Teen leadership and one-day governor of Abia State

EARLY November of 2020, when I interviewed the Special Adviser to the Abia State Governor on Teens Matters, Chinemenma Umeseaka, I asked her what her greatest milestone as an adviser of her governor was. She mentioned three. But, the one with utmost relevance was her establishment of the One-Day Governor of Abia State programme, an annual contest for teenagers to become the governor of the state, just for one day. Umeseaka’s love for teenagers and their welfare is motivated by her formative and teenage experiences, which she told me she would not allow any teenager to experience—hence, her unflinching dedication to teen coaching and development since 2012. For years now, she has been hosting radio and television programmes for teenagers, and publishing a teen magazine as well. She also told me her governor, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu, has tremendous interest and affection for teenagers’ welfare. “He (the governor) always talks about how his teen years were significant to who he is today,” she said.

Since 2017, Umeseaka and her governor have successfully produced three One-Day Governors of Abia State, the ‘God’s Own State’. To emerge as the One-Day Governor is not an easy undertaking. Perhaps, it is more difficult than producing a four-year governor through Nigeria’s bastardised electoral institutions. For the One-Day Governor contest, series of tests, quizzes, brain teasers, oral presentations and current affairs on Abia issues are conducted across zonal and state levels through the office of the Special Advisor of the Governor on Teens Matters. Fortunately, the last edition of the contest was won by a 17-year-old Nicholas Ogunji, who recently graduated from Adventist Technical Secondary School, Ebem Ohafia in Abia State. On December 17, 2020, Ogunji was official inaugurated as the first male and third One-Day Governor of his state, alongside his deputy governor Emmanuel Chibuike, his secretary to the state government (SSG) Fransisca Obijeme, and his seventeen commissioners. Though His Excellency, Nicholas Ogunji, did not have advisors, he enjoyed the services of his aides.

In the course of his one-day administration, Ogunji chaired a state executive council (SEC) meeting, visited a correctional centre at Afaraukwu, where he freed some inmates, plus other things that impacted the lives of Abia people. Filled with joy, he stated that it was a great honour and privilege for him to run the affairs of his state for one day, adding that, “Though I didn’t do much, I knew fully well that I could make important decisions and they would be carried out.”

Ogunji noted that his administration has raised his interest in leading his state in the future through a four-year tenure as an elected governor. However, for now, he said he would rather focus more on his engineering aspirations. He also said he wants to study civil engineering at the Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO) in Imo State; and that in ten years, he sees himself as a successful, well-known engineer, investor and businessman. Reacting to Ogunji’s administration, Governor Ikpeazu twittered that His Excellency, Nicholas Ogunji, was the third One-Day Governor under his administration, adding that, “The One-Day Governor policy of my administration is a way of introducing our youth to leadership early, prepare them for the challenges and prospects of democratic governance and also serve as inspiration to others.” Describing the governor, Ogunji stressed that Governor Okpeazu is a good man and his motive behind this programme is to encourage students to do more academically, adding that Ikpeazu was proud of his success in the contest and of his one-day administration too. Furthermore, describing Chinemenma Umeseaka, Ogunji said she is a hardworking woman, who fought tirelessly to make the programme a reality. “I could see happiness, fulfilment and joy in her (Umeseaka) face when she was about to present me to the governor. God bless Aunty Chichi, as we fondly call her,” he said.

In the November, 2020 interview, Umeseaka told me that people mock her job as a teen coach, as if it is a joke to prioritise teenagers. “What we should be giving our future leaders should go beyond economic and political positions, to deep-rooted values that will enable them sustain whatever it is we are handing over to them,” she added. Umeseaka noted that part of Ogunji’s remuneration for his one-day gubernatorial stewardship to his state was 1 million naira, for his upkeep and education. On the major lessons his one-day administration taught him, His Excellency, Nicholas Ogunji, stressed that leadership is not an easy task, that leaders suffer in the process of leading others. He also stressed that he had learnt to be more careful now because people, especially teenagers, would like to be like him or to do as he does. His advice to his fellow teenagers is: “Patience pays a great deal, fellow teenagers. Determination and diligence are important as well. I encourage all teens to fear God.”

• Alumona, a social commentator, writes in from Ibadan

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