By Henry Ekpe
Nothing lasts forever. Imo State, since last seven months Governor Hope Uzodinma took over the mantle of Leadership, has lost its virginity in open violence.
A State known for its intellectual population with moderation in tackling its immediate socio-political challenges has suddenly appeared a volatile State over night. Imo has morphed into a State where restive Youths or hoodlums could in broad day light waylay the convoy of the Chief Executive of the State.
Twice now, the convoy of the State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma has been attacked within the State. These condemnable incidents all had connection with one section of the State; Ohaji/Egbema/Oguta axis. The Oil Bearing LGAs of the State.
The chicken that lays the golden egg for the State.
The first surprise and shock was when the Governor’s convoy was attacked when he visited Ohaji/Egbema LGA, on a peace mission for that matter. He went to have parley with the Elders and Youths of the Area, only to come out to see his official car damaged.
It was a shock because such a story was unheard of in Imo polity. Nobody in his right senses will support an attack on a Chief Executive of the State, who doubles as the Chief Security Officer of that State.
Now just this week, same scenario played out as, according Police report, fifteen persons were arrested for blocking the Governor’s convoy, and the suspects are now cooling their heels in Police Net where they are helping the Law enforcement Agencies with investigation.
Although Independent sources said the arrested suspects were Staff of Imo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, ISOPADEC demonstrating over their unpaid salary arrears.
But those in Government circle claim that they were hoodlums, brandishing various types of weapons and would soon be tried for Treason.
The Government even went further to add that the said “Staff” or “Hoodlums” were sent by the opposition, which the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, a major opposition party in the State has since washed off their hands.
Much as it is condemnable to attack or molest a Government Official, much more of the rank of a Governor, but the pertinent question remains: when has it become a common thing to attack an Imo State Governor?
Is this a new fad in the State’s open society granted by Democracy? Has this opened another trend in Imo history that may continue in the future if not stopped now?
I pose these questions because every action must have a reaction. Now that it has gotten to a level where some “Hoodlums” or demonstrating workers will brazenly attack a sitting Governor, what is the Government of the day doing over the matter? What does the Governor think is the cause of this behavior from a hitherto peaceful Imo populace and what can be done to curb it?
Since the inception of Imo State, with Ndubuisi Kanu as the pioneer Governor, no Governor of Imo State has been waylaid by the citizens in a conventional time. It was only Governor Okorocha who was harassed, in the same Oil bearing Area of Imo State “during Election. So what next is Governments move?
No one throws away the baby with the bath water because it cries a lot. No father disowns his own son because of his stubbornness. It therefore means that the present Imo State Government has a task on its hands now to carry out a study over these incessant attacks on the Governor’s Convoy, even when on peace missions.
The last attack, I learnt was when the Governor was on his way to commission a project at Army Barrack.
The job is now even made easy for Imo Government since the direction from where these “hoodlums” are coming from are easily deciphered: the Oil Bearing axis of the State. Who are their Leaders of thought and Elders? What do they want?
So, what is the relationship between the present day Imo State Government and the Oil Bearing Areas of the State? Why has the place become this brave and volatile?
Despite all his greed and sophistry to cun the masses, at least Governor Okorocha during his reign constituted ISOPADEC Board and instituted what looked like sanity within that sector.
It was in the era of Governor Ikedi Ohakim that ISOPADEC was born. So, no need saying that Government kept fate with ISOPADEC and its policies then.
Even in seven months he spent in office, Governor Emeka Ihedioha returned life full in ISOPADEC to the extent that the people of Imo Oil Bearing Areas heaved sigh of relief with shocking instant developments to the grass roots via ISOPADEC.
What is holding the Government of Senator Hope Uzodinma from constituting ISOPADEC Board and paying the Staff? Has Federal Government stopped sending funds to ISOPADEC these past seven months?
Governments are meant for the people, and the people for the Government. Therefore, Leaders are put into offices to be accountable to the masses through which they derive their mandates. If the Government wants to abolish ISOPADEC, it has the powers, and should intimate the people and scrap it.
Having said that, Governor Hope Uzodinma should seriously look into the issue of ISOPADEC and its restless workers. This is why Leaders are elected into offices. The Government should do all within her power to stop further agitations that may emanate from these hostile oil communities again.
The burden of leadership is enormous.
That is where the restrain, stewardship and humility of the leader comes to bear.
It is obviously certain that Governor Uzodinma did not envisage the situation he met in office. Imo State for the first time in its history never got the amount of money that accrued to the State between 2011-2019. But the then Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha frittered every kobo away on frivolous projects, that Imo got worse than he met it as he was leaving office.
However, within the seven months Ihedioha and PDP spent in office, he studied the entire hopeless situation, and embarked on rebuilding the State from the scratch.
He made progress within that short period because he made use of a combination of core politicians and tested Technocrats, which even attracted him odium from some of his core followers who got no positions before he was removed from office in Jan 14, 2020. But Ihedioha did not worry, because it was Imo State that gained, and certainly he would have brought those “outside” in after he had steadied Imo Ship with the help of the “Technocrats”.
Today, Governor Uzodinma was pushed into lining his Executive with an entire Band of “Professional” politicians. Not that all of them are incompetent, though. In order to please everybody, he appointed over one hundred Aides in an Economy that is finding it hard to meet its statutory obligations to the populace.
Therefore, whatever Imo State is facing is out of Uzodinma’s magnanimity to satisfy his political followers to the detriment of Imo State that is facing overwhelming financial crunch.
In a bid to conserve funds for immediate challenging matters, workers are owed, but are told that they have been paid. For fear of their debtors and what their children will say, these frustrated workers rather stay on the street than stay at home and die of hunger.
So, flog them today and tomorrow, they will remain adamant since a hungry man is not only an angry man, but hopeless without money.
While that is raging, ENTRACO and other Mushroom Uniform Agency officials descend on the people who managed to venture out to eke out a living in “a dry” environment.
Now, it becomes even hellish to connect your village to make ends meet. Between Emmanuel College Owerri and Polytechnic Junction Naze, you will meet over Seven Police/Army check points that will not only extort you, but delay you that you regret ever coming out that day.
under these various choking situations every citizen of Imo State becomes restless and yet desperate to survive. The masses want to breath. There is nothing frustration cannot breed. But the Government of the day can change this situation by connecting with the people and sooth their apprehensions. We are in a democracy where there should be freedom to access good live.
But unfortunately, instead of the Government to sincerely look into the plight of the masses and find a way to minimize their problems, some of the Appointees of Government rather compound the problems with their autocratic behavours, thereby ostracizing the masses more from the Government.
It does not make any Imo citizen proud, despite your political leanings, to hear unfavourable stories about the State.
Just this week, a Government official confiscated a Hand Set belonging to a Journalist on official Duty with which he was recording the ubiquitous pensioners demonstrations.
All entreaties from his superiors to hand over the phone fell on deaf ears. Till date, that Journalist is yet to file his story and it has affected his job.
Certainly, it was not the Governor that directed this appointee to cause this image damage for the Governor. So, even the Journalists are not spared.
Under this scenario, who do will blame? Appointees should know that their major job is to help their Principal succeed in office and not to Lord it over other citizens. Soon, these appointees will leave office for others, because public offices are not forever.
However, the public should not take Laws into their own hands. Though there is apprehension caused by vagaries of the hard times, but no one should resort to self help because no problem lasts forever.
