Nigerians have continued to pay tribute to the late
Administrator of the defunct East Central State, Dr Ukpabi Asika, who died
in Abuja on July 6, after a protracted illness.
Asika was appointed administrator in 1968 by then Head of
State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, to oversee the affairs of the state following the
Nigerian civil war and he served in that capacity until 1975.
In a tribute, commissioners and other principal officers
who served under him, noted his sterling qualities and contributions to the
people and the nation in the traumatic years after the civil war.
Citing the ideal of good governance modelled
after the Greek philosopher-king, Plato, his
commissioners said of him: ``Ukpabi Asika belonged to a
rare breed''.
``He was a philosopher who had leadership thrust on him
and brought to the business of governance the intellect, insight,
practicality and perseverance of true scholarship''.
They noted that his policies were directed at the welfare
and development of the people of the state and guided by ``a philosophical
infrastructure which kept close to his theory of development in the modern
world''.
``Modern government is too serious for amateurs,'' he was
quoted as having often said.
They identified the building blocks of his style of
governance as ``guidance by law and the constitution, a spirit of service
and commitment to the welfare of the people.
He also guided against abuse of power and insisted on
equal and equitable treatment of all sections, constituent units and
inhabitants of the state.
According to his principal officers, he demonstrated
financial responsibility as well as transparent and honest leadership by
accelerating the pace of the reconstruction of the state in the aftermath of
the war.
They noted his introduction of fresh initiatives in
development, following sharp increases in revenue resulting from the oil
boom.
One of the his most far-reaching innovations, they said,
was in the area of community governance by establishing ``a form of local
government rooted in the people's sense of community, values and role
expectations''.
This, they said, resulted in the propagation of the
concept of ``Olu Obodo'' which embraced all aspects of the joint efforts of
the government and the people's for development.
``Olu Obodo programmes in their various forms provided
the framework for meaningful cooperation between the government and the
communities,'' they added.
They said that his visionary and revolutionary approach
to governance was evident in his education policy and programmes at the
primary, secondary and tertiary levels.
Asika pioneered the controversial state take-over of
schools aimed at providing ``qualitative universal basic education'' as well
as the standardisation of the teaching profession, enhancement and
regularisation of the status and remuneration of teachers.
He also made significant impact in the area of the
technological development of the state through the establishment of the
Projects
Development Agency (PRODA), the Institute of Management
and Technology (IMT).
Similarly, he was credited with the restoration of the
industrial backbone of the state which had been destroyed in the 30-month
civil war by rebuilding the major industries in the state.
These included Golden Guinea breweries, Umuahia, Modern
Ceramics, Umuahia, Nigerian Cement Company, Nkalagu, Aba Textile Mills,
among others.
Describing Asika as an ``unorthodox ruler,'' the
commissioners said ``his recourse to logic and reason in the solution of
problems was perceived with impatience by people not in the habit of
rigorous search for cause and effect.
``It is significant that thirty years after his
administration, we have come full circle on the basic issue of governance.
It is clear to many people today that until we return to
the principles which guided his policies and actions during his tenure, full
integration with the Nigerian polity and modern development will continue to
elude us ,'' they stressed.
Asika, who holds the Onitsha traditional title ``Ajie
Ukadiugwu'', graduated in Political Science from the University of Ibadan
and holds a doctorate from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
Born June 1936, Asika is survived by his wife, Mrs
Chinyere Asika, who is Senior Special Assistant to the President on NEPAD,
three children and grandchildren as well as numerous relatives.
He will be buried in his home town on November 20.
