By vin amadi (08037432116)
The above was an article at the back page of the TRUMPETA Newspaper of Thursday May 1st , 2014 vol.4 No.287. In his comments, the author labored to analyze and situate the critical subject of the reality or otherwise of zoning of elective positions in Owerri Federal constituency which comprises Owerri North, Owerri West and Owerri Municipal local government Areas. Indeed, reading from the author one would not but admit that he made quite some good efforts to situate the records accordingly, but suffice it to say that his admission of not coming from the constituency robbed him of the vital records which he quoted wrongly. It is for the purpose of keeping these records straight that I wish to come into the matter, being from the constituency and seized of the right information. For the sake of both the author in question and other innocent persons , especially the young ones having need to be properly informed on the subject matter, it becomes absolutely
demanding that the right and proper information be put in the public domain.
First, let me agree with the author that zoning in Owerri Federal constituency is an issue of the mind and not a practical thing as would have been, for the purpose of distributing the office to benefit each of the constituent local government Areas in a one -at -a -time order. But as he rightly posited, zoning could not have been agreed and implemented when Owerri West local government Area between 1999-2007 produced in succession, two Federal House members in the persons of Hon. Chief Levi Oguike and Hon. Barrister Uche Onyeagucha, who , each spent four years in the green chambers of the National Assembly. Before this time however Chief A.U.D Nwosu from same Owerri West LGA was elected on the platform of DPN during the diarchical regime of General Sani Abacha.
In analyzing the experiences and chances of some of the aspirants, the author succinctly described the present member representing Owerri North State Constituency in the Imo House of Assembly , Hon. Dan Ikpeazu in superlative terms, agreeing that the lawmaker has done remarkably well and provided effective representation to his constituents , which according to him involved the provision of “not less than 19 transformers to various autonomous communities in his constituency, as well as agric -related empowerment to reduce joblessness in the society”. He went further to admit that …”Ikpeazu holds regular constituency briefings where he reels out his scorecard and inform Owerri North happenings in present day government”.
Before responding to the criticism of the author against Hon, Ikpeazu, let me first of all direct him to note that between 1979 and 1983 Owerri Federal constituency including Ngor Okpala was not represented by “one Brigadier Amadi from Uratta” as he said. The right information is that Owerri had two federal constituencies then, namely Owerri South and Owerri North federal constituencies. Owerri South federal constituency then which included Ngor Okpala and the present OAU-(Obube/Agbala/Ulakwo) and Obibiezena, including some communities in present Owerri West Local Government Area like Emeabiam, Okolochi etc was represented by Hon.Chief Columbus Obihara from Umuovum Ulakwo and his Party was the Nigeria Peoples Party (NPP). Owerri North Federal Constituency then which Brigadier Amadi represented comprised the present Owerri North, West, and Municipal councils as affected by amendments in the nomenclature of the present concerned local governments.
So, this is the true and authentic picture of the situation, and I urge the author to take note.
To the criticisms of Hon. Dan Ikpeazu, the author said that the lawmaker is wallowing in fools paradise if he thinks the milestones he has recorded within three years is enough to push him further than his Owerri North frontier”. He went further to write that “the Agbala born businessman cum lawmaker is still believed to be a political rookie who was only opportuned to be in the House of Assembly by stroke of luck. His political clout is only felt in his OAU bloc of Owerri North political divide”.
He continues… “Ikpeazu needs to overcome Local challenges emanating from his Agbala place of origin before seeking support from outsiders to make real his ambition of going further in the House of Reps campaign.The bitter pills experienced in Agbala community over Ezeship tussle have greatly affected Ikpeazu’s image and popularity”.
Without being told, the reading public knows that my interest is directly located in the confines of these criticisms and is meant to educate the author properly and to avoid unnecessary and unwarranted misinformation. Before taking them seriatim, I wish to commend the author for admitting that Hon. Ikpeazu has, within the period of his stay in the Assembly provided very effective representation to his Owerri North Constituents which has the ingredients of electric transformers, agric empowerment to the youths and regular consultation with his people.
If we must be honest to ourselves the statutory responsibility of every House member besides law making is to meet with his people from time to time to inform them the happenings in government and obtain their views that will help him vote over certain situations on the Assembly floor. Hon. Ikpeazu has not only organized several town hall meetings with his Owerri North people at various centers, but he has brought the meetings home where, on regular basis various groups of people and even individuals make it a point of duty to visit him for discussions and he opens up to them in very friendly and intimate manner.
I remember reading an article by the Editor-in-Chief of the Trumpeta Newspaper, Mr. Henry Ekpe (Hardo) who expressed bitterness that since his three years as a member representing his Local Government of Ngor-Okpala that Hon. Emeka Nwofor is not known to him and that he is not aware of any constituency meeting of the member with his Constituents which includes him (Henry). But in the contrary Hon. Ikpeazu is known in every nook and cranny of Owerri North among the youths, the women and the men. Out of the 21 Autonomous Communities in Owerri North, Hon. Ikpeazu has donated average of one electric transformer to each, and in some cases some communities received two. So far he has given out 25 electric transformers. Among the corporate beneficiaries are the All Saints Anglican Church Egbu and the Timber Traders Naze. In addition, he has relieved many communities of the burden of replacing their several electric poles fallen by wind and paid accumulated
electric bulk bills for his Agbala community. The beneficiaries of the fallen poles include Obibiezena and the Orji mechanic village with a total of over 20 concrete poles. Currently he is taking the responsibility of running High Tension electric lines to step down a transformer for the people of Amaeze Obibiezena. He also paid for the bulldozing of the Ndegbelu Awaka-Ishiuzo Egbu track road which has increased the value of land around the affected area and eased the traffic congestion on the Owerri -Umuahia road. Some local roads with ditches and portholes that traverse Naze, Obibiezena and Uboegbgelu in Azaraubo community have been sand filled and graded at the expense of this lawmaker. Hon. Ikpeazu did not end there; he had organized a comprehensive free medical program for the sick in Owerri North Local Government Area which lasted for 6 days with about 8 Doctors and over 16 Nurses/Attendants. The project dispensed about 1,500 eye glasses.
Furthermore, he has embarked on youth agric empowerment program. After training over 300 youths in general agric practices Hon Ikpeazu had supplied about 90 of them from OAU/Obibiezena and Naze with 100 day old chicks and 4 bags of feeds each while others in piggery received 4 piglets each and bags of feeds as well. The rest of the beneficiaries will be attended to in the next few weeks. Hon. Ikpeazu’s desire to provide sustainable empowerment to the youths of Owerri North constituency has been quite legendary. He demonstrated this by training over 60 youths on ICT, who today have become either self employed, or employers themselves. In the same vein, he has provided the youths a kind of social platform by instituting an annual football competition which costs him an estimated one million naira through the organization and reward packages. As part of social and philanthropic gestures the lawmaker bought and distributed over 500 bags of 50kg rice as
Christmas gift to his constituents during the yuletide across political party divide. This gesture has been a continuous one. He has bought and donated 5 motor vehicles to his political aids and his former APGA LGA Chairman. Hon. Ikpeazu doles out the sum of N1,000,000 (One Million Naira) in every 3 months for empowerment of a group of women in Owerri North. These are all verifiable facts and they are directly sponsored by him. These gestures are irrespective of the numerous kind hearted support he gave to many families as scholarship to indigent students when he was a councilor.
From available records, no past or present legislator in the House of Assembly or the Federal House of his own area has comparatively delivered such magnitude of projects to his constituency at personal expense. Hon. Ikpeazu’s influence as per his achievements ring bell in the whole of Owerri Federal constituency and that has already given him goodwill even before he sets out to campaign for votes. It is either a deliberate misinformation or outright ignorance of the fact to say that Hon. Ikpeazu is a political opportunist or a neophyte. In fact, Hon. Ikpeazu is one of the most experienced home grown politicians that Owerri North has ever produced. He was a councilor that represented Agbala/Ulakwo ward in 2004-2007, within which period he was Majority Chief Whip of the Council. So he has full grip of his local government politics which most legislators at both the state and Federal levels do not have. He therefore cannot be described as a rookie or
having his clout only felt in his OAU bloc. Mention Hon. Dan Ikpeazu and tell me any person whether politician or not who does not know him in Owerri North L.G.A.
Then finally, it is said in Igbo that “it is the uninformed who exhumes a corpse from the legs”. The author in reference cannot know Agbala politics more than Hon. Ikpeazu who is a native and who knows the calculations that will deliver anybody in the town.
I would have loved to tutor the author on the politics of Ezeship in Agbala which he raised as a challenge to Hon. Ikpeazu for his support for a candidate, but the issue is currently lying in the courts and hence cannot be discussed. However, if there is any person in Agbala community who deserves respect, commendation and encouragement, it is Hon. Ikpeazu for his understanding of what Ezeship means in the future of any community aspiring for good name and greatness. If Ezeship in Agbala is not a personal inheritance of any particular individual or family, then is it a crime that Hon. Ikpeazu declares in whom he thinks has the pedigree to represent him that will show the way as a role model? It is not in doubt that Hon. Ikpeazu has all it takes to moves further than the imagination of the author and go ahead to win the Federal House, irrespective of the so called Ezeship politics.
There is no community in Imo State which got an Eze under the rotational constitution that did it without divided interest. It is normal and Agbala is not an exception. Rather than diminish Hon. Ikpeazu’s image, the Ezeship politics in Agbala which has attracted the sympathy of neighboring communities is an image tonic for the lawmaker because he has demonstrated character and love for community shorn of fear and hypocrisy. Any Agbala person whose wish is to wait until Hon. Ikpeazu rises to pull him down is wallowing in self destruction because God has already elevated Ikpeazu, and head or tail, he will remain relevant and comfortable both in and out of politics.
