Of Engine Room and Enugu Govt House

Douglas Ugwu writes on the need for the office of the Secretary to Enugu State Government to live up to expectation.

Arguments over the genuineness of academic and sundry certificates were not limited to Abuja, the nation’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Around the Southeast, Anambra and Enugu competed with the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal

disclosures for the national headlines.

While the case of doctoring of her Joint Admission and Matriculation Board Examination’s (JAMB) score by Joy Mmesoma Ejikeme enjoyed vigorous online and mainline media attention, in Enugu, the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) continued its disagreement with the state governor, Peter Mbah, over his NYSC discharge certificate.

The controversies over documents and results are not the purview of this write-up, because while the disputations over the authenticity of certificates raged, another disturbing development reared its head in Enugu, the capital of the Southeast geopolitical zone.

Reading and listening to reports from the Government House have been confusing to residents of Enugu State. It is as if the state is back to the days of Sule Ahman, one of the former military administrators of the state. It has all to do with the current Secretary to the State Government (SSG), “Prof”. Chidiebere Onyia.

On Tuesday, May 30, when Governor Mbah announced Mr. Chidiebere Onyia as the SSG, many people believed that fresh ideas were coming to define governance in the state. But, nearly two months after his inauguration, Mr. Onyia has continued to raise doubts about his understanding of his job description and demands of the office of SSG.

Shortly after he was sworn into office as SSG, Mr. Onyia did a short video message.

In the video clip the SSG could be heard announcing that Governor Mbah comes from the private sector, while he was coming from development background. “The pair is good for Enugu State,” he declared.

No doubt, Onyia seems to be enjoying himself and his office.

At every outing that Governor Mbah invites him, Mr. Onyia insists on making pronouncements as if he is also a self appointed spokesman or Information Commissioner.  The office of the SSG is often described as the engine room of the state government, because that is where policies are synthesized for efficient and effective implementation.

However, distracted by some craving to be in the eyes of every citizen, Mr. Onyia does not allow a day pass without issuing a declarative statement among other releases that define military regimes.

One of such was his demand that the compensatory allocation of land by the state government should cease with immediate effect.  The magisterial way he conceives and delivers public communication motivated a closer look at the man’s background.

It is possible that Governor Mbah was mistaken in appointing the SSG unless Mr. Onyia was imposed on the administration to satisfy latter day godfathers, religious leaders or attempt to deodorise the stench of post-election disputations.

Appointment of a Secretary to the State Government is expected to be a blend of political strategy to build social harmony and enhance good governance system.

One thing is clear, although one does not have to be a professor to be a good SSG; Chidiebere Onyia ought to have understudied previous occupants of the office to decorate it with the usual finesse.

When Prof. Simon Ortuanya was the SSG in Enugu, not many people got to hear or see him dishing out orders like the commander of the man o’war brigade.

In his statement announcing Onyia as SSG, Governor Mbah had tweeted: “I have just appointed Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, new Secretary to the State Government (SSG).” But, questions are being asked whether the SSG is actually a Professor.

Being a visiting Professor suggests that he was fully employed in a higher institution, where he supervises, teaches and mentors Masters or P.hD degree students. But, not much is known about the SSG’s academic or research works and outputs. Even the internet is not helping out.

Upon his appointment as SSG, Onyia was advertised as “a visiting professor of education at Godfrey Okoye University, Enugu, and a former visiting professor at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

“He serves on the governing council of two private Nigerian universities, holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences, a Master’s degree in curriculum and instruction, MBA and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership.

“He also had a post-doctoral scholarship in Education Policy from the Ivy League Peabody College, Vanderbilt University.”

For the avoidance of doubt, to become a professor involves, certain number of years of full-time teaching, research, particularly research in a recognised University or other equivalent high institutions; Evidence of postgraduate research supervision; Intra-university administrative experiences; Extensive academic and journal articles publications with good citations indexes: Many years of conferences presentations and established leading research in a chosen area of interest.

These are the minimum requirements for a university to appraise an academic staff for appointment or promotion to the rank of a professor.

-Ugwu writes from Enugu