18 years later, Quadruplets still waiting for ENSG Scholarship, where lies the truth?

By Charly Onah

I read with mixed feelings the article on Facebook written by one Sam Otti titled “18 years Later, Quadruplets still waiting for ENSG scholarship.”

In the article, Otti narrated the ordeal of the quadruplets-Miracle( Akachukwu) Steve (Chimdalu) Gift (Chidera) and Charles( Chukwuebuka) children of Mr. Cyril Onu who were allegedly offered scholarship by Enugu State government 18 years ago, but are yet to benefit from it.

I know that others who perused through the article equally shared the same feelings as well.

If my memory is not failing me, I am aware that Sam Otti worked with The Sun newspaper as a journalist before joining the Federal College of Education Umunze( Technical) as a staff. I have followed his media activities passionately and have respect for him.

I am also aware that the father of the quadruplets, Mr.Onu is a senior legislative aide to senator representing Enugu North Senatorial zone and Otti’s kinsman, Senator Chuka Utazi.

It is also known that before Utazi emerged Senatorial candidate of PDP for Enugu North Senatorial election in 2015, he was Commissioner for Transport in Ugwuanyi’s immediate predecessor government.

I can not recall seeing or reading Senator Utazi canvassing for the documentation of the quadruplets’ scholarship, despite the fact that they are children of his political ally. Utazi never did so even when he was a cabinet member of the immediate past government in the state. I don’t know what informed Otti’s decision to take to social media platforms to deride Ugwuanyi’s government on the matter. Time will tell.
Otti’s presentation of the quadruplets’ scholarship predicament is very apt, but not without some missing links.

People are aware that the present Enugu state government under Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi’s leadership had on assumption office in 2015 reorganized and repositioned Enugu State Governor Scholarship Board for optimal performance and effective service delivery.
So far, the Board has lived and still living up to expectations. The Board is visible, accessible and efficient.

The young man superintending over it, Bar. Levi Abonyi has shown class, commitment, sincerity and transparency. Many Enugu State indigenes and non-indigenes, that include the popular brutalized maid, Miss Nneoma Nnadi and several others at home and abroad, who have been offered scholarship are currently enjoying the scheme.

To the waiting quadruplets, Otti failed to tell the public why the scholarship was offered to them 18 years ago without any documentation or evidence to that effect till date. Why did the family of the quadruplets and Otti keep quiet since then, only to jump on social media platforms to whip up sentiments and sympathy for them now?

Are there documentation and letter to them by the Enugu state government then authenticating or affirming their scholarship? If there are such letter, Otti should make it public. It will help the case of the quadruplets. If there are no such letters to them, it means they were not offered any scholarship by Enugu state government at all. If the then Governor of the state by omission or commission made such pronouncement without approval in documentations or writing, it simply means that the scholarship is the usual or typical political promise that lacks implementation or realization.

I have never seen where scholarship was offered to someone by government or even organization without any documentation or letter to back it up.

Government as a legal institution works with evidence and documents, not hearsay or mere statement. If the quadruplets were offered verbal or political scholarship then by the state government, why the apportioning of blame to the present government in the state for non-implementation of such non-existing scholarship? It is very wrong of anyone to do so. Yes, it is true that government is a continuum, but government just like court works with documentations and evidences.
I had expected Otti to present or show letters from Enugu State Government then to the quadruplets approving their scholarship.

A memo from the former Chief of Staff to Governor Sullivan Chime, Victor Atuonwu to Governor Ugwuanyi in 2015, asking him for approval and implementation of scholarship given 18 years ago is against the workings of government. It simply means that scholarship was never given to them by the then Enugu State Government.

Why did the successive governments in the state that gave the quadruplets the audio scholarship without any letter failed to implement it before Ugwuanyi assumed office? Why didn’t the quadruplets’ parents and Otti present to Ugwuanyi’s government letter of scholarship to the quadruplets by then Enugu state government?
Due process and documents are required of the family of the quadruplets and their sympathizers.

Engaging in cyberbully or emotional blackmail of the present government in Enugu state over an issue that preceded the government without evidence or documents is the height of social media rascality and hypocrisy.

Ugwuanyi is a known welfarist and compassionate leader. It is not out place that if the quadruplets’ family and their sympathizers present documents and evidences to Ugwuanyi for assistance without dragging in his government, he will oblige them.

He has done more than this to the less privileged before now and he is still doing it. He is a cheerful giver and humanist per excellence. My advice to the quadruplets’ family and Otti is to adopt a better approach to Governor Ugwuanyi.