ONCE upon a time, there lived a man named Okoloigwe in the land of Umuigwe. Okoloigwe was one of those men who left the village early in life to the city in search of greener pastures. As he got exposed,he acquired experience particularly in the construction industry where he worked for many years and rose to the position of foreman.

He later retired to his hometown of Umuigwe in his early fifties and engaged in building construction within the locality. His popularity grew as he acquired a new title of ‘Engineer’ which became even more popular than his real name. Nearly every successful young man within the environ sojourning in the city or abroad engage ‘Engineer’ to construct his village house. He was doing very well and enjoyed a lot of respect from both young and old.

One day, his town decided to build a Town Hall and it naturally fell on Engineer to handle the project. The town union continuously raised money through levies and donations from their wealthy indigenes and Engineer was given a free hand to handle the project because of the seeming trust he enjoyed from most people who believed he will not only perform but also give a good financial account when the job is completed.

The town hall project went on smoothly to completion. Everyone was happy and full of praises and commendation for him for a job well done. The town union then set a date for the formal handover and rendering of financial account for the project. This was where Engineer’s problem began. He was not only careless with the town’s finances; he also helped himself to a large chunk of it as he also developed his private residence at the same time.

On the appointed day, the people were disappointed because Engineer could not give a good account of the funds left at his disposal. All he could manage to say, without much confidence, was that the money he received was able to complete the project and that the town was not owing him neither was he owing the town.

This did not go down well with the people as many demanded a proper account while some called him uncomplimentary names. The story of Engineer and the town hall soon spread like wild fire. Within a short period, Engineer’s popularity nose-dived. He lost his integrity amongst the people and became a laughing stock.

The once vibrant, ebullient and respected man was totally deflated and could no longer raise his head up. When the situation became too unbearable, he left for the city.

The problem with Engineer was not performance. It was that he forgot that in dealing with public funds, accountability is usually more important than performance. He passed the performance test but failed the crucial test of accountability and that relegated his much taunted performance to the background.

Mr. Peter Obi, the immediate past governor of Anambra state is my man. He scored so many firsts in his eight years as governor and continues to receive accolades and commendations from the high and mighty in the society for his superlative performance and development of all sectors in Anambra state.

I am also one of those who believe that ‘Okwute’ as Peter is fondly called, came, saw and conquered. But perhaps what I consider the most significant aspect of Mr. Obi’s tenure was the seeming character, integrity and transparency he brought to governance. He has sold himself as a man of very strong character and high integrity.

To prove his transparency, Mr. Obi attempted to render an account of his stewardship with a breakdown totaling N75 billion which he claimed he left in the coffers of Anambra state. This was the only point of departure between Mr. Obi and the story of Engineer and the town hall. I must confess that I and most Nigerians who had shown interest in the affairs of Anambra state are guilty of being blinded by the performance of Mr. Peter Obi to the extent that we lost sight of the accountability angle.

In recent newspaper publications, a group called Anambra State Concerned Professionals took Mr. Peter Obi’s public accounts to the cleaners, raising a lot of critical and relevant questions as well as allegations in the financial score-card presented by the former governor.

For instance, Mr. Obi had informed the public that he kept aside money for the completion of contracts he awarded as well as two years salary for the newly recruited graduates into the state civil service, but no mention was made about these in his breakdown.

The publication posed questions with regards to the number of shareholding by Anambra state on the investments made by the former governor which was not disclosed and therefore subject to abuse. Such investments include; INTAFACT — N3.5 billion, Onitsha Hotel — N1billion, Agulu Hotel — N1billion, Awka Shopping Mall — N0.9billion, etc. The publication also raised questions on the business interest of NEXT International, a company owned by Mr. Obi, in these investments made by his administration.

The group further alleged that Mr. Obi spent Local Government SURE-P Fund for security purposes whereas he collects about N450 million monthly as security vote and that instead of the declared surplus of N75billion, Mr. Obi rather left commitments and liabilities in excess of N120billion.Another point of controversy raised by the group was the N10 billion Federal government approved refund ostensibly for federal government road rehabilitation project in Anambra state.

Rehabilitation works on the Amansea – Amawbia on the Enugu/Onitsha Express Road was commenced about two weeks to the end of Obi’s administration as such less than 20 percent mobilisation was paid to the contractors. It would be wrong and deceptive to include the entire sum of N10 billion as savings whereas the state government still has outstanding of more than 80 percent to pay before the completion of the project. All these are very weighty questions and allegations that if not well addressed would cast doubts on the integrity of the former governor.

We all agree that Mr. Peter Obi did very well in terms of development in Anambra state, he should have ended well by rendering proper accounts to the people of the state. Here lies the burden of accountability in public office. He must not allow his good name to be dragged to the mud by questions of corruption and compromises.

here and there. He should clear his name of any wrong doing because good name they say, is better than silver and gold. Mr. Peter Obi should speak out now so that his case does not end like the story of Engineer and the town hall.

NDUBUISI ONUIGBO wrote from Abuja