There is no doubt that leadership has at its doorstep inherent challenges for those who chance upon it or on whom it chances upon. For Bonny LGA, leadership chanced upon the incumbent chairman. Anengi Barasua Claude-Wilcox was living her normal life, and discharging her duties as LGA number two, as she was then Vice Chairman of the LGA, when the unfortunate demise of her erstwhile boss happened.
From that moment, the leadership challenges unfurled like an avalanche. Though she has invested so much effort into emplacing an effulgence of leadership credentials and paradigm rescripting of the Bonny political narrative etched on character, competence, candour and common sense, over time, it can be seen that these have not served to sway her traducers who have sustained their obdurate antagonism against her.
Thus, having come this far and now assumed multifarious statuses as Knight of the Anglican Communion, Alabota of Grand Bonny Kingdom, financial services professional, multiple award winner, wife, mother, mentor, manager of public resources, and Chief Executive of Bonny Local Government Council, it became imperative to advance this non-nuanced appraisal, though unsolicited, to achieve an equilibrium of perception about her on a day when her natal ingress is being celebrated.
First, was managing the information around the reality of her boss’s death, the circumstances around it and the way forward for the government. She engaged swiftly with all relevant stakeholders to rein in the situation without betraying a fuss on her face. Then came the drama around the funeral obsequies with different dramatis personae putting up a show to announce their presence. She took it all in in her stride, ultimately giving her late boss a deserving last respect.
Then came the house cleansing. With the system so convoluted, there was a need to give a fitting structure and policy direction to the administration. This required letting go of some, reassigning others and engaging new hands. In came an in-house think-tank, LG council management team, media office with spokesmen clearly identified to the public, revenue management team, stakeholder management/interface team, project contemplation and implementation team, and several others that effectively accorded shape to the government.
Surprisingly, individuals and institutions that were presumed to be at variance with the administration came calling, from youth groups to corporates, from traditional institutions to political groups, they came in droves not just to pay homage but to identify with the futuristic aspirations of the government. In days, Bonny was agog with projects execution in different areas.
A completely new road was constructed; the Bishop Gabriel Pepple Road, and a bridge at the Abraham Hart section of Abalamabie Community, as well as rehabilitation of roads, clean-up of the ever messed up Coal Beach, completion of staff quarters for LG council staff, and others were executed without much ado.
Another aspect where the deployment of equanimity as a currency was the handling of criticism from different quarters both within and outside her political party. For some, she was unfit to handle the big burden of managing a cosmopolitan LGA like Bonny with its myriads challenges. For others, her gender was a worry; a woman, in their estimation was by default unfit for political leadership. Then, others felt she was not a part of the cabal ruling Bonny and accepting her was crashing the system as she would have to build a fresh one for herself where they would be out of the equation.
For these and several other political considerations, which served as planks for antagonism against her, Anengi served her poise, calmness and candour hot and fresh on the dinner table. She neither took on adversaries nor responded to critics. She instead responded with evidence-based governance, infrastructure overhaul, political sagacity and a virile stakeholder engagement drive. Soon, the testimonials were out on the street, describing her as a good woman, a woman to be reckoned with, and a woman to be trusted. Her fan base grew exponentially, especially, during the elections.
It can be said that the pre-election split up of the Peoples Democratic Party in Rivers State was beyond everyone. The split was between those who were hell-bent on stopping Nyesom Wike, the Governor, from installing his stooge as successor, and those who felt their political future depended on him extending his forte beyond May 29, 2023. Managing this situation at the grassroots was a herculean task for many an LGA Chairman but Bonny’s own took it on. All the drama witnessed in other LGAs never got to Bonny.
Instead the Bonny LGA Chairman was seen on the street, in communities, neighbourhoods, and several other places either dancing to political rhythms or bargaining big time with stakeholders. In time effluxed, there was always an equilibrium in the cross-carpeting junketing of politicians in Bonny LGA. However, come 2022/2023 pre and post-election season, the wind blew only in one direction, probably influenced by the virtuosity of this amazon under review.
In the end, Bonny LGA came off the elections with PDP candidates returned favourably and back-to-back. Though the other political parties gave a good account of themselves during the polls – as Bonny LGA saw an increase in political candidacy never witnessed in any election pre-2023 – the PDP effectively managed by Dame Anengi Claude-Wilcox retained its hold on Bonny LGA.
The dust was yet to settle on the aftermath of the 2023 polls when a correspondence from the law firm of foremost Ogoni environmental rights activist, Ledum Mitee, dropped on the laps of the Bonny LG Council demanding for an account of stewardship. Apparently, Mitee’s clients, hampered by dearth of funds for a proper media visibility for the move, deployed social media to give it a sense of publicity conveying its inherent threats of a law suit, et al.
Equanimity again was deployed here. The local government council under Anengi Wilcox neither responded to or gave it any form of attention. Probably, at the back-end, a fitting response by its lawyers may be underway but publicly, it ensured the said correspondence was of no moment, not anything more than a social media stunt.
It may be important to clarify that a request for an account of stewardship of public resources and their expenditure are not issues anyone should bother about. There is always a record of these inflows and expenditures. a range of institutions from where these can be accessed other than the managers include the Federal Ministry of Finance, Debt Management Office (DMO), National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), and several others. Note that even in thieving environments where political actors fritter away funds meant for everyone, the records are so doctored to fit into the bill of what a proper public sector financial expenditure profile should look like.
Patriotic as it may seem, the move was, however, plagued by a seeming lack of altruism as one of the signatories preferred not to be publicized. As such, the person’s identity was covered with Tipex fluid as seen on the posted letter. That cast a shadow of artificiality and frippery on the part of the purveyors as it was obviously amusing how someone would rather prefer to hide his identity on a document that is already public and accessible at all the places where it has been served. Nonetheless, the Anengi Wilcox led administration stayed calm and unperturbed.
As they say, nothing is quiet as power and this local government chairman has shown that she makes no pretences about her hold on power only that she will not advertise it. She would rather deploy it to the best good of her people, to their utmost happiness, to the uplift of their living conditions, to the advancement of their interest, and to the overall progress and development of Bonny LGA. She has continued to exude an effervescent affability, profound competence, cuddling compassion and tranquil poise befitting of a leader of people. She’d rather sustain that trajectory and not engage in catfights.
As she comes around another 365 days of her sojourn on earth, it is safe to say that the accolades surging from various quarters are in order. It is also safe to postulate that this may engender a newfangled epoch of impactful leadership and people-oriented policy thrust that would continue to deliver on the best deliverables from this administration under her keen-sighted watch.
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