1.
Steadfast. Commitment. Loyalty. Visionary. Service. These words with deep philosophical connotations define public perception of Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu’s political career since joining politics about three decades ago. In reality, these character descriptions form the ‘Central Spine’ of his public service both as a Governor, Party Chairman and Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Without doubt, Dr. Onu is perhaps one of the very few Nigerian politicians that can be so described currently in Nigeria today, where positive political character is fast yielding ground to party and governance indiscipline, self-seeking justification to always be part of any government in power (AGIP), and perverted political dictum that only interests (no matter how selfishly defined) and nothing else matter in Nigerian politics.
2.
It is therefore hardly surprising that the beautification of the
wrong values of politics in Nigeria over the years has produced negative political consequences that range from stunted growth of political parties, stagnated national progress to wasted regimes,
leaving majority of Nigerians holding the wrong end of the dream for a democracy led sustainable national development. Indeed, Nigerians are trapped in a political system in coma that neither gives hope for survival nor is willing to die anytime soon.
3.
The fact that it has persisted for far too long and has not
commanded any meaningful attention from all genuine political stakeholders to conclusively address them, remains a quintessential sore point of our political development as a nation. Notwithstanding, it is still this vapid political process that produced the likes of Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu and a few others of his ilk who have resisted the lure and temptation of neither joining the bandwagon just for the sake of it, nor for a transient and momentary political gain that has no promise for an enduring and
progressive democratic system that can birth sustainable national development.
4.
Put in context, when, in rare circumstances, people comment negatively about the political character of Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, it is not about his sincerity of political purpose or the materiality of his leadership credentials in the context of national development, rather, it is often about his refusal to join the bandwagon and play politics the Nigeria way. He rejects buying loyalty because no one pays for his when he gives it. His aversion for killing, maiming and character assassinations that headline struggle for power in Nigerian politics today is routed in his catholic faith and would not consider such options for whatever it was worth. His refusal to define struggle for power as the END which must be justified by the MEANS is because his ultimate interest in politics is to serve rather than to be served.
5.
Thus, those who want an alibi to dismiss the contemporariness of his political beliefs often claim that Dr. Onu’s political character is way ahead of Nigeria’s political and democratic development. But what people who hold this retrogressive view fail to understand is that in a progressive society idealists and visionaries such as Dr. Onu provide the needed compass for navigating political and economic development landscapes that transcends time and space. They are, in other societies revered and preserved as national leadership assets that set the tone for future of democracy and development. They become the moral fibre for weaving progressive policies that emphasize where we should be heading to rather than investing much effort in eulogizing where we are coming from, or what little comfort our current situation promises.
6.
Quite instructively, history and Nigeria’s precarious political and economic development has harshly judged those who believe that Dr. Onu’s political character is an ideal and therefore remains ahead of Nigeria political and economic development and
therefore time inconsistent with current realities. Truth be told, eulogizing negative political character which essentially was
meant to satisfy immediate quest for political power and
influence have not served the interest of Nigeria sustainably. A situation that correctly fits into Albert Einstein’s definition of ‘political madness’ of doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result’.
7.
The critical question discerning minds are currently asking is
does Dr. Onu’s visionary political philosophy still belong to the future or has it become indispensable in addressing the fierce urgency of now? The fact remains that, if Nigeria must survive its current political, democratic and developmental challenges that threaten not only its ability to remain significant in the comity of nations, but also to secure its future as a prosperous, value-driven and united political entity, Dr. Onu’s vision becomes indispensably contemporary in that context.
8.
Unfortunately, as the search for President Buhari’s successor in
2023 intensifies, the criteria for making a choice that can address the aspirations of majority of Nigerians of a progressive, inclusive and egalitarian society is not yet clear among many stakeholders. The temptation to relapse to old criteria that has produced half-wits and have not served the nation well remains palpable and currently dominates contemporary political discourse and tendencies.
9.
If not, how could anyone explain the fact that some political elite who have in the past disparaged other political parties are now prepared to eat their vomit and return to such a political party and still expect a red-carpet reception? How can political characters that have been known to be corrupt and insincere about their vision for the country still command such respect in their mindless defections just for the purpose of power grabbing? How can one reconcile the fact that that people who have sacrificed
their time, intellect, resources and demonstrated discipline and loyalty in building a political party are being confined to the back burner in preference for political adventurers and predators when the season seem ripe for leadership succession? What makes people think that a political character that dumped a political party today in search of power elsewhere will not dump the new found party if the prospects of power diminishes in the future? Thus, returning the nation to square one in terms of political and economic development? Thus, our current political situation in the country throws up questions? questions? And more questions? without selfless answers?
10.
Foregrounding Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu’s political character
and credentials and putting it into contrasting focus in the unfolding drama for a presidential choice in 2023 requires an anecdotal evaluation of the promise it holds for the future of Nigeria’s political and economic development. To do this, let us borrow an analogy from an important biblical anecdote that shares similar lessons in the search for who succeeds President Buhari in 2023. Therefore, the search for presidential choice in 2023 in the context of Dr. Onu’s political personality could be likened to the biblical visit of Samuel to House of Jesse in search of a leader for Israel.
11.
It will be recalled that all Jesse’s children failed the litmus test for leadership but one (David), who was not even reckoned with in the line of succession to lead Israel at the time. Applying this to Dr. Onu’s situation gives hope that there may be one of us barely heard, dutiful, loyal, relatively self-effacing and perhaps clearly unambitious about power, but solidly prepared for leadership of the country, busy somewhere in the fields, a little away from public glare, like David, tending the flock of national rebirth and Nigeria’s political future.
12.
At this point, it is necessary we take a historical tour of the
evolution of the political character of Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu in time and space in the context of our current discourse. But before we dive deep into this character tour, let us make it clear that there has been an epidemic of lost opportunities for Nigeria in having the leader that has what it takes to take the country out of the
lonely woods. One critical point that has sustained this epidemic is lack of interest in understanding the dynamics of our political evolution, and the need to factor the complexities of Nigeria’s political development, especially its geopolitical contours and zero sum game nature into strategic political calculations in the pursuit of political interest. Not reckoning with these considerations had in the past consumed would be genuine
political leaders in our midst. For such leaders, it’s like joggling a set of five balls in the air simultaneously. Quite naturally, it takes the magical wizardry of a performer to keep all the balls in the air without losing one to either momentary loss of concentration or coordination.
13.
Analogously, at one point or the other when good political
leaders emerged in our midst, they are consumed by their own insensitivity and unconsciousness. Advertently or inadvertently, they lose one or two balls just because of their momentary loss of focus and mission either due to the weight of the complex nature of our political configurations or pushing too hard the frontiers of their own ethno- religious interests when what is required is to build capacity and trust across board over time and be as genuine about it as the difference between black and white. One leader who understands the complex nature of Nigeria’s political leadership space, its temptations and capacity to consume the most qualified but insensitive, is unmistakably Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu as would be demonstrated by his past and current political engagements and character profiles in this regard.
14.
On steadfastness, it is on record that Dr. Onu remains one of the very few Nigerian politicians who has remained committed
to one political party at a time unless when the need for merger genuinely arises and he was convinced it was imperative. His membership of NRC in the Third Republic remained unblemished throughout the period, upon which he was elected the first Governor of Abia State in 1992. Until the collapse of that
regime in the mid-1990s, Dr. Onu kept faith with the prospects and challenges of the party till the end without wavering.
15.
Second, he was a founding member of APP, which later merged with GNPP to become ANPP and he remained with the
party until he was invited to Chair the party. His invitation to chair the party was mainly to halt the haemorrhage that afflicted the party leading to ANPP losing several of her governors to PDP. A task he accomplished satisfactorily and timely. He was the man who dreamt about the prospects of forming an alliance of progressive parties to wrest power from PDP in 2014, which
birthed APC and has remained with the party, quietly working to make the APC administration a referential success in Nigeria’s history without being voluble about it.
16.
On commitment, there is no better measure of steadfastness needed for deepening party politics than commitment and not jumping ship halfway in search of greener pastures elsewhere when the electoral waves become turbulent. This political character is as important in leading a political party as it is in leading a nation. A political character noted for steadfastness will keep faith with his party’s vision, mission and manifesto. He will strive to change things from within rather than jumping ship and trashing the party because of momentary loss of electoral opportunity. Therefore, his willingness to remain with his party and swim or sink with it is a rare political character that will be needed as the search for President Buhari’s successor intensifies
into 2023.
17.
Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu has a Spartan discipline on issues
relating to power and its pecuniary interests. As a man of moderate means he does not revel in primitive acquisition of wealth which has kept him away from scandals tainted of
corruption and avarice especially over public treasury and trust. A man can only be as devoted to using public resources for what it is meant for as long as he is disinterested in what he personally gains from it. Not taking into cognisance this sterling political character in the choice of our leaders in the past has caused the nation so much in terms of fiscal instability and genuine character resources needed to husband the nation’s wealth for the benefit of all. As the nation’s fiscal resources come under severe strain with
the declining fortunes of hydro- carbon globally, low level of tax collection and snail speed of economic diversification, the fiscal survival of the nation in times like this requires a person with fiscal discipline and ability to unlock fiscal opportunities through cutting the cost of governance and ensuring that value for money is achieved in public and private investments needed for the growth of the economy.
18.
Loyalty, both at personal relationship levels, political party and government, remains Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu’s most cherished virtue. The place of loyalty in engineering enduring political process is considered an eloquent sine qua non for the enthronement of a political culture that has been noted to midwife sustainable development in advanced democracies. The brand of loyalty that Dr. Onu espouses is the willingness to sacrifice personal interest for public good as long as that sacrifice will yield future benefit for the majority of the Nigerian people. For instance, when Dr. Onu emerged as the presidential candidate of the APP in 1999, the party authorities reckoned with the fact that given the level of anger in the South West over the annulment of June 12, fielding Chief Olu Falae as a counterforce against
Obasanjo will serve the party’s interest better in a national
presidential elections. He demonstrated loyalty to the party and sacrificed his interest for a larger purpose, both for the party and the nation.
19.
Second, as the man who led ANPP into the merger negotiations and the intellectual workhorse in birthing the progressive merger that produced APC in 2015, Dr. Onu was expected to be entitled to privileges that other such leaders enjoyed in the area of nominations for juicy government appointments and other political positions. He neither requested for any nor showed any frustration when it was obvious he was being side-lined in the party which he played a major role in forming and registering. He took the situation with his
characteristic equanimity believing that the larger interest of the party superseded his own personal interest. When President Buhari offered him a ministerial appointment, he was grateful and displayed his usual loyalty in discharging his duties both to the nation and the President. No other politician in contemporary Nigerian politics would have tolerated such treatment, and remained with the party and government after playing such a pivotal role in dreaming such a party into reality. The import of Dr. Onu’s loyalty in presidential office is that nothing will sway him away from the primary loyalty to the party, the government and the nation. These are needed critical elements in presidential leadership in a fledgling democracy such as Nigeria’s.
20.
As a visionary, Dr Onu was never satisfied with the status quo ante. For him, there are always better ways to improve on things for now and in the future. His intellectual training as a scientist imbues him with the cerebral power to dream things up in a very realistic manner and ensure that they are translated into substance. This is the reform he is quietly championing in the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation where he has led the ministry for fruitful cooperation with the private sector to develop and commercialise many scientific inventions that would prove revolutionary in the diversification of the Nigerian economy in the nearest future. His conviction that the future of Nigeria does not depend on oil but on innovation led by scientific research is gaining traction among many entrepreneurs in Nigeria and beyond. Nigeria currently needs a visionary leader to succeed
President Buhari and the experience offered by Dr. Onu’s political character and engagement over the years cannot be easily discountenanced.
21.
These character qualities and many more too numerous to be mentioned in one piece of an article have been responsible for the wide spread respect and support that Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu commands among Nigerians, cutting across ethnic and religious boundaries. Dr. Onu is accepted in the north for his friendship among many northern political and religious establishments.
They are not afraid that the Dr. Onu they so well know could go against their interest especially with his deep knowledge of huge developmental challenges facing that region. In the South West, Dr. Onu is respected and honoured for yielding political ground to Chief Olu Falae when it became imperative that his candidacy will keep the President in the South West after the turbulence of the June 12, 1993 annulment of Alhaji Moshood Abiola’s election. In the South East, Dr. Onu is well understood by his people. The Igbo’s trust Dr. Onu’s intellectual prowess to enthrone a leadership that will advance the course of the Igbos without compromising the interest of other Nigerians. The
outpouring of solidarity and endorsement of the expectation that Dr. Onu be appointed Secretary to Government under President Buhari was overwhelming and confirms the acceptability of his political brand across the federation.
22.
In conclusion, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, a man with sterling
political character, wide exposure in leadership, and an
experienced technocrat is the kind of leader the nation currently needs to succeed President Buhari. His personality as a detribalised Nigerian fits into the bill for the search of a Nigerian President rather than a regional president. His political style that douses controversy and espouses deep intellectual approach to solving intractable development challenges will put him in the right position to be the man to beat in 2023 presidential elections. He has what it takes to turn around the economy given his experience that cuts across the academia and public service in over three decades. He will return confidence to the Nigerian people and restore the greatness of our nation. His infectious friendship across Nigeria, deep intellectual capacity, enduring political character and long lasting experience in the field of Nigerian politics has prepared him to become one of the most qualified candidates to take over from President Buhari in 2023.
Article sponsored by Eagle Progressives Network
