"Holding high academic qualifications without executive experience is 'useless', knowing that a governorship position requires more practical than classroom theoretical knowledge," the Ebonyi gubernatorial candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, Prophet Chris Adol-Awam stated this on Tuesday while interacting with newsmen in his campaign office in Abakaliki, the state capital.
Adol-Awam, who was the former Executive Chairman of Ebonyi Local Government Area of Ebonyi State insisted that reaching a high degree of academic credentials is not a standard for assessing one's competence in delivering good governance in society.
The NNPP gubernatorial candidate was emphasizing the statement credited to the Ebonyi gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, Professor Bernard Odoh during a media chat in recent time.
Adol-Awam clarified that his interaction with Odoh on his ambition to succeed the incumbent Governor in Ebonyi, Engr David Umahi was against the traditional rotation of power practicable in the state, from 1999 till date.
According to the erstwhile ALGON Chairman, the governorship position does not require an academic Professor to effect good governance especially when the carrier of such pedigree was not rooted in the field of public administration.
He insisted that "a gubernatorial candidate who possesses academic qualifications without executive experience is 'useless', knowing that a governorship position requires more practical than classroom theoretical experience.
"During my interaction with the APGA Governorship Candidate, Professor Ifeanyi Odoh, I explained to him to understand that we have a charter of equity and it's the turn of the North but Odoh said no.
"He said, Ezzas have been marginalized in Ebonyi State, that they have not tasted the governorship nor a Ministerial position.
"But, I know the Ezzas are part of the Ebonyi Central zone just like Izhi people who are part of the Ebonyi North Zone and have tasted the same position except for the fact that we allowed Ohaukwu the least part of the zone to go first when it was the turn of the North which was what Ezzas allowed when it was their zone's turn, which he can't blame those whose turn it is now.
"So, if what Professor Odoh is insisting on is competency, I have the practice as a former executive chairman of Ebonyi LGA before I went further to read Public administration and still come back into the same field, not like Professor of Geology who had never governed as a councillor coming up to say he's competent when he doesn't know anything about managing commonwealth.
"Therefore, if you are talking about being appointed a Minister in his field, good but not giving such an executive position to a man who has never contested a councillor and still protesting that he's competent is out of it knowing that, for instance, I am a miner with wide experience even more than a professor, but unfortunately, people see leadership more as paperwork than what it is truly."
