|
Ohakim’s Opposition and Their Follies
ACHO ORABUCHI
a_orabuchi@yahoo.com
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Interestingly,
politics is about competing ideas in a level playing field for the primary
purpose of uplifting the citizenry. Informed electorates will always evaluate
candidates based on issues. As a result, political debates are necessary!
 Generally,
when there are two or more Nigerians, more often than not, they are discussing
Nigerian politics. The same is applicable when two or more Imo indigenes come in
contact, Imo politics dominate the discussion. Listening or participating in the
discussions, you will easily notice the respective positions of the discussants.
In my recent conversation with someone who recently returned from
Nigeria,
he stated categorically that Catholics will not vote for Ohakim. I asked him to
elaborate. He said, “The Reverend Fathers are telling their congregation not to
vote for Ohakim.” He went on to add, “It is because of the incident that
happened last time which Ohakim had already resolved with the Catholic Bishops.”
Since he had already told me that he was at home for six weeks, I proceeded to
ask him if he was in the church when the Reverend Father made the statement.
“I’m not a Catholic,” he replied. I immediately cautioned him not to repeat any
information he had not taken time to verify. Moreover, Ohakim has demonstrated a
high sense of responsibility the way he handled the incident. Additionally, it
is reported that the Archbishop of Owerri Diocese, His Grace Most Rev. Bishop
Anthony J.V. Obinna endorsed Gov. Ikedi Ohakim because of the governor’s
human-oriented programs. Recently, in an effort to show that he is a governor
for every Imo indigene, Gov. I kedi Ohakim wisely selected Professor (Mrs.)
Viola Adaku Onwuliri, a devout Catholic with an impeccable dossier, as his
running mate.
Sadly, the exchanges above are not
only typical, but also a snapshot of what Gov. Ikedi Ohakim has been going
through in Imo
State.
Ohakim has not experienced a sustained political peace in Imo
State.
His detractors have leveled seemingly frivolous accusations of one thing or
another, yet none was substantiated. They have consistently smeared him for the
sole purpose of damaging him politically. As a matter of fact, it reminds me of
Barack Obama’s political struggles in the United States.
His detractors have called him all sorts of names and said many unkind things
about him. Obama has been called a socialist and a Marxist, a Muslim—he’s a
devout Christian; some claimed that he was not born in the United States.
However, what they called and said about Obama were blatant lies. The man has
many legislative successes—financial reform and landmark health care reform; the
stock market is now hovering at or above 12,000, unemployment rate going down,
manufacturing jobs going up and consumer confidence is going up. Is Obama
receiving credit from some quarters? The answer is no! Obama is definitely doing
something good for the country. Like Obama, Ohakim is doing something good for
Imo
State.
Ohakim’s detractors want him to fail because that is their only means of
grabbing power. Since their selfish scheme is not working, they are working
diligently to nudge the electorate to perceive Gov. Ohakim as a failure in
Imo
State.
I am not part of Ohakim’s government
or administration. I am neither his relative nor from his zone. However, I have
a moral obligation to evaluate and report the facts objectively. Gov. Ohakim
should be given a chance to govern with relative peace. Ohakim is both a
visionary and transformational leader who has encountered incessant distractions
during his first term in office. Despite the distractions, the man continues to
implement programs and structural changes that would put
Imo
State
in a sustainable economic and political trajectory.
Appreciatively, Ohakim engaged in
local government reforms that have yielded phenomenal results. Ohakim stopped
unexecuted contracts; in the past people were paid without executing the
contract. Gov. Ohakim put a stop to the “Judgment Debt” scheme. This was a
scheme through which some businessmen collaborate with the Local Government
Bosses and attorneys to defraud the Local Governments billions of Naira. The
“Judgment Debt” was a system where some businessmen would take the LG to court
knowing full well that LG representative won’t be there to defend the
government. With the absence of a local government representative, the court
would award judgment to the plaintiff and judgment would pay for the judgment
first once the allocation came in. Now, the LGAs in Imo
State
have over 11 billion Naira worth of assets under the IRROMA and today they are
tarring roads and are engaged in other people-oriented activities in their
various areas. Also, the local government system and laws in Imo
State
have erased the need for “godfatherism”. As a result, the local government
chairmen and councils are now accountable to the electorate thereby ensuring
that the dividends of democracy will be seen and felt at the grassroots level.
Gov. Ohakim provided a level playing field in Imo
State
politics thereby rendering the importance of godfatherism useless. Now in Imo
State
anyone can run for any political office without being sponsored by a godfather.
Ohakim has created an enabling
environment for commercialization of agricultural activities in Imo
State
through the state Agricultural Development Programme (ADP), which provides
technical service training to individuals under the Agriculture Development and
Extension Services. The workers that received training in modern agricultural
education and technologies in turn train rural farmers for increased
agricultural productivity. If this program is fully implemented, Imo
State
will be a center for commercial agriculture.
Given the shrill partisanship (within
the same party and outside the party) gripping body polity in Imo State which
has the potential of wilting Gov Ohakim’s progressive policies aimed at lifting
Imo indigenes up from poverty, one will be forced to conclude that those out of
power are fighting for their own interests. The perpetrators of these seemingly
endless attacks on Ohakim may never find success in snarling progressive ideas
of the governor. In areas such as public education, poverty alleviation,
tourism, environment, and business investments, Gov. Ohakim has worked
tirelessly to make Imo
State
a model state. Therefore, if this gubernatorial campaign is on issues, Ohakim
will prevail because of his superior ideas.
Acho Orabuchi, Ph.D. is an Opinion Writer and Educator in Dallas, Texas USA, who
has a knack for politics.
|