THISDAYonline

Since the inception of the Fourth Republic, no State Chief Executive has turned into the butt of critics and paid opinionists than the Imo State Governor, Chief Achike Udenwa.

Seriously scarting write-ups have found spaces in the newspapers obviously sponsored by his political opponents all in a bid to diminish the good works of the Governor.

In comparative terms, Chief Achike Udenwa has delivered better than most of his contemporaries on his electoral promises, his greatest undoing is to have failed to deploy a reasonable percentage of the State scarce resources in doing public relations for himself and daily trumpeting his achievements.

Some of his colleagues do it and that is why they succeeded early in shutting up critics and paid hirelings.

I have taken time out to assess the level of work done so far in Imo State, and to my chagrin, the, extent of development and the drive so far is a far cry from what critics want us to believe and I would make bold to say that I am particularly satisfied with the development streak in the state though there are still room for more to be done within the limits of available resources.

Chief Achike Udenwa's problem is that he is not a man given to talking but he should have known by now that self marketing is impari material with the tenets of political practice and the only veritable way a politician can remain relevant in our clime.

Granting that silence is said to be golden but there are times when such silence work some disfavour.

In the areas of road reconstruction and rehabilitation and the revamping of ailing industries, Chief Achike Udenwa has indeed performed creditably that it would be uncharitable and dishonourable for his critics not to reckon with such achievements.

But as we enter the eve of the election year, Chief Achike Udenwa should well realise that he has to oil his information machinery if he must get the people of Imo State to know that he is not as dark as being painted by his political opponents some of whom do not have the capacity in all reality to match Chief Achike Udenwa's credentials in statecraft.

His level headedness, listening ears and capacity to evolve policies consistent with his redemption project were attributes that stand him ahead of his contemporaries and Imo State would be unlucky if it prods up autocrats as is being experienced elsewhere.

Let us continue to work with the man who listens and reacts with dispatch. In such people can we sow the seed of democracy.

A closer assessment of the Governor and his style revealed a man whose professional discipline impacted so much on him that waste in whatever form is a misnomer.

It is on record and a highly incontrovertible fact too, that whereas most other state chief executives are busy upping their loan portfolio even when the accumulated ones are left unserviced, as at the time of writing, the government of Imo State do not see any wisdom in crippling the economic development of the state by taking more loans when it has not fully paid off the ones accumulated by successive governments. And like the governor has always said in every available forum, it would not serve any purpose to take more loans and suffocate the state but government is not averse to taking loans but that can only be done responsibly.

While quietly servicing the loans accumulated by successive government in Imo State, the Achike Udenwa government has not failed in attending to its other financial obligations within available resources.

The Achike Udenwa administration undoubtedly has the least budget on public relations. Not that he does not value PR but a situation where more claims are made on the pages of newspapers while less is achieved is inconsistent with his operational philosophy.

Whereas some of his colleagues are busy oiling their media machines and working themselves to frenzy in order to carry the image of whited sepulchre. Chief Udenwa has prodigiously pursued the policy of road reconstruction and sinking of bore holes in the local communities in the state without calling for the klieg lights. That is the stuff he is made of for which some ill informed persons brand him timid.

For any community that has not gained yet from this water project, it is most obvious that they would soon gain.

One nauseating aspect of the brand of criticism that is mounted against the government of Chief Achike Udenwa by his political opponents since inception is that their claims are not based on verifiable facts. Some of the paid writers seldom visit home and as such, do not know the spate of development in the state.

Chief Udenwa may be slow in his pace but if all political leaders are as meticulous and accountable, the citizenry would always have value for their resources.

Some of the people who hate his style can in all conscience between them and their God vouch that Chief Udenwa's greatest undoing is his abhorrence of deeping hands into public till and sharing out to political hangers on. This culture of dishing out patronage much as it promotes the rating of the patron goes a long way in breeding corruption and a tribe of lazy and unproductive political zealots who make politics look dirty and politicking costly.

Although Achike Udenwa's style should be recommended to other public leaders, for now, he should learn how to engage in aggressive political marketing which would expose some of his achievements to the people. That is the shortest path to putting professional critics out of business while raising the hope and confidence of the people in his redemption programmes.

Aside politics, Udenwa fits into Charles Swindolls picture of a true servant, one imbued with the virtues of humility, humanity and honesty which is exemplified in his financial management skills.

Little wonder his professional body, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) honoured him recently.

One can only appeal to the good people of Imo state that we should not lose sight of where we are coming from by allowing peace, unity of purpose and pursuit of common goal to be our watchword.

Anujuo writes from Lagos