- Fetishisation of aptitude and integrity, in tests, is hardly the way to go
People of Cross River State must be proud of their governor, Prof. Ben Ayade and his love for scholastic rigour. Yet, isn’t the new governor rather over-playing the scholastic part of him?
Governor Ayade has come out with a rather curious pre-test for his would-be cabinet and other state appointees. They would all have to undergo a mandatory “integrity and aptitude” test.
“His Excellency, Prof. Ben Ayade, wants all the nominees for appointments as commissioners to undergo and integrity test,” declared a release by Christian Ita, the governor’s chief press secretary. “Additionally, the nominees would also write an aptitude test.”
To show that His Excellency means business, a committee to conduct the tests has already been set up, made up of Paul Erokoro, an Abuja-based lawyer, Martin Orim, the chief of staff to the governor and Mrs Grace Ekanem. After the putative cabinet members have had their day with the committee, the committee would shift its attention to would-be members of boards of parastatals and agencies. It is only after that the governor would pass their names to the state legislature for endorsement.
For starters, since integrity and aptitude tests are a sine-qua-non for any sinecure under the Ayade governorship, which body vetted members of the Orim-chaired committee — or did His Excellency do it himself? And what of Mr. Ita, who rolled out the diktat — under instruction, of course. Did he too have a private grilling with the governor?
Do not get us wrong. With mass governmental turpitude and the attendant decay in the public space, every political leader ought to take an especial interest in the moral tincture of his lieutenants. Whatever each of them does, their principal, the governor, takes the can: for they act in his name; and hold office at his pleasure.
Aptitude is no less important — for it is a matter of competence; and the ability to grind out results, even with telling circumstances. We do not want to pump officials with so much state resources, without commensurate results, do we?
Still, is sitting virtual examinations on morality, integrity and competence the way out? It could be, but not necessarily so. By the way, did the governor himself write such tests when he was gunning for nomination? And the aptitude bid: since he most probably would pick from among his party peers, when did he start having doubts on their competence: before the elections when their inputs were needed to secure power? Or after: after power had been sealed and delivered?
All this might sound like playing the devil’s advocate but that is exactly what is probably playing out in the mind of the potential candidates for the proposed test. But such is Nigeria’s political sociology that even the most hurt and humiliated would quietly lick their wounds, stoop to conquer and gain the el-dorado of their dreams — government sinecure with all its lollies.
Governor Ayade must take every logical step to ensure he marshals a dream team, such that can sustain and improve on the worthwhile legacies of the Donald Duke and Liyel Imoke years. On all objective fronts, Cross River would appear one of the relative success stories of this democratic dispensation.
But he must be careful not to appear, ab initio, crassly disrespectful of his team; and elevating himself to a virtual tin god over his cabinet, when all he needs is mutual respect between him and the cabinet, to fire their sense of individual worth; and nurture a collective creative instinct.
Making full adults sit for “integrity and aptitude” test is taking campaign for rectitude in public offices too far. The governor should forget such an idea, and think of a more nuanced method of achieving his goal, without making the subject of the test feeling hurt or humiliated.
‘But he must be careful not to appear, ab initio, crassly disrespectful of his team; and elevating himself to a virtual tin god over his cabinet, when all he needs is mutual respect between him and the cabinet, to fire their sense of individual worth; and nurture a collective creative instinct’
