Peter Obi
Governor Obi has been rattled by evidence of his extremely high unpopularity in Anambra. Obi was shaken by the defeat of all three senatorial candidates he backed during the April 2011 general elections. Most of the candidates personally chosen by Governor Obi and the All Peoples Grand Alliance (APGA) also suffered crushing defeat.
Several sources in Anambra, including a member of Governor Obi’s cabinet, several clergy and top bureaucrats, told Naija News Desk that Mr. Obi sponsored two separate groups of senior journalists to visit Anambra. Our sources disclosed that the journalists, who were Obi’s guests three weeks ago, received both cash handouts and the promise of state-sponsored supplements in their publications.
Our sources revealed that one group of journalists was led by Dame Comfort Obi of The Source magazine while Femi Adesina, deputy managing director of the Sun, led the other group. A source within Government House, Awka disclosed that each member of the group led by Mr. Adesina received a cash gift of 350,000 naira each while members of Dame Comfort Obi’s group received 250,000 naira each.
Our sources named some of the journalists as Louis Odion of National Life, Steve Nwosu of the Sun, Onuoha Uke of the Sun, Simon Ibe of Champion, Ocherome Nnanna of the Vanguard, Felix Abugu of The Guardian, Chiemeka Iwuoha of Champion, Dan Onwukwe of the Sun, Eze Anaba of the Vanguard and Justus Nwakanma of Champion. Others include Charles Ike-Okoh of Businessday, Robert Obioha of the Sun, Luke Okoro of Sunday Champion, Rose Moses of Saturday Champion, Maureen Chigbo of Newswatch, Emeka Duru of Daily Independent, and Alvan Ewuzie of the Sun.
Our sources also disclosed that both Adesina and Comfort Obi were handsomely rewarded for leading the two separate delegations of journalists.
In a telephone interview, Mr. Odion admitted that he was in Awka to inspect projects in the state, but insisted that he did not collect any payment from Mr. Obi or his officials. Naija News Desk sent an e-mail to Mr. Adesina on his involvement in arranging the visit by one group of senior journalists. In his response, Mr. Adesina described Governor Obi as “a friend,” adding, “Since I knew him many years back, he has proven decent, and quite different from many Nigerian politicians.”
Mr. Adesina, who on May 27, 2011 wrote a highly positive column on Mr. Obi titled “Deconstructing Peter Obi, the Okwute,” also stated: “I went to Awka because the governor personally called me up to visit. I did, no apologies.”
Like Mr. Odion, Femi Adesina denied accepting any bribes, adding, “Bribe? I can't stop laughing. What would anybody give me at this stage to influence my writing[?] I'm laughing so hard, my ribs are protesting.” He further stated in his e-mail: “If you need to know, my visit to Anambra earned my company five colour advertisement pages every month, to run for many months to come. The months of May and June have been paid for. Bribe? Then there should be more of such, don't you think?”
But one of the journalists who made the trip confessed to Naija News Desk that cash was disbursed, admitting that he was aware of only one journalist who did not collect. A source in Government House revealed that Governor Obi did not only give a hefty sum to Dame Comfort Obi, he also approved the placement of government-sponsored supplements in her magazine.
Our sources said that Governor Obi pleaded with the journalists to write reports, features and columns focusing on his “achievements in road construction” and the building of a so-called teaching hospital.
Mr. Adesina’s column stated that “Obi has built at least 500 kilometres of roads. He has taken wonderful strides in healthcare, education, job creation, infrastructural development, security, and many others.” Recently, Charles Ike-Okoh of Businessday made good on his deal by writing a report titled “Peter Obi constructs over 500 kilometers of road.” In the report, Ike-Okoh writes that Governor Obi’s extensive road construction had placed Anambra well to achieve “the Millennium Development Goals”.
But several of our sources in Anambra stated that the governor’s achievements are inflated or non-existent. One source, a state commissioner, wondered whether Adesina, Ike-Okoh and the other journalists made time to inspect Obi’s projects and see the condition of the roads constructed by the governor. “These journalists just swallowed the governor’s propaganda and rushed back to Lagos to write what they were told,” adding, “most of the roads this governor is building are already full of potholes.”
The commissioner, who said he was weighing leaving Governor Obi’s cabinet, also remarked that the governor likes to boast about building a huge structure he calls teaching hospital, “even though there is not a single piece of medical equipment in the building.”
The commissioner wondered why Governor Obi has embarked on erecting billboards all over the state touting his “so-called achievements” as well as paying for supplements in numerous publications. “If you have achieved something, do you need billboards to remind the people of Anambra State of your achievements?” he asked. He added: “The governor always says he receives little money from Abuja. He says he doesn’t have money to add a few naira to the salary of doctors and judicial workers, so where does he find the money to waste on billboards and media promotion?” He said that Governor Obi’s obsession with sponsored media popularity reminded him of the style of former Governor Chimaroke Nnamani who “used the media to create the impression that he was a performer, but he had nothing positive on ground to point to as his concrete legacy.”
Another source, a Catholic priest who said he used to support Obi until he discovered that the governor “has very deceitful nature,” told Naija News Desk that the journalists imported into Enugu should have asked Obi “why he is building a teaching hospital while ignoring doctors who are on strike.” Medical doctors in Anambra have been on strike for several months over a wage dispute with the state government. The priest added that Governor Obi “finally confirmed his contempt for the people of Anambra when he sponsored a satanic person like Chuma Nzeribe to come and run for a senate seat under APGA.”
Over the last two weeks, many of the journalists who went to Awka have published glowing reports or features on Governor Obi. Onuoha Uke of the Sun wrote what one source described as “a confused and illogical piece” titled “A look at the Peter Obi governance model in Anambra”. Ocherome Nnanna of the Vanguard published excerpts from the general interview Governor Obi had with the group of journalists.
One of the journalists who went on Comfort Obi’s team said he was upset to learn that those on the Femi Adesina team were given 100,000 naira more than. He described the difference as “a slap on us,” adding that members of his group experienced a scare at the Enugu airport when the Arik plane that flew them back to Lagos developed some mechanical problem. “Comfort [Obi] and all of us were praying that nothing would happen once the flight finally took off,” said the journalist, adding that he felt insulted after that experience to discover that Obi gave more money to the other group.
As soon as Naija News Desk started posing questions to some of the journalists who went on the sponsored trip to Awka, Valentine Obienyem, who handles the governor’s propaganda, began to post anti-Naija News Desks’ messages on numerous listservs on the Internet. In one of these preemptive attacks, the state government’s propaganda machinery alleged that former Governor Bola Tinubu of Lagos State had asked Naija News Desk and its founder to attack Governor Obi. The statement went further: “Tinubu told Sowore that the fight had started from Anambra and charged him to use his outfit to paint Gov. Obi bad. In the briefing, Tinubu told Sowore to attack anything that comes out from Anambra State.”
Besides, Naija News Desk received a sudden e-mail from a so-called Non-Governmental Organization closely affiliated with the Obi administration inviting us to visit Anambra to “ascertain her successes and failures.” The letter was signed by one Emeka Umeagbalasi, “chairman, board of trustees of the International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law.”
For the record, Naija News Desk does not inspect projects, but depends on citizen reporters to evaluate the performance of various governments and to advance the cause of transparency and accountability in governance.
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