The reason behind Wednesday’s visit of the Governor of Imo State, Owelle Rochas Okorocha to Egbema for the purposes of providing relief items to people affected by the flood has been revealed.
It would be recalled that seven weeks after the rampaging flood devastated the people of Abacheke and Opuoma in Egbema area of Ohaji/Egbema Local Government Area, where the affected families were rendered homeless without shelter and food, the state Governor only considered it necessary to visit the area two days ago. The Governor had five weeks ago visited parts of Oguta affected by the flood while he turned back to victims at Ohaji/Egbema end until Wednesday.
Imo Trumpeta learnt that the scheduled visit of the Vice-President of the country, Namadi Sambo to places ravaged by the flood inImoState prompted the governor Okorocha to soften his hard stand on the people of Ohaji/Egbema affected by the flood.
It was learnt that after the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Prof. Viola Onwuliri undertook a study tour of the area where he used the opportunity to donate relief items and cash to the victims, her report to the Federal Government’s Executive Council on the suffering and extent of damage incurred by the flood victims led to the coming of the Vice President to towns and communities affected by the flood in Imo State.
Alarmed by the scheduled visit, the state government who had adopted an indifference attitude to the plight of the flood victims hurriedly arranged a visit to Ohaji/Egbema area to cover up for the deliberate abandonment of Opuoma and Abacheke, the area worst hit by the flood.
The visit of Governor Okorocha which came barely a week after a prominent son of the area and the former Speaker of the Imo State House of Assembly, Goodluck Nanaah Opiah had written to him notifying him of the difficulties and harsh conditions faced by the people. Opiah’s wake-up call letter to Okorocha coincided with the planned visit of the Vice-President. The State Government has no option than to visit Ohaji/Egbema before the arrival of Sambo.
Indications that Governor Okorocha’s Wednesday visit to Mmahu, Ohaji/Egbema Council headquarters was an after thought emerged as the state government came weeks after some prominent Imo citizens especially, the immediate past Governor, Dr Ikedi Ohakim, Minister Viola Onwuliri and the Senator representing the zone in the National Assembly, Hope Uzodimma visited the affected areas to not only sympathize with the flood victims but also dole out cash and relief items.
Our reporter disclosed that the state government visited the LGA when the flood had subsided and some of the victims trying to reclaim their structures and put up a new abode for shelter. Even as the state government did not tow the line of other neighbouring state governments to provide temporary camps and relief items when the incident occurred, Governor Okrorcha during the recent visit did not interact with the flood victims at the camps to know their difficulties. What the Governor did was to meet and address the people at the council secretariat Mmahu where bags of rice and other necessary items were doled out as well as monetary promises from members of the executive council and the state legislature.
While the state Government unlike other states affected by the flood provided and funded relief camps, Imo state government did provide any and Okorocha failed to make a categorical statement on what the state has for the flood victims. Oblivious of the fact that the Presidency is aware of the predicament of the Imo flood victims and arrangements have been concluded for Sambo to be at the affected areas, what he merely told the people of Ohaji/Egbema was that he was going to take the matter to the federal government.
Unconfirmed reports have it that the items like rice delivered to the victims by the state government during the Wednesday visit was allegedly donated to the state by a multinational oil company operating in one of the oil producing communities in Egbema. The oil company (names withheld), had a few week ago doled out 600 bags of rice, 250 foams, 250 pillows, 500 blankets 100 water packs, 250 rolls of mosquito nets, 50 cartons of tomato, 300 cartons of Indomie Noodles and 50 cartons of groundnut oil. Sources discsed that among the items taken to the Egbema Divisional Police headquarters by the Governor after he left Egbema, it was discovered that only 300 bags of rice was dropped in Egbema
