By JONES IKE

Like a good opening gambit in a game of chess Dr. Alex Otti, The Governor elect of Abia State inaugurated a 100-member Transition Council on Friday 14th April, 2023. The committee, which some discerning minds have since dubbed as the “100 wise men” were drawn from diverse backgrounds. Most were top professionals in their chosen vocations as well as being people of means. Their diverse backgrounds included medicine, Law, Accounting, Politics, Media, ICT, Business and Industry, the Academia, Arts, the Bureaucracy, etc.

So, on the appointed day, the invitee’s turned out in their numbers at the luxurious Danyu Hotel by the Aba Riverside, a little bit hidden from the bustles of the Enyimba city which made it a perfect place for such conference. The choice of Aba was in itself symbolic of the new policy direction which the governor elect wants to toe .Such policydirectionwas amply reflected in his inauguration speech when heasserted that “we have chosen Aba for this inauguration today because Aba is the heartbeat of Abia economy despite the fact that it has been abandoned for many years by successive administrations”. “We want to build an industrial hub with steady power supply, renewable energy and other solid infrastructure for the economy of the state”.

The assemblage of such an important think tank to help in laying a solid policyframework forthe smooth take offof the incoming administration as the Chairman of the Council, Victor Onyenkpa put it, “is tohelp in definingthe pathway that will make an Abia Miracle possible” ,“to produce the road map for its achievement”. A miracle that both the Abia as well as the national and global community earnestly expect from Dr Alex Otti. It also has to be noted that the call for help which the assemblage of such an august body implies is in itself a sign of humility, an admission of a limitation in knowledge despite being an acknowledged first-class brain and a foremost economist, banker, financial expert and writer in Nigeria. It is indeed an expression of an honest, wise and courageous leadership which the state desperately needs.

As the members sat inside the hall listening with rapt attention to the speeches when the opening ceremonies commenced, the hall and the setting had all the ambience of a digitalised world. The secretariat was manned by smart, young and intelligent professionals who were quite very courteous. They were also drawn from diverse backgrounds and from different regions of the country, North, South, West, East and Niger Delta.

They administered the secretariat and provided background information in a most efficient manner .The setting of the hall and secretariatgavediscerning mindsan inkling of what an Alex Otti-run government will look like and that is an efficientgovernmentthat will be run by smart and intelligent people , where information and services will be provided in a most effective way.

To further buttress the serious business of the day, Nigeria’s poster brainchild and current Director General of World Trade Organization (WTO), Dr. Ngozi Okonjo Iweala came alive virtually to give what could be termed a world class key note address whereby she pointed out challenges that will help leapfrog the state’s development trajectory. The sermon included an urgent need for disruptive strategies rather than the traditional way of thinking. Other tasks she gave included finding ways to attract international businesses into the state and raising the local supply chain, increasing access to power especially renewable energy for households, increasing internally generated revenue, making Aba the focal point of infrastructural development and giving urgent attention to healthcare especially in the realm of attracting pharmaceutical manufacturing andestablishing the structure of good governance and transparency.

After the opening ceremonies, the Council then settled into the main business of the day with an opening plenary that saw the members energetically making robust contributions into several areas that will improve governance inthe state .It was at these sessions that the leadership abilities of boththechairman, Onyenkpa and co-chairman Mrs. Ifueko Omogui Okauru became all self-evident.

Also, at the plenary session the outline of the tasks were lined with questions, answers and general contributionstaken from members on wide range of issues that bedeviled the state. The members were also educated on baselines that will guide discussions and contribution.

Later the council was broken unto sub committees that includes the following(a) Economic Transformation For Job Creation andPoverty Reduction (b) Socio-Economic Enablers (c) Social transformation and Human Capital Development(d) Governance , Rule of law and Strategic Partnership Across frontiers (e)Environment, Resource and Sustainability(f) Finance and Financing mechanisms (h) Economic Rejuvenation of Aba as an Industrial and CommercialHub.

As the members settled down into the various sub committees to deliberate on their assigned roles. It immediately became obvious that the 100-member committee was still not enough to man all the strategic committees that had been demarcated. Some critics had prior to the inauguration raised concerns about the size of the committee which some of them considered to be unwieldy. As I settled down more into the task ahead, it became obvious to me that they lacked the elementary knowledge of both the character and content of the tasks.

As we settled furtherdown intothe Socio- Economic Enablers Committee which I had been consigned with Mr. Frank Nneji (the founder of ABC Transport) as Chairman and Mrs. Eileen Shayeen as his Deputy, I marveled at the spirit, the commitment, patience, enthusiasm and energy which the members exuded. The same was true of all the other attendees who had now been scattered into the various other sub committees.

In our own Socio-Economic Enablers Committee, I had gladly accepted to Chair its Sub Committee on Water. As we deliberated on how to move our assignment forward. The first problem we encountered was how to find a suitable time that all members will be comfortable with since the subsequent meetings was going to be conducted on virtual platforms and most of the members had very busy schedules and in different parts of the globe. Once that was achieved the members settleddown comfortably into their challenging task.

Once settled on the work, one’s mind again veered off into the commitment of the distinguished men and women who were brainstorming on how to achieve a quick win for Abia State with Dr. Otti as the Chief Servant.

Most of these excellent People had left the comfort of their homes and offices and at costs to themselves to come and help the people of Abia State. Many of these people were not even from South East. Such sacrifices at once demonstrates patriotism and love for both country and neighbor at its best. It also portraysthe positivevirtues that areinherent in theNigerian nation. It also occurred to us that many of them were making this sacrifice because of the personal integrity and goodwill of Dr. Otti. There was also the obvious fact that both Dr Otti and Abia people will be needing large amount of such good will in future. The proprietary value of the transition councilwill be better appreciated when it is realised that Dr. Otti will be starting his administration from almost ground zero.

In all, it could be said that the disruptive strategy that is implied by theassemblage of suchbrilliant minds in the Transition Council that will help him to find the shortest pathway to an “Abian miracle” is an excellent opening gambit byDr. Alex Otti. It is a good and bold step in the right direction.

Chief Jones Ike is a Member, Dr. Alex Transition Council. (THISDAY)