WHY THE NEXT IMO GOVERNOR SHOULD COME FROM AN OIL-PRODUCING COMMUNITY
The goose that lays the golden egg should not be forgotten at the rattler. Neither should we ignore the muzzled donkey.
Ohaji, Egbema, and Oguta are the local government areas that have made Imo State an oil& gas producing state.
We receive more allocation than twenty-eight other states in the federation because we can point to a specific direction on our map where oil & gas flows from. That is why Imo State will always resist any attempt to detach these two local government areas from her. Imo State would become poorer if she were not counted among the oil& gas producing states.
As successive governments and administrations continue to harness the God-given resources of the people of Ohaji and Egbema, there is a compelling need to appreciate and adequately compensate these two local government areas. The environmental degradation that comes with oil & gas exploration cannot be overemphasized. Ohaji and Egbema, including their neighbour Oguta, bleed profusely while other parts of Imo State are brightened by the proceeds of oil &gas money. These oil & gas bearing communities deserve greater attention in the grand scheme of things, and their sons and daughters deserve the right to be empowered politically.
I have visited several communities in Ohaji, Egbema, and Oguta, and I have come face to face with the ugliest realities of environmental degradation resulting from oil & gas exploration. These areas are disconnected from other parts of the state in terms of infrastructural development. There is no potable water, no good road, and no significant government presence. Everything around them suggests neglect and hopelessness. Health and academic institutions are crawling. Electricity is non-existent. The air they breathe, the water they drink, and the ground they tread upon are far below acceptable standards. Imo State owes them a lot.
It seems that what the government and people of Imo State are most interested in is having one of the sons of the land occupy the position of Managing Director of ISOPADEC — as if that alone solves their problems. It is only fair and just that the next occupier of Douglas House should come from this area.
As people of goodwill continue to initiate moves to heal wounds and address injustices and inequalities in the state, efforts should also be made to investigate the challenges faced by the oil & gas ⛽️ producing communities in Imo State. The people from these communities feel marginalized — and rightly so. The neglect is obvious and quite glaring.
The neglected, subjugated, cheated, sidetracked, and marginalized people of the oil & gas producing areas should be given the opportunity to lead the state. This is their major request, and it aligns with all known principles of justice and equity. Ohaji, Egbema, and Oguta have paid their dues. They deserve a payback — and the time is now.
The people are not taking this demand lightly. The recent push by these communities for one of their illustrious sons to declare his interest in the Imo top job did not come as an afterthought. Chief Charles Orie, the immediate past Managing Director of the Imo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (ISOPADEC), a native of Umuokanne, is the project of Ohaji, Egbema, and Oguta. The people are fully united in their dream, believing that the rest of us will not be so insensitive to their need.
As conversations are ongoing regarding the Charter of Equity, Ndi-Ohaji and other oil & gas producing communities believe that the true meaning of this charter can only find expression in allowing them, for the very first time, to produce the governor of Imo State. The much-touted Charter of Equity will only gain credibility if it addresses the long-standing sidelining of the oil-producing communities.
Nothing is as callous as witnessing the sumptuous consumption of our collective resources by the other twenty-five LGAs in the state on a banquet table prepared by two LGAs — Ohaji, Egbema, and Oguta. This is akin to a situation where a host is criminally chased away by his guest and his resources plundered.
Through Chief Charles Orie, the Akuatuegwu and Traditional Prime Minister of Ndi-Ohaji, the people are laying a legitimate claim to the leadership of the state. The oil & gas producing communities of Imo State are saying, “It is our turn to produce the governor of Imo State.” Without stretching this claim too far, the sanctity and legitimacy of their demand are derived from the same tenets that propel the agitation of the Niger Delta states — fairness, equity, and justice.
Now, let us dissect the Charter of Equity, which is believed to favour a power shift to either the Owerri or Okigwe zones. Chief Charles Orie is, in fact, a natural beneficiary of this arrangement. Orlu, which is expected to play a decisive role in the 2028 governorship election, casts two different gazes on Ohaji-Egbema and Oguta. The average Orlu man sees them as distinct; to him, they share little in common. Politically, the two oil-producing areas are within the Orlu Zone — and that’s where the relationship ends.
Owerri, not Orlu, is the true nexus for the two LGAs. Ohaji and Egbema have more historical, cultural, and geographical connections with Owerri than with Orlu. Therefore, Chief Charles Orie, while being from Orlu Zone politically, will be naturally embraced by his neighbours in Owerri. Owerri’s prayers for consideration in the 2028 governorship election would indeed be answered with the election of High Chief Charles Orie.
By:
Nze Dr. Modesty Vitus Ezenwa
(Duru Ugwo Ejinna Umuezedike, Akwaa Akwuru Umuobom, Oderiri Ntueke, Onyirimba Ihitenansa)
A 2002 beneficiary of Chief Charles Orie’s Education Investment.
