By Ben AHANONU
Of late, the presumptuous Dr Fabian Ihekweme and leader of trivia buffs, has been waxing lyrical with unfounded indignation and misleading accusations levelled against the government of Imo State under the leadership of Distinguished Senator Hope Uzodimma.
It is worrying how those, who are so impressionable and easily swayed have been swallowing hook, line, and sinker the spurious claims and phantom allegations being churned out by Ihekweme on the Internet, with the aim of bringing the government of Imo State into disrepute.
I respect Ihekweme - at least for the fact that he is a known political figure in Imo State though with some streak of controversy and political inconsistency. I must also point out that the purpose of this piece is not to troll him, lambast or call him names - never and it is much in recognition of the fact that as citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, he is entitled to his opinion and has the right to criticize the government; however, I disagree with his modus operandi, which appears more personalized, vindictive than constructive, steeped in falsehoods and clearly points to a hidden agenda perhaps born out of selfish interests.
One thing certain is that there is no perfect government or establishment on earth because the 'imperfect' man is in charge that is why there are checks and balances especially in a democracy like as it is in Nigeria and many other countries in the world.
I had expected Ihekweme to use established channels of communication to reach the Governor and tell him where and how he feels he is not getting it right without being contentious and I know Governor Uzodimma, who is not averse to criticism would have listened to him because it is the beauty of democracy - instead, he chose to engage in reprehensible and unproductive grandstanding that has rubbished whatever good intentions - if any, he had
His bellicose and unfriendly disposition clearly apparent in the magnitude of lies and deception in his misguided vituperations against Uzodimma, seem to suggest that he has an axe to grind.
My concern is the level of disinformation he is grinding out and which can cause confusion in the society given the sensitivity of the issues he has been raising and that is why I decided to put in proper contextual, truthful and accurate perspective, many of those his false and baseless allegations.
Perhaps, he forgot that every government operates within the ambit of the Constitution and Governor Uzodimma, who was a senator for eight years is conversant with the nitty-gritty of governance including the legal aspect.
This same Uzodimma that Ihekweme is trying to vilify in futility has avowed that he must give account of his stewardship of Imo resources to Imo people at the end of his administration and in my view, the best time to judge him should have been at the end of his tenure and not now because he still has three more years to be in the saddle and within the remaining three years, many good things will definitely happen in Imo State.
It is always puzzling how the so-called social media critics like Ihekweme will only harp on what he feels are shortcomings without trumpeting the accomplishments - just to attract public support but he has failed - yes, he has failed.
The True Position
1. Overseas employment for 4000 Imo Youths
Pursuant to that goal, Distinguished Senator Hope Uzodimma has signed a far-reaching Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the European Union (EU) SME Digital Alliance to offer freelancing, mentoring and advanced training opportunities in digital skills for Imo youths and products of Imo Skillup project.
Ihekweme and many like him did not understand what Gov. Uzodimma meant. They thought he was going to fly 4000 Imo youths overseas in one fell swoop.
Ihekweme forgot that with advancements in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) including smart phones and computers, one can do international jobs from home. That has been the trend since COVID-19 pandemic ravaged the world so Uzodimma meant what he said and the process is on.
2. Ihekweme was vociferous in accusing Governor Uzodimma of failure to fix the road to late Chief Iwuanyanwu's home in Atta, Ikeduru but he forgot that the same Uzodimma constructed the Owerri - Okigwe Road that passed through Atta. Then the question is why should the Governor hurriedly work on the road from Atta Junction to late Iwuanyanwu's home just for his burial and to please some dignitaries when he has plans to do that properly with durability as part of his expanded rural road network project in Imo State.
3. Ihekweme in his haste equally alleged that Uzodimma has abandoned the Oguta seaport project - what for? Why should he abandon it? Ihekweme forgot that it is not an entirely Imo State project rather it is a tripartite project involving Imo State, Nigerian Navy and the Federal government. Buhari has left office and Tinubu is in charge with a new Chief of Naval Staff so it is a systematic process and not done by fiat. Meanwhile, there is still time to complete the project, hence the claim that it has been abandoned is pure lie.
4. Ihekweme also raised allegations against the Governor regarding Imo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (ISOPADEC) and I saw that false allegation as an attempt to instigate crisis in the State . If Uzodimma is misappropriating ISOPADEC funds, I believe the right people to raise alarm are the people of the area and not a man from far away Obowo. He lied and forgot that before Uzodimma assumed office the previous administrations starting from Udenwa failed to address the corruption that marred the Commission and worsened the development of the area. The truth is that Uzodimma never misappropriated any ISOPADEC funds instead he has succeeded in ridding the Commission of corruption and which translated into meaningful development efforts in the area but Ihekweme will never talk about that.
5. On the issue of hotel, the truth is that there is no 5-Star hotel in Imo presently hence any new arrangement to build and establish such is good as it will boost the tourism industry, create employment and generate revenue for the state.
Curiously, the same people, who were using Concord Hotel facilities on credit and in that manner, made a mess of the iconic four star hotel are the same people opposing the establishment of a new five-star hotel. Today, they same people have ran away and no longer patronizing Concord Hotel.
6. Ihekweme also alleged that the Governor is always on the move but what is wrong about that if it is for the good of Imo State? After all, there is a deputy Governor and other appointees of government.
If Ihekweme is honest, why should he forget that Uzodimma is paying workers' salaries and pension promptly and there is a new minimum wage with deep financial implications for the state. He forgot so many ongoing and many completed road projects, he forgot the Urban Renewal Project, that has transformed Owerri, Orlu and Okigwe tremendously, he forgot that Imo State now has a University of Education under Uzodimma and Federal Teaching Hospital with all the economic multiplier effects, he forgot that Uzodimma is not stealing any land, he forgot that stolen assets had been recovered, he forgot so many other good things Uzodimma has done.
Ihekweme, perhaps is not aware of the fact that in party politics, loyalty is supreme - he can ask Donald Trump. What Ihekweme is doing now is conscious demarketing of himself politically, turning himself into a merry mockery, liability and another detestable footnote. He is deliberately making himself an aggravated provocation as he bites the finger that fed him.
If it should be elsewhere, Ihekweme by now, would have been arrested and made to justify the over 4 million naira monthly imprest he said he received as Chairman of Imo Newspapers Board during the Ohakim administration especially as it concerns revenue generation. Unfortunately, that was the era of "Share the money," when there was so much fiscal profligacy and stunted development.
Little wonder, they killed "The Statesman" Newspaper, then Rochas Okorocha buried it but Uzodimma resurrected it.
Interestingly, Uzodimma is not sharing but working with the money - Imo money.
Fabian Ihekweme, will still scribble gibberish again and there will still be another exhaustive response from me but I advise Imo people to please ignore him and keep faith with the government of Distinguished Senator Hope Uzodimma.
Three years more is not three days. In three years time, Uzodimma will fix it to the glory of God - Believe!
God bless Imo State
Source: Hon. Prince Ben AHANONU, radiating from the jungle
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