An old lady got into an argument with her pastor, due to the nature of the argument and negative words used, the pastor thought he would never see her again. However, she showed up for the evening service the same Sunday. “I thought you’d gone for good,” he said to her. “Pastor” she said, “I’m going to be very loyal to my church even if the devil is in d pulpit.”
The above story reflects direct perseverance in what one believes. If one is convinced of a particular assignment in a given corrupt system, no amount of intimidation or threat can stop the one if one is out to effect total change. Yes, the response of the young lady to her pastor “ I am going to be loyal to my church even if the devil is in the pulpit” is my stand in the light of several threats that I have received so far from those who want me dead.
I must be loyal to the faith and commitment of making this administration set up to challenges facing her. To become a champion, one must fight more. If you consider the postage stamp, its usefulness consists in sticking to one thing that is, getting to its direction. I must continue to talk until things are done the right way. In the words of Henry Van Dyke, “To get through the hardest journey we need take only one step at a time, but we must keep on stepping”.
In consolidation of the hardest journey and in keeping to the principle of stepping further, I have incurred some enemies. Human nature grows tired of always doing the same thing, and it is God’s will that this should be so because of the opportunity of practicing two great virtues. The first is perseverance, which will bring us to our goal. The other is steadfastness, which overcomes the difficulties on the way.
I have continued to speak out no matter the obstacles. On Friday, January 24, 2014 at exactly 12:39pm my phone rang and it was that of a man who threatened fire and brimstone on me. He said, “Just consider yourself dead….” “What did I do”? I questioned without getting any reply. After a while, the same caller who introduced himself as Col. Isikoro I. Isikoro (whose telephone numbers are 08173261059) called back at 12:49pm the same day and mentioned my vehicle numbers, my location and some other vital information regarding my movement and asked me to stop writing against Gov. Rochas of Imo State if I do not want to be declared missing.
The reader could recall last year on the 17th of march 2013 at 5am when four armed men stormed my residence in search of my life, but God intervened by rescuing me and my household from their hands. This year again, the trend has continued. Who are the ones behind this? Rochas or his men? I cannot tell for now. But for anybody to ask me to stop writing so that I will not be declared missing, simply points to one direction; the present government of Chief Rochas Okorocha.
Intimidation inspires me so much just as travelling from one country to another inspires Gov. Rochas. That reminds me, Gov Okorocha is almost clocking three years in office and there is no month that he is not embarking on one oversea trip or the other in search of greener pasture for Imo people. In the first six month in office, Gov Rochas flew to Kosovo, USA, London, and many other foreign countries in search of investors that would come to put Imo into the Guinness Book of Record. This trend has continued unchecked.
Shortly and after chief Rochas dissolved his cabinet last year, he abandoned his official duty to travel to America, London and France in search of foreign based Imo indigenes to co-opt into his cabinet in order to move Imo into space. I am very worried that in the third year of his administration his numerous travels have not started yielding any good thing. The Government is aware that he is spending tax-payers money on frivolities. The huge amount Okorocha spends on these trips alone can help in engaging our jobless graduates who are ready to work without seen any job.
In this 2014, our governor has started this year with another oversea trip without result. How should our own money be used for executive frivolities? Who in his right thinking mind will fold his hands in the face of all these? Why should a man like me not speak out? Why should anyone want me dead for speaking out? Anyone who wants me dead should first of all correct these anomalies in Okorocha’s administration and until they are corrected I must speak out being ready to die for the people of Imo state. Anyone who wants me dead should bear in mind that Imo has almost become a lawless society because it is only in Imo state that a governor will dismantle a constitutionally established institution with executive fiat and nobody would say anything. Today, what has happened to our various development centers which were established by act of parliament? Who want me dead? Is it not only in Imo that a sitting governor will refuse to implement court judgments that are against his government? It is not in Imo that the same governor without recourse to the constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria established another tier of government and called it 4th tier government and some people are clapping for him? Still in our state Imo where Idi Amin of Uganda reincarnated that 10,000 jobs created by the previous administration was terminated only for chief Rochas to create 200,000 jobs for Imo youths. No wonder many of the Imo youths now only work in their dreams while they die of hunger and starvation in the physical. When you go a place like Ohaji Egbema and all the oil producing areas, Okorocha has not done anything for them. He has converted their 13% oil derivatives without anything to show for it.
Just last week three truck loads of young men from the northern part of this country were disembarked at the premises of the Imo College of Advanced Professional Studies (ICAPS) along Egbu Road Owerri. When they are interviewed they confessed that they are Muslims from Kano, Katsina and Kaduna states respectively. The men numbering over 300 came to Imo at the instance of the state government. This was condemned by some northern elders in Imo state. What are they here for? No one knows? Who wants me dead? No one knows still.
The above may have been the reason why Okorocha for over four months after reconstituting a new state executive council left the ministry of Agric and that of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs stagnant. We learnt that he reserved that of Agriculture for candidates from the Northern part of the country. Members of Imo House of Assembly on their own have insisted not to screen any candidate from Northern Nigeria. Why should our governor ignore indigenous youths of Imo state and went to the North to appoint a commission to head Agric? I am not sure that he can do such. The 300 to 400 Almajiris that are now in Imo state, what is their mission? Who among them wants me dead? Okorocha Na Kwa echeki!
By Prof Nathan Protus Uzorma
