Between Ugochinyere and Onwuemeodo: The crux of the matter

• Published date: 24 January 2023
• Publication title: Nigeria - The Nation

Of late, Sam Onwuemeodo, the life Chief Press Secretary to the dynasty of former governor of Imo State, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, has arrogated to himself the status of the guru and special adviser to the government on public relations, information management and public administration. Wired by this delusion, he proceeds to publicly present himself, even if fatuously, as the oracle of government image management. Even more silly, he dared to pontificate for Governor Hope Uzodimma and his government, how to manage information. Sadly, like a man estranged from history, particularly his own history, he is quick to draw comparisons on information management between the Okorocha era and the Uzodimma administration.

Consequently, an Onwuemeodo, who did not only act deaf and dumb, but collaborated with Okorocha to embarrass everyone with many information management blunders, suddenly finds the effrontery to lecture the Uzodimma administration on the type of speech the governor should or should not present to an Editors' Conference. He even went further to advise that the governor should be thrown into mourning when Ikenga Ugochinyere Imo's house and vehicles were burnt. This is pitiable and is tantamount to someone struggling in futility to give what he obviously does not have.

Is it not really pitiable that this self - acclaimed professor of public information management, for all his 'grandmastery', could neither filter nor remediate the grotesque utterances, policies, and missteps of that fatal Okorocha regime? Onwuemeodo could not mount his high horse when Okorocha proclaimed that he purchased his second term as governor (as opposed to being elected by the people), or when he upgraded the wanton disobedience of court orders into a state policy. 'Professor' Onwuemeodo could not also lecture his pay master, Okorocha, when he denounced due process in governance or when he 'proposed' and signed the abominable four-year rolling budget. He could not also find his voice when his boss berated pensioners for living too long, or when he chased civil servants into the bush in the name of compulsory farming. What was his response when he restricted the attendance of civil servants to work to three days in a week.

Indeed, the irony is obvious. A man who was part of the information management team of the Okorocha administration - which ended with the worst public image of a state government - draws from the same Okorocha information (mis)management strategy to pass his message...