Date Published: 01/28/10
Governor Ohakim and the verdict of history in Imo state By Okechukwu Nwadike
Once upon a time, there were four people named Everybody, Somebody, Nobody and Anybody. When there was an important job to be done, Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it but Nobody did it. When Nobody did it, Everybody got angry because it was Somebody’s job. Everybody thought that Somebody would do it, but Nobody realized that Nobody would do it. So it ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done in the first place.
I have elected to commence this piece with the short story above which to me illustrates the dilemma and the cankerworm of lackadaisical approach by previous administrations in Imo state over the issue of structural development and the re-integration of the state into national limelight.
It would be recalled that the South East, coming from the effect of its “defeat” at the Civil war has either by volition or coercion remained disintegrated from the Central government as not too strong attempts by few individuals to rejoin the national government were visited with disdain by some Ndiigbo who saw the efforts as a sellout. The result is that the region has continued to remain irrelevant in the scheme of things at the federal level while it has not been able to attract a commensurate federal presence in spite of its enormous human and material contributions towards the building of a united and virile Nigeria.
It goes therefore that the only option for development and attraction of federal presence in the region in our eventual determination to remain part of the Nigeria nation is to muster the will power, courage, zeal and effrontery to lobby, through the oiling of the region’s political machineries and encouraging its power mercenaries for the attraction of the desired developments for the region.
Governor Ikedi Ohakim of Imo state has remained the most outstanding in this agitation when he left, in deference to the wishes of the majority of his people, the PPA and returned to the PDP, a party he was a founding member. Many critics, of cause did not understand why he made that political move which generated some sorts of sentiments but those who can truly see the contents from a mere scratch quickly saw the desperation of the Imo governor to breaking a habit of insularity that is not the true political character of the South East.
Today, that single move has been attracting tremendous results which I would wish to term the unsung scores of governor Ohakim, and Imo people can now comfortably beat their chests and say our state is part of Nigeria. Although some opponents of the present administration may prefer a closed eye to these achievements and make drum-beats out of the little flaws of the system, not many however have remained ignorant to the fact that the Ohakim administration in less than three years in office had attracted federal projects worth over N85billion to the state.
Some of these projects which are at various points of execution include the federal government’s award of the Elele-Owerri road at the cost of N25billion; the Oguta Sea port worth N15billion; the dredging of the Nworie River at the cost of N7billion; the Isinweke-Onicha Uboma Road at N5billion and the NDDC Ukwuoji-Ehime Road at the cost of N3billion.
Others are the award for the construction of two new power sub-stations at Aboh Mbaise and Ideator South at the cost of N7billion; Millennium Development Goals projects within the state at N2billion; RAMP, FG/World Bank project worth over $60m; monthly savings to the tune of N30m to the state from the handing over of the Alvan Ikoku College of Education to the federal government and a host of other donations in forms of power transformers and sanitary equipments through the FG and or the NDDC. This success story among many others would not have been possible if not for the efforts and commitment of the visionary leadership of the present administration under Governor Ikedi Ohakim.
It should be borne in mind that there is nothing more difficult to arrange, more doubtful of success, and more dangerous to carry through than initiating changes. The innovator makes enemies of all those who prospered under the old order and only lukewarm support is forthcoming from those who would prosper under the new. Their support is lukewarm partly from fear of their adversaries, who have the existing laws on their side, and partly because men are generally incredulous, never really trusting new things unless they have tested them by experience.
At the inception of the present administration that the Clean and Green Initiative of the governor was introduced, not many saw the reason for such creation while many saw the idea as elitic. The initiative through the Environmental Transformation Commission (ENTRACO) saw the removal of illegal developments and shanties within Owerri, the state capital and some other parts of the state. Sanitary equipments were massively acquired and through a clean-up campaign in the mass media the public was unconsciously mobilized, conscientized and sensitized in appreciating that cleanliness is next to Godliness. Today, Owerri has been awarded by the Federal Ministry of Environment as the cleanest state capital in the country.
The present administration has in its New Face of Imo philosophy the making of Imo a one-city state. This it embraced by the setting up of the Imo Rural Roads Maintenance Agency (IRROMA) which today has been reorganized as Imo Roads Maintenance Agency (IROMA) to cater for both rural and urban roads alike. The agency in the years under review had graded over 3000 kilometres of rural roads.
It is also on record that the Ohakim’s administration in less than three years had constructed over 204 kilometres of road, 40 road projects measuring 350 kilometres are still on-going while the state is witnessing the construction of the most ambitious road project, a 150 kilometre Boulevard called Imo Interconnectivity Multilane Freeway in the following four sections: Iho-Ogwa-Amauzari-Amaigbo Road (20km); Mbieri-T Juntion-Orji-Uratta-Naze Road (20km); Ahiara Juntion-Okpala Road Junction (25km) and Ukwuorji-Nworieubi-Atta junction-Amaimo Afor-Ogbe Road (45km).
The government has completed designs of 7 additional sections of the Freeway road project, including toll plazas while the design of Owerri Inner Ring Road is currently being reviewed by consultants. It is expected that at completion the road would ease out the traffic congestion within Owerri metropolis.
Despite the dissenting voices of some people who have chosen to embark on some politics of blackmails and subjectivism in their criticisms of the government over the Okigwe water scheme, the project has been functioning, though not as would have expected by government due to the activities of saboteurs who have been vandalizing its equipments. This, the government has assured it would continue to tackle until perpetrators are brought to book.
The Ohakim’s administration has equally made progresses in the other structural and developmental areas too numerous to reel out here and had either by choice of humility or by a disconnect from his information management refused to blow up. One of such areas included his deepening of democracy in the state through the empowerment, development and building of new generation leadership for the state.
Through his many initiatives encapsulated in his New Face ideology the government has created equal channels for all and had set up such structures like the Development Centres, Vigilante Groups, ENTRACO, IRROMA, etc which have absorbed many youths and brought them closer to government and its activities thus providing the enabling environment for them to thrive in their future political aspirations. This is something different from the past where politics in the state was seen as cult affair with only a few analogue generations reaping the people off their collective dividends of democracy.
Practical economic indicators have also shown that the state is recording huge development successes as could be seen from the high cost of land or building properties and from the hospitality industry in the state.
Many would recall that before the present administration, hotel rooms which went for as low as between N2, 500 and N3, 000 now go for between N9, 000 and N10, 500 with about 99% of rooms in the entire hotels in the state capital fully booked out of space at any given day. What may soon be seen as the biggest private hotel investment project in the state is under construction by investors from outside the state.
Also a plot of land in the state capital which went as low as N500, 000 before the present administration now goes for about N5m and above. These are direct evidences that the state is attracting visitors, amongst them investors who have come to carry out assessment projects for development and possible partnership with the state government.
Like I noted during the point of my introduction this piece is meant to bring public attention to some of the unsung achievements of the administration in Imo state under Governor Ikedi Ohakim. While few may be tempted to query my authority in this regards, I already have my answer and that is to begin a process of rebranding our corporate intelligence as a people; talk, see and feel more of the few good works of others around us and encourage the people to do better.
I had already talked in my previous article the radical transformation initiatives of the Imo governor in the state’s education sector therefore would not like to dissipate too much time and energy on the topic here. One of the noblest and boldest steps averted by previous administrations was the issue or returning schools to their original owners (Missionaries).
There is no brushing aside the fact that the present Nigeria education system is no more the type that produced such academic geniuses like Professors Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka and a host of other world acclaimed authors and nationalists from the country. Even while various governments pay lips services to the problem and shouting to the rooftops in planning, researching and developing theories and blueprints on how best to recapture the education system from imminent total collapse, not many of the players in these governments pay as much as attention in the practical salvation of the system.
Worried about this dwindling standard of education and its related effect on the quality of leadership, and the urgent need to pave way for equality and quality in academic standard for every child in the state as well as instilling excellence, sanity and commitment in the management of educational businesses for the production of tested and trusted leaders of tomorrow, the Imo governor decided to hand back a total of 44 schools to their original owners who have been seen as better managers than government.
The initiative with its take off accessories, apart from the gains it would attract has been seen as a pace setter as many states are currently studying the feasibility, plausibility and possibility of adopting such move for the well being and salvation of the education system which is almost at the point of comatose and total collapsing.
It was Diogenes, a Greek Philosopher who lived in 412-323 BC that noted that ‘the foundation of every state is the education of its youths”. We hope for the better as the new generation holds the future of this beloved nation.
I will not end this exposé without touching on the particular area which personally concerns this writer and that is the decision of this government to design a development Master Plan for the Orlu Urban City.
Orlu is the largest senatorial district of the state with about 24 Local Government Areas rich with abundant mineral, human and material resources. The area, in terms of commercial activities would have automatically taken over the position of Aba after the creation of Abia state (being the next in rank for such activities) but for the lack of vision of previous administrations, including the immediate past governor and present Minister of Commerce who ironically hails from the area.
The area, unlike the master plan for the building of Umuahia, Owerri, Aba and Umuahia during the Old Imo state until recently had no development plan and the roads inaccessible. Today, governor Ohakim has indicated interest to develop the area which he said is another city that can take the pressure off Owerri. According to him, government is determined to recreate Orlu into a modern city as it has completed MoU with consultants responsible for Owerri Master Plan to plan Orlu.
The governor said a new Enterprise Centre would be sited in the area to move traders and artisans, adding that the Umuna-Amaifeke Road would be cleared of street traders and shanties in line with the New Face of Imo. What a site it would be to have another city out of the present Imo.
There have been in general terms improvements in the area of security as the last Christmas festivities witnessed not the usual story of armed robberies, ritual killings and or kidnappings.
The state has improved on its internally generated revenue and has applied judicious, prudent and meticulous financial expenditures in all its activities in order to ensure that workers are not owed their salary arrears and that pensioners get their due rewards and benefits.
But for any geographical environment to advance economically and technologically, three major factors must be present: there must be available resources from which the development will be implemented; there must be political stability that would foster and encourage the development to take place, including inflow of capital; there must be willingness on the people to accept change.
The many court cases instituted against this government by self seeking politicians in the state have not done the people any good as they constitute an aberration to accepting change as well as causing the government huge financial losses in form of state’s resources. This is unsuitable for development to take place, including inflow of capital.
A state, like an individual, must stay one step ahead of time in this ever changing world in order to avert being left behind. It’s true that we have got the freedom of electioneering and electioneering tribunals, but let’s give justice and peace a chance for it is now evident that kings are made by God and sometimes the stone which the builders reject most time ends up being the head of the building
It was one of the greatest philosophers of the ancient Greeks, Socrates who declared at the point of his execution by opponents of his teachings and good works that “No evil can happen to a good man either in life or after death”
Most of the silent activities of the Ohakim’s administration have been on the areas of laying foundation for future structural manifestation as no society survives on poor foundation. The transformative effect of some of his unsung achievements may not be as visible as the roads, but ultimately every citizen will feel their impacts in his or her life in the years to come.
Certainly, history would never forget a man whom nature has bestowed upon the people of Imo for the sole purpose of moving the state to the next level. Change is one thing that is difficult to accept but it has remained the most inevitable for an ambitious and progressive society.
Greg Okey Nwadike is the Coordinator, Imo People’s Movement (IPM) and founder, Nigerians Without Borders Organization (NIWBO). He is a media practitioner based in Abuja, the FCT.
Greg Okey Nwadike
Discovery News Nigeria
Garki, Abuja
08056454115
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