My suspicion for english language began when I was thought that the past tense of ‘shake’ is ‘shook’; that of ‘take is took’ and in the turn of ‘make’ they said it is ‘made’ instead of ‘mook’ following the pattern of shake and take. I hear now that the plural of stadium is now ‘Stadiums’ instead of ‘Stadia’ which was what I was thought in my days in school. The English claims any change in the meaning of their language at will. I do not begrudge them. My worry is how my African brothers want to swallow English language hook, line and sinker even more than the Englishman. I wonder a catholic faithful who can be more catholic than the Pope. Recently I came across some analysis on some governorship hopefuls come 2015 in Imo State where Emeka Ihedioha was being branded ‘arrogant and inaccessible’ and my spirit immediately flipped. However I have nothing against the source of that kind of branding for a man who is currently in service of his country.
It is important to state here that I am the Special Assistant (Public Affairs) to Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha CON Deputy Speaker House of Representatives and your guess for my propel to this piece is as good as mine.
I have personally known Emeka Ihedioha even before his full-blown attraction to politics became manifest and have also had cause to interact with him while in private and public services before I recently joined him.
Given my background as having worked with Military Administrators and Civilian Governors in the past I can conveniently say that the conduct of Emeka Ihedioha both in private and public service is several kilometers distanced from inaccessibility and arrogance.
A recall of recent history could be a measured guide. On June 6, 2011 all members of the present House of Representatives unanimously (unopposed) voted Emeka Ihedioha as their Deputy Speaker which am yet to recall a matching history of that action on any other politician in Nigeria today. His colleagues did it because they know Emeka Ihedioha. If he was inaccessible and/or arrogant am sure his colleagues will not risk that level of confidence in him. The Federal Constituency of AbohMbaise/NgorOkpala weighed so many options and resolved to return Emeka Ihedioha to the Federal House even for the 3rd time which was unimaginable in our political clime. They considered many factors and preferred to convert Ihedioha’s experience and exposure to advantage. I doubt if any unbiased constituent of AbohMbaise/NgorOkpala Federal Constituency will ever associate their representative with the tag-inaccessible and arrogant. Emeka Ihedioha has instituted an unbeatable feed-back mechanism in his Federal Constituency through which he feels the heart-beat of his people as to know which projects are dear to their hearts as well as meaningful to them. An arrogant man will not give a hoot to the welfare of his people once he thinks that the mandate is already in his pocket. Most federal projects in AbohMbaise/NgorOkpala Federal Constituency today are evidences of accessibility of the stakeholders to Emeka Ihedioha. All the local government areas in Mbaise and other local governments in Imo State are living witnesses to the efforts of Emeka Ihedioha to hook on Imo State to the Federal grid. The youths and women from the 27 Local Governments Areas of Imo State can testify being beneficiaries of empowerment programmes of the Federal Government facilitated by the Office of the Deputy Speaker House of Representatives. Many federal projects across the length and breadth of Imo State captured in the federal budget are courtesy of Emeka Ihedioha and his colleagues. A politician who is inaccessible cannot empower his people. It is only accessibility that breeds empowerment ie what Emeka Ihedioha stands for.
I am personally aware of the striking efforts of Emeka Ihedioha to ensure that federal projects approved for Imo State are duly energized as a way of polishing the image of Mr. President in the eyes of Imo people. As the highest-ranking Imo man in the hierarchy of the government of Nigeria today, Emeka Ihedioha takes it a challenge to always present to Mr. President the best way Imo people will continue to support the PDP-led Federal Government. The majority of federal appointments of Imo people today are courtesy of Emeka Ihedioha and his colleagues and one begins to wonder how all those individuals who are benefitting as board members, contractors, etc could have succeeded if Emeka Ihedioha is truly inaccessible.
Most people are aware that in most public functions where Emeka Ihedioha is special guest, he will ignore protocols to ensure that invitees are well provided for. Giving service is in his blood. Getting results gives him comfort. He has an unquenchable appetite for originality and service. Eye-service gives him a running stomach. His patience for dullards is zero and he is prepared at all times believing that you are also prepared when you are with him. He prefers teaching people how to fish and not giving them fish for he believes that the knowledge impacted into you on how to fish if gainfully deployed will give you fish for life. Most people want to pick gold just like that. Emeka Ihedioha will tell you if you want to get gold; you must be prepared to dig deeply for it is not gotten on the surface because, he insists that, that which is lightly gotten is little valued. This commitment of Emeka Ihedioha to hard work and discipline could be wrongly taken for arrogance.
Unfortunately Emeka Ihedioha is in a clime where an associate of his 15, 20 years ago wants to spend 2 hours with him discussing yesterday before he goes into the green chambers may be to preside if the Speaker is not available. Those who knew him when he was paying his dues and paving his way to greatness would still want to drag him to the memories of the past while Mr. President is waiting for him for an important briefing. The way he combines the mountain of National and International assignments and still touches base with his federal constituency and other local runs still baffles me. In the course of him trying to distribute the available time to the endless expectations there is bound to be a wrong perception of his person, schedules and disposition. When you call him and he cannot pick; you send a text, he does not reply it is only tempting to conclude that he is inaccessible not bothering to imagine the flood of calls and texts into his phone every second and those who know; know that texts wipe out texts once the capacity of the phone is at the brim. I have severally noticed sincere efforts in Emeka Ihedioha even in his present capacity to pick calls or even return missed ones. Unfortunately you only get to hear the calls he failed to pick; texts he could not reply or appointments he failed to keep. Those who saw him, had good time, got contracts, got juicy appointments, got connections, got assistance even got their calls picked and texts replied will never make it public when Emeka Ihedioha is being painted black in their presence; no word will be uttered by them to change the perception. What a generation!
I was shocked recently in Asaba where Emeka Ihedioha was a Guest Speaker in the 2nd year anniversary lecture of the Delta State House of Assembly and the Speaker (Delta House of Assembly) informed his audience that the Guest Speaker (Emeka Ihedioha) flew in from the United Kingdom that morning into Nigeria and made straight to Asaba to honour the invitation yet it was evident in the course of the lecture to notice that he ( Emeka Ihedioha) had cold and fever. What a spirit of service? I am sure if anybody ventured to seek the consent of Dame Dorathy Ihedioha (Emeka’s Mother) to approve her son delivering that lecture that morning not minding the depreciation in his health, mama would gladly service the face of such a person with an octogenarianslap. Remember she celebrated her 80th birthday November 2012.
The Emeka Ihedioha I know is substantially misunderstood by a very few which is only normal. Every body wants his attention and presence in everything- burial ceremony, weddings, child dedication, national events, village, ward and stakeholders meetings as well as expect him achieve his mandatory sitting record of a dynamic Federal Legislator let alone coping with domesticities. He is only a mortal who cannot claim perfection striving to allocate the available 24 hours to the jaw-breaking demands associated with his status daily. Am sure those who prefer to see him as arrogant and inaccessible will not consider him entitled to a good sleep forgetting that the worst punishment to a man is to give him a sleepless night.
I am aware that it is not lost on many that Emeka Ihedioha is a family member of the media and the society at large. It is understandable that in a contest you are expected to put in all you have to emerge victorious. I dare say that the ambition of anybody to occupy Douglas House in 2015 is not worth the assassination of the character of one single Imo soul. We need a better image for our leaders at all times and this is a collective responsibility of all and sundry.
Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, for all intents and purposes, is currently occupied on performing his duties both as a dynamic federal legislator and deputy speaker of the House of Representatives. He displays a restless disposition towards galvanizing his colleagues to attain a dependable and visiontailored House worthy of supporting His Excellency Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan GCFR, President and commander in-Chief of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in the effective leadership and governance of Nigeria.
The Emeka Ihedioha I know is a child whose time has come. Denting and blackmailing all his appointees can not certainly be a way out. He is a flagflying officer of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and a principal officer of the National Assembly which by implication impose a mountain of responsibilities on him thereby making it impossible for him as a human being to give attention to everybody at the same time. It is my prayer that Emeka Ihedioha should not be visited with the sins of his fore-fathers or even his aides. Time without number it has been proved that the worst critics are not even the best performers when challenged with responsibilities. For Emeka Ihedioha and all those who are in one public position or the other to succeed, there is need for us to pray for them, make civilized comments on them, celebrate their strengths rather than their weaknesses bearing in mind that leadership is not a popularity contest.
If our parents had not been tempted, we would not be here. I have bothered to travel this far because I do not agree, considering what I know, that Emeka Ihedioha could fall within the category of an arrogant and inaccessible being. In as much as I will never arrogate perfection to Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, associating him with inaccessibility and arrogance is overkill. It is my resolve to propel my boss to higher productivity by educating the readership with his true identity. The doctrine of an eye for an eye which leaves everyone blind is not Emeka Ihedioha’s style. For those who may not bother to digest this writeup and appreciate my stand point I forgive them; after all the biggest business of God almighty is Forgiveness. What use is knowledge if no one knows you have it. Now you know I know Rt. Hon Emeka Ihedioha.
It will yield our generation more dividends to sermonize the pluses of our leaders than their minuses. Remember that our first six leaders in Nigeria ie. President, Vice President, Senate President Speaker House of Rep, Deputy Senate President and Deputy Speaker House of Reps are there with the people’s mandate. If you must rubbish or castigate them I recommend you use the people’s mandate not hearsay or jaundiced opinion.
My humble appeal to any one who cares is to remove the spectacles of yester years and wear a democratic and current one, you will surely see, indeed agree with me that the quantum of access, humility, tolerance and fear of God in Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha are commendable.
I am also aware that the sufferings of the rich is among the sweetest pleasures of the poor. For a man below 50 years and at this height of service to his country men and women, I plead that we examine the contents and not the bottle. Onlookers, they say, see more than players.
Experience has taught me that only very few of us can stand other people’s prosperity. Life has also revealed to me that no person can truly condemn another because no person really knows another and I conclude by adopting the language of Jesus Christ: let he who is without sin cast the first stone.
I thank those whose actions propelled this piece after all, all men are brothers.
Bright Nwelue ksc; JP
