According to the philosopher Aesop in one of his tables, he highlighted a story on the rogue and the oracle thus, “A rogue laid a wager that he would prove the oracle at Delphi to be untrustworthy by procuring from it a false reply to an inquiry by himself. So he went to the temple on the appointed day with a small bird in his hand, which he concealed under the folds of his cloak, and asked whether what he held in his hand were alive or dead. If the oracle said dead; he meant to produce the bird alive, if the reply was alive; he intended to wring its neck and show it to be dead. But the oracle was one too many for him, for the answer he got was this: stranger, whether the thing that you hold in your hand be alive or dead is a matter that depends entirely on your own will”.
Following the fable above, one begins to wonder why the rogue wanted to try and vilify the great oracle of Delphi; one thing comes into one’s mind, the rogue wanted to discredit the oracle not knowing that the oracle was the manifestation of esoteric and exoteric wisdom. The oracle of Delphi knowing the state of mind of the rogue left the entire answer on his hands, meaning that whatever he wanted was the answer.
The point here is whether we say anything or not, Gov. Okorocha has the final say and he will act according to the dictates of his mind because he is not easily influenced by advice no matter the source. He does what he wants to do. Therefore, on the issue of substantive Chancellorship of Imo State University, I would borrow the philosophy of the Oracle of Delphi by inferring that “whether the thing you hold in your hand be alive or dead is a matter that depends entirely on your own will.” Yes, it depends entirely on the will of Gov. Okorocha to appoint or approve anyone he considers fits.
But be informed that if we keep quiet, posterity will judge all of us hence I have decided to pick up my pen to inform my generation the need to do it the right way in line with the principles of equity and social justice. If nobody does anything about something, everything will remain as it is even a state of stigma and opprobrium. Therefore one must speak out!
Just to refresh your memory your Excellency, if you have forgotten. Since the inception of the Imo State University without prejudice, the appointment of the Vice-Chancellor has only favoured two geo-political zones (Okigwe and Orlu) leaving Owerri zone completely. Whereas there are three geo-political zones that make up Imo State Owerri, Okigwe and Orlu.
I am from Orlu zone but the truth must be said. In the words of Shakespeare, “What is a stronger breastplate than a heart unstained” I am aware that a brave man risks his life, but not his conscience. For Martin Luther, “It is both hazardous and dishonorable for a man to act contrary to the dictates of conscience” I am alive because my conscience lives in me and I am highly persuaded by it to speak the truth even when it does not favour me.
The above informs why I was the main guest speaker in 2013 Imo Political Summit with the team “Restoring Imo Chatter of Equity” organized by Imo State holders forum, where I overtly advocated for the restoration of Imo Political charter of equity insisting that political power should be shifted to Owerri zone in line with the primordial charter of equity in 2015. It should be highlighted and emphasized here that anything that is meant for the collective interest and benefit of Imo State should be distributed to the three geo-political zones equally. No zone should be neglected. Any neglect to any zone will amount to antithesis to the doctrine of equity, justice and fair play. Such neglect would breed confusion and disagreement in all ramifications.
Gov. Rochas Okorocha should resist any temptation aimed at appointing IMSU VC from either Orlu or Okigwe zone as these zones have all benefited from other governments, he should appoint a substantive Vice Chancellor from Owerri zone.
As the sandwich Islander believes that the strength and weakness of the enemy he kills passes into him, so we gain the strength of the temptation we resist. If Okorocha wants to gain the strength of Owerri people, he should resist the temptation staring at his face now, wanting him to appoint Orlu or Okigwe man or woman to the post of IMSU V.C. If our governor should listen to this single voice of reason, he will win many political friends that he has lost for about three years now. Gov. Okorocha, those around you may not tell you this because of their selfish interest but if you want to fail, go on with your politics of tribalism but if you desire to succeed, then listen to the silent voice of equity and fair play oozing out of this page.
For the purposes of refreshing your memory, the first civilian governor of Imo State Chief Sam Mbakwe appointed Prof. M.J.C. Echeruo from Okige zone as the Vice Chancellor of Imo State University. Gov. Achike Udenwa appointed Prof. A.G. Anwuka and Prof. C. Okonkwo all from Orlu zone. During Gov. Ikedi Ohakim tenure, he willingly appointed and confirmed his fellow Okigwe man Prof. Osy Nwebo as IMSU substantive V.C. we are not forgetting the appointment of Prof. T.O.C. Ndubuizu an Orlu man as Vice-Chancellor by an Owerri Governor Chief Evan Enwerem.
The foregoing analysis simply portrays a high level of injustice, manipulation, vilification, deprivation and negation of Owerri zone in the distribution and zonal sharing of Vice-Chancellorship of Imo State University. Since the inception of Imo State University an Owerri person has not smelt the seat of Vice-Chancellor of this great institution till date.
Gov. Okorocha should look at the past records with a strong aim of correcting this injustice and anomaly hence there are well qualified professors from Owerri zone that are already on the race. It is a pity already that the present composition of the Governing Council of Imo State University is made up of only one person from Owerri zone and this body plays vital role in the selection of the vice-chancellor, which ultimately implies that an Owerri person is already schemed out, this is where Chief Rochas Okorocha’s conscience comes into play. After all, it was Owerri zone that gave him massive vote that gave him victory in 2011; so if he decides to bite the finger that fed him as usual, patriots like us would not be amazed at all.
I have no selfish interest in this matter neither do I have any candidate but I am saying this because what is good and lawful for one with conscience, is good for all. Gov. Okorocha should use this opportunity to pick a qualified candidate from Owerri zone as the next substantive vice-chancellor of Imo State University, not minding the pressure on him from Orlu and Okigwe zone. People are free to scheme but do the right thing at least for once so that your wrongs could be forgiven.
I wish to state finally here like the oracle of Delphi that I have spoken my mind but “whether the thing that you hold in your hand be alive or dead is a matter that depends entirely on your own will”.
No Need To Crucify Owelle Now
In every product of divinity, there is always something to treasure. I stand to be corrected any way. There is purpose for everything. For this reason also, I vehemently differ with the impression giving by the seating government of Imo state which proclaimed to be on a rescue mission. It is not true and can never be tenable that the proceeding government of Imo state under Chief Ikedi Godson Ohakim did not do one good and remarkable achievement. To assert that there was nothing good left or done by that administration is quite mischievous, misleading and sheer perfidy. At least, that ousted regime was highly reputed if not for any other thing, the clean and green initiative and compliance with the rule of law and tenets of due process, transparency, probity and accountability. This is not to postulate either that the Owelle led Rescue mission government in the saddle is not responsive. Although, there was a recent call by the foreign affairs minister, Prof. Viola Owuliri for Owelle to render stewardship account of how about N140billion local government allocations accruing from excess crude oil sales, the SURE-P and others were frittered away. It will be equally unfair to deny that there is nothing good out of this present government of Imo state. Honestly, it is not true so to assert when a lot of physical evidences stare all of us in the faces including the aggrieved Prof. Viola Owuliri. Without equivocation, it is stating the obvious that this administration have really made several impacts on the average Imo indigene.
Notwithstanding the shortcomings which are not a peculiar factor since mankind is always tending towards perfection but not infallible. Glaringly, the Imo state government under His Excellency the Governor, Owelle Rochas Anayo Okorocha (OON) has actually made remarkable impacts on the State even with the innate charactereristic attitude of being overzealous to achieve via the Byzantine Rochanomics approach in the scheme of things. As a character, Owelle had convincingly demonstrated a deserving leadership prowess and political will power to take up and implement policies no matter how alien such policies appeared. On the same note he had demonstrated a reasonable sense of responsiveness and responsibility for actions considered not very palatable to the public. Infact, by my own reckoning, I don’t know for you, Owelle had severally yielded to pressures from the public on certain policy issues like the demised commercialization of ministries, though obstinately insistent on curious matters of great constitutional implication like the sacked elected LGA council, the complicated CGC, Traditional institution tinkered with and the 10,000 job saga. It was on records where the government on rescue mission made U-turn underscoring some policy surmmasults also. Truly, the present Imo government had somewhat succumbed to public opinion pressures to retract statements, retrace action steps, and rescind policy issues on certain occasions. There is no gainsaying this government did not play adamant to several other public ululations on some fundamental issues of constitutional cum historical significance. However, far from the intent of this topic, it is equally regrettable to note that instances abound where this Owelle Government went bizarre out of arrogant insouciance and crass violation of the rule of law and negation of due process which earned it worrisome public vituperations and castigation. This need not be over-emphasized. But, the bright sides in focus reveals that comparatively, the present government had embarked upon copious capital projects in the forms of provision of infrastructural facilities like roads, building structures and ecetera.
No matter how suspiciously flawed perceived, the free education programme is one political score point, though its prospects of being fine-tuned and sustained is slim. Interestingly, there has never been such zealous demonstration of intent to simultaneously dissipate developmental projects in almost all the towns and all the senatorial zonal headquarters of this state recently than now. Meanwhile, considering the extent of physical developments so far recorded by the rescue mission government both within and across the precincts of Imo state, it will be vacuous to venture to prove it otherwise to the watching public that there is nothing to really show for the depleted treasury of this state. Nevertheless, constructive critical analysis of either the immediate or long run economic implication is germane much as how sustainable are the myriads of new policy programmes. It is mere throwing away of the child and the bad water to begin to propagate pretentiously that no tremendous change was made so far for about two and half years of this administration just to run gauntlet of the government in power for the sake of it which is tantamount to the stupid dangerous game of polemics capable of exposing such cynic to public odium and even trigger a dreaded mob anger. Matter-of-fact, even the blind in Imo state nowadays can testify the touch of environmental impact made recently. In almost all the 27 LGAs in Imo state, rural roads are not only opened up or graded as merely used to be, but most of them are tarred with asphalt and bitumen. The same goes for the near-collapsing classroom structures in almost the entire primary schools in Imo State, the ROCHE GROUP’S comprehensive contract did justice in producing lateral structural developments of ultra-modern concrete blocks of classroom(modeled first on Wethdral road, Owerri and replicated in all the LGAs).Awesomely too, no matter how fastidiously disposed to deny the practical construction of hospital purpose Building structures across the 27 LGAs although mostly still on-going and yet to be equipped amounts to treachery and insincerity. In view of the foregoing and acknowledged flawed background of local government financial status which statutorily inhibited LGAs financial autonomy by subjugating them to state under a joint account formula, rural development is bound to be hampered. This is the bane of development in Nigeria. Under this obnoxious arrangement the aim of creating the third tier seem defeated. This explains the mission and vision of the illegal governors’ forum that recently constitutes political and economic albatross now on the verge of tearing this country apart. The states and LGAs joint account arrangement is one aberration that the governors vow to sustain to the atrocious detriment of the national economy. Also, for the same attraction the political post of governorship is turned a goldmine. This explains why most governors prefer to trade on illegalities like the adoption of Sole Administrators (SOLADs) and Transition committees to operate the local government administration. Essentially, the LGAs funds systematically serves the negative purpose as extra- financial back bones of the state governors many of whom avoid conducting local government elections. So, unalloyed financial autonomy to the third tier remains the only way out of this quagmire. What is being insinuated here is that Owelle should not be nailed on the cross for doing what many did with impunity without qualms. This is not to advocate for financial profligacy. The recent call by the foreign affairs minister Professor Viola Onwuliri is not informed by cognate financial intelligence and apparently bereft of the extant intricate systematic mitigating factors as highlighted above. Supposedly it does so to the contrary, Professor Onwuliri is then only being politically selective and divisive in her recent outburst as if oblivious of the fact she lacks the official capacity to probe the present Imo government, except mere exercise of the privileged right as Imo indigene. If so much perturbed, the foreign affairs minister reserves the right to take Imo State government under His Excellency the Governor, Owelle Rochas Anayo Okorocha (OON) to court on this matter for suspected financial miss-appropriation. Notwithstanding, the Imo State government in the saddle may not have reacted pertinently to this provocative outburst, the need to conduct a local government election should be pivotal to ensure transparency, probity and accountability. Many other governors are culpable for this aberration, both past and present. It is not peculiar to Imo State alone under Owelle. According to adage;”Injustice is injustice, no matter how, where and when committed”.
Also ,Plato said;”False words are not only evil in themselves, but, they infect the soul with evil”. Long before Owelle’s election local government allocations in Imo pours in without such incisive utterances .More so ,as-stakeholder in National leadership financial profligacy is the stock in trade such that it will just appear like the kettle is calling the pot black. Who knows what amount trickles into the external affairs ministry under Professor Viola Onwuliri and how they are being accounted for?”The ability to focus attention on important things is a defining characteristic of intelligence”, said Robert.J. Shiller. The recent call for stewardship accounting by Pof. Onwuliri is an unnecessary distraction considered not only vindictive but political. In stead, the minister can use her executive fiat to impress the National Assembly to fast track the constitutional granting of financial autonomy to LGAs or pray the FGN to systematically oversight the joint account management between states and LGAs. Admittedly, the Owelle Government on the Rescue have inadvertently postponed the immediate and remote comfort of the poor masses while preferring to embark on massive infrastructural projects in some sectors of Imo State economy, most of which were argued of being cosmetic and lacking economic impact, but no that nothing is been achieved as testified to the contrary by the visited Honourable minister for information Mr. Lab&ran Maku while on Nationwide good governance tour.
