When Nigerian Pop artiste Don Jazzy came up with a popular and reigning music that is at the moment creating waves and topping the chart in the music DoroCharley Boy industry, he never knew that the title, Dorobucci, which effusively dominated the lyrics with Dorothis and Dorothat will have a share in Imo. Though, the actual meaning of Dorobucci has not been deciphered as several interpretations have been given to the music produced by the Marvin. But close watchers of the entertainment sector can say that Doro is for anything in vogue at moment and for what happened in Imo at the weekend between the Governor of the state and fiery music maestro, Charles Oputa, known as Charly Boy during the funeral mass of the late father and former justice of the Supreme Court, Chukwudifu Oputa, the Doro thing is in Imo and we now have .
I must confess that I tried to ignore the entire scenario because my brother, friend and somebody I somehow enjoy his personality (Charly Boy) was involved and to an extent the inglorious “public assault” meted to the governor of my dear Imo state. I felt that the Oguta debacle was not worth discussing considering the utter slap on the face of the people of the state who watched with awe as Okorocha was denied the opportunity to make a speech during the final journey of one of the best legal icons in the country who ironically is from Imo. However, mixed reactions and pernicious effects it have left in the minds of the key players give rise to this commentary.
I am yet to overcome the closet encounter I had with Charlyboy in 1999 in Lagos. As a Crime/Judiciary Reporter of a Lagos-based newspaper, I was among the journalists the son of the late Chief Justice of Imo state invited to cover a case between him and a firm he dragged to court in Lagos for alleged acts concerning piracy.
The Federal High Court was located at Ikoyi. CharlyBoy caused a stir at the court premises when he stormed the place in style with a Super Bike. The noise oozing from the exhaust pipe of the machine whenever he touched the throttle reverberated. The frightening sound which hitherto disrupted court proceedings forced people to rush out and find out what was amiss in the court process. To worsen the debased scenario, Charly Boy took his Super Bike to the reserved car parks meant for judges to station the super bike.
The irony was that despite his rather unbecoming act, Charly Boy was ignored by the uniformed security men and staffers of the court in the premises.
During an interactive session with newsmen after the court session, I took a closer look and discovered he appeared more like a bugaboo with his wears and fashionable make-ups.
The media has been awash with the unsavoury details of what transpired between Charly Boy, and Imo state government represented by Okorocha since Oputa started his final journey home last week. Irrespective of the conflicting reports, one fact is obvious, Imo state Governor was barred from making a speech at the funeral mass and the governor, Okorocha was not only humiliated but also disgraced in the full glare of the world who were witnesses at the church service.
Remarkably, the theatre of absurd in Oguta continued later when the Imo state government quickly issued a press statement pointing accusing fingers at certain persons said to be the masterminds of the Oguta disgraceful show. Initially, I thought the government claim that an Abuja based Imo born politician was allegedly behind the act was hasty and an attempt to “cover up” but later assertions of the governor further re-confirmed the government position when Okorocha threatened to fight-to-finish perceived political opponents he accused of plotting to torpedo his administration.
I quite agree with Okorocha and indeed a section of Imolites that the said CharlyBoy “Insult” is not for the governor only but for the entire Imo state and her citizenry. Okorocha represents the state and any insult or desecration of the office of the Imo state governor amounts to disgrace to the entire people of the state. I join in condemning the act to denigrate the office of the governor no matter who is occupying the office at any moment. However, I will not fail to establish that the Oguta show-of-shame is another besmirching act which has continued to demean the office of the governor since Okorocha mounted the throne three years ago. One popular Igbo idiom goes along way to say that “while the eagle will be cursed for sporadic raids on helpless chickens, the young chickens should also receive blame for wandering to far to catch the fancy of the roving bird. As condemnation continues to trail Charly Boy’s action, Imolites should also pause to ponder why the state governor should always be in this type of mess that is related to breach of protocol.
Recall that apart from the seat-dragging saga between Okorocha and aides of then Governor of Anambra state, Peter Obi, in Enugu, during the 80th birthday ceremony of Chief Alex Ekwueme, skirmishes ensued between the governor and the senator representing Owerri zone, Senator Christy Anyanwu on December 26, 2012 following conflicting issues related to their convoys at Azaraegbelu on Owerri Mbaise road.
Instead of politicizing the infamous Oguta show and employing cheap blackmail to either defame Charlyboy or malign Governor Okorocha I expected an unbiased approach from all parties to the matter to avoid re-occurrence.
Undoubtably, it can be said that because proper measures were not taking to study and handle the previous sad incidents involving the governor, more inglorious acts continue to erupt. After the Enugu incident where a protocol attaché of Anambra governor barred Okorocha from having an empty seat at the reserved platform, a near fisticuff was almost observed at the VIP section. In line with the present administration’s style of heaping blames on the doorsteps of unknown opponents, opposition was fingered. Same applies to the encounter with Senator Anyanwu. And now, Abuja-based Imo born politicians have been accused according to the state government as part of desperate ploy to replace Okorocha in 2015.
Unfortunately, the characters in Government House, Owerri are not familiar with CharlyBoy’s trendy lifestyle and ignored earlier ominous signals from the fellow who is branded “Area Father” Only those who lived in ghetto-like areas of Ajengunle, Orile, Agege, muslim, Isale Eko and Oshodi parts of Lagos will understand the word “Area boys”and their character traits before examining the lifestyle of the undisputed “Area Father” himself in the person of CharlyBoy. Unfortunately, the theory of Charly Boy also recognised as “ His Royal pumkness” playing the script of Abuja politicians only came up towards the end of the burial programme where Imo state government played a major role.
From the time government went public to announce that it would give Oputa a befitting burial to the colourless handing over of N20m Cheque which was publicly displayed, the hand of Abuja politicians in the attempt to demystify Okorocha was missing. Regrettably, those propagating that CharlyBoy was instigated to disgrace Okorocha feigned ignorance of an earlier interview CharlyBoy granted a national newspaper (punch) few weeks ago when he warned politicians not to “politick” with the father’s burial adding that the late eminent jurist was a descent man to be associated with politics. Charly Boy’s reaction may not be unconnected to an earlier salvo fired at the Oputa family and targeted at the Chief mourner, CharlyBoy when a press statement signed by the Governor’s media aide, Samuel Onwuemedo, Okorocha expressed earlier reservations about the conduct of the family after government had advanced N20m for preliminary preparations. While lamentating that the Oputa family drew a program of event for the burial without consulting the family, it expressed that reducing the programe totally to Oputa family is unacceptable and attempt to play politics with it which government said is also condemnable. Charly Boy in the interview warned that no politician would take advantage of his father’s burial to score “cheap political goals”.
Again before last Friday’s raw deal, I don’t think any Abuja based politician was among frontline seaters at the glamorous and newly opened International Conference Centre, in the heart of town where the day of tributes for the late legal luminary was held. On that fateful Wednesday, two days to the burial day, Charly Boy dressed in a weird manner with two awful looking young ladies were among the Oputa family members and dignitaries witnessing the event before the arrival of governor Okorocha. As the event progressed and the governor took time to speak, the Bike Master threw caution to the winds and walked out on the governor at the event. As if the Day of Tribute insult was not enough, the governor’s agents failed to see the hand writing on the wall following the conspicuous absence of the governor’s condolence message on the brochure. Yes, as number one citizen of Imo, Okorocha’s presence is a must, but the public relations and protocol department would have been wiser to guard the interest of the governor at the event.
If reports from the scene was anything to go by, why did the protocol department allow the President represented by the Secretary to the federal government, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim to speak first before the state governor, knowing well that in standard practice of official protocol procedure where top public officers are available, after the president speech, no more speeches?. In the state too, after the governor no more speeches except perhaps vote of thanks and closing prayer which I guess Okorocha was not asked to do.
More so, since there could be an exception to the rule in view of the fact that the venue was a church did the Governor’s protocol unit approach the church officials or cross check from the officiating crew modalities for speeches and comments during the mass? Imo state government’s explanations to the above mentioned questions will give further highlight to the involvement of the suspected Abuja politician(s).
Now, on the theory of involvement of Abuja politicians, I have expected the state government to shed more light on their accusations with pragmatic steps than mere wishful thinking that may have been borne out of warped reasoning.
In the statement from the Governor’s camp, there was no analogy to show any suspect is culpable to the allegation to show Okorocha’s claim could be phantom tales of another story similar to the funny “Tales by moonlight” type of ribald jokes, no particular person was mentioned as accused. If the state government was not trying to showcase defeatist tendencies in the “Oguta show-of-shame” why exhibit cowardice by failing to name suspects? A responsible government would have named the suspected masterminds than embark on ambiguous claims of accusing “ghosts” and “shadows” as possible political enemies.
I may at this juncture ask which political party Charly Boy belongs to and who are the unseen political godfathers or allies who may have influenced him to try our dear governor for size? It is not in doubt that Charly Boy is a renowned activist who have battled oppression and misrule using his style and way of life as his modus Operandi. And this approach of doing things started before Okorocha dreamt of becoming governor of Imo in 2011. From his songs to way of life, Charly Boy can be said to be an extremist that employ opposite ways to draw attention which Okorocha and his men regrettably ignored unfortunately Okorocha’s media team further engaged in self-indictment when it stated in the statement that Charly Boy’s “sudden change of character was observed in the Church service in which case he insisted that the Governor would not talk as protocol demanded could not be understood”. For the state government, Charly Boy was playing along with Okorocha until the Friday funeral mass in Oguta whereas the Charly Boy had publicly warned about politicizing the burial and walked out on Okorocha during day of tributes in Owerri for sighting APC chieftains especially the national chairman, Chief Odigie Oyegun John make remarks. For the architects of the government statements, these ominous signs do not count, but only the presence of some Abuja-based politicians of different political parties who perhaps came to pay their last respect to the departed legal iconoclast instigated Charly Boy. The question to any discerning mind is of what benefit will it be to any politician to play politics in the house of God considered to be sacred and reserved for prayers, and worship to God? The state government should have also told that the public in the statement the politician and party mobilized its members and hired supporters in uniform to storm the church to continuously hail a particular principal.
Available reports have it that some lieutenants of the governor from the locality in order to play their usual “good boy of Oga” gathered and armed some praise singers who stormed the church and Oguta to cheer Okorocha.
Fate however played on them when CharlyBoy perhaps stood his ground to ensure the funeral mass and burial did not turn a political rally.
Another factor said to have fueled the situation was the question of N20m donation to the family. I am yet to ascertain if the cheque was bounced or not and consequences therein, but feelers have it that the Oputa family was infuriated that it was not only made public as if they either came begging or had no money to bury their dead person, whereas other bodies, and persons touched the family in no little way without making noise about their contributions.
This should also serve a lesson to the state government. It is not compulsory that such donations must be made public. Sir Michael Otechola was a former civilian governor of Lagos state who died and was buried recently. Till date nobody knows Lagos state contribution and assistance to the burial even as the billionaires son, Femi does not share political affinity with the ruling APC in the state.
Rushing to public to announce millions made available is not a commendable public relations stunt as the case may.
It may be recalled that when the Dana air crash of June 3rd 2012 occurred in Lagos, Imo state had greater victims than other states. On the day of tributes organized for the departed souls at Ahiajoku Centre, New Owerri, the state governor, Okorocha announced a donation of N50m to the deceased families to cater for the burial. Two years after, the deceased families are still looking forward to the availability of the money the state government took credit and glory of providing. But other states government quietly touched the lives of the families of the departed persons without attempting to score cheap points.
The administration of Owelle Rochas Okorocha should desist from trading blames and engaging in shadow boxing on critical matters that affect its integrity. Imolites were insulted and disgraced and not Okorocha. The respective offices in charge of governor’s public relations should get their acts together than unwarranted self-destructive tendencies that will further demean the office of Imo state governor.
