By Dons Eze
A first time encounter with Honourable Chijioke Jonathan (CJ) Edeoga – journalist par excellence, lawyer, administrator, political bureaucrat, will leave you with the impression of a gentle young man full of ideas. Chijioke is humble, urbane, but unassuming. He is articulate, celebral, educated, well-focussed, strong-willed, and always ready to render service to both the low and the mighty, the young and the old.In his journey in life, Chijioke has traversed virtually all layers of public life. He worked as a civil servant, served at the apex of government administrations at both the state and federal levels, engaged in lawmaking process. and held sway at the local government system.Chijioke started his humble service to society as a journalist, with the Daily Star Newspapers as his port of call. Here, he gave a very good account of himself. In view of his brilliance, hard work and outstanding performance, Chijioke was honoured with the Best Features Writer Award in Enugu and Anambra States by the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).It was from the Daily Star Newspapers Chijioke moved to New Outlook Newspapers. It was from there that the first Civilian Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Okwesilize Nwodo, saw the potentials in Chijioke and picked him to serve as his Press Secretary.Chijioke served Governor Nwodo diligently and meritoriously. He was neither haughty nor arrogant, and was never carried away by the high office he occupied, but related very well with his colleagues in the field, who gave him their maximum support.When the military returned to politics in late 1993 and sacked the civilian administration nationwide, Chijioke saw it as an opportunity to earn a professional career. He travelled to London, the United Kingdom, to study law. He finished on record time, and went to Nigeria Law School. He also holds a Masters Degree in law.Towards the tail end of military involvement in politics, in 1997/98, Chijioke contested and won election for Chairmanship of Isi-Uzo Local Government Council. He served very creditably and brought succour to millions of people living in the local government area who were in dire need of basic means of existence and infrastructural facilities.Subsequently, on the onset of the present democratic dispensation, Chijioke contested and won election to represent his people, Enugu East- Isi-Uzo Federal Constituency, in the House of Representatives. He ensured that he gave the people effective representation, and equally made indelible mark in the legislature through sponsorship of life-saving bills. As a member of the House of Representatives, Chijioke was also Chairman, House Committee on Information, and thus was Spokesperson of the Lower Legislative Chamber.There is no hiding place for a rising star like Chijioke Edeoga. That was why, at the end of his tenure in the House of Representatives, former President Goodluck Jonathan did not hesitate to appoint him as his Special Assistant on National Assembly Matters. As usual, Chijioke did not disappoint in that critical assignment. He served Goodluck Jonathan and Nigeria diligently until the end of that administration.The reward for hard work, they say, is more work. When Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi took office as Governor of Enugu State in 2015, he saw Chijioke as the best hand to help implement his vision of local government reform in the state.At that time, the local government system in the state was in a mess. Attendance to work by staff of most local government councils was almost zero. Morale of staff was low as some local government councils owed their workers for up to 15 months salaries and more. They were also not paid their leave allowances for several years. It was a hopeless situation, a disordered system.As State Commissioner for Local Government Matters, Chijioke confronted these problems head long. He began by undertaking a biometric audit of local government workers to establish the number of staff in each local government council.At the end of the exercise, it was found out that there were a good number of non-existent names that filled the payroll of each of these local government council. These were called “ghost workers.” This was responsible for the high wage bill of each of these local councils. As such, these ghost names were immediately flushed out off the payrolls, to bring the staff list to a manageable level.With the flushing of these ghost names identified through biometric exercise, the state government was able to clear backlog of areas owed the local government workers, including their leave allowances. This, as Commissioner for Local Government Matters, Chijioke had succeeded in restoring order and hope to the local government system in Enugu State..After a four-year still in the Ministry, Chijioke was moved to the Ministry of Environment and Solid Minerals, where he is currently carrying innovative reforms.Chijioke is a grassroots man. He knows Enugu State inside out. He has visited every part of the state several times and over. He knows their problems and is in the best stead to remedy them.Chijioke Jonathan Edeoga is emotionally, psychologically, and physically attached to his first constituency, the journalism profession. He thinks journalism, breeds journalism, and practises journalism, his exalted offices notwithstanding. He is the Publisher or Chairman of the highly rated “LGA NEWS MAGAZINE,” which chronicles news events mainly at the local government level, then extending to state and national levels.*Dr. Eze, veteran journalist and activist, lives in Enugu.
