Barr Maurice Chukwu
As the November 16th Governorship elections in Anambra State fast approaches, and political campaigns reach feverish high, with each of the sea of twenty-three candidates cleared by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC trying hard to out-wit each other with eye-catching , unrealistic and out-of-reach campaign promises and slogans like ‘Taking Anambra to the Next Level’ even as most of them cannot explain in practical terms what ‘the next level’ entails, my mind only remembers one individual who is not amongst the contestants, and not even a Nigerian: Arnold Schwarzenegger.
But, every discerning mind is wont to ask:
what has Schwarzenegger, who is best known for his roles in blockbuster movies
such as Commando and The Terminator, got to do with the
Anambra gubernatorial polls. In case anyone has forgotten, Arnold
Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-born American former professional body builder,
actor, businessman, investor, and lately, politician. In most of his movies, he
tells all who cared to listen that: ‘I’ll
be back’ but few understood what he meant. And, true to his words, he did
come back, but not in the make-believe world of movies, but to serve as the 38th
Governor of California from 2003 until 2011.
Now, let’s explore the nexus between The Terminator and the marketplace of aspirants
jostling for the Anambra hot seat. Of the twenty-three candidates cleared for
the polls, in my considered view, only four are strong contestants. They are: Willie
Obiano: All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, Chris Ngige: All Progressives
Congress, APC, Ifeanyi Ubah: Labour Party, LP and Nicholas Ukachukwu:
Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
Schwarzenegger surely has something in
common with the aforestated four key contestants - wealth. In 2011, it was
estimated that his net worth has been approximately $400 million, and even as
high as $800 million, based on tax returns he filed in 2006. Although it is hard
to determine the net worth of Nigerians, it is easily decipherable that the
four main contestants are indeed what we refer to in Nigerian parlance as
either ‘eze ego’, ‘olowo’, ‘mai kudi’
and/or better still, moneybags.
Chris
Ngige, a medical doctor, retired as deputy
director, Federal Ministry of Health in 1998 to join politics. He was later
elected governor of Anambra State in 2003 and he is presently, a serving senator representing
Anambra Central Senatorial Zone. Nicholas Ukachukwu runs
a chain of companies under the Snecou Group of Companies. He represented
the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja in the House of Representatives from
1999-2003. And,
judging by the recent report from the International Monetary Fund and The
Economist magazine of London, the basic salary of $189,500 earned annually by
each Nigerian legislator (which excludes allowances) is enough to make any of
our ‘those-in-support-say-aye’ or ‘those-against-say-nay’ legislators, who
are the highest paid in the world, stupendously wealthy.
Ifeanyi
Uba, an oil-magnate, was formerly, the chief executive officer of Capital Oil
& Gas Industries Limited while Willie Obiano, a
chartered accountant and former banker, was former internal auditor of Texaco
world-wide. He served the banking industry for twenty-four years and for nine
years was Executive Director in Fidelity Bank Plc.
Now,
before Schwarzenegger became the Governor of California, he has served as Chairman of the President’s Council on
Physical Fitness and Sports from 1990 to 1993. During that time, he traveled
across the U.S. promoting physical fitness to kids and lobbying all 50 U.S.
governors in support of school fitness programs. He would hit sometimes two or
three governors in a day in his own airplane, at his own expense, somewhere
around $4,000 an hour. Schwarzenegger made more sacrifices for his people as
Governor of California. While his official salary was $206,500, he gave it all
back to the State, resulting in a real salary of $0. He forfeited his salary
because he was already wealthy before he became governor.
Wait
for this. Foregoing his salary is only half the story. Arnold's real sacrifice
as Governor was in the form of what economist call opportunity costs. If they
were not in office, many politicians would make average salaries, but
Schwarzenegger would be making movie-star salary. Each year in office for
Arnold meant a year without appearances in blockbuster films, and that missed
opportunity is a huge cost. He recently told an Austrian newspaper that he
missed an estimated $200 Million in movie income during his seven-year in
office as California governor.
So I have to ask: Who among the contestants in Anambra would
make huge personal sacrifices in order to serve his state? Who among them would
not view the position of governor as an avenue to enrich himself further
thereby leaving the populace impoverished? Who among them would not see the
office of the governor as an avenue to siphon public funds and/or an
opportunity to indulge in a braggadocio of recklessness? Who among them knows
that a chance
to rule does not give him the blank cheque to act like
"winner-takes-all?" Who
among them is spurred by a genuine desire to better the lot of Anambrarians
whose communities are being ravaged by erosion? Who among them is pushed by the
desire to reduce the recurrent low male enrolment in schools in the state? Who
among them sees the governorship as an opportunity to reduce
the rising wave of unemployed youths in the state?
Just as Arnold did for the state
of California, who among the aspirants has the strategic
growth plan to rebuild Anambra
State?
Who among them has the intention of investing
in Anambra
students, building a healthier Anambra,
strengthening the health care system and protecting vulnerable Anambrarians?
Who among them has the desire of promoting
Anambrarians
abroad, preparing for and responding to disasters, honouring our soldiers and
veterans, making Anambra
safer, fighting for our economy, and leaving a legacy of lower taxes. Who among the aspirants has the intention of
reforming the local government political system, reforming the state pension
system, reforming the budget process, protecting the environment and promoting
clean energy, and conserving our land and rivers? Who? Who? Who?
Suffice it to reiterate that Schwarzenegger didn't
go into politics for the money, rather the honour of it. Hear him in a recent interview: "I made this always very clear
from the beginning, when I got into the governorship, that I'm not trying to
become a career politician. I mean I just thought that California was in a
crisis and I felt that since California and America has given me everything...
that I should take seven years out of my life and be a public servant and serve
the people of California regardless of the lack of pay. I gave my salary back
as a matter of fact, because it was like $187,000 a year, and it was petty
cash, I mean, for me. So I said 'give it back to the state' and I wanted to do
it for free, I didn't want any money because it was an honour for me to do the
job."
I
have to ask yet again: Was California best served seven years of Governor
Schwarzenegger, or would the state have been better off if Arnold had kept
acting and simply donated his $200 Million of income for the period to the
state's treasury? In the same vein, would Anambra be better served if these career
politicians and moneybags would plough some of their massive wealth into
developing the state and stay away from the government house? Whatever you might
think of Arnold Schwarzenegger, though, you have to respect him for making a
huge personal sacrifice in order to serve his state. Besides acting, he could
have spent those seven years on a beach in the Bahamas. Schwarzenegger's time
as Governor of California reportedly cost him $200 Million. Who can make such a sacrifice for mother Anambra? For
now, I think the situation still remains: Wanted: Anambra Schwarzenegger!
*Maurice Chukwu, legal
practitioner, Dr Olu Onagoruwa Chambers, 77 Olonode Street, Alagomeji, Yaba, Lagos.mauricechukwu@gmail.com,
08032332734
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