1,720 APPOINTEES: NWIFURU’S GRASSROOTS GOVERNANCE FACES MISREPRESENTATION, NOT CRISIS.
Why are some people frightened by 1,710 Executive Assistants serving across 171 wards?
The latest attempt to ridicule Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru’s appointment of 1,710 Executive and 10 Special Advisers exposes more about the mindset of the critic than about the policy itself.
The appointees were sworn in as part of the Governor’s effort to deepen grassroots participation in governance. Reports indicate that the Executive Assistants were drawn from the 171 political wards in Ebonyi State.
That is not evidence of a government running away from opposition. It is a government extending its administrative and communication reach into communities.
The People’s Charter of Needs is explicitly built around the principle that government should respond to the needs of citizens rather than merely pursue what government wants. The Governor’s official platform describes it as a citizen-focused framework for his administration.
So, what exactly is wrong with involving more citizens in the business of governance?
THE APPOINTMENTS ARE NOT A DECLARATION OF WAR ON OPPOSITION.
The most disturbing aspect of the criticism is the attempt to transform ordinary political appointments into a justification for confrontation.
A political appointment is not a licence to attack anybody. Opposition is legitimate. Criticism is legitimate. Campaigns are legitimate. But threats against people, rallies or public facilities are not a substitute for political argument.
A writer Nwoba Chika Nwoba boasts that anyone who attacks his side will face a “brutal and total” reprisal.
That is precisely the kind of language responsible citizens should reject.
Ebonyi is not anybody’s personal battlefield.
No political interest—whether in government or opposition—owns the streets of Ebonyi State. Nobody has the right to intimidate citizens, disrupt lawful political activities or threaten human beings because of political disagreement.
If there is a disagreement with Governor Nwifuru’s policies, bring the facts.
If there is a disagreement with his projects, show the figures.
If there is a disagreement with his record, present the evidence.
But threatening violence because a governor has appointed political aides is not political sophistication.
“THEY HAVE NO OFFICES” — SO WHAT?
The argument that every Executive Assistant must operate from a conventional office before the appointment can have value misunderstands the nature of grassroots political and administrative engagement.
An Executive Assistant assigned to a community or ward does not necessarily need a government ministry-style office to communicate with citizens, gather information, assist with community engagement or transmit government programmes.
Indeed, the reported ward-based structure makes the grassroots component of the appointment particularly significant.
The question should therefore not be whether every appointee has a desk, swivel chair and signboard.
The question should be:
What responsibilities have they been assigned, what will they deliver, and how will their performance be assessed?
That is the serious conversation.
STOP CALLING EBONYI YOUTHS “DESTITUTE”
There is also something fundamentally wrong with describing thousands of Ebonyians who accepted public responsibilities as “destitute”.
These are sons and daughters of Ebonyi.
They are teachers, graduates, entrepreneurs, community organisers, young professionals, political actors and ordinary citizens with different circumstances and aspirations.
Public service is not poverty.
Grassroots engagement is not uselessness.
And receiving a government appointment does not make anybody inferior.
The language used to describe these citizens reveals a troubling contempt for the very people opposition politicians claim they want to represent.
NWIFURU’S PEOPLE’S CHARTER IS ABOUT PEOPLE
Governor Nwifuru’s administration officially presents its governing philosophy as one focused on service, practical progress, inclusion and opportunities reaching communities.
The People’s Charter of Needs is similarly described by its official platform as a citizen document designed around meeting people’s needs rather than imposing government preferences on citizens.
Therefore, bringing more citizens into the government’s grassroots structure is not inherently contradictory to that philosophy.
People may disagree with the policy. They may question its cost. They may demand details about its mandate, remuneration and duration.
Those are legitimate questions.
But calling every beneficiary a nuisance before they have even performed their duties is not an argument. It is prejudice.
THE REAL TEST IS PERFORMANCE
The Nwifuru administration should be judged by what these appointees eventually accomplish.
If they fail, the public can say so.
If they succeed, the public can acknowledge it.
If the government spends public resources improperly, journalists and citizens have every right to demand accountability.
But political opponents should not manufacture failure before the appointees have even commenced their assignments.
The administration has also continued to publicise programmes in education, infrastructure, human development and other sectors, while its official communications emphasise service delivery and community impact.
That record can be debated. It cannot responsibly be dismissed with insults.
AND TO THE WRITER: EBONYI IS NOT YOUR PERSONAL STAGE
The writer should understand one simple fact:
Ebonyi State is not busybody territory. It is not a “notice-me” playground. And it certainly not a theatre where chronic political cowards hide behind social-media bravado and threaten violence against fellow citizens.
If you want opposition, organise opposition.
If you want publicity, earn publicity.
If you want votes, convince voters.
If you disagree with Nwifuru, present your alternative.
But do not mistake political restraint for weakness, and do not interpret the peaceful disposition of Ebonyians as permission to threaten the peace of the state.
The people of Ebonyi have the right to determine their political future without intimidation from government supporters or opposition actors.
Governor Nwifuru’s People’s Charter of Needs is ultimately a political promise that must be tested by the people against tangible outcomes. That is how democracy works.
Not through threats.
Not through violence.
Not through destruction of rallies.
Not through intimidation.
And certainly not through social-media warfare disguised as political courage.
The people are watching. The people will judge. And the ballot—not threats of “brutal reprisal”—must remain the ultimate instrument of political accountability.