Enugu Ex-Commissioner Exposes Gov. Mbahs SSG

Commissioner in the administration of Chimaroke Nnamani, Chief Ray Nnaji, has exposed Chidiebere Onyia, the new Secretary to the Government of Peter Mbah, in Enugu State, as an incompetent intruder in the politics of Enugu State.

Nnaji, who spoke in a radio programme on Urban Radio, Enugu, in the weekend, declared Onyia as a new comer to the politics of Enugu State who has been misleading the new Governor in policies of government.

Nnaji was sure that it would backfire and destroy the person and career of Governor Mbah.

According to Nnaji, Onyia had never held any political office for the first time and was not equipped to take decisions to walk the slippery grounds of politics in Enugu. "He was never even councilor."

He said that 'if he, Onyia, had been a commissioner or local government chairman, or even operated in the political field, he would have known that the various policy decisions he already led the governmeng to take would hamper development in the State and breed ill feeling. 

For instance, he said, 'look at what he has done in the various revenue points of the State. Every levy, from statutory to executory is doubled. Cost of registration of lands has now been increased over 200 percent.'

Chief Nnaji said that the only reason it was so was that Onyia knew no other ways of operating in government than dishing out orders. 

The SSG whom he said has always paraded himself as a development expert, should have known that development was a gradual process and cannot mean to railroad people, impose more pains on them and run them out of town. 

Nnaji does not even believe in Onyia's claim of 'development expertise since the SSG, he said, had given more of his time trying to exhibit raw power which no politician who knew the terrain would have attempted.

He blames the governor, Mbah, for picking somebody who had no idea of what it takes to run a government. 

The post of Secretary to the Government of a State, Nnaji holds, is sensitive and quite demanding and should have been filled with a person of considerable political experience.

He likened Onyia to late Chief Sam Ejiofor, who he said dominated the administration of Chimaroke Nnamani and ruined it despite the strides made by the government. 

Describing Onyia as representing what he called "feeding bottle politicians," he argued that Enugu would not fold hands and watch neophyte ruin the chances of Nkanu people again.

Accusing Onyia of behaving like a governor when he was not, Nnaji charged that it was clearly evident that he arrogated 'powers that he did not have, he wanted why the governor had kept quiet.

He also accused him of being the reason the sit-at-home problem reared its head because he dabbled into what had died down, ignited the interests of the enforcers and compounded the situation of the people of Enugu State. "Sit-at-home is fizzing out but he started issuing out orders and the matter rose again."

Nnaji called on lawyers to also look into the demolition of property of a sitting judge in Enugu State when the matter was in court. He said that his investigations showed that it was the SSG who brought about that inglorious action.

Nnaji warned that unless the governor intervened and checked his SSG, too much damage would have been done and it would be difficult to reverse the situation. 

It will be recalled that on assumption of office, the SSG had made some orders which many people in Enugu felt were done in preparation for the introduction of better policies. Some of these had been the stoppage of every activity in the ministry of lands and survey. However, when eventually he declared that businesses could resume in the ministry, he had slammed over 200 percent increase on all charges. It was the same with all other levies.