A visit to what is supposedly prototype of Imo State, like the saying goes, the taste of the pudding is in the eating. anyone who is desirous to know how wealthy a man is, should first take a look at how well-fed the wife is.
Imo liaison house in Lagos represents what anybody could easily predict to be actually the picture of the state itself.
Your prospective visitor or an associate need not to know how nice or beautiful your bedroom is, the environment and the doors that leads to your house has spoken a great volume of your inner person, if you are dirty outside you must be dirty inside, so also will people address you the way you dress.
A visit to Imo liaison house in Lagos speak great volume of how Imo State is or is represented, the workers there are fantastic, friendly matured and very dutiful in character, they represent zealousness of Imo spirit despite the unspeakable environment they are in, I must give it to them.
My experience, observations and judgement on the state of structural decay there leaves a lot to be desired, (is a sharp contrast to quality services the workers there delivers)
Lagos State, is generally acclaimed “center of excellence” meaning any perception of your home state, from Lagos end demonstrates how excellent your (down home) state is.
I do not know how Imo house (Liaison office) in Abuja is or looks like, so I will dwell only on my Lagos experience, aside from Imo (home) land itself, Lagos accounts for largest population of Imolites in diaspora, and so is very pivotal indeed.
For your information, Imo house in Lagos is not just for Imo citizens alone, it serves as first point of call to all visitors, to investors and tourist who may want to know more of the state, all will go there for adequate information, Imo citizens who visits there also forms their opinion negatively or positively about their state, one’s opinion or perceptions of his own state’s infrastructures speaks volumes to his patriotism towards the state. Imo house Lagos is a shadow of its self, the building is still wearing the old look the military left it, what you see in the compound is “like” massive looting and abandonment by previous government (before this present one).
One ugly visible picture that greets you is images of massive loot, all the heavy-duty power generators there are visibly carried away, as witnessed by the empty lapidated warehouse that housed those equipments, before obviously and believably they were carted away, (the look of generator house, says it all).
Governor Hope Uzodinma should as a matter of urgency rehabilitate the Imo house in Lagos, make it more befitting, functional and attractive. It should represent what Imo State is, (my late father told me that perception is deadly than reality), visitation to Imo house gives you wrong perceptions of Imo government and governance.
Having paraphrased the images and my observations from the Imo house (liaison office) I can now dwell also on Imo people’s perception of the Governor and the government of the state in relationship with Imolites in Lagos.
Governor Uzodinma might have meant well for Imolites in Lagos but this narratives needs an urgent clean up, what I think is needed is a synergy of cooperation between the Governor and Imolites in Lagos.
The handlers of Uzodinma should devote more time on rightly this wrongly perceptions, the Hope support groups in Lagos are doing very much they could in marketing the Governor and his administration, but the government itself needs to devote and pay greater attention to it.
Governor Uzodinma may go down in history as the only Imo governor that never had good or quality relationship with Imolites in Lagos, as one who never visited or sat with Ndi Imo in Lagos throughout his first (4years) term, as a colleague on mine said, “They only see their Governor on Televisions”.
Governors before him regularly pride in meeting Imolites in Lagos, the stakeholders and some leaders of Imo town communities always meet with previous governor on every of their visit to Lagos, “I can remember countless times Imolites came out to receive or see their governor off at the airport”. There was a great synergy between Douglass house and Imolites in Lagos then, then now.
What handlers of His Excellency Distinguished Sen Hope Uzodinma should focus on, as a new ways forward.
Largos Union branches of all South Eastern states Communities, are very unique to their respective states, and serves as a great link to Community’s and State’s development.
Therefore the uniqueness of Imo communities in Lagos cannot be over emphasize, as evidently seen in any community’s disputes in (ala Igbo) is only Lagos branches that has the ability or grace of intervention and settlement of the fallouts.
Perceptions and narratives from Lagos branches therefore becomes a necessity for progressiveness of any South Eastern state, I therefore suggest Governor Uzodinma should regularly engage Imolites in diaspora as a matter of developmental policy, this potency should be channelled for maximum use
Presidents of Imo communities in Lagos are strategic partners to the development of the state, therefore interactions with them will send down the needed messages of peace, the previous governments bearing in mind the importance of our Community’s regular monthly meetings, used that medium to appeal and narrow down it’s agendas to the communities, previous governments willingly used this f leaders as it’s ambassadors or spokespersons to reach their Communities.
In addition, cordial relationship should at all times be maintained with Imo citizens outside the state. The government of Sen Hope Uzodinma scored a golden goal last December when it provided free transportation (going and coming) for Christmas holiday journey makers. That guesture was like the starting point of a turning around from public hate to love, from distrust to benefits of doubt, from he does not care to his show of affection, it opened a door of goodwill for the governor.
The free transportation came at the time cost of transportation went to high mountains, and the testimonies from benefiting communities still echoes high. It will be recalled that the guesture of free transportation is what Imolites in Lagos and other part of the nation has enjoyed since the military days, but was temporarily stopped by Okorocha’s administration, so Uzodinma kick starting it again was indeed a turning point to many. Imo communities that benefited from the journey are still telling their stories, while others still hope and believe that the guesture continues.
Aside from the above, the last government of Uzodinma was felt in Lagos was during the last Imo Day Cultural Carnival Festival which we were told he personally approved and consequently sent the deputy Governor and the Commissioner for Justice to represent him, the public saw it that all hope were not lost, though we believe the government should do more subsequently.
Minus these two events (the free transportation and Imo Day occasion), there hasn’t been any other visible connecting contact of His Excellency with Imolites in Lagos, a growing perception of these Imo community leaders in Lagos is truly on the negatives, as a matter of urgency, the handlers of Uzodinma should improve and have him interact with stakeholders outside Imo land. The people wants to meet and hear from the governor, the last Imo Day Cultural Carnival held in Lagos was a huge plus for the Uzodinma, Imolites felt the presence of the governor in his deputy and the Commissioner that represented him, the assurances from the deputy Governor was a kind of consolations to us. Priority of any effective government is to win the people and carry them along.
Public trust, reliability and confident on the governor should not be joked with, and whatever be pledges or promises made should always be fulfilled.
The citizens must have trust and confident on their governor.
They should ensure that, whenever the governor like his predecessors stopped over in Lagos, (as a father), Imolites in Lagos should be able to meet and interact with him, as was done in the days of his predecessors, this interactions gives psychological impetus to both the governor and the citizens, that a relationship of the father (Government) and the children (citizens) exists. I strongly believe this was a missing pointer, a missing link in this administration, the insecurity witnessed in Imo could have been reduced if Lagos branches of Imo communities had stepped in.
The role or actions of these branches in their Communities is far reaching in gains, Lagos poses as the umbrella of diasporal Imo citizens, and any synergy with it works like magic.
Governor Uzodinma no doubt have all it takes to win the forthcoming election, but it is one thing to win election and it is also another thing to win the people, in wining an election the people should also be won alongside the victory, wining an election without winning the people is like one buying infected log of woods by himself.
I have lived in Lagos too long to understand how other South Eastern state government relates with their diasporas in Lagos.
The organizers of the last Imo Day Carnival Festival in Lagos was superb in marketing the state, they made the state proud, showcasing or marketing a state cultural heritage and economic investment opportunities/ benefits outside a state is a task of patriotism.
In a whole, the government should review it’s obligations and policy towards Imolites in Lagos, the synergy between the two is a sure way to lasting peace in the state.
