can still make it so long as the governor has given us the go-ahead.



Should Adada State be created?

Adada State has  met all the requirements for the creation of a new state. Even at a meeting when they asked those in support of Etiti State, nobody raised his hand because people are not supporting it; it is a creation of those in Abuja. Is it because we are keeping quiet; how many appointments does Anambra have at the national level; how many ministers, how many ambassadors? We don’t talk because they are our brothers. But here…look at other zones, North West-7 states, North Central 6 states, North East-6 states, South West-6 states, South-South 6 states, South East 5 states. The whole governors met at Nike Lake, Enugu and resolved to speak with one voice. They voted and three governors voted in favour of Adada State; Enugu, Anambra and Ebonyi, all voted for Adada State. Yet, people are working against its creation.


Will the 2015 elections be smooth and peaceful?

The elections will go very well; all these things are propaganda from people who are going to fail. They are already looking for excuses, that it will be this and that. The last elections were fair, the problem we have is the system of government we are practising. We are not ripe for it. Go to America, three hours after elections, you get the results of the election. Have you ever heard them go to court? Because,  the result is open. They are practising presidential system just like we do here but in Nigeria, a minister, a commissioner, appointees command more prestige than a member of House of Reps or State Assembly. Go and see where ministers are living; go and see their entourage, we are not mature for the system we are practising.   In America,  99 per cent of the population are literate but here where we are practising the same system with 60 per cent of Nigerians being illiterates.

Is your Royal Highness worried about the increasing number of beggars on the streets?

Let me start from the North where it started; begging is part of their culture and to question tradition is sacrilege; it is here in the South that we question tradition. Go to offices in the North, no northerner speaks English in his office; no westerner speaks English in his office. But come to the East here, our own is a different thing. How many are begging? Almajiri in the North, yes they are doing it to meet up; but all senators from the North  ensure the roads to their villages are tarred; they build schools; how many of our own legislators do same?

Let me tell you, this is the richest country in the world; this country can feed everybody with N1000 everyday whether you are born today or not. If your wife delivers today, he starts earning N1000 everyday, which is N30,000 a month, averagely for everybody and all these crimes will not be there. Look at the allowances of our politicians; a senator earns N45m quarterly for upkeep of his senatorial district. How many people are in that zone; he will enjoy this three times every year. This is an allowance which nobody gives account of.