Time was when Owerri, the capital city ofImoStatewas judged the cleanest State capital inNigeria. This was about a few months ago during the regime of the past administration led by Dr Ikedi Ohakim.
However, it did not begin with Ohakim, as he was merely replicating what Dr Sam Mbakwe, the first civilian Governor of the state did with Owerri.
The late Mbakwe touched every sphere of Imo lives, including using SULO, a foreign waste management company to turn Owerri into one of the cleanest cities inAfrica. This was in the Eighties, when many states took the environment of their citizens for granted.
But because of a visionary leader like Mbakwe, Owerri then became the cynosure of all eyes, that many states in the federation came to Imo to under – study the model.
Mbakwe’s brother, Ohakim, who comes from same Okigwe zone toed his line and put Owerri in Nigerian map as the cleanest state capital ones again.
Unfortunately, within one year of Governor Rochas Okorocha’s administration, Imo has lost those gains as Owerri has suddenly relapsed into one of the dirtiest state capitals inNigeria. How did this ugly scenario come to pass?
It is a shame that Owerri has now found itself in the same ugly situation it found itself when Dr Achike Udenwa was the governor ofImoState.
From 1999 to 2007 he was governor, Udenwa for eight years never bothered to carry out any sanitation exercise in Imo. It was only when Ohakim assumed office that he spent millions of naira to evacuated tones of dirts lying under the gutters of Owerri.
Ironically again, Udenwa hails from Orlu zone.
Is anything the matter with sanitation and environmental cleanliness of Owerri, with Governor of Orlu zone extraction? Why is it that it is only Governors from Okigwe that care more about the environmental sanitation of Owerri? Well let us wait till Owerri produces a Governor before we pass judgment.
Meanwhile, it would be expedient to point out here that it was one of those invading Army of occupation, pretending to be Military Governor that sold the SULO Mbakwe brought, to his colleague inRiversStateand this was the locust years when no one queried military administrators, including those who sold Amaraku Power Station. Well, this is a story for another day.
However, the issue today, is the present sorry state of Owerri, as empemic may soon break out in the city if those concerned do not swing into action immediately, and remove the various mountains of refuse dumps that have gradually taken over the town, reducing Owerri to its ugly past.
Let me also state here that, when talking about the environmental sanitation of Owerri, it does not only limit to the refuse dumps, but other aspects of unpalatable discoveries today that have defaced the “Old Owerri” as the last administration left it.
When the Ohakim administration came and started planting flowers and grasses, constructing path ways and instructing motorists how to drive and park, the gullible populace reacted wrongly, believing that the regime was more cosmetic with the environment than attacking other issues that worry the masses.
With the development now, and hearing the open complaints of the people, I think they have realized that you don’t talk of food, water and good roads when you sleep and work on top of refuse Bins. Imo people have now realized that cleanliness is next to Godliness.
But the begging question now is, how, and when will the present administration realize that the environmental condition of Owerri is dear to the people ofImoState, even as the administration pursues to actualize other basic responsibilities to the people?
Much as one has seen the sanitary activities of the present administration, as regards evacuating dirts, yet it needs to do more in this exercise.
The highest disservice the Okorocha Government did to Imo people was the abrogation of the monthly sanitation exercise in the state, which became part of the state’s culture a year ago.
This exercise enables the masses to troop out every last Saturday of the month to keep their environments clean. Not only that it enables neighbours to know one another, it serves as another way of socially galvanizing as mobilizing the masses.
The monthly clean – up enables refuse and dirts around the state to be periodically evacuated, than waiting for years when it would be dangerous to the health of the citizens, and take government millions of naira to be carried away.
Much as the exercise is money – gulping, but it is one of the fundamental responsibilities of the leaders, since it borders on the health of the citizens. Therefore, since health is wealth, an agile population is a benefit to society and even as security is the pivot of every government. And which environment is more secured like a happy and vibrant population!
Unfortunately, Okorocha will not adopt this laudable and workable monthly clear – up exercise, simply because it was originated by his arch political enemy and predecessor, Dr Ikedi Ohakim, even though it is for the benefit of the masses, and his own administration.
Those living in Owerri can observe that car sellers have started gradually returning to town, abandoning their market at Somachi where they were confined by the last administration.
Now, car sellers display their goods on the streets of Owerri, thereby defacing the beauty of the city.
Vulcanizers, oil hawkers and petty traders have taken over Owerri. The city which looked very organized about a year ego has lost its innocence.
Mechanics are gradually setting up shops again, and welders are returning to their past abodes from where they were ejected by the last administration.
Illegal motor parks are springing up every where, with miscreants parading the streets harassing innocent citizens without fear.
One had thought that with the introduction of free education in Imo, it would be a crime to be a hawker. But the trade has escalated to the extent that alongBank Roadand Assumpta Cathedral is now like Upper Iweka inOnitsha.
The number of teen hawkers along these roads are embarrassing. The hawk anything from water to cooking utensils. Are these youths of Imo extraction? When you ask, the authorities will tell you that these hawkers come from other neighbouring states.
The questions are, why cant they hawk in their own states but in Imo? Do they go back to their states with the remnants and left – overs from their wares? No. the litter Owerri and endanger its inhabitants.
Before, It was a culture for an Owerri car driver to follow the right routes and park well; parking well means at the right place or one side of the road so that other vehicles can freely make use of the road. But today, there is the Agbero mentality in Owerri city. Every person you see will tell you we “Voted for Owelle” and they therefore believe that they have power of life and death, and obeys no body at all.
And nobody is reining in these perverts as the government is spending much time on face – offs with opposition parties, civil servants and acquiring lands every where than tackling this worrisome situation.
This worries inhabitants because Owerri is a decent town, with quiet and civilized Civil Servants as major population.
With the latest scenario, any wonder that Owerri city is becoming a no go area for those who cherish their lives! Though people live and do their businesses in Owerri, but all of them live in fear. Ask them, they will tell you the truth.
How many people were murdered in Owerri between Sunday and Thursday? Hoodlums are gaining access into the city because the current situation in the city give them camouflage to hide in these illegal parks, from where they operate in the nights. A year ago, you hardly can find one single mechanic inside the town or petty traders, vulcanizers, Hawkers, motor oil sellers etc at undesignated places. Allowing these people access into Owerri is a recipe for the unforeseen.
Worse still, nearly all the street lights are no more functioning, from Orji, Wetheral, Egbu toDouglasroads are dark in the night. The rays of these lights before fish out criminals in their obscure hiding places. And since there are no covers, they had no alternative than to leave the city. Now, after hawking their wares uninterrupted, they simply take refuge at dark spots, from where they spring out at the dead of the night for nocturnal activities.
Government should rise to the occasion immediately. Okorocha should not think it would amount to hurting these mechanics, goods hawkers, vulcanizers, petty traders, illegal park operators, motor oil seller etc simply because he assumes they were the grass rooters that voted for him.
A leader must hurt some people for the greater population to enjoy. He also should not shy away from those policies that are working, simply because they were initiated by his predecessors. Governance is all about continuity, and taking Owerri back to the glory days of Mbakwe and his brother Ohakim, when the town ranked the cleanest city inNigeria, is a task that must be done.
What Imo people want is those policies that would benefit and provide them the elusive dividends of democracy, no matter who originated such policies. Hear Abraham Lincoln “some single mind must be master, else there will be no agreement in anything”.
