We would not have bothered to dissipate energy on talking about an issue which squarely indicted the Jonathan-led PDP administration in terms of its failure over the years to fix Federal Government roads in Abia state, by equally a PDP-led state administration which has also roundly failed to fix its own roads, but for the deceptive nature of the message and its messengers. The objective of these messengers is to stand truth on its head and make things worse for the already traumatised people of the state by a government that has throttled down the needle theorem propaganda. We, of the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA), are not surprised because that has been the way of T.A ORJI’s administration in its efforts to continue to deceive the gullible public.
On August 27, at the last Abia Day celebration, respected international business mogul, Chief Arthur Eze, came to the state on the invitation of the state government and made very scathing remarks about the state of affairs in Abia, saying that “Abia stinks”, and concluded by asking if there were no longer elders and elected political office holders in the state. Immediately after the no-holds-barred statement by the respected Anambra State-born business mogul, Gov. Theodore Orji in a face saving comment and in an attempt to extricate his administration from blame, gave his own interpretation to what Chief Eze said, insinuating that the businessman was referring to federal government roads in the state. But, what he could not tell Abians was whether Prince Arthur Eze was also referring to the federal government when he talked about garbage littering everywhere in the state and general infrastructural decay.
Be that as it may, guided by the governor’s line of thought and his own interpretation of the well intended and unambiguous Arthur Eze comment, on September 15, 25 sycophantic Abia government officials in the garb of Abia Patriots, misrepresented facts when they said that Chief Eze was referring to federal government roads in the state as being the source of the peoples’ sufferings. In an uncouth and indicting open letter to the president, the Abia government officials or ‘patriots’ blamed Jonathan for the woes of the state when they stated inter alia: “This sordid state of affairs (bad federal government roads in Abia) has taken its toll on our people and other Nigerians who ply these roads resulting in numerous accidents with its attendant loss of lives. ….No wonder Chief Arthur Eze at the last Abia Day celebration on August 27, 2014, decried the lack of federal presence in our state after going through the hellish experience of plying the deplorable federal express road from Okigwe to Umuahia. ….Our impassable Federal roads have greatly isolated us from the rest of Nigeria and restricted us from our daily pursuits in search of our means of livelihood.” Indeed, officials of a state government controlled by the ruling party insultingly although belatedly talking to the president of Nigeria and leader of their party about the problems of their state on the pages of a newspaper –an action lacking decorum and the height of foolery.
Days later, a group of docile members of the National Assembly from Abia State followed in the same train, calling on the president to come and fix Federal roads in Abia which they said have made the state become “land-locked.” Chief Arthur Eze had indeed woken them up from their slumber. But then, they should be told in plain language that since they have decided to open their eyes at this dead of the night, it is not only Federal Government roads in Abia that are bad. State roads are in a more deplorable condition, and as such, should extend the same call to Gov Orji as anything short of this would not be acceptable.
The messages from these government functionaries are both lacking in commitment and deceptive. Since they are acting for the first time after seven and half years in their various offices, based on Chief Eze’s indicting comment, they really missed the mark. What the business mogul said was that Abia generally is stinking. He only mentioned the Federal Government when he asked Gov Orji to meet Mr. President for assistance if he was bereft of ideas on what to do. It is therefore the height of deception to narrow what he said down to mean it is only federal roads that are bad in the state when, indeed, state roads are in worse condition. Anybody could come to verify this. If this is so, since charity begins at home, could these modern day ‘patriots’ of ours not have first called on Gov TA Orji to fix the death traps called state roads? Blaming and sending an SOS to President Goodluck Jonathan to come and fix federal roads in Abia without sending the same or even a stronger SOS to Gov. TA Orji as these ‘patriots’ have done, is tantamount to leaving the buttocks that messed and giving hard knocks to the head. If not indeed that things have gone the other way, how would Abia Government functionaries who could not summon courage to appeal to the governor of their state to repair internal roads in the state which are in very bad shape, call on President Jonathan to come and fix Federal roads in the state? What a deceptive message!
With that open letter to the president by the so called Abia Patriots, one would be misled into believing that Abia ‘elders’ have woken up to face the moment’s reality and save their people. Capital NO! The messengers are as deceptive in all fronts as the message. Instead of coming out clean, they decided to hide under a veil. For the avoidance of doubt, the so called Abia Patriots who signed the advertorial are: Prof Mkpa A. Mkpa –Secretary to the State Government; Umeh Kalu –Attorney General and commissioner for Justice; P.C Mba –a Board member and immediate past commissioner for Lands; Henry Balogu –serving Commissioner; Dr. Okechukwu Ogah –commissioner for Health; O.C Nwamuo–serving Commissioner; David Chigbu –commissioner for Sports; Godwin Nna –commissioner for Urban Renewal; Dr. Sam Ahaiwe – member in the National Population Commission representing Abia State and Prof Chibuzo Ogbuagu –Vice Chancellor, Abia State University.
Others include Donatus Nwankpa –former Chief of Staff to Gov TA Orji and chairman, Board of College of Technical, Arochukwu; Emma Nwabuko –Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs and a cousin of Gov TA Orji; Uche Ihediwa –immediate past commissioner; Candi Ahuama – immediate past commissioner; Emeka Longman Nwachukwu –serving commissioner; Solomon Adelu –commissioner for Poverty Reduction and Co-operatives; Solomon Ogunji –Board member and immediate past commissioner; Ezekwesiri Ananaba, Board member and past commissioner; Stephen Mpamugo –Board member and past commissioner; Ike Onyenweaku –Board member and past commissioner; Lady Chinedu Brown –Board member and past commissioner and Joseph Ogwo –Board member and past commissioner.
Going by the portfolios of these self acclaimed ‘patriots’who signed the Open letter to the president, do we need any soothsayer to tell us it was written with the express knowledge and permission of Gov TA Orji? The question then is: could these be the appropriate persons and the medium, the proper channel the governor should have used to reach the president if he wanted something positive? What a slap on the president’s face! Could the Abia State government be so naïve as not to know how to reach the president to present its case instead of using people who have not helped matters by drawing the president’s attention only to the precarious condition of roads in Abia and leaving out Gov Orji who should have the bulk of the work to do? Or are they telling us that the state roads are good? What a deception!
We therefore call on President Goodluck Jonathan to, as a matter of urgency, send independent assessors to Abia whose assignment would be devoid of any interference by the state government so that he would have a first hand information of the level of sufferings of the people of the state and then that it is not only federal government roads in the state that are bad; that state roads are in worse condition and then tell Gov Orji to buckle up because the night is far spent.
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