THE DYING SOUL OF IMO STATE.
Not too many people would be able to appreciate the very depth of our fall into the sheol of rascality, iberiberism, ineptitude and bleak of visionary leadership.
Recently I was home for the burial of my uncle who passed on at the glorious age of 98. He was a good man, goodness that was beyond blamish and posturing by human accessment.
I wouldn’t want to bore anybody with the very detail of his life and time. He is gone, his race ran, his judgment passed, only him who knows beyond what human eyes could see could with exactness say where he is now.
As human, my uncle Joe is nowhere but in safe place, either heaven,haven or in a blissful place, which human language wouldn’t be able to discriptively discribe.
Such good souls hadly get opportunities either to be at the corridor of power or sit at the helm of political power and direct the affairs of the state.
It is usually the other way round, the very reason why we are where we are as a nation.
Imo State has always had the painful and shameful misfortune of having its affairs planned, directed and managed by rascals, Iberiberism champions, shady and messy personalities whose passion and drive are nothing but ludicrously mundane and self-serving.
But for Chief Onunaka Mbakwe, we have had clowns, 419niers, administratively inept breeds, rascals ,touts and loot-mania as governors, each with his plans and strategy to bleed the state white; always in the news for the wrong reasons.
He stood before the glare of the public with the mien of a pathological Iberibe and bragged how he would give out a billion naira worth of property without feeling its pinch.
I saw the smiles and cheers of his hangers’ on. I noticed their inner disposition of shame and disappointment but they dare not show it,less their source of survival gets shrinked.
Under his watch Imo State boiled, got dried up and burnt to char.
Each time I hear people vent their anger rightly so on Buhari for his obvious show of maginalization, nepotism and tribalism on Igbos, I see a tribe who does not know the theory of “onye ulo na ara”( It is your kit and kin that undo one) I see a people who are naive of the practical reality of nsi Ka ma na nwanne( It is your closest that can easily get you poisoned.
We have suffered more set backs, more victimization, more bad governace and looting in the hands of our Governors than we have had experienced in the hands of past Presidents of Nigeria of other tribes.
But for the loots of all the past Governors of the State, Imo State would have been one of the best in infrastructures, good road network etc
Each Governor comes with a posture to sanitize, a mission to rescue, a promise to rebuild and a slogan to situate their administration on the beaming light of a Messiah in Nazareth; like a cursed specie they all ended up in same pit and valley, viciously in a circle of doom where their real self and intents are manifested at last.
Do not be deceived! Do not be cajored! They all have same interest, their mission are same, their objectives not different.
What may be different or a bit variant could be the lies and fake promises under their guise the evil and common agenda of theirs to loot and subject the poor Masses to a perennial lack and penury are accomplished.
They are not our friends, they may appear to be so. They may create such posture externally,but in reality they are one and the same, the flip side of same coin.
Hail thee Rochas! You came as a lamb on whose blood the salvation of Imolites lies. They fought for you and made you the King you desired and longed for, which eluded you severally.
Like a lion being let out from the cage by an innocent Ram, instead of being greatfull and reciprocative, you chose to use the blood of the good hearted Ram for a meal.
See the long list of things that would be recovered from you under eight years of your stewardship.
You are a good man indeed! May your stewardship to Imo State and Imolites come back to you million folds in same measure.
Imo State is in a very bad shape. We know it and it is what it is. We understand the politics. We see the games, the posturing and the gimmicks. The looting is unabating, the bad governace has not improved. What we have is just a change of clothes, the body is still same, the thinking no different and the drive and desires to enrich, one and the same. The wine skin may appear different but the wine still remains the same.
It has been the pot calling the kettle black, even when their black elements are not different. They think we have no brains, Beatrice! Gwa ya oga mkwe!( Very malleable and credulous set of people)
We made them believe so and have us treated so. Why wouldn’t they, when they have divided us along party lines of onye ube rurula ya racha.
Until the Masses understand who they are, whose single and overriding interest is to enrich themselves at the expense of our future, we will continue to eat from the gutters while they continue to bask in riches from our common wealth.
The peanuts one gets from them which makes one commit at their instance, heinous crimes of great consequences are actually ones money.
We prostrate before them, sing their eulogies, present ourselves as instrument to hatchet and injure anybody that dares them, just for a peanut.
The truth is, our Political office holders are nothing without the masses. What happened to Rochas few days ago, the disgrace, the harassment, the humiliation etc wouldn’t have happened without the masses. They are always the spark that gives fire to their agenda.
Yesterday he was lamenting over Hope’ thuggery system of governance. I laughed! After all what goes around comes around. Who could be more thuggerish than Rochas?
Power is transient! Like a pendulum it swings!
To the present leaders and others coming in the future, power is dynamic. It is transient and loyal to the one who holds the mace and gavel. What goes around certainly comes around.
Grace will save the soul of Imo State from the hands of these friendly looking vampires. They are everything but our friends.
Imo State! The very people that pledged to protect you have turned you into a pariah State. A butt of funny jokes among other states of lesser capacity.
What a shame!
#Jarlath Opara
