By kissinger ikeokwu esq, 08037732987
One common mantra among proponents of the Rescue Mission in Imo State is the hasty judgment that Governor Okorocha has surpassed the achievements of his predecessors. To drive their message home, they make a hasty exaggeration that Governor Okorocha has within his barely three years in office surpassed the eight years reign of Chief Achike Udenwa. This haste to bring Governor Okorocha at par with Dee Sam Mbakwe is not only unfortunate but unfair to the man Chief Achike Udenwa who took Imo from the pre-military decay era to a state of stable and prosperous economy.
To the Owelle propagandists, Governor Okorocha has surpassed his predecessors within his three years, including Udenwa’s eight years, but when confronted with hard facts they quickly run to the defence that Governor Okorocha is barely three years in office. One is left to wonder why this “rescue mission proponents” like to blow hot and cold at the same time. Those who are quick to wish away Udenwa’s eight Years in Imo are not only ignorant, but malicious manipulators of facts just to suit their selfish desires. The fact remains that no sensible person can equate the Achike Udenwa era to the Rochas Okorocha era. The two are generations apart the other. Chief Achike Udenwa laid the foundation his predecessors enjoyed after his exit.
Though, I do not hold the brief of the gentle former Governor, Chief Achike Udenwa (Onwa). But, it is necessary to bare facts in this piece in order to avail uninformed and gullible minds an opportunity of knowing the truth. Besides, the peddlers of this rescue mission falsehood come bold because the former governor is a reticent elder statesman who does not blow his trumpet. He is not loquacious and would not join issues with anyone over performance rivalry. But, I trust the enlightened Imolites who daily discern the truth from falsehood.
It is sad to note that people forget that Chief Udenwa took over from the military era when all infrastructures were in total collapse. When Udenwa assumed office in 1999, only three Imo roads were good and they are:- the Owerri-Anara Road, Ogbaku- Izombe Road, and the MCC-Urratta Road which the then Tanko Zubariu managed to construct all through his reign as the Millitary Administrator of Imo State. The rest other roads spread across Imo State were in totally bad shape. In the area of education, almost all schools were dilapidated. Many communities had no light or access to water, owing to years of military neglect. Udenwa had the burden to open up most part of Imo to boost socio-economic development. For Chief Udenwa in 1999, there was no time to play. He needed to provide the badly needed infrastructure and public utilities as quick as possible.Udenwa’s last budget of 2007 when we would have said he was in prosperity was a paltry N43.4 Billion Naira which is a far cry from Governor Okorocha’s recent 2014 budget of N137 Billion. Chief Udenwa’s monthly allocation from the Federal Allocation was barely above one billion Naira, compared to the over two billion Naira his successors now enjoy. It is on record that Chief Udenwa did not borrow throughout his administration, but his predecessors have been borrowing. Chief Udenwa did not inherit any fund from Tanko Zubairu, but Governor Okorocha set out in 2011 with N13.5 Billion Bond secured by Governor Ohakim which he converted to loan and spent on his road revolution within the first year of his administration.
The Okorocha propagandists will not want people to know that as lean as finances were during Udenwa era, his administration was placed with the burden of repaying the Sam Mbakwe loans. At a time, Chief Udenwa witnessed what was then called “Zero Allocation Months” when the Federal Ministry of Finance paid a large chunk of the state debts during the period of the Obasanjo debt relief deals with the international donor agencies. Those harsh debts are now cleared or greatly mitigated under his predecessors. Chief Udenwa did not enjoy the luxury of liquidating the local governments and using their monies in Owerri by fiat. He inherited the last INEC organised Local Government Council elections and after that he conducted the last LGA election done within a regime and not few months to the end of his administration. Under Chief Udenwa, the Local Governments flourished.
They will not also let people know that Chief Udenwa worked in concert with the Imo State representatives at the National Assembly to fight to ensure that Imo was captured in the list of states to enjoy the 13% derivation fund which came after a spirited battle during the Obasanjo regime. He also fought to ensure Imo was not excluded from the NDDC beneficiary states. These funds which came in the later part of the Udenwa administration are now being enjoyed by his predecessors from the inception of their governments.
Chief Udenwa’s Road revolution cannot be compared to that of his predecessors including the incumbent Governor Rochas Okorocha. The burden to provide roads during the Udenwa days meant vital arterial roads that will open up the State. The quality of roads done by Achike Udenwa and their distance in kilometers cannot be compared to that of the present government. Ideato was inaccessible by road until Udenwa constructed the Orlu-Akokwa Road and the Okwelle-Ntueke Road, though federal government roads. AmarakuUmuelemai road, Obollo Ugiri-Afor Oru Road, Agunze-Ishinweke road, Aboh-Itu road, Nnempi- Mgbidi Road, Okatta-Mgbidi, Omuma Road, Nekede-Obinze Road, Avu-Egbema Road, Umuaka-Isu-Amandugba Road, Umuobom Akokwa Road. This is to mention but a few. These are the major arterial roads which were done to open up the state. However there are numerous other small kilometer roads that lead to communities also built by the Udenwa regime.
On metropolitan roads, Chief Udenwa reclaimed Owerri City from the dark days of military regimes. He opened up Ikenegbu and Aladimma to the state we now see it today by constructing the IMSU Junction-Chukwuma Nwoha Road Amakohia Junction-Egbeada road, Cherubim Junction-Ohaozara Street road, Mbari-Nwaturuocha-MCC road, Relief Market Road. Ikenegbu and Aladimma was a desolate part of Owerri, until Udenwa opened up the area using network of roads.
Chief Udenwa did not disappoint in infrastructural renewal. Udenwa opened up the New Owerri and breathed life into it. Before Achike Udenwa, there was no All Seasons Hotel, links Hotel, Ideal Suits and the likes. The New Owerri was a bushy landscape with isolated inhabitants. World Bank Estate was a place inhabited by only desperate house seekers. Upon assuming office in 1999, Chief Udenwa envisioned a boisterous New Owerri. He reclaimed Concord Hotel from ruins and reptiles and opened up the New Owerri with network of roads that led to the coming in of investors which has made the city a thriving tourism and business hub. To achieve this was not an easy task. Udenwa constructed the West-End-Nekede Road Bye-pass into the New Owerri, Akanchawa-Concord Hotel Road, Imo House of Assembly Road, Nekede Exclusive Garden Road, Umuguma Road, World Bank Road, House of Assembly-Dreamland Junction Road.
Chief Udenwa also opened up Works Layout Road, Bala Junction-FMC Road, Madonna Secondary School Twin Roads, Nkwere Street Road etc.
Orlu and Okigwe received their first taste of good intra-city roads under Achike Udenwa. Before Udenwa, there was no single road that was good in Okigwe, Orlu and Oguta cities. Recent administrations have been leveraging on the initial foundation of Chief Udenwa to do dualizations.
During the Udenwa era, people were in dare need of good access roads and other basic infrastructures and on time. The success of the Udenwa administration gave room to the less pressure his predecessors have enjoyed in their tenures.
Talking about capital projects, Chief Udenwa built solid landmark projects that have continued to impact on the life of the average Imolites. The Imo State Secretariat is still a landmark edifice no successive administration has beaten till date. Before Udenwa came in, Imo civil servants operated from shanties in their Okigwe and Orlu Road makeshift secretariats. It took the vision of this astute chattered accountant to build the ultra modern secretariat to completion and finally move the civil servants in. Had Chief Udenwa failed like his Abia counterpart (Orji Uzor Kalu), Imo would have been spending at this time for their new secretariat.
Udenwa built the Ultra Modern Imo General Hospital and ensured their relocation from the Okigwe Road Secretariat temporary site. As a Professional Accountant (Chattered), Udenwa never started a project he would never complete or he knew Imo money could not deliver. Those who deliberately distort facts and history will want to erase the successes of the gentleman called Udenwa. Imo State University Medical Faculty was never going to be reckoned with until Udenwa built the Imo State University Teaching Hospital IMSUTH in Umuna Orlu and equipped same. He also built the Orlu International Market. Till date, equipping the IMSUTH with up to date facilities has been an uphill task for his predecessors, compared to the man who dreamt and brought the IMSUTH into reality.
Because the level of dilapidation in Imo public schools were enormous and too much for government, Udenwa used the SPEB and SUBEB to produce classroom blocks for many schools in Imo State. Water resources got attention as public taps were running during the Udenwa era, thanks to his Deputy Governor, Engineer Ebere Udeagu who rose from rank to retire as the Director in Ministry of Public Utilities Owerri. Udenwa spread Transformers in many communities of the state to boost electricity supply.
Udenwa fought hard for the Federal Government take-over of the Alvan Ikoku College of Education. Udenwa fought to get the federal government to fix the Owerri-Orlu, Ihube-Okigwe-Umuna-Ehime-7 & Half Junction Road and the Owerri-Mbaise-Umuahia Road.
In the area of Housing, Udenwa opened up the Redemption Housing Estate, Uratta Garden, Nekede Exclusive, Civic Center. Udenwa reclaimed the Imo Housing Umuguma, Egbeada Housing Estate was also opened up by Chief Udenwa. Today, his administration was the last time government built a housing program in Imo State.
It is not good to rubbish other people’s efforts just to impose that of another. It is good to give credit to those who laid a foundation for the ease Udenwa’s predecessors are currently enjoying. If Udenwa did not lay the solid foundations he laid, Governor Okorocha will not have the luxury today of building a Conference Center, Heroes Square, Ecumenical Center, Freedom Square which are all cosmetic and luxury to the average Imolite. The Avu-Egbema, Orlu-Akokwa and the Amaraku Umuelemai Roads built by Udenwa can construct twenty community roads as its currently being done under the current administration. The quality of the roads till date cannot be compared to that of the present day administration. Imo Concord Hotel is today a shadow of itself. Today no pipe borne water in Ikenegbu and Aladimma as residents are now drilling boreholes. A system that was alien to Owerri before now.
Udenwa may not be the best of performers, but my advice to the Rescue Mission propagandists is that they be fair to Governor Okorocha’s predecessors so that posterity will also be fair to him when they eventually leave office. It is unjust to rubbish a good man who did well in his foundation laying government. The measure of respect Gov. Okorocha gives to former governor Udenwa is the measure he would receive from his successors when he eventually leaves office.
NOTE: This is not from an aide or media agent to Chief Achike Udenwa, but from a concerned Imolite who wants to set the records straight.
