By Charles Ogugbuaja
The issue of plaque tilted awards giving is becoming bastardized in Nigeria. In the United States where such activity was mostly copied from, it has test of the time ratings. It is not also, incessant as we have in this country. Many institutions, no matter how big or small are on daily basis issuing honours and awards to people.
Many recipients of such awards spend billions of naira to defray the cost of receiving them. This is money that should have been expended on meaningful life enhancing activities for the good of the common people.
The way it is now, many institutions, associations, individuals and groups, even media houses are on daily basis organizing honours/awards ceremonies, issuing plaques to people they feel like doing so, while in return they expect huge monetary rewards from the recipients, mostly politicians, public office holders and captains of industry, even questionable characters.
It is to the extent that in Nigeria, it appears to be that “awards selling” business is going on. Once the givers Identify money bags, they go after them, organizing ceremonies and pronouncing the awardees as having distinguished themselves in their fields of endeavours.
The most annoying part of this frolic activity is the involvement of some media houses in participating in this seemingly embarrassing venture.
The media have serious constitutional, ethical and professional roles of holding the government officials accountable to the people. The primary watchdog roles embodying information gathering, entertainment and education activities are expected of the media. They seem to paying little attention to the roles in preference to issuance of awards to the class of individuals mentioned above.
Also regrettably, some media outfits operating at various levels in Nigeria have abdicated the above roles in preference to hobnobbing with the class of people they issue awards. This is abhorred and condemnable.
However, it is good to recognize, applaud and celebrate a personality who has vehemently refused to accept such Greek gift. Such a man of conscience is the Governor of Abia State, Dr. Alex Chioma Otti, a first class economist and successful erstwhile Managing Director of a global bank. Apart from identifying that such awards are like the saying “there is no free launch,” he has since known such to be cosmetic, superficial and inglorious in the true sense. He believes that ones’ true achievements in public office speak for themselves and not by noise making.
Everyone in this country knows that Dr. Otti, has concentrated so much in reconstructing Abia State to the extent that he has turned it to a construction site, counting not less than 30 standard road projects going on simultaneously and fastly; including retrofitting of schools and healthcare centers in less than two years he has been in office as the chief servant of Abians. Many projects flagged off are already completed in the nooks and crannies of the 17 local councils of the state, touching roads, infrastructure, healthcare, education, agriculture among others. Almost on daily basis, Gov Otti, is flagging off road construction projects in various communities, including roads and public facilities abandoned over 40 years ago by his predecessors, of which the ancient Omenuko Bridge and environs, are among them. He usually gives the contractors one year completion period.
Another iconic/signature project many have applauded him for executing, is the massive Port Harcourt Road handled by Julius Berger. It is almost completed. Aba, the industrial and commercial hub in this country, is gradually being restored with solid access roads already in place and commissioned. Only yesterday, a revered former president of this country, Olusegun Obasanjo, came in person to inaugurate some completed projects, including the part of the reconstructed 46.36 km Umuahia- Uzuakoli-Akara-Isiukwuato-Abiriba Road with drainage system and solar powered street lights.
Apart from that, Dr. Otti, on assumption of office instituted payment of salaries and allowances of Abia workers as the first charge, which involved paying workers before the public office holders and appointees. He also struck a deal with the pensioners and paid them. He is at the moment ready to renegotiate with them to handle the missing financial area.
Still determined, he commenced clearing the years of backlog of salaries owed some state owned educational and health institutions’ workers, such as the Abia State University; the Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu Polytechnic, formerly Abia Polytechnic, Aba; Abia Hospital doctors and health workers among others.
In all of these, he never expected any clapping of hands for him or issuance of ‘jankara’ awards to him. He took it that he was discharging the duties he took in his oath of office and oath of allegiance without infusing any political undertone or considering that his predecessors inflicted such hardships on the workers by abdicating their duties.
Governor Otti, from day one made it clear to such awards “givers and sellers” to stay away from him as he would not accept any such mercantile offers until he completes serving the people of Abia State.
From available records, hundreds of persons, individuals, bodies, groups and organisations, coming in different disguise have cunningly approached to issue him with such unnecessary awards laced with beautiful plaques, after paying him courtesy visits, but the Abia governor would always, in the same measure, politely turned them down.
Personalities should learn to jettison going for these unscrupulous awards and concentrate on doing their jobs at various levels to the glory of God and mankind, thus promoting democratic values as Governor Otti is doing in Abia State.
Charles Ogugbuaja, Ph.D., is a veteran journalist
