“IF YOU DON’T LIKE IT GO AND HIT YOUR HEAD AGAINST THE WALL ” – GOVERNOR ALEX OTTI
The Governor of Abia State had reportedly said in a viral video that any body who is opposed to his decision to appoint only billionaires as Mayors (Transition Committee Chairmen) should “hit his head on the wall”.
Many commentators have come so hard on the Governor for failing to wear the temperament of a humble public servant, while some others viewed his comments as irresponsible and unbecoming of a Candidate who had enjoyed tremendous goodwill on his way to stardom.
This article views the pros and cons of that unpopular comment weighed against the expectations of the people.
John Okiyi Kalu (JOK)
The caption of this intervention reminds me of a quote from a James Hadley Chase novel I read many years ago: “It’s when a guy gets full of confidence he’s wide open for a sucker punch. I’ve seen it again and again in my racket. Some guy commits murder. He takes a lot of trouble and thought to cover it up, fakes himself an alibi or maybe makes it look like it’s been done by someone else. Then he imagines he’s safe, but he isn’t. And, wham, he’s flat on his back…”
I don’t want any sucker punch to hit my Governor so I will advise him to apologise and retract his statement that the people who elected him should hit their head on the wall. Aside from the fact that the statement reveals deep-seated arrogance and resentment, such a vile statement directed at any segment of the populace must never be found coming from a leader, no matter the circumstances; it negates everything we expect in a democracy and smacks of gross indecency.
That people disagree with your position on anything does not mean they are beneath you and only deserve broken heads, especially when you are speaking to your employers, the people. Such vitriol is the product of a mind formed in totalitarianism and manifested in fascism.
This mindset of “I don’t care” does not have any place in leadership just like abusing your predecessors and attempting to ridicule stakeholders of a different leaning in your state as people you removed “feeding bottle” from their mouths.
One of the reasons Nigerian youths love Mr Peter Obi is his humility and I wonder how he is feeling after watching this video wherein a Governor he principally eased into office is asking citizens to hit their heads against the wall if they don’t agree with him.
Let’s examine the issues Otti raised in this circulating video.
1. He wants billionaires as “Mayors” of our LGAs even when he must already have been advised by his Attorney General that it is constitutionally impossible. Yet, he says if we don’t like it we should hit our heads against the wall.
Not so strangely too, the Governor suggested that being a billionaire approximates to not being corrupt and having more integrity than others. Donald Trump must be proud of Mazi Otti after watching this his video.
Of course, among the names being peddled as potential “Mayor” of one of our LGAs is a man I know personally to be a great businessman whose word is his bond. But suggesting that among young Abians we cannot find men and women with integrity and leadership capacity for such a role is a huge slap on Abia youths and indeed the youth dominated Obidient movement that worked tirelessly to birth the Otti administration in the State. Many of them are still at social media today defending this public humiliation and vote of no confidence passed on them by their Governor.
I sympathize with Abia Youths but I must admit that they were warned by a first class criminologist, Elder Okey Amuta that the man they were supporting to be Governor in March 2023 was “pompous and arrogant”. According to him, “Alex (Otti) is not one man you can work with and express yourself. Alex is a dictator…if you are not rich you are not Alex’s friend”.
That video from Aba confirms elitism and pomposity, without any shred of doubt.
Those young people who ignored the above warning by this cerebral Abian can watch the video again in the hope that they learn how to assess people for political leadership.
As I will always say, political leadership is about the people and any man whose character will not help him love the good and help them to be better, support the bad to be good and help the ugly to see the beauty in them has no business leading a people even if he is successful in making good or bad billions in any currency.
2. Governor Otti wants a non-indigene billionaire as “Mayor of Aba” but unfortunately he miscommunicated that to mean that Aba has no indigenous billionaires. He also failed to define the operational coverage of the putative appointee because Aba City is within the coverage of 5 LGAs: Aba North, Aba South, Obingwa, Osisioma and Ugwunagbo.
Is the Governor saying that this his billionaire Mayor will be in charge of all 5 LGAs? And where is he deriving the constitutional authority to merge the LGAs under a mayoralty from?
There is nothing strange or new about having a non indigene as TC Chairman of either Aba North or South LGA. Even during the recent Okezie Ikpeazu administration, we had an Anambra man, Dr N C Okoli as 3-time TC Chairman of Aba South LGA. The same man served under Senator TA Orji’s administration.
There are many other non indigenes that have occupied similar positions in Aba North or South LGA but then the glorification of affluence, no matter how gotten, is the issue with the Otti intervention.
Apparently, the Governor prefers billionaires to hardworking Nigerian youths but he shouldn’t rub that in the way he did.
There is also no community without “billionaires”, including indigenous people of Aba na Ohazu, but I can testify that there are many young Abians who are very hard working, without traces of corruption, and with matching administrative acumen to even lead Abia State or Nigeria. Without being within tbe preferred age bracket of Otti’s billionaire friends some of them are already excelling in ICT, banking, telecoms, diplomacy and international administration.
If Otti wants a list of such young Abians excelling in diverse endeavours, he should say so and I will offer him 17 of his own supporters that will not “share allocation” but will add tremendous value to local government administration in Abia State. The 3rd tier of Government should actually be exclusively reserved for young leaders.
Mr Governor, please do not ask hardworking Abia youths to hit their head against the wall. It is very wrong sir. Calling your predecessors names like criminals, feeding bottle suckers etc is one thing but asking Abia youths to hit their head against the wall is a new low in Abia and Nigeria.
If your point is that being a billionaire is genetically linked to integrity and acumen in leadership may be you should ask your billionaire friends to nominate their children to occupy the positions.
3. I am proud of the comment made by the Governor that he has only one wife and 3 children. That should serve notice to those women who might want to make contrary claims in future from Port Harcourt, Abuja, Umuahia, Lagos etc to keep off. This video precludes latter day reapers from where they didn’t sow.
Personally, I think Mazi Otti married a good and supportive wife that every man should be proud of so her husband boasting about her in public is something women activists should applaud and celebrate.
Read also:
ALEX OTTI TAKES OVER AS ABIA GOVERNOR: DESCRIBES PAST AS ‘EGYPT’
ABIA FINANCIAL STATUS: IKPEAZU’S FORMER AIDE REPLIES OTTI
ALEX OTTI, GOVERNANCE AND THE REALITY OF ‘WORSHIPPING’ TWO GODS
OTTI ORCHESTRATED “HOSTILE HANDOVER ” TO DEMONISE, VILIFY IKPEAZU: JOK INSISTS
I also suspect his children are also well raised and will in future make us proud as TC Chairmen or in other public leadership positions, with or without being billionaires. It is biblical that an elder serving the people must be husband of one wife and our Governor is perfectly right to highlight that credential of his. “If you are unfortunate to have three wives…” kuo ishi na wall.
To be continued…
Okiyi was former Commissioner for Informatiom, Abia State
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