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Austin Nweze who teaches at the Lagos Business
School-Pan African University- speaks on why he wants to become Ebonyi State
governor. Mr Nweze is contesting on the platform of the Social Democratic Mega
Party. Excerpt:
Leaving the classroom for politics
A
time comes in a man’s life when you have to stop living for yourself and start
living for other people and for me, that time has come.
Being
in a classroom is a lot of fun and for over a decade, I have been involved in
series of discussions on Nigeria in the media and the classroom. Talking is one
thing and doing is another but in my own case, this is also a divine call to do
something which I call a mutable self, which as a human being one moves from
one level to another pursuing an ultimate goal but before you get to pursuing
that goal, one has to pass through some processes in preparation for that place
one wants to get to and that has been the case for me. I am using politics as a
platform to be of service to the nation.
A
divine call
The
people of Ebonyi State even before independence have been really marginalised
and been in serious bondage for decades as the most backward people in the
country, who are very timid and not socialised. Part of my job is to
re-socialise them, to bring socialisation to them. The state is basically an
agrarian society but now, we have lost all that, so right now, Ebonyi State
cannot feed itself. We have heard of Abakaliki rice, where is it today? We have
a salt lake, a number of factor endowments in the state which nobody looks at.
Ebonyi State had the first cement factory in Nigeria-the Nkalagu cement factory
but its moribund today and we will revive that. I am in this race to win. If I
am not convinced, I would not get in. I am a type of Moses in liberating Ebonyi
State, and economic wise, I am Joseph. I will be using the economic model I called
‘Josephonomics’ which is about foreseeing hard times ahead.
The
concept, Josephonomics is a concept of self-sufficiency, prosperity, abundance,
export orientation. That is one concept that maybe through me, God will open
Nigeria’s eyes to see that it is possible. Nobody can liberate Ebonyi except
me.
Voice
of God
Many
years ago, the voice of God told me to go to Pat Utomi and build the
Elisha-Elijah relationship. I did not understand it until recently, so my
relationship with him (Mr Utomi) is divine. Everything about me, my moving into
the Lagos Business School and joining politics is divine. Before I joined the
SDMP, I listed all the parties on a paper and I asked God which one I should
choose. As a type of David, I always ask God before I go into any battle,
whether I will win or not. That is the principle I have always followed. I did
not choose Pat Utomi’s party because he is my boss. I prayed to God and he
directed me to join the SDMP.
Achieving
his ambition
I
don’t have an ambition. It is a divine call. My personal ambition is to become
a professor in the university but over the years, I have grown to allow God to
use me in whichever way he wants and just as David, I see them (opposition
parties) all as Goliath. If David can beat Goliath and cut off his head, I will
do the same. That is my confidence.
Connection
with Ebonyi
I
had my primary and secondary education in Abakaliki before I travelled out for
my tertiary education. But I regularly make visits to the state and each time I
visit, God tells me “I am preparing you for something” but like John Johnson
said in his book, nothing can stop an idea whose time has come. I am an idea
whose time has come and nobody, nothing; no power under the sun can stop me.
Campaign
Fund
I
have been in this since April last year, consultation with people and I have
survived. My fund is just God because he is my source and he said to me that I
will not lack anything. He uses people and there is no godfather.
Economic
Strategy
Our
economic strategy is a factor endowment based economic strategy. We look at the
state and use what we have to acquire what we don’t have.
We are going to
explore and exploit all the factor endowments in the state, and improve the
value chain of those things and then begin to apply technology to them. We
intend to run a knowledge based economy. In the year 2000, the world entered a
knowledge economy, so we are going to invest in research and development,
invest heavily in human education, health to improve the standard of life of
people in Ebonyi State. The state is right now not in the economic or political
or social, nor industrial map of Nigeria. The state is just a geographical
expression which should be at the centre of Nigerian economy but has been
relegated. If Ebonyi were to be a company, I will not invest in it because it
is bankrupt. So what God said to me is to find creative ways of getting the
funds to do what you have to do. And that’s why I have met both local and
foreign investors who will join us and develop the state.
