Golden Era: Dissecting Governor Umo Eno’s meaningless political cliche
By 29th May, 2024, the administration of Governor Umo Eno would celebrate its maiden anniversary. For the past one year, that administration has, arguably, been touted as the Golden Era.
In this article, Moses Tom dissects the intrigues behind the political cliche.
Politicians and clichés
Few things make politics unbelievable as its flair for annoying clichés, idioms, and phrases.
Although journalists, sports writers and commentators have also been guilty on occasion of using language lazily, in politics it rises to the level of criminal malpractice.
What do politicians mean whenever they talk about moving the state forward, for a better society, the level, and so on? What is the present level and what is next level? Mere “grammar” signifying nothing.
Instead of saying (or writing) what they mean and meaning what they say, politicians have resorted to insipid bromides that rob the language of its power, with a view to confusing and distracting the people from focusing on their inability to discharge their responsibilities to the citizenry.
The immediate past Governor of Cross River State, Prof Ben Ayade carved a niche for himself for adopting jaw-breaking phrases for the budget titles,
A professor of Environmental Microbiology and former lecturer at Delta State University, Prof Ayade, for seven years, was accused of “reducing the fiscal procedure to an annual comic spectacle.”
And William Shakespeare would say, “full of sound and fury signifying nothing”.
In case you missed it, here is a chronicle of Ayade’s insipid bromides:
2016: ‘Budget of Deep Vision’
2017: ‘Budget of Infinite Transposition’
2018: ‘Budget of Kinetic Crystallization’
2019: ‘Budget of Qabalistic Densification’
2020: ‘Budget of Olimpotic Meritemasis’
2021: ‘Budget of Blush and Bliss’
2022: ‘Budget of Conjugated Agglutination’
Rather than focusing on the implementation, accountability and impact the state budget on the people, Prof Ayade’s concern was crafting laughable botanical names thereby “reducing the fiscal procedure to an annual comic spectacle”.
But never miss a history repeating itself in Cross River’s sister state, Akwa Ibom. The case in point is the Golden Era associated with the administration of Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State. What does Golden Era entail?
Golden Era
A golden era is a period considered the peak in the history of a people, a time period when the greatest achievements were made.
The term originated from early Greek and Roman poets, who used it to refer to a time when mankind lived in a better time and was pure.
It can also be seen as the period during which someone or something flourishes or is at their peak, peak, pinnacle, prime. zenith.
Where Governor Umo Eno and his administration fit in here is a subject of controversy.
What makes Governor Umo Eno’s administration a Golden Era?
Attempt to answer this question does not only raise more questions than answers but is a critical indictment on previous administrations.
Could we honestly say that that Akwa Ibom as a people are now living “in a time period when the greatest achievements were made”? So critics were right that what passed away as an eight-year-tenure was time period of affliction? So isua ka o’
To be continued…
