The society is fraught with different characters which contend with the vagaries and vicissitudes .of life. These different lifestyles reflect in the distinguished strata of a certain social milieu.
However, an aspect of the larger society which is the main concern of which this column intends to highlight the peculiarities is the political class. The political class of the society comprises the partisan and non-partisan. In what ever guise, their psyches tend to be generic attribute in that inconsistency appears a grand norm. It is very difficult to rely on the very elusive and slippery nature of many politicians. When they tell you to stay, think it twice and consider the next option which may imply to leave. There was a written account rendered once upon a time by a powerful journalist concerning how President Goodluck Jonathan has reneged on his promises severally without qualms. The funny angle of the President’s failed promises is the perturbing case of power supply in Nigeria vis-a-viz the much-talked-about road map to power sector reforms. The reformist was unassuming to have-estimated the intricacy of the Nigeria’s power sectors alongside the notorious Nigerian factor that is always and often at play in every key sector of the nation’s socio-political life. By such a wide gap of miscalculation, the President appeared too exuberant while dishing out mouth watering promises to the unsuspecting innocent citizens that are weary with illusions in every aspect of this life for so many years of gross miss-appropriation and poor state craft. In that write up authored by a witty Chuks Onuoha in the Orient Magazine sometime ago, the President was vividly captured in the ugly act of making definite promises on many instances without actually fulfilling any in the almost. This wanting attitude is not peculiar to the President alone but extends to many other politicians as a stock in trade. I stand to be corrected, most if not all the politicians we have nowadays are guilty of this error. This has kept the entire nation caged in the cocoon of deception as a watch word in the wrong conception that our society thrives on falsehood such that only sugar coated language makes the much sense that matters. It is incredible to learn that the entire nation got plunged in the pool political whirlwind because there was a gentleman agreement between the power brokers, the movers and shakers of the national political economy that the President Goodluck Jonathan vouched or pledged to serve only one term of four years at variance with the constitutionally allowed maximum of two terms of four years each. Besides the agitations of the power drunken die-hard seekers of the much coveted seat of the President, this one political compact albeit informally established was chiefly responsible for the discordance that culminated in the inordinate social, religious and civil crisis sweeping across the length and breath of Nigeria recently especially in the terrorist stricken Northern regions where a vicious and cruel Islamic religious sect are rampaging. In this way, our country becomes engulfed in bigotry, brigandage, violence and wanton blood letting. The ship of the country is now paddled rudderlessly and totters towards torpedo. Every day, the poor masses are woken up to willful deception with little or no hope for the attainment of justice and equity. In stead, the people are misled into the complex web of forlorn situation where the uncertainty of the future stares all in the faces. When those the society should look up to resolve to cajole people with quite unrealistic hope raising campaigns only to abandon their words upon the clinch of political power – the ultimate of powers with its intoxicating strength second to nothing; our dooms day closes up.
It is despicable at the ease with which politicians throw integrity to the winds without the obligation to making good their words. Political lies clad in the cloaks of propaganda, and gimmickries are consuming our nascent democracy. The political class has demonstrated this shamelessness to the worrisome extent that the electorates need to take cognizance and apply deserving caution to resist this non sense. Otherwise, our society will be overtaken by men of dishonor and rapacious ambition. As another general election draws near with 2015 almost close by, these gang of deceivers are at it gradually. Those that were already verbally committed are retracting whereas many are readily applying the same old tricks. Regrettably, it is as easy as alphabet to make abrupt reversion without caring any too hoots. In Imo State, the maverick Czar of the rescue mission crusaders was once quoted as publicly declaring that only those who fell examinations are bound to repeat. While assuring Imolites of the infallibility of the Rochanomics method of leadership, Owelle Rochas Okorocha and his team toady the gullible rabbles with our society that the need for a second term cannot arise. The approach of being-too -much-in-a-hurry to deliver was unleashed on the system such that the act of governance appeared to be so magical with unfathomable rate of trial and error experimentation of rash and circumspective policies. In all these mystic styles, the public seems gagged with the mesmerizing quantum of capital projects taken on in one fell swoop encapsulated in the refrain 730 projects in 730 days displayed with flex banners along the streets of the Capitol, Owerri.
The vision of these projects beclouds the minds of the gullible especially the flotsam and jetsam that most of the roads and even building structures are failing already while yet to be put to full capacity utility. To such people, the sycophants and chicken littles what matters is the works but not the sustainability or durability of them, not even the cost mean anything as far as it is credited to Owelle and the rescue mission mantra. The recent public outburst of Governor Rochas Okorocha altogether with his general body language has left no well discerning person with any doubt that Owelle’s second term agenda is on course. Initially, the man who never saw a need to repeat a course, which is only for weaklings, now declared to the listening, seeing and hearing masses that eight (8) years will not suffice to accomplish the rescue mission agenda. This is an old trick, which typifies such antics of most politicians that we aught to be ware of. It is no longer a camouflage that His Excellency, Owelle Anayo Rochas Okorocha has smartly made U-turn as usual to rescind his Presidential ambition with the All Progressive Congress (APC) to “condenscend” once again for the gubernatorial race in Imo State. This time as an incumbent, Owelle has accelerated the campaign tempo with overt and covert designs. He swore not to sleep until the Nekede-Ihiagwa road is fixed, hence a state of emergency declared on the construction. Even when this declaration does not end up like one those of President Goodluck Jonathan, we need to watch it as a mere political bait.
