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

TOP NOLLYWOOD STARS FROM NSUKKA

1. Rachael Nnenna Okonkwo Nnenna Rachael Okonkwo (born 26 May 1987), Popularly Known as Nkoli Nwa Nsukka, is a Nigerian film actress. She is best known for the film of the same name. Rachael Okonkwo is from Ukpata in Uzo Uwani Local government area of Enugu State.  She started acting while she was a child, but she switched her career to dancing due to a lack of movie roles. She joined Nollywood in 2007, playing very minor roles. In 2008, she played a supporting role to Ini Edo& Van Vicker in Royal War 2, also in 2010 alongside Patience Ozokwor and John Okafor in Open and Close. Consequently, her first significant role and breakthrough movie came in 2014, where she played the lead character in Nkoli Nwa Nsukka as Nkoli. 2. Zack Orji: Gabon-born Nollywood ace actor, director, producer, and filmmaker Zachee Ama Orji popularly known as Zack Orji, was born on October 10, 1960. The graduate of Estate Management from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka grew up in Cameroon, B...
2 comments
Read more

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

Prof. Fabian Ajogwu Resigns from the Board of Seplat Energy

Corporate governance guru Professor Fabian Ajogwu has resigned from the board of Seplat Energy; Nigeria’s biggest indigenous oil exploration firm as an Independent Executive Director. Professor Fabian Ajogwu tendered his resignation on the 20th of April, 2023. The resignation may not be unconnected to the current crisis which has seen the suspension and reinstatement of the CEO Roger Brown by an Abuja Federal Court all within a month. He cited recent events and deliberate external interference as reasons for his resignation, stating that they have impeded his ability to carry out his fiduciary and statutory responsibilities as an independent non-executive director to the highest standards of corporate governance that he has long advocated for and subscribed to. Some of these interferences  he cited include: The Federal High Court in Lagos issued an ex parte injunction, which was later overturned after a few weeks. A similar case was filed at the Federal High Court Abuja, which ana...
Post a Comment
Read more