BY PRINCELY ONYENWE, IMO
One mischief-maker asked us recently why we don’t want to condemn Senator Rochas Okorocha over his looting of public property. By extrapolation, he also implied that we don’t want to commend Senator Hope Uzodimma for recovering the loot.
Our answer was as simple as “Welcome to the club”! Yes, he and those that think awkwardly like him were welcome to our club that had for nearly ten years been condemning Rochas’ actions of looting of Imo State treasury and Imo people’s property.
It’s pertinent to remind that the groundwork and framework for Uzodimma’s purported recovery of Rochas’ loot were envisioned by the Ihedioha administration.
The hallmark of PDP and His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, CON’s efforts at recovering Rochas’ loot was the setting up of the Committees and Judicial Panels of Inquiry, which report and recommendations, Uzodimma is implementing; albeit in faulty ways and manners!
If Rochas, Uzodimma and Senator Ifeanyi Araraume didn’t persevere in the conspiracy and ensured the ousting of PDP and Ihedioha from Douglas House on January 14, 2020, the recommendations of the committees and panels would have been implemented by Ihedioha in the most legal ways and manners that would have even been appreciated by Rochas himself.
So, it’s not for us to condemn Rochas or commend Uzodimma for their mutual errors. Two wrongs cannot ever create one right. They’re on their own! Imo people can’t be deceived forever!
Indeed, we aren’t excited about the Owerriwood Movie script Rochas and Uzodimma are poorly acting in various locations in Owerri. One is a comedian, the other is a conman!
We don’t bother because we’re quite aware that the troubles of Imo State are far beyond the so-called recovery of Rochas’ loot. There are very serious political, social, and economic troubles in Imo State today!
At this stage, by way of retrospection, others may, but we won’t feign oblivious of the fact that Uzodimma gave Rochas the vital, crucial and critical votes in the 2015 election that secured Rochas the second term that enabled and empowered him to further loot Imo dry.
That gesture was fully compensated for by Rochas, according to his statements later, after the conspiracy had been fully consummated. That means Rochas compensated Uzodimma fully for the services he rendered to Rochas against PDP in 2015!
It was a major setback for PDP by Uzodimma who was then an APC mole in PDP. Hence, he chose to connive and conspire with APC’s Rochas against PDP’s Ihedioha, leading to the defeat of PDP in the 2015 election.
Therefore, Uzodimma coming up in 2021 to “recover” what he aided Rochas to loot in 2011-2019, is characteristic of his nature of dishonesty and insincerity, fraud and forgery. It’s an exercise in gimmicks!
But as Dr Ethelbert Okere, Uzodimma’s DG, Imo State Orientation Agency, would teach the world, we can’t all be wrong. You may fool some people some of the times, but you can never fool all the people at all times!
We and all well-meaning Imolites should beware of Uzodimma’s diversionary tactics and distraction antics, which manifests in much motion and no movement.
Unarguably, we support the recovery of Imo State government property anywhere it’s legally identified. But we don’t support any illegalities associated with the recovery process.
We believe in rule of law and due process. We abhor vindictiveness, victimization and vendetta!
We’re much bothered about the stagnancy, much motion without any movement in Imo State under the watch of Uzodimma. Nothing works! Ndimo must demand action in the development of Imo State from Uzodimma.
And except Uzodimma begins to honestly and sincerely grow and develop Imo State in various ramifications, no amount of recovery bravado and braggadocio would grow and develop our dear State. True or false?
Will recovered Rochas’ hotels and estates reflect in Uzodimma beginning to pay 100% salaries and pensions to Imo workers and pensioners as and when due? We’ll be on the lookout!
Will recovered Rochas’ land translate to the fixing of Imo roads? Will recovered Rochas’ property restore the totally vandalized education sector, and healthcare sector, and agriculture sector? We’ll be on the lookout!
Will recovered Rochas’ property secure accreditation for Imo State University Teaching Hospital (IMSUTH) to enable doctors and other categories of medical students graduate at the appropriate time? We’ll be on the lookout!
Will recovered Rochas’ property restore the cleanliness of Imo State and empty the State of heaps, hills and mountains of waste and refuse? We’ll be on the lookout!
We mustn’t be misunderstood. We’ve not said that recovering of looted property is bad or wrong. After all, it was PDP that started the process!
All we’re saying, however, is that the recovery of looted property shouldn’t be Uzodimma’s primary assignment and main preoccupation. There are a lot more important things waiting for Uzodimma to do in Imo State for Imo people.
When the PDP RebuildImo administration was in Douglas House, recovery of government property was going on simultaneously with the rebuilding of Imo State.
Recovery was going and the panels and committees were inaugurated. The panels and committees began working on their terms of reference when the Ihedioha administration was constructing 27 mini-stadiums and 27 administrative secretariats in the 27 LGAs.
Recovery affairs were in progress when solid foundations were laid for the construction of four technical buildings in four technical colleges in the State.
Recovery affairs were ongoing when the contract was awarded by the PDP RebuildImo administration for the construction of 25 major roads across the State, and counterpart funding was paid for the construction of 380km of RAMP roads across Imo State.
In short, Governor Emeka Ihedioha was doing the main work of restoring, rebuilding, growing and developing Imo State, while panels and committees were working on the issues of recovery of looted finances, land and related matters. There was no vacuum, and no dull moment!
That’s why we see this Owerriwood Movie that Rochas and Uzodimma are acting as diversionary distractions. Who’s recovering what? What’s recovering who?
Uzodimma should be working on the various sectors of the State, while legally recovering whatever he can recover.
He should stop making much ado about nothing, making a storm in a teacup or making mountains out of molehills.
Much as we don’t mind any efforts at the legal recovery of looted property, we don’t see any special reason to condemn Rochas or commend Uzodimma. They’re on their own. They’re birds of the same identical plumage! They flock together! They know themselves!
Some years back when PDP and Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha were lamenting, decrying, berating and condemning Rochas for looting Imo State dry, Uzodimma and other co-conspirators were commending him and giving him go ahead support to loot on and dry clean Imo!
Now, on a final note, we can only begin to commend Uzodimma from any time he begins to genuinely utilize Imo money to grow and develop Imo State and empower Imo people as he should be doing.
For now, sadly and unfortunately, Uzodimma has failed and is steadily turning this State into a failed State.
In capital letters, he insists that
- RECOVERY IS IMPORTANT, BUT DEVELOPMENT MOST IMPORTANT
- THAT NDIMO NEED BASIC SOCIAL AMENITIES, GOOD EDUCATION, GOOD HEALTHCARE, GOOD ROADS, CLEAN ENVIRONMENT, ETCETERA
- THAT UZODIMMA HAS FAILED, AS HE STEADILY TURNS IMO INTO A FAILED STATE IN THE MAKING
- THAT NOTHING WORKS IN IMO STATE
By God’s grace, Imo State must be rebuilt!!
9News Nigeria (Owerri)
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