By Dr Emmanuel C.
Ahead 2027, political jobbers of all sorts are emerging from all nooks and crannies in pursuit of purely selfish interests but marketed to the gullible as the people's agenda. Like the sun never fails to rise daily, the truth inevitably stands tall exposing the falsehood of these mercantile prophets. A recent example of this doomsday political jobbers is what a faceless group using the scurrilous hack writer calling himself Sebastine Chukwuebuka Okafor, PhD have cobbled together in jabbering drivel titled: "The Trap Set for Nsukka by Uche Nnaji and the Urgency of Mbah’s Entry into APC" being shared surreptitiously on some fly by night blogs
But for the unfettered freedom allowed the social media, Okafor's jejune posturing sponsored from all indications by naysayers would not have seen the light of day in a decent medium
Indeed, Okafor and his sponsors attempted to seek relevance by bringing the name of the Hon Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Chief Uche Nnaji into their discursive ramblings, but such gambit is akin to a crow riding on the back of an eagle.
Just like the eagle soars into the limelight, unfeigned by the pestering crow, Chief Nnaji continues increasing in stature and influence while the likes of Okafor and sponsors simply fades into nothingness. Since the internet never forgets, this response is written to probe and show up that Okafor's sponsored ramblings as the concoctions of mercantile prophets seeking pecuniary relevance by plotting against an innocent man.
Unsubstantiated Claims
The only item of substance in Okafor's wandering verse are the names of Enugu's political heavy weights which he used to spice it up. His deliberate attempt to discredit Chief Uche Nnaji and whip up negative public opinion against him fell flat on its face as there are no sins to pin on him. That Okafor and his associates embarked on a fool's mission against a man with nothing to hide is clearly evident in the incoherent lengthy ramblings with no substance. Their phantom allegations stood in naked shame as there were no substantial and credible details, nothing specific to build their fictitious allegations on. This lack of specificity raises questions about the Okafor's credibility, claims to be a PhD holder and motivations if he could lend himself to be so cheaply used.
Chief Nnaji's efforts to strengthen the APC in Enugu State as a loyal party man were even called to question and misrepresented as attempts to undermine the Nsukka zone of the ruling party at the centre. Indeed, if Okafor and his sponsors were schooled in the nitty-gritty details of partisanship and understanding of political intrigues, they would come to the realization that a house divided against itself cannot stand, thus Chief Nnaji's actions cannot but aim at building a stronger, more inclusive APC especially in Enugu State dominated by the PDP.
Though Chief Nnaji has featured in Enugu State since 1999 dawn of democracy, but how does he hope to survive as an APC chieftain by plotting against fellow party men like former Senate President, His Excellency Senator Ken Nnamani; Former governor, His Excellency Sullivan Chime; Political heavyweights like Gen JOJ Okoloagu; former Senator, Chuka Utazi and others. Can one man build party structures alone? Perhaps in a momentary return to normalcy, Okafor and his sponsors admits that '...history has shown that no individual can suppress the collective will of a determined people'
An idle mind is indeed the devil's workshop, and Okafor and association betrays their idleness by wallowing in dreamy speculations and conjectures, rather than verifiable facts, all pointing to the suggestions that if they employs their time and talents better, they would be amply rewarded should they direct their minds, fertile in sensationalism and fictional conjecturing to the lucrative Nollywood industry.
Political Agenda
This group which used Okafor as a front, through their incoherent chatter suggests an attempt to set a political agenda, ostensibly on behalf of Governor Peter Mbah. But Gov Mbah that is known to Enugu people and Nigerians at large could not have employed a fiction writer and a bunch of comedians on such a mission. Their hack article authored by Okafor is a far cry from a rational political discourse with a critical and nuanced perspective, only their egoistical viewpoints were visible. In the interest of fairness and objectivity, no evidence were advanced to foster a more constructive and logical political dialogue. Perhaps if these group were able to bridle their mercenary motives, they would have offered an informed political commentary that would reveal Nnaji's role in building a stronger APC in Enugu State
Politicking for 2027 is yet to begin and Chief Nnaji is busy, focused on his ministerial assignment. Indeed the Hon Minister's efforts to promote entrepreneurship, innovation, and technological advancement in Nigeria have impressed Nigerians with his attempts to make a remarkable difference in in the Ministry
The performance milestones and achievements Of Chief Nnaji shows he is living up to his reputation as a performer and pragmatic leader. Amongst his many achievements in office so far includes:
1. Approval for the procurement of 3 optic and 1 SAR Satellite for Nigeria.
2. Development of unmanned ground vehicles and magnetometers and solar cells. A joint development with GETS system Israel of coastal RADAR surveillance system augmentation using crewless aerial vehicles.
3. Establishment of a domestic drone manufacturing plant in Nigeria
4. Development of protocol and seedlings of tropical fruits e.g. pineapple, banana and plantain.
5. Construction & equipping of cassava plants at Uke, Nassarawa State and Igbaraoke in Ondo State.
6. Development of protocol and seedlings of tropical economic trees e.g. Gum Arabic.
7. Cassava and potato value chain enhancement.
8. In partnership with the European Space Agency, NASRDA developed in house expertise in A1, Blockchain, and remote sensing technologies to Revolutionize Sorghum & Maize cultivation in Nigeria.
9. Deployment of bio-digester for the generation of biogas, electricity etc.
10. Development of prototypes for electricity, oil and gas industries.
11. Development of prototypes for energy management device.
and execution of renewable energy projects across the country.
12. Signing of Memorandum of Understanding with the Space Exploration & Research Agency to forge new path for Nigeria’s Human Space Flight goal.
13. MOU signing of a remote sensing satellite ground receiving Antenna Station with Aerospace Information Research Institute (AIR).
14. MOU signing for the establishment of a cassava-based ethanol plant in Ekiti State.
15. Kick off of the Technology Nigeria which is a platform for skill acquisition, learning, community, apprenticeship and marketplace, which will support the socio-economic growth of our Nation.
16. Launch of the National Cleantech Innovation Entrepreneurship Ecosystem (CIEE).
17. Public – Private Partnership between the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) and P2 Cussons Nigeria for the upgrade of research equipment like the inductively coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectroscopy at the Federal University of Technology, (FUTA) Akure.
18. Groundbreaking for a new solar PV module assembling plant in Akpugo, Enugu State.
19. Groundbreaking of the establishment of Nigeria’s first Renewal Energy College in Kogi State.
20. The award of grants to 36 Innovations under the Presidential Standing Committee on invention & innovation grant initiative.
21. Signing of MOU with the Association of Computer Village Technology Merchants of Nigeria (ACOVITEMN) aimed at fostering talent with the Innovation, Science and Technology sector in order to enhance Nigeria’s global competitiveness.
22. In partnership with FLUX Carbon pte Ltd, launching of a groundbreaking initiative that introduces enhanced ROCK weathering technology to Nigerian farms.
23. The Launch of four new oral solid dosage phytomedicines, the first of their kind in Nigeria.
24. The launching of the National CNG conversion training
25. Signing MOU with Domineum/Edinburse UK for the development of Abuja Tech city and acquiring a portion of land for the project
26. Commissioning of the South West Zonal office complex for the Federal Institute of Industrial Research.
27. Launching of the National Policy on Welding and also devising for the establishment of centres of welding excellence in collaboration with the Nigerian institute of welding across the six geopolitical zones in Nigeria.
28. Commissioning of the Data base management centre of the Nigerian Council of Food Science & Technology (NICFOST).
29. Launching the Google Hustle Academy; a platform that provides businesses with the skills and tools needed to compete, scale, and contribute to Nigeria’s economic prosperity through partnership of the Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology with Google .
30. Signing ceremony of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Humanity Advancement Innovation Network (HAIN) and the launch of the iSTEP Program, which is a transformative initiative aimed at empowering youth-driven innovation and accelerating Nigeria’s economic transformation.
31. Signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with DAIMLAS Corp, a renowned U.S.-based technology firm, we have taken a leap to develop a groundbreaking Artificial Intelligence Powered Platform that will redefine the Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) landscape in Nigeria.
And the very recent MoU between Nigeria and Brazil on Cooperation in Science, Technology and Innovation, an greement providing for collaboration in biotechnology and bioeconomy, ocean science, energy, space research and development, digital transformation, innovation ecosystems, and raw materials development.
While Chief Nnaji had been focused on his ministerial assignment and working to prove his mettle, it is obvious from Okafor and his group's rantings that Chief Nnaji's rising profile is raising the high blood pressure of certain persons and perhaps Okafor would do well in his next outing to answer the question: Who is Afraid of Uche Nnaji!
