Now this is where our own “change” has begun! I have just noticed that the governor – elect for Cross River State has decided that there is no need for a transition committee. Or rather maybe Governor Imoke has so decided.
This is most interesting because a transition committee usually serves as a bulwark between the old and the new administrations, reviews some policies of the past and makes some recommendations on their workability or otherwise and attempts to generally chart a way forward for the incoming administration.
During this policy review exercise, a new governor can even begin to recognise civil servants who know their jobs from those who fill quotas and ditto for politicians who may have been appointed to those committees.
It is so important that even governors in their second term have been known to set up “transition” committees because they are essentially policy review committees. Even the #GMB change agenda did not stop them from keeping this tradition at the Federal level.
One therefore wonders why a governor elect with no previous government experience at the Executive branch will consider it unnecessary to have a policy review committee as he steps into a whole new arena.
My guess is that two reasons may have been responsible, one: the incumbent may have subtly dropped a hint that it is not necessary. This can only be so because sometimes in the process of these reviews, a lot of skeletons are revealed from cupboards of the administration and that is the last thing Governor Imoke wants right now.
The sheer diversion of public funds like money paid in lieu of Bakassi, Agricultural loans, Sure P, etc etc are only heard about but never seen in action. I stand to be corrected.
I remember serving as Secretary of the Education Committee in Donald Duke’s transition committee and I recall the revelations that filtered out of the various sub committees that made it impossible for the then military Administrator Navy Captain Osundo, from coming to the stadium for the swearing in ceremony!
The palpable angst in Cross River State today, despite the facade of ” delivering ” the state 100% to PDP leaves Governor Imoke walking a very tight rope indeed to avoid an explosion.
But transition or not it will surely come. Not even his successor can stop that, no matter the contrivance. Mark my words.
The laughable lobby to become National chairman of PDP, to retain some relevance in the eyes of his home boys , which has had a still birth before he saw the need to distance himself from it is only the beginning of many failures to follow his unearned successes over the years. After all when you get to the top the only other place to go is down!
Secondly, the state is so cash strapped that he cannot afford the bills that will come with a transition committee. And that will be most embarrassing as the state struggles to pay half monthly salaries while the governor pretends that he is not aware that the state university has been on strike for upwards of six months!
Whatever the reason(s), it is most unfortunate because it is the Cross River State people that will be short changed. And I can say this is the beginning of things to come.
Concentric circles of conspiracies that Imoke desperately wanted to ensure that his cabal runs the state according to his dictates for the purpose of cover ups of years if opaque administration and economic voodooism that have combined to leave Cross River State and Cross Riverians pauperised.
I have absolutely no ambition of serving in a transition committee. It is on record that the last one Imoke appointed me to I never showed up. That’s by the way, but just so that when the attackers put their act together they will save me the trouble of saying I was looking forward to an appointment!
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