Good Name, Dear Politicians, Is Better Than Riches

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Explore the evolving legacy of leadership in Nigeria as Richard Odu, PhD, reflects on past and present governors, examining the impact of integrity and public service on national reputation. From the triumphs of General Muhammadu Buhari to the challenges faced by current leaders, this article emphasizes the importance of good governance and a positive legacy.

A few years ago, I had the opportunity of being part of the Editorial Board of a leading newspaper based in Owerri, capital of Imo State. There happened to be an executive blunder committed by the Imo State government then and the issue was on the table for discussion as the board met. As a serious paper coming from the stable of a notable national newspaper company, the board paraded professional journalists and academics drawn from the three zones in Imo State, namely Okigwe, Orlu and Owerri and beyond. An Orlu man happened to be the governor at that time. As the discussion progressed, in the lighter mood, the Okigwe man asked the Orlu man, “is this the best Orlu can offer to Imo?” The Orlu man among us found himself on the defensive.

When Sam Mbakwe threw up his hands to be the governor of the then Imo State comprising Abia and parts of Ebonyi, Obowo did not have the best of reputations among their neighbours. They were stereotyped as dubious and light fingered. But, by the time Mbakwe who hailed from there had completed his first tenure, all that changed and the Obowo man could hold his head high among his neighbours without being unjustly maligned. Mbakwe’s glowing record is unbroken till now.

A loud ovation greeted the rise of General Muhammadu Buhari as head of state after a coup at the expiration of 1983. Indeed, the greeting among Nigerians in the new year of 1984 was a cheer-laden “happy New Government” as the masses’ disappointment in the ousted civilian administration in that era was obvious. The economy was on the dip and prices of essential commodities soared.

Although Buhari’s military regime was short-lived, it kicked off on a good note, dealing directly with the sores of Nigeria, then, by ensuring discipline and introducing counter-trade, a policy that permitted only reciprocity in the country’s international trade. In other words, Nigeria traded only with countries that bought its oil and shunned the super powers that stockpiled oil, creating the false impression of oil glut just so that the balance of trade would tilt against Nigeria.

We heard of essential commodities that were brought in while non-essential ones waited for better days. Gradually, sanity was restored in the system before Ibrahim Babangida struck.

The return of Buhari as a civilian president scooped away all the respect his personality garnered in those days that he held sway, with the late General Tunde Idiagbon as his second in-command and, indeed, the regime’s spokesman and action man. Buhari’s second coming, nevertheless, revealed the other side of the man. By the time he unfolded his agenda, it seemed to Nigerians that he was back to practically cede Nigeria to the Fulani, by fire or by force. And so, when he left, he gave the strong impression of himself as a highly dedicated Fulani Muslim living in Nigeria. The retired general, after his eight years, left an impression that was far from being comely with other ethnic groups in Nigeria.

The late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua left an everlasting legacy of truth, fairness, candour, peace and prudence as governor of Katsina State and as President of the federation. At the battles where warmongering generals suffered defeat, the peace-loving university lecturer triumphed. It was in his administration that Niger Delta militants, who made oil exploration a nightmare in the region, willingly laid down their arms. The best general, it’s been said, is the one who wins a war without firing a shot. Yar’Adua admitted to coming into power through crooked elections and promised to strengthen the electoral process before his tenure was cut short by death.

Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha was governor of Imo State for seven months. In those seven months, the people had begun testifying to his comparative uprightness and purposeful leadership before his tenure was interrupted by a controversial Supreme Court judgement that sent a majority of the people into momentary depression. Years after his ouster, Ihedioha is still greeted with applause anywhere he appears in public, especially in Imo State.

Nigerians are witnesses to the extraordinary popularity of Peter Obi, the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, who, although does not occupy the Aso Rock today, commands enormous respect of a generality of Nigerians simply because of his antecedents as governor of Anambra State, as well as his acceptable business records. Recently, an aggrieved tanker driver who stopped traffic in Kogi State over a row with security operatives gave way as soon as he saw Obi’s entourage coming and was highly excited to take selfies with him.

Gen. Mohammed Marwa was the military governor of Lagos State during the transition election from the military to civilian rule in 1999. Marwa was not on the ballot then, but an interesting mild drama occurred on the governorship election day at a polling station where a group of Lagosians insisted that they were going to vote for Marwa. It was an endorsement of Marwa’s performance as a military governor.

In the same vein, then Col. Dauda Musa Komo who governed Rivers State in those days as military governor got a rousing sendoff party because of what he did for the state. Roads long forgotten were rehabilitated and from dry public taps issued potable water. Komo’s wife began a peace campaign because her husband met a state in turmoil. Rivers people were happy with Komo. When he left, a taxi driver who took us along one of the bumpy roads in Port Harcourt City sighed, saying, “when will this road be repaired? Komo who repairs roads is gone.”

On the flip side, Yahaya Bello was governor of Kogi State for eight turbulent years after which he got into a cat and rat race with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to the extent that reports filtered in that a school in the United States refunded to the Federal Government a huge amount in dollars which he paid as advance fees for his children, fuelling allegations that he had taken the money from the state coffers for his personal use, among others.

The big question is whether our leaders at all levels aim at a good and honourable name after leaving office, whether they force themselves into rulership with their agenda skewed to achieve specific purposes; whether indeed there is any aorta of patriotism in them. A character in Shakespeare’s Othello is often quoted as saying; “Good name in man and woman, dear; my lord is the immediate jewel of their souls…” Hardly has the average Nigerian politician considered this point of view in his pursuit of public office. The governors among them harbour no scruples as they brazenly help themselves to the public purse, hiding under the immunity clause in the constitution.

The point is that every public office holder should see himself or herself not just as someone chasing a good name for himself but also as an ambassador of his ethnic nationality, or even community he hails from. If the officer misuses public funds the way thieves do, by deductive reasoning, that officer is telling the world that he comes from a community of thieves. It becomes even more bizarre, or confirms the axiom, when he is given a hero’s treatment by his community. Taken beyond states, ethnic jingoists should be wary of who they support.

While it seems a difficult thing to resist the temptation to steal public funds in a milieu that cares less about punishing people for wrong deeds, our conscience and the consciousness of the consequences of the deed ought to stand as a check against the urge to soil or hands and our name. Some politicians choose to first make it a catch phrase that they could be identified with, and during their service period, strive to live it. For instance, Hon Emeka Ihedioha had his as “my word is my bond”, a one-time local government chairman in Aboh Mbaise, Chief Alan B Onyemaechi, adopted the title “Ezi Aha ka Ego” meaning good name it better than riches, among others. Such persons are bound to be what they say they are, at least to a humanly reasonable extent.

The classical examples of presidents, governors and administrators who warmed their ways into the hearts of people and dwelt there, public officers that made people shed tears when they left office, give Nigerians hope, despite the plethora of misfits with low integrity quotient. The likes of Aminu Kano, Michael Okpara, Obafemi Awolowo, Lateef Jakande, Bola Ige, among others, and lately Gov. Alex Otti of Abia State, Peter Mbah of Enugu, and others are inspiring. Good name, dear politicians, is greater than gold. Our nation Nigeria has had enough of the stigma of being among the most corrupt nations of the globe.

Dr. Odu can be reached through SMS 07016722929.