A few years ago, I glanced through a novel “Shadow of Gallows” though I have forgotten the name of the author of that wonderful literary work but the life story of the protagonist in that epic novel has a direct bearing with this my article. Onuoha the chief character in that fiction had his family hated and derided by most people if not all in the community. And because of Onuoha’s poor background, his parents could not challenge the many oppression and inhumane attacks launched against them by their haters.
A minor skirmish ensued in the village and, that alone offered the oppressors the singular opportunity to banish Onuoha and his parents out of the town to a very far away community across seven rivers and seven evil forests. Onuoha’s parents could not survive the trauma and stigmatization and so they bowed out of the scene. But the boy remained resolute and by doing some menial jobs during weekends, he was able to train himself up to the university.
History was to repeat itself again after many years even in a strange land and Onuoha was put into prison with trumped-up charges. In the prison, he contemplated suicide but one of the prison warders told him about his dream where he saw Onuoha become not just a wealthy man but President of his nation. He then offered to release him by throwing him into a river bordering the jail but not without a condition that Onuoha must remember him and his family if he succeeded in life. The deal was however sealed and delivered. At this juncture, Onuoha’s home town had become a theocratic independent nation, the gods had earlier pronounced that the President of the brand new nation would arrive the land by 12 mid night through their river. All that mattered in the land had assembled at the foot of river Kanem awaiting the soon coming leader and behold at exactly 12 mid night, Onuoha unknown to him was in his own land, he had to swim along with the river tide for 21 days without food.
Upon sighting him afloat the river, the chief priests ordered he be brought out and crowned the President of the new theocracy. Bewilderment, awe and confusion took over everywhere when Onuoha in his inaugural speech informed that he was not a stranger but one of them that was banished 35 years ago. Some leaders attempted walking out of the inauguration arena but Onuoha pleaded with them to give him a chance to actually prove to them that his emergence was divinely predetermined.
In 10 years, Onuoha had laid a solid foundation, and the new nation became the biggest force to reckon with in the entire continent in sectors.
I had to tell this seemingly needless but unavoidable story to lay a formidable foundation for this very article. Sen. Hope Uzodimma I dare say is today the Executive Governor of Imo State but a number of Imolites are yet to come to terms with this unchangeable reality starring all of us in the face. The Supreme Court on the 14th of January this year pronounced him the validly elected Governor of Imo State and he was subsequently sworn-in on the 15th of January.
The new Imo Leader, one of the most respected and regarded pillars of the PDP then and now top rated APC inner caucus Governor who has the ears of the President alongside his aides had been appealing to NDIMO to give him a chance to prove who he is, what he truly represents and the glorious path he is about to take for the good of the state. Unfortunately, there seems to be a number of desperate opposition party leaders holding some NDIMO in the jugular and with expertise in fake news generation and dissemination vide the new media, some highly rated and educated Imolites tend to believe them whilst thinking that Uzodimma might be a bad leader. The worst thing that can happen to any person is when he is always paid or directed to have an opinion, and this is the case with most Imo youths hibernating in the new media, peddling rumors and sharing fake news against our God-given Governor like never before. A popular Igbo adage ‘’Ekwe ekele Ihu asaa’’ which I may not translate here, truly captures the level of hostility with which a number of Imolites particularly the political elite have responded to the hearty greetings offered by the chief driver of the SHARED PROSPERITY GOVERNMENT presently in Imo. Ndimo kwenunu ekele Hope Uzodimma, ka ihu saa onye obula, ka Onwa chakee na- ala Imo taa.
Granted, the emergence of the governor may not have gone down well with some people in the state but the exigencies now make it imperative that he be given a chance like Onuoha in the novel cited above. One of such exigencies is the nose-dived global oil price which I know like you do, that if something urgent is not done now, states may not be able to pay salaries let alone providing or maintaining basic infrastructures in the near future. Unemployment rate in Imo is mind-blowing and a time bomb waiting to explode.
Only recently, 1000 ghost workers were discovered in the civil cum public service in Imo and I put it to you that you really know its implication on the state economy. Imo has great but untapped potentials in non-oil natural resource deposit, tourism, agriculture, human resource, education, health etc, and I can assure you that it will take only an Uzodimma administration to open-up these critical areas for the overall development of the state.
The SHARED PROSPERITY GOVERNMENT in Imo inherited the deadly Covid-19 pandemic but has been able to handle the case to the extent that the state has not had any index case. He was able to establish six world class isolation centres with brand new ventilators, and well trained frontline health workers to effectively handle any eventuality. The Covid-19 Taskforce in Imo is manned by a top flight global medical scientist, Prof Maurice Iwu. The Governor as a highly connected global citizen with enviable contacts and reach, has actually busied himself with coordinated reach-outs aimed at attracting direct foreign investments to the eastern heartland. All of these will certainly manifest in Imo as soon as the coronavirus is over. I hereby submit here that, it will be most unfair and uncharitable for NDIMO to down-score the Governor’s 100 days in office when we all know the challenge of Covid-19 which is more like a war situation.
In all sectors of the economy, I make bold to tell you that Onwa Ndimo has a very wonderful, if not the best blueprint any Governor can have for short term, medium and long term development. The minor challenge faced by Pensioners, Council workers and some public servants in the state which bothered on non-payment of salaries was occasioned by government ordered compulsory verification of account system of various MDAs to clinically sanitize them, ward off ghost worker syndrome and report progress. I can authoritatively report that the whole storm is over now as some of the affected workers including Pensioners have started receiving their payments. There’s an ongoing massive construction of roads and commissioning of completed ones especially those started by the past administration in the state because government is always a continum. Uzodimma has a mantra of hope epitomized by his implementable vision and embedded in passion for good governance which when fully unleashed, would certainly catapult Imo to high heavens in terms of development all to the Glory of God. With moderate temperament, not easily provoked, humble with less talk and listening ears too, NDIMO now have a governor they can always trust and rely on. May I accordingly therefore beg all of us to shun unnecessary malice, hate, fake news and irresponsible politicking but to join hands with this man of honor to put Imo back to proper shape and glory.
Politics I suppose, should have been over by now and governance mode has indeed been activated. Let us therefore in one accord give Gov. Hope Odidika Uzodimma the chance to prove his worth in governance alongside his undying love for our dear State.
FIDEL AGU,
Journalist and Public Relations expert writes in Abuja.
