A great leader takes his people to where they ought to be, not necessarily where they want to be. Leadership is vision matched with actionable mission - Nwanjoku
For some time now, the Enugu political firmament has been running out of a constellation of real stars and deep-rooted gladiators. This dearth of politics juggernauts and women of substance leaves politics bland without it usual witty candour and glitzy glamour. So sad.
Gone are the good old days when practising and aspiring politicians, as well as the eloquent philosophical polemics and pragmatic oratory by the likes of Nigeria first civilian president, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, the great Zik of Africa; or the golden broadcasts of former Prime Minister, Abubakar Tafewa Balewa; and not the least, the well-researched policies and evergreen essays of the former Premier of Western Region and legal luminary, Chief Jeremiah Obafemi Awolowo.
Have we hurriedly forgotten the flower-power of the wordsmith and media delight, erstwhile Ambassador Extraordinaire and Plenipotentiary, Chief Kingsley O. Mbadiwe- the configurator of "political juggernauts, Iroko and mahogany" fame.
The hilariously bombastic one, Mbadiwe, a stalwart of President Shehu Shagari's National Party of Nigeria, once described the political merger between the NPN and the NPP (Zik's Nigerian People's Party) as an "Accord con-cordiale".
Those were the days of political colour, candour and glamour. Days of deep-rooted sound bites and philosophical thought. Do we still remember the lone voice in the wilderness and exponent of "Politics Without Bitterness", Alhaji Waziri Ibrahim of the GNPP? He was a covert of India's Mahatma Gandhi's non-violence struggle for People's emancipation. What of the Great Oyi of Oyi, the horsetail-carrying former Senate President, Dr. Chuba Okadigbo? Or the man with the longest handmade cap and double white handkerchief, Chief Solomon Lar. And many more who have passed on, blessedly.
Of recent, politicians have become not only half-baked but voraciously greedy and ravaging like locusts. Many have left the head for the stomach, craving existence rather than living. In other words, many Enugu politicians have become hasty overlords and feudalistic conquerors with embedded hegemonic tendencies. Many of them live to eat, not eat to live. They corruptly plunder the commonwealth through self-aggrandizement and pauperising the populace. So sad.
It is therefore not uncommon to hear them relish in gangster philosophies and coinages such as "No shaking" however, amidst colossal wasteland of Enugu's political desert stands an oasis of good hope - a connector of the past to the present and 'forecaster' of the future! He is nationalistic, patriotic, detribalized and a massive investor in the Enugu Project.
He is a mercurial entrepreneur, human capital asset investor, philanthropist par excellence, a people's politician and a great family man. Who does this cap fit? Naturally, former Chief of Staff, former Commissioner for Finance, Dr. Barr Peter Mbah, Olileanya Ndi-Enugu.
Dr. Mbah has had a conquered history. His immense contributions to democracy and democratic struggles have been spelt out in over a dozen. Mbah judicial judgements or case studies - even as a Commissioner for Finance. These landmark court decisions have hugely helped in reshaping and developing the political landscape and constitutional narrative in the state today.
But this great man had a very humble background. For the records, those privy to the great listener - but - taciturn team leader, see Mbah like a volume of books that cannot be read or analyzed in a hurry. They also said that his childhood attributes of patience, endurance, bravery and courage, business acumen and problem-solving, all stand him out, head above shoulders, amongst his peers.
With a huge wealth and range of socio-political ideas, coupled with a vast local and global understanding of events and issues, Mbah remains the dazzling damsel in Enugu politics that many hate to love, or vice versa! Little wonder, no political story in Enugu is complete without the Mbah touch or angle in two decades. For him, silence is not just golden, but also a story in itself.
For instance, those keen on Mbah adore and respect him wholesomely while his opponents or detractors see nothing good coming from his Nazareth. Nonetheless, Mbah is a friend and leader worth having and an enemy you don't want to keep. He is a detailed politician - rooted in planning, research, strategy and clinical execution.
The PDP gubernatorial flagbearer, no doubt, is the beautiful bride of Enugu politics and an embodiment of resourceful human capital asset, administrative creativity and innovative ideas. As a mercurial entrepreneurial industrialist and undying developmental education investor, Dr. Mbah the pragmatic politician is capable of lifting Enugu uphill from her current deep slope of socio-economic woes occasioned by the effect of the dwindling oil revenue from the federal allocation, with a strong rope of actionable plans and hope.
On a final note, a true genuine leader is one that would not leave his people in the messy situation where he first met them. Patriotic Mbah has the fire of desire and a sense of direction to drive our state to her long-aspired destination of boom and joy. Indeed, Our Tomorrow Is Here.
#PeterMbah
#EnuguState
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#TomorrowIsHere
