INTERVIEWS

I’ve not done my coronation after 10 years on the throne  – Kanu.

published Feb 25th 2013

HRH Eze Maxwel Kanu

 

His Royal Highness, Eze Maxwell Kanu is the Traditional Ruler of Ejezie Community in Ideato-North Local Government Area. In this interview with Ebere Inyama, he speaks about his past and present businesses and his achievements as a monarch. Excerpts.

1.        Sir please tell us about yourself, your family, your social and business engagements.

I am His Royal Highness Eze (Dr) Sir Maxwell Kanu. I am the Traditional Ruler of Ejezie Autonomous Community. I lived in Aba for 40 years during which time I served as the National Chairman of Stockfish Importers Association. I later went to Abuja where I built a hotel called Agura Hotels Ltd. I recently retired as the executive chairman of the Hotel and then became the Chairman of the Board of Trustees. I am married with children and I have a family of love. I am a Christian by faith and have risen to the status of a Knight of St. Christopher in the Anglican Community.

2.        When were you elected as the Traditional Ruler of your Community and why have you not done your coronation?

I was elected as the Traditional Rulers of Ejezie Community in December, 2003 and was given the staff of office same year. Since then I have not done my coronation because the road to my Community is nothing to write home about. Due to the level of investments I have made in Abuja, I have been honoured as a Prime Developer of Abuja. I am the life Chairman of all Ochigbos across the Niger and Chairman, Board of Trustees of all Hotel Owners in Abuja. From there you can see that those who will attend my coronation are not 2 by 3. I had already applied to the federal government to come and tar the road through which dignitaries will pass to attend my coronation. The work on the road was started but there was a problem somewhere along the line due to the non-payment of the contractors. But recently, His Excellency, Rochas Okorocha has commenced work on that road and in the next one year, there will be a motorable road through which dignitaries will pass to attend my coronation. The ministry of works have directed the Anambra/Imo River basin authority to commence the distribution of water in Ejezie Community. Shortly after Governor Okorocha commenced work on the road leading to my community, the NDDC awarded a contract for the tarring of the same road. The completion of the road is one of the major factors that will bring joy to me on the day of my coronation.

3.        What is your assessment of the Community Government Council set up by the present government in Imo State.

The Community Government Council is a viable government that reaches out to people at the grassroots. It requires sincere sacrifice of leaders who think about the welfare of the people they govern rather than leaders who think about their personal purse. It will not surprise you to learn that many State Governments will oppose the idea of CGC since it will not give them the full opportunity to cheat the common man. Not many States will embrace the idea of CGC. People who travel abroad and saw the success of CGC will tell you that we deserve such system of governance. But my worry is how to educate the governors of other States to appreciate the need to nuture their fellow human beings by showing them how to fish rather than giving them fish.

4.        How do you cope with the challenges evident in managing your businesses outside Imo State as well as discharging your duties as the ‘Eze’ of your Community.

I cope very well in both areas because my Traditional Prime Minister and Palace Secretary is a retired principal of a school who is conversant with administration. He efficiently handles the administration of affairs in my Community and I only come in when a case is referred to me for attention.

5.        Do you have any important cultural festival(s) that is peculiar to your Community? If yes, tell us about them.

We have a culture in our area which goes with our annual festival called Ikeji. It is highly amplified in my community and other sister communities that make up the entire Arondizuogu. That festival brings us together once every year and it’s usually celebrated in April. It has been so well modified such that it brings pride to all indigenes of Ejezie and other Communities that make up Arondizuogu.

6.        What changes and positive contributions have you been able to achieve in Ejezie Community since you became the Traditional Ruler.

I have brought about many changes in my Community and since I became the Eze, school children in Ejezie have enjoyed my scholarships. I have sent some students abroad to further their education. I sank a bore hold which provides potable water to my people on daily basis. I have raised successful businessmen of which the Lexus car I am using presently was given to me as a gift from one of the boys I trained. I brought peace, unity and understanding to my Community.

7.        What advice do you have for Governor Rochas Okorocha in his effort to transform Imo into a better society.

First of all, let me thank the Governor for the giant strides he has taken towards the development of infrastructure in Orlu and Okigwe. He has broken the jinx associated to a slogan which says that ‘all other cities have developed except Okigwe’. I also appreciate him for the scholarships he has given to the indigenes of Imo State from primary to tertiary levels of education and the massive development of infrastructure in Owerri and the entire Imo State.

It will be a tragedy if we loose him as governor of the State. So my advice for the Governor is for him to continue with his good works.

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Rochas advised the EFCC to set up their sub-units in Governors' offices- Offor

published Feb 5th, 2013

Chinedu Offor is the Imo State Commissioner for Information and Strategy. In this interview with Ebere Inyama, he speaks about his past and present official engagements and other issues concerning the Rescue Mission Government of Owelle Rochas Okorocha.

Excerpts:

Tell us about yourself, your past and present official engagements.

 My name is Chinedu Offor. I am the Information and Strategy Commissioner in Imo State. I was the correspondent with the Voice of America for close to 12 years.
Prior to that, I was a reporter with the Sentinel in Ohio, USA. Even when I was doing that, many people did not know that I was the North American Correspondent for the Sun Newspapers and also for Daily Independent. Prior to that, I worked as a reporter for the Guardian Newspapers. I also worked for the Champion Newspapers as a reporter.



2. What was it that made you decide to join the ‘Rescue Mission’ Government of Governor Rochas Okorocha? You had the option to say no when he appointed you.

That’s right I had the option to say no but I have always looked forward to an opportunity to contribute. I wanted to work for any government that when all is said and done, it will enhance my resume. Prior to that time, I had offers from previous administrations in Imo State and I turned them down. But I got attracted to the ‘Rescue Mission’ because of whom His Excellency was before he became Governor. I was pleasantly surprised in the midst of bad news. Every time when I was in the Press room in the DC doing editorial meetings, there were always negative talks about Nigeria, kidnappings, accidents, robbery, corruption and so on.
But I was pleasantly surprised when I started digging up his Excellency’s profile and his philanthropic activities, training people in schools for free. It is not every time that you find a man with the milk of human kindness flowing in him to help poor people. So I was blown away. I wondered that there was somebody in Nigeria who can actually use his money to help poor people. So I got attracted. And when he graciously won the election, it offered me an opportunity not only to serve, but to learn from him because he is an incredible person.
I saw is also as an opportunity have my name written somewhere as having served my State. And so far it’s been like going to school. Every day, I learn from his Excellency how tirelessly he works, the wealth of his experience, his knowledge and wisdom. So I want to learn more. I am a good student and I am learning everyday and I thank God for the opportunity. It’s not just for me to learn but also to contribute whatever I can to the development of Imo State.



3. In what ways have the Ministry of Information and Strategy under your leadership improved the publicity and awareness given to the activities of the State Government?

Anything about publicity is an exercise in progress. Publicity and information is not like a road project whereby you award it, it is executed and you commission it. It’s not like that. Publicity is about reaction to issues. Something happens and you react to it. You attack it, you explain. So it is dynamic and it is much more difficult than people think it is. For instance, when people criticize the government, you don’t just criticize them back or attack them. You first look at the critics and the criticism. Is the person criticizing you because he or she is ignorant of what is happening? If the person is ignorant, you provide the relevant information. But if the person is criticizing you because he or she is from another political party, then you know that there is nothing you can do or say to convince that person because he had already taken a position.
But most criticisms are borne out of genuine desire to know more. So what I do apart from managing the image of His Excellency the Governor of Imo State, am also the Commissioner of Information and through the agencies under me, the IBC, the Statesman Newspapers and the Government Printing Press I have been able to make positive contributions to the development of the State.
The chief among them is the IBC. We’ve been able to establish morning transmission programme. That gives the people more opportunities to hear what the Government has to say from morning to evening.
Before, the transmission from IBC was 0.5. Then if you were in a room, you needed to move around the radio before you can capture the transmission. But now you can hear it all over Imo State and beyond, even in the Local Government Areas. Besides we also have the Statesman which I am proud to say is bouncing back. The printing quality and the quality of information have changed and we still need to do more. We’ve also gone international with IBC and that has never happened in the history of Imo State before. So I am quite excited and all these would not have been possible if not for the belief His Excellency has in our ability to turn the place around.




 Recently, the EFCC were alleged to have arrested some top officials of the Imo State Government. What is the Imo State Government doing to stop such arrests in the future? especially since it claims that the officials were not involved in any financial scam .

You can’t stop arrests. First of all let us go from the perspective of the EFCC. It is set up by the Federal Government. They can go anywhere
and arrest anybody. They have the power to go to any State and arrest anybody. The Imo State government does quarrel with the EFCC doing its duty. If you recall, His Excellency was the first Governor to ask the EFCC to set up their offices in all the State Government Houses and in each Governor’s office in Nigeria. Because it is disturbing that EFCC waits for the money to be embezzled before they start investigating. Why don’t they stop the money from being embezzled in the first place? And the best way to do that is for the EFCC to have their offices inside each governor’s office so that they can object to any move made by any governor to embezzle funds.

But the situation on ground is such that the EFCC waits until millions of naira are embezzled. Then they spend additional millions of naira to investigate the fraud. It doesn’t make sense to me. But if that is the way they want to operate, it’s up to them. What we are asking for is equity.

People can spring up false stories because they don’t like the government or because they are no longer in power. Those commissioners were not arrested in the real sense of the word. The EFCC invited them to come and explain certain issues to them and when they got there, the EFCC refused to let them return to Imo State. Why were they arrested? From what we gathered, the EFCC said they collected a loan of about 50billion naira. There is no iota of truth in that allegation. We have given the EFCC the dossier of the past administration, the money that was embezzled. Councilors were paid in dollars. Have you seen such before?.

Now what happened to the oak refinery? What happened to the Mid-West air line, what happened to the dredging of Nwaorie river. We have given details of these to the EFCC and I don’t know how far they’ve gone with it. We’ve not heard of any high profile arrests on the complaints we made and yet the EFCC is coming to invite the Commissioner for Finance and the Accountant General to come and explain a loan. It is just like people leaving the log in their own eyes to go for the spec in some other person’s eyes.

If you want to do your job, you should do it fairly. They have a right to invite anybody. They have a right to go to any State. Our books are open. We know how much it costs to build a kilometer of road. We don’t have anything to hide. So there’s nothing the State government can do to stop arrests of State officials by EFCC.

We are open. If they ask me to come tomorrow, I will go. There nothing hidden. So we welcome them to come and do their job but they should do it fairly.

The former Governor, Chief Ikedi Ohakim in a press statement recently, claimed that he left about 13 billion naira in the State’s treasury after his exit from office. What is your reaction to that?

Well, there is a panel of inquiry set up to handle such issues. So if he made such claim, let him take his evidence to that panel and say how much he met in the treasury when he assumed office and also how much he left there when he left. He should also disclose the identity of the person he handed the money over to and he should provide evidence for that. It is quite simple. There’s nothing complicated about it. People can claim anything but there are records.




   Some students of Imo State University say the school authorities collected 20,000 naira from them in addition to the 100,000 naira cheque issued in their names by the State Government. Is the State govt aware about this? If yes, does it not imply that the total school fees for each student now stands at 120,000 naira per session.
That’s not true. At least the students agree that they’ve received the 100,000 naira cheque right? Now let me clear you very well. You know in every school all over the world, you pay acceptance fee and it is once. When a university gives you admission, you have to accept to study in that university so you have to pay a one-time acceptance fee. It is only when you pay that acceptance fee that you are eligible to study in that university and benefit from the free education.
This is because you cannot benefit from the free education if you have not been accepted by the university. Do you understand the logic?

I urge you to go to other states and find out how much they pay as acceptance fee. Imo State has the lowest. In Abia it is almost a hundred thousand, in Anambra it is 120,000. In all other surrounding States, no body will charge you 50,000 as acceptance fee. You also realize that after paying this acceptance fee, they also pay tuition and other fees. People misconstrue what free education is all about. His Excellency promised to pay tuition fee. He is not expected to pay for the students’ toiletries and handouts. Do you know people are arguing that they should be given the cheque so they can cash it. If they cash it what are they going to do with it? Put the money in their pocket and turn around to pressurize the government so people will think the Government has not given them the money.

The way the cheques are made out is such that the students pay the cheques directly to the school and the school will channel the money to the appropriate quarters. So the free education is real.

You ask them, when they pay that acceptance fee, are they charged any other acceptance fee in their subsequent years in the university? It is just a one-time fee paid in schools all over the world even in the US.

In addition to that, His Excellency has undertaken to pay 50% of the tuition fees of non-indigenes in the State University.Where on earth have you seen or heard such before? I think people should give His Excellency credit. He sacrificed his security vote, his comfort to ensure that education is free in the State.



Assuming the next governor decides not to forfeit his security vote like Rochas did, what plans have the State Government put in place to ensure that the free education policy survives beyond this administration?

You are asking me to become a prophet or set the stage for whoever it pleases God to make the governor of Imo State after His Excellency is done with his wonderful works in Imo State but one thing is certain, Imo State people are not fools. Do you think parents will prefer to go back and start paying hundreds of thousands of naira as school fees whereas they are getting it free at the moment? The question will be, if Governor Okorocha can do it with limited resources, built the schools, built the general hospitals and roads, fixed every where, why can’t you use the money for free education in future. It is a challenge for whoever is coming. You better have a good reason for becoming the governor of Imo State you better be ready.
The free education will continue because we hope that all men and women of good will see the goodness of it. What better legacy can you give to your generation apart from education? The Yorubas are where they are today because of Awolowo’s free education. They are at the commanding heights of the Civil Service in Nigeria because of the free education. So, it is my sincere belief that whoever succeeds His Excellency as governor will continue with the free education policy because if he doesn’t, Imo People will come and pack him out of Government House. They will insist that if Rochas can give free education, subsequent administrations should be able to do that also.


Finally Sir, do you have any challenges in the course of discharging your official duties?

Of course if I don’t have challenges, then I don’t have a job. Every day is a challenge and that is the exciting thing about the job. No one day is the next. Now let me give you an example of a challenge. How do you respond to people who say Heroes Square does not exist? Do you get upset? The challenge is in trying to reason with people. Trying to encourage them to rise above Politics and to be Statesmen. Secondly, I don’t live a normal life. I don’t sleep well. I don’t have holidays, no weekends. Sometimes I don’t get a meal because I am busy running around. Apart from those basic challenges of not living a normal life, it has been an exciting life and career so far. 

 

 

I wanted to make Imo an oil palm State - Muruako 

published December 5th 2011

Eze Sir James Muruako

HRH, Eze Sir James Muruako is the Traditional Ruler of Ihiagwa Community and former General Manager of Adapalm. In this interview with Ebere Inyama, Muruako bares his mind on the problems and prospects of Traditional Rulership system in Imo State and the fortunes of AdaPalm Ltd. Please read on…


Your highness, can you tell us about yourself and your community?
I am Eze Sir James O. Muruako, the Akawelitara Mba 1, Oche II of Ihiagwa, in Owerri-West Local Government Area. I was until recently, the Chairman of Owerri-West Council of Traditional Rulers.


When were you crowned as the Traditional Ruler of Ihiagwa?
I was initiated as traditional ruler by my people in 1996 after which I gained government recognition in December 2005.

Tell us about your education background
Well, my education background is mystery. It is one of God’s way with me. I stopped formal education after my standard Six in 1946. In 1946, I came 1st in the entire Eastern Region in the final exams taken by students from all the Baptist schools. After that, I stopped going to school because I wasn’t given the opportunity to further my education. I became a rail way porter for some time after which I enrolled in the Rapid Results College, London. Between 1962 and 1965, I passed the London University General Certificate of Education ordinary and Advanced. Between 1975, I read Sociology/Anthropology in University of Nigeria Nsukka where I graduated with 2nd class honours. That is my Education history.

Tell us about the organizations you belong to and the awards you have been given in the past?
If you look around my office here, you will see different awards, if you go to my palace you will see plenty of them. Infact, I have lost count of the number of awards I have received. I am a member of the Nigerian Institute of Journalism and also a member of the Rotary International. I cannot start counting the awards people have given me over the years I am a Justice of the Peace(JP), an award backed by legal honour, not the type people claim when the travel to Jerusalem and come back. I am happy because my people appreciate me and I appreciate them.

What are the challenges you have been having in your effort to steer the ship of your community?
To be a Traditional Ruler is a big responsibility. But I am not finding it difficult because I am trained for it. You can remember that I was the General Manager of AdaPalm in the hey days of that company. Recently we had this issue of creation of autonomous communities. When members of our legislature were about to leave office, they embark on the creation of Autonomous Communities. In the last creation which happened just before former Governor Ikedi Ohakim left office, some villages which were within my community were recognized as a new autonomous community. But that does not disturb me. To be a Traditional Ruler entails service. I have come to serve my people. When I left AdaPalm, I had many opportunities. My friends abroad wanted me to start doing business with them but when my people came and asked me to serve them, I decided to reciprocate God’s favour in my life by honoring their request. My decision to serve my people is God’s wish. Although we had a year of internal dispute, but immediately after the case ended in court, I took everybody in Ihiagwa as my subject. I am like a father to all my subjects.

How would you compare the system of Traditional Rulership in Imo State presently and the way it used to be in the past?
Traditional Rulership in Imo State in the form we have it now is a creation of the law. Our people are Republicans. In the past, what we had was a Republican Communal Administration headed by a series of hierarchy, ranging from the family elders, the Ozos and village elders. These sets of leaders had roles to play in the administration of the community. But by 1976, the newly created Imo State government rolled out the idea of autonomous communities. They set up a commission which asked communities to apply for autonomous statuses after which they were asked to select a traditional ruler. This is a creation of the law which is alien to the people of Igbo land, and that is why we are having problems today. Our people are Republican in nature and as such, they are not used to the idea of one man being at the helm of affairs with absolute authority to dictate to the people. A traditional ruler in Igbo land needs to work with his people for instance, I have my cabinet. The elders are there to work with me. I also have title holders in my community. I have the women group whom I call the “Ishimma”, and of course I have the Town Union. There is the need to administer the affairs of the community through these various groups mentioned.

You were once the general manager of AdaPalm, what is your view on the State Government’s recent move to partner with a private company in the revival of AdaPalm?
Ada-Palm was founded by the East centra1 State Government as a department of the former Imo Agricultural Development Corporation with it’s headquarters at Nekede. When I served as an Administrative Officer in the ministry of Agriculture, I was also a member of the Board of AdaPalm. I later joined the AdaPalm as an administrative officer in 1978. In 1987 I was made the General Manager of that company up to that time, AdaPalm was still managed by Belgians. They started the planting of palm trees in the area under an agreement with the Imo State Government. The Imo State government was supplying all the money. When I took over in 1987 as General Manager, I took it as a challenge and said to myself, what an European man can do, an African man can do better. So I decided to make Ada Palm the best Oil Mill in Africa. It was during my management that we completed the mills in AdaPalm and established some of the work-shops. We built most of the paradise we have at Ohaji. By 1988, we had stabilized Ada-Palm. AdaPalm was a profit-making establishment. Then we were not taking any money from the State Government. By 1989 we decided to embark on what we called the AdaPalm project 1990-1995. I went to the World Bank and Washington 1988 and AdaPalm was adjudged the best managed plantation in Nigeria. Consequently, the World Bank agreed to give us money to start what we called Adapalm Development Plan, 1990 -1995. This development plan included, founding a 5,000 hectare plantation in Ukwa which is in Abia now. You must have heard of Abia Palm which I started with the money given us by World Bank. Before I left AdaPalm, I had planted 2.000 hectares. Our target was 5,000 hectares. We had our mill at Mbawsi and Mbaise plus the Ohaji mill. Then I went to the European Investment Bank at Luxembourg and when they saw the reports on AdaPalm, they agreed to give me loan to start a vegetable farm plant. Each time I remember this, I feel like shedding tears. If you get to Ohaji now you will see the relics. The factory has been vandalized. That factory was to manufacture vegetable oil, candles and infact all the derivatives of oil. When we had put every thing in place, we saw that politics does not go together with business. We decided to privatize the Adapalm. We had already decided on shares. In fact some people had already started contributing their shares we wanted to make Adapalm an independent roaring oil company. We had plans to have a plantation in each zone of Imo State. Our plan was to partner with the land owners. They were to give us their land and we develop it for them, plant palms and manage it, when it starts yielding fruits, we start paying them. After some years, the plantation will be handed back to the owners of the land. I have gone to Malaysia several times and I saw that the Malaysian economy thrived on the oil palm so I wanted to make Imo State an oil palm State. That was our plan. And we had finished everything we needed to do before politics came in. They appointed one as the Chairman of Adapalm and he did not want to allow us to work. We started quarrelling and eventually I was retired in 1991 and immediately after I left, everything crashed. They abandoned all the plans we made and then it was “to your tents oh Israel “. They started appointing General Managers nearly 2 times every year until Adapalm deteriorated and eventually collapsed. Adapalm is a sore in my heart because if the Adapalm we planned and started developing had succeeded, Imo State Government wouldn’t be looking for money and we wouldn’t have been talking about unemployment in Imo State.

Your highness do you believe that the recent move by the Imo State government, to revive Adapalm through partnership with a private company will achieve the desired result?
I have been writing memos to the successive governments in the State urging them do something about Adapalm. In my recent memo to Governor Rochas Okorocha, I stated that I am happy with the steps he has taken because it is the only way we can salvage Adapalm before you can restore Adapalm to the state it was in 1991, you have to re-plant the entire plantation. You have to re-equip the entire mills after which you will wait for five years, during which time you have to pay your workers manage your equipments and so on. The project requires billions of naira as well as the technical know-how, and we don’t have it. I advised the Governor to go out to Malaysia or any where he can find investors who can partner with him by providing him with the funds and technical know-how. I think that is what he has done now. Adapalm as it is now is not a palm plantation, rather it is a forest of oil palm trees. No oil palm tree there now has an economic value. The life span of an oil palm tree is 25 years after which you have to re-plant. Presently, Adapalm plantation is a forest and no body is managing it. When I was working in Adapalm, we had electricity 24 hours. What the Governor has done is in the best interest of the people but he has to monitor the private investors. He should insist that they show him their development plan and strategy year after year. There is no other way out. We don’t have the funds and technical know-how to revive Adapalm.