Why Obiano Didn’t Sack Commissioners 

Raymond Ozoji, Awka

Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra state recently did his cabinet reshuffle where some of the commissioners were removed from the ministries they were serving to other ministries where they were said to have more expertise as well as the technical know-how for more economic growth and development. The governor’s decision to re-arrange his cabinet is said to be in the overall interest of Anambra state but soon after the reshufflement,  mixed reactions and divergent opinions have continued to trail his decision to rejig his principal officers. While some citizens of the state maintained that the governor goofed in his cabinet reshuffle others held that his decision was visionary because he made the right placements for the actualisation of his administration’s development agenda.

National Chairman of Willie Obiano Support Group Chief Jude Emecheta in his opinion stated that Governor Willie Obiano’s cabinet reshuffle was not a blunder as held in some quarters but insisted that the governor was right in re-arranging his commissioners to enable him to achieve better results. He said that any person saying that what the governor implemented was not in the best interest of the entire state was not being fair to the governor.  He therefore recalled that the governor was sworn-in for a second term in office last year and went ahead to replace some of the commissioners who were considered redundant. He emphasized that any person who was expecting the governor to sack his entire team was not being patriotic; that Governor Willie Obiano couldn’t have fired his commissioners out of the void.

Emecheta took cognisance of the fact that  the commissioner for environment who is an architect by training was redeployed to head the ministry of Housing and Urban Development to enable the commissioner to be in good stead to develop models and policies of housing development in Anambra state. He said the commissioner who was the former Managing Director of Awka Capital Territory Development Authority is best suited to spearhead the affairs of the ministry of Housing. Another issue he raised was the commissioner for agriculture who was moved to the ministry of Youth Entrepreneurship and Creative Economy. The governor’s aide maintained that the commissioner is an Information Technology specialist and he was most qualified to head the ministry of youth entrepreneurship and creative economy where technological innovations are the driving forces of youth empowerments. He also cleared the air on the wrong impression people have about the new commissioner for lands, who was transferred from youth entrepreneurship and creative economy to head lands. He said rather than indulge in negative propaganda, people should rather reason that the young lad hails from Anambra-West local government area where there is a large expanse of arable lands for agriculture . Though he pointed out that opposition elements in the state had alleged that the commissioner was planted in the ministry of lands for him to enrich his pockets with proceeds from the ministry, in the contrary, he explained that the commissioner was in a better position to persuade his people to release lands for government business, should the need arise. He was however emphatic as well as categorical that anybody having the notion that Governor Willie Obiano’s cabinet reshuffle was skewed, should have a second thought because the governor according to him, is on the right track.

Meanwhile, an anonymous individual also recognised that the former commissioner for youth entrepreneurship and creative economy, Hon. Bonaventure Enemali, did exceedingly well in galvanising youths for profitable ventures; that he would have remained in the ministry of youth entrepreneurship and creative economy instead of the ministry of lands which he saw as very problematic . Although he said he has the premonitions that Governor Obiano would inject new blood into his cabinet in a short while, he suggested that some commissioners should be dropped due to age and proficiency. Also, an Awka-based legal practitioner Barr. Anthony Kelechi Agbasiere observed that Hon. Bonaventure Enemali was the best commissioner in the state because he did tremendously well in the ministry of youth entrepreneurship and creative economy adding that his accomplishments in his former ministry necessitated his elevation to the ministry of lands. Agbasiere however suggested that rather than wallow in the notion that Governor Willie Obiano’s cabinet rejig was not in order, it would be proper to suggest to the governor through a petition why a serving commissioner or principal officer should be removed from office. The legal practitioner therefore advised that the new set of commissioners should be allowed to work and contribute their utmost for an all-round development of the state.

On his part, a chieftain of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) who also pleaded to withhold his identity was of the opinion that Governor Willie Obiano should have laid off all the commissioners and bring in new ones for reasons of equity, good governance and good conscience. He said retaining the commissioners meant recycling the unproductive ones lacking in their service delivery to the people of Anambra state. He quoted the governor to have said he was adding value to his cabinet but with the recent reshufflement, the governor only succeeded in dashing the hopes of the masses even as he posited that the citizenry had expected the governor to dissolve the cabinet to calm frayed nerves. The APGA chieftain who pleaded anonimity said the party was on the threshold of death and that those pretending to be members of the party were only doing so because the governor was still there He stressed that the governor’s cabinet reshuffle was antithetical to the wishes and aspirations of the citizenry.