Nowhere In The World People Practice Rotational Leadership- Uzu Okagbue

Uzuegbuna Okagbue is a Nigerian politician, an entrepreneur, community leader, a Philanthropist and humanitarian. He is the Deputy Governorship candidate of the Young Progressive Party (YPP) in Anambra state

Uzu Okagbue was born on October 1, 1977, to the family of Chief Chike Okagbue, a reputable and successful businessman, from Mgbuke village in Umunnachi, Dunukofia Local Government Area of Anambra State.

He was the Chief of Protocol and Deputy Chief of Staff to the immediate past Governor of Anambra state, Chief Willie Obiano.

In this interview with the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Anambra state council led by the chairman, Comrade Odogwu Emeka Odogwu PhD, Hon. Uzuegbuna Okagbue said his principal and YPP flag bearer in the November 8 governorship election in the state, Dr. Paul Chukwuma will address insecurity and introduce programmes and activities that will bolster the economy of Anambra state if elected.

He dismissed the concerns of citizens over the zoning arrangement in the state, saying that competence should be guiding principles and not zoning. Excerpt:

Why do Nigerian politicians see electioneering as a period to attack or discredit their opponents instead of wooing voters?

Our approach to this gubernatorial election is issue based. You may not have heard of any kind of insulting or abusive words coming out of YPP camp or statements that is demeaning or trying to castigate anyone. We are not in the race for name calling. In fact, I can talk for the next two hours without mentioning Prof Soludo or his administration.

Our campaign is not based on personal attacks or discussing individuals but discussing the failures of this government and presenting ourselves as alternatives to Ndi Anambra and residents here.

What areas of administrative failure have you observed in this present administration?

The failures are glaring. The question everyone is asking is if this administration has not done well then who would replace them? What can the person do? Can they do any better?

So, we have presented ourselves as alternatives and I expect members of the press to be at the forefront of communicating that alternative. I expect you to take away some salient points as against trying to demean anybody that qualifies us to be an alternative.

Why do some people harp so on about Insecurity in Anambra despite the presence and launch of Agunechemba/Udogachi Operatives?

Insecurity has been a problem in this state for the past three years. If you have not lost a family member, you may have lost a friend to violent crime. This place reminds me of Sicillian tale when the Mafia was on rampage in the 60’s and 70’s.

I guess the journalists were a witness to the shooting that happened at Ekwulobia where two persons were feared dead and others were reportedly injured.

Moreover, I discovered that conventional security agents are no longer engaged to provide security in Anambra State.

What I see are bandits wearing masks that carry guns in the name of security. The question is who are these security operatives? Where are the security agencies that guide the various state actors within the government, the police, the DSS? Why are we left in the hands of Vigilantes? If those Vigilantes have been confirmed as the best why are they not in the Governor’s convoy or with our state actors.

There is a fundamental challenge with the style that has been adopted by this government. They are not ready to empower the conventional security agencies to do what they are doing in other states in our State? Go to Asaba, Delta State or Enugu State you will not find pump-action carrying-mask wearing indvidividuals or vigilantes manning the streets there. The crime there is not as bad and terrible as we see in Anambra State.

Police, DSS are federal agencies but Governor have been receiving security votes. If they are federal agencies the security votes can be used to augment what the Federal agencies receive from federal.

We have seen states collaborate with this security agencies and secure their people. So, why wouldn’t this present administration support conventional security agencies to secure this state?
These are questions Ndi Anambra with all its residents will be answering on November 8, 2025.

I just came back from Obosi were some security outfit belonging to the State government wrecked havoc at the Obosi Town Hall because they were not given certain access to operate indiscriminately.

I saw a lady whose son was matchetted with a swollen muscle. If that child was an adult he probably would not be able to use that hand again.The woman alleged that the operatives took N19,000 naira from her purse which fell down as they invaded the place chasing unsuspecting members of the public.

There was another petty trader, a widow who was also traumatized by the unwarranted attack. I later added her as a beneficiary of my Widows Empowerment Scheme”
For about 10 years now, I have a covenant with God concerning widows because a lot of people don’t know what widows are passing through. My people have tried to give me titles about that and I told them that the widow approach or given succour to widows is not localized to Umunachi or Anambra that. It long began at Abuja when I was much younger.

How does Insecurity affect the growth of Anambra Economy and the development of other Sectors?

If you don’t deal with insecurity there will be no growth. People no longer feel safe to come home for local ceremonies, to bury their loved ones, take chieftaincy titles and conduct traditional marriages which have been what excites our people.

You must have driven from Awka to Umunachi, I don’t think you were held up by any traffic showing that there are no economic activities going on at Afo Igwe market. In our days in office, I will personally come down to clear road from the Afor Igwe market to access my house.

There is an economy that serves those petty traders, that economy is dead. It is called traditional marriage economy, funeral and chieftaincy economy.

Few years ago, most of the hotels in Anambra would be filled up from Wednesday to Mondays. The traditional marriage economy boosts the local or village economy. Those holding traditional marriages, chieftaincy titles normally come home to the village and once they come, they will buy tomatoes, pepper, vegetables that will be cooked in ceremonies. These local economy is no longer happening because of insecurity which is a fundamental factor.

Now these local women can’t make sales because they are dependent on these ceremonies to make sales but unfortunately as I come back around 8 or 9pm, I see these fresh tomatoes, fruits emptied into the drainages because of poor or no sales.

These women buy the goods, pay Keke to carry it to the market, they end up not being able to sell enough, they throw it away. You need to see the pain that these petty traders and farmers go through because the traditional marriage and and other economy are dead in the state.

“There is a fundamental challenge. Wether the public accepts that or not. We need to get the right people to tackle these problems, it doesn’t matter who or from what party the person emerges”.

It is a pity that our businesses have crossed the bridge to Asaba.

The state of insecurity in Anambra has reduced the GDP/ per capital income of Ndi Anambra

These are facts you can verify and report it as facts not that YPP said it so that people will not see it as politics.

There is no congestion of roads because people have left the state and economic activities are very low because of insecurity..

Anambra State is running under 10 hours economy while a normal economy grows by running nothing less than 15 hours.

People are afraid to leave their house early or come back late because of fear.

Before now, our parents wake up before 6am to find something to buy for your school children but nowadays, people are scared to come out by 6am and before 8pm everyone has gone inside.

Payment platforms all over the world including Nigeria run 24 hours It allows people access to all manner of payments for those who wants to operate non stop. But it cannot happen in Anambra because of insecurity. With insecurity you can never develop the economy optimally.

If anybody doesn’t understand what insecurity is doing to our economy which was once vibrant and biggest economy in West Africa, we should have a rethink. They used to say that main market was the biggest in West Africa but not anymore.

Recently I had a late flight that landed at Asaba airport. At Asaba, 10pm to 12 midnight businesses are still on but as soon as you enter Onitsha, you will see no vehicle on the road.

I grew up in Onitsha, it was not like this. Every Petrol Station my father operated in Anambra ran for 24hours but I came back one day late and by 9pm no Petrol Station was open and we slept in darkness that night.

If you don’t address the fundamental challenge of insecurity which Government is heavily funded to address, then we are joking in this state

Seek first the security of lives and property of Ndi Anambra, other forms of development would follow.

The only way you can activate development in other areas and make life more meaningful to Anambra people is by addressing insecurity. The moment you address security the people feel safe. Economic activities will bounce back, the informal economy will also bounce back. Development will be massive. Know this, Anambra has people who are very wealthy and goal driven personalities.

Already some roads are built by our illustrious sons while building their houses. The only thing that stalled that aggressive development that was on course few years ago was due to insecurity. The most pressing need in Anambra is insecurity. The moment you address that, you will be marvelled at what other kinds of developments that will spring up without much effort.

There are people with huge capital to invest in Anambra because it is a fertile place for investment. The enabling environment needed is to restore security and you will discover a lot of progress. Who are you building roads for when people are running away as a result of insecurity.

Anambra people are known for coming home to buy land and develop but now who is going to supervise that land. People are afraid that they could be kidnapped with high premium on your head.

Unfortunately, the leadership and economic theory of Prof. Soludo doesn’t understand the place of security in economic growth.

Remember that some leaders are comfortable with insecurity so that nobody comes in to challenge them.

Can we say that you and your principal are in the guber race to address insecurity ?

We are not running to replace Soludo but we want to replace this administration. The point is that the potency of any leader is dependent on the team surrounding that leader.The essence of coming into government is because we believe we have something to do better .

Sir Paul and I will not just govern this state, the moment we win, we shall congregate men and women into a formidable team to govern Anambra State.

The truth is that whatever is happening today is not just about Soludo but the administration made up of people laden with certain responsibilities under his leadership.

You cannot blame Soludo alone because if he is not getting it right at the health sector, the commissioner for Health should have had an altercation with him because he is a health professional or we should have heard he resigned if Soludo insists to have his way against what is appropriate. This is because the Commissioner is an expert in that profession and should stand his ground. The Health Commissioner as a Medical Doctor should be held responsible for whatever goes wrong or right in that sector and not the Governor. Likewise, when our Governing team commences, the Commissioner should be bold enough to tell Paul that although he is a professional in the legal profession but not in the medical profession or health sector.

Likewise, if the quality of roads already built are bad why not hold the Commissioner for Works who is a certified Engineer responsible. If you are told to construct a road, shouldn’t you know that the road will be tied to your name as Commissioner for works and your generation. If you are a man of integrity you would tell the Governor that you will rather resign than construct a substandard road.

But we have not heard anything like that. Whatever is happening, is a function of his administration not just that Soludo is not giving a listening ear. Let us quit this blame game on an individual.

“The point is that this administration collectively is not leaving up to expectation and we want to replace it”

The question is, while this administration is seen going round the world to present its scorecard, which one has been presented to Ndi Anambra at home and what medium could have been the best medium to present that scorecard?

I don’t know of how many states the present Governor visited before he became Governor because I know that I was part of the system that made him emerge as Governor. Now, he wants a reelection and he is going everywhere telling the world of his achievements without telling those at home.

This Administration do not find the residents of Anambra worthy of being presented the scorecard but to those in diaspora.

We need leadership that will cover every aspect of the state and will be based on what the people bring to the table. For instance, I grew up at Onitsha, I cannot bring main market to Umunachi. I will live to see that day as against certain developmental strides that are being done from Awka moving to the south. That I will see Awka road from express to Savoy to Old Market road to main market dualized. I want to see that development.

It is good to dualize some places but what happens to those places where the revenue is coming from? Everywhere will get a fair share of development but this development must be very idealistic starting from where the revenue is generated from .

Moreover, you need to know where the revenue is going to come from. The money or revenue is not going to come from petty traders, poor women and widows and barrow pushers. In every society, we have what is called top-mid approach taxation but in Anambra, what we have is the bottom-mid approach taxation. I don’t even see them taxing the main people that needed to be taxed. They don’t even have access to those top people rather, they tax poor people money

Every civilized society understands the Top -Mid approach to taxation. How much do you think that Keke drivers make? For the purposes of election people are now saying that Soludo said that they should stop collecting revenue from barrow pushers.

The barbaric attitude of revenue collection from the very poor people in the society where these petty traders are harassed, maltreated to pay monies that they have not even earned is disheartening. So because of election, Soludo said that they should stop collecting taxes from barrow pushers. For him to have made that statement, it means that those touts were actually working for the state Government. You can imagine that, how much does barrow pushers make in a day. What kind of insensitivity is that. It is so sad

Are you aware that Part of Gov. Soludo’s Scorecard include the construction of over 400 km of roads in the last three years more than what the last administration did in 8 years?

This Government claims they have built over 400 kilometers of roads but it is not a reality. We, Ndi Anambra resident at home need to know the current state of those roads excluding the Airport road built by my former principal, Chief Willie Obiano which this administration just embellished.

Chief Willie Obiano did his best and diversified development. At a point he decided to stop doing roads, flyover and bridges to build an airport which he did in record 13 months and the International Conference Center which are still as he left them. I had to tell him to also stop the construction of this Afo Igwe road bypass that was done to decongest the busy Afor Igwe/ Oyeagu market traffic before it crossed my house so that people will not think I attracted its construction for selfish reasons.

People chase their personal excitement and call their personal excitements progress and development. For instance, the construction of a fun city is a personal excitement.

It is not bad to have a playground but the question is, that playground you have put in place was there a demand for it by the people?

The press should do a research analysis. Set up a questionnaire and know wether the playground is what the people want or now. It is that disconnect with the press that is making them pursue personal excitement saying that they are bringing development of Disney park with waterfalls.

People are looking for ways to generate more revenues . The revenue you generated is being used to fund things that cannot generate commensurate revenue to develop other places.

I challenge the press to demand for the revenue position of this fun city in the next three months. Let them tell us how much that playground can generate between now and October. A playground can be in a developed State but did the people demand for a playground. Did the government satisfy the key needs of the people before choosing to build a playground? Who is going to take over its management? Are there backed up deals to it ? Without answers to this questions, the Government cannot say they have done well.

With Respect To Zoning Arrangements Working in Anambra State, Are You Not Concerned that the Governorship Candidates of Other Major Political Parties in the Race are From Anambra South Senatorial Zone?

The point is that we want a functional leadership. A leadership that will speak and act on the challenges not the one that is leaning on extremely trivial senatorial zone.I live for the moment not zoning arrangements or whom to hand over.

We don’t want a leadership founded on myopism. You cannot say it must be on zoning arrangements because even if that zone that must go do not have a capable person yet you still want the zone to produce a candidate even if the person is a clown.

There is nowhere in the world where people practice rotational leadership, it is not a constitutional provision but it is understandable when rotational slots or who becomes the leader is done within a political party. What people pursue in leadership is competence.

You need to have people in leadership who understands what it takes to govern this state. People who understand business, finance, governance and the people of Anambra state. People who are liberal in their thinking, who understand that this state requires a holistic approach of development as against development that are sectional to wherever you come from.