Skip to main content

Ikem Okuhu's New Book causes Ripples

A new book ‘Eighteen Months in the Neverland, Chronicle of my Daze in Government, written by a former SPA to Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State, Ikem Okuhu, has been attracting a lot of attention from far and wide.


Although the book has not been officially released, Ikem had, on September 14th, 2021, released a part of Chapter 7 of the book titled “Understanding the Governor’s Understanding of development.” He faulted the governor’s adoption of “Nrashi” as his development ideology. According to him, 

Ugwuanyi had created and frequently used in referring to what he might have thought was the dispensing of democratic dividends but which, in reality, evokes only the imageries of gluttonous consumption by those close enough to his government to enjoy the privileges power confers. As annoying and suggestive of state-sponsored corruption and primitive gluttony as it sounds, Nrashi happened to be the governor’s favorite word and tumbled out in almost all his conversations, formal and otherwise, in all its manifest forms as nouns, verbs, adjectives, and the whole nine yards.


He further faulted the governor’s adoption of ‘Gburugburu,’ a name he believed did not present him as a purposeful leader. He said 
Nrashi, I must note here, was not the only favorite expression of the governor I did not like and actually spoke to him about the need to dilute them from his identity and personal brand. The other one was his nickname, Gburugburu, an Igbo word that could be used to refer to various things, including the “circular,” “the universe,” “the environment,” “everywhere,” and everything relating to a person’s wide surroundings. When I had the privilege of meeting him in 2016, one of the things I recommended and which also featured in the PowerPoint presentation that I shared with him during that period, was the gradual withdrawal of this moniker from his personal brand. I made this recommendation because Gburugburu did not strike me as the title befitting of a purposeful leader. If you are a PR professional preparing someone, as I had thought I was doing at the time, to position himself as the rallying point for Igbo and even the old eastern Nigeria solidarity, the first things you should discourage are names and titles that are antithetical to the purpose. Gburugburu was a bit too village-square-ish to be one of a governor’s proud adornments.

My protestation did not discourage him, though. Littering the nooks and crannies of the state are solidarity movements and political support groups built around what I thought was an obnoxious moniker in its various adaptations.


The Facebook post has attracted a lot of commendation from people who praised him for the courage to write the book and speak the truth to power. On the other hand, the governor’s aides and sympathizers have criticized the book saying it was born out of mischief. They claimed his new romance with the former Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu who is believed to be aspiring for the governorship position in Enugu State in 2023, is the reason behind the book.


Ikem Okuhu, a seasoned Brand and Public Relations consultant, served as a Senior Personal Assistant (SPA) to the governor for 18 months before his resignation. A graduate of the Mass Communication department of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, he has rich experience driving public relations strategies in the banking and oil and gas sectors from the United Bank of Africa to Ecobank International and ExxonMobil Nigeria among others.


He is the author of the book “PITCH: Debunking Marketing's Strongest Myths. He hails from Nguru in Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Prof Fabian Ajogwu Appointed to the Board of NSIA

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed Professor Fabian Ajogwu, OFR, SAN as the South-East representative on the board of Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) . NSIA was established by the act of parliament in 2011 to manage excess revenue from Nigeria's oil earnings. It manages the Nigeria Infrastructure Fund, Future Generation Fund and Stabilization Fund. The boardroom guru will join the board of NSIA which has Mr Segun Ogunsanya as Chairman, and Mr. Aminu Umar-Sadiq as Managing Director and Chief executive officer. Ajogwu , Nigeria’s first Professor of Corporate Governance will help to drive the affairs of the nation’s premier wealth management institution for the next five years. He holds an LL.B, LL.B, MBA and PhD from the University of Nigeria, the University of Lagos, Navara University and the University of Aberdeen respectively. He sits on the board of Stanbic IBTC and Guinness Nigeria Plc and Chairs the Governing Council of Wigwe University, Isiokpo River Stat
Post a Comment
Read more

Peter Mbah moves to appoint caretaker LGA Chairmen following LGA election postponement.

Enugu State governor, Peter Mbah is planning to appoint caretaker chairmen for the 17 LGA council. This followed the postponement of the LA election earlier scheduled to be held on the 24th of February, 2024. Earlier this week, the chairman of Enugu State Independent Electoral Commission (ENSIEC), Dr. Michael Ajogwu (SAN) announced that the election will no longer be held in February following the suit filed against the conduct of the election by Action Alliance. Hence, the commission announced that the election will now be held on October 5th, 2024. However, political analysts believe the court judgment was just to pave the way for the postponement of the LGA election and thus allow Peter Mbah to appoint his men as caretaker committees. Already, many people have started lobbying for the chairman of various LGAs in the state as Peter Mbah intensifies action to take over the party’s structure from the loyalist of former governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi.
Post a Comment
Read more

From African Development Bank to IMF: Kenneth Okwor's Journey in Finance and Law

Meet Dr. Kenneth Ononeze Okwor, a celebrated finance lawyer whose career trajectory has now led him to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as a Counsel. Dr. Ken returns to the Washington-based agency where he previously completed a four-month stint as a FIP Intern between June and September 2022. Kenneth's journey has been nothing short of dazzling, marked by academic excellence and professional achievements since his graduation from the University of Jos with a Second Class Degree (Upper Honours) in 2014. Following his graduation with First Class honors from Nigeria Law School in 2015, where he emerged as the best-graduating student of the 2014-2015 law school set, Kenneth secured a lectureship position at the law school, setting the stage for his illustrious career. Subsequently, he joined the prestigious law firm Templers as an Associate, specializing in Finance and Project law. His expertise spans a wide range of areas including Banking, Capital Markets, Corporate Insolvency
Post a Comment
Read more