ORJI AND THE COMMENDATION TO SOUTH-EAST DELEGATES

In what he described as the harmonious working relationship existing between the team of the South-East zone at the ongoing National Conference, the Abia State Governor, Theodore Ahamefule Orji would not end at nothing in making sure that he is disproportionately appropriate in the cause of his duty.

Does his position as the South-East Governors' Forum chairman make him the overall chairman of the affairs pertaining to the South-East zone? He sounded like that. I think he has a duty as an individual to air his views pertaining to that, but not as the zone's governors' chairman, because the delegates were not collectively appointed by the forum, but by their different states.

It takes absolute morality to expose absolute immorality. Even if the delegates were not performing, the governor could not have said more than what he knew as performance â€' failure. He has held our state of Abia with the cascade of mirage of 'transformation' going on, when what we have on ground are nothing, but sorrows and weeping by the residents. It could be these sorrows and lamentations of our people that the governor and his allies were calling 'eye-catching projects'. Indeed, eye-watering projects!

Come to think of it, the numbers of major projects his government continues to hype, are the elephant projects many commentators have disputed. For example, Ariaria and the entire environment of Aba are sorry tales, whereas billions of naira have been mentioned in the media for them.

People in the rural areas are minding their businesses today, since those in the town who were expected that their voices would be heard, are utterly neglected. This government continues to hype the unsubstantiated '100-bed hospital model at the Abia Specialist Hospital Amachara' when a governor like Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State is apparently looking for ways to extend development to the neighbouring Cameroon.

When will Orji and his co-travellers stop their glaring treachery of usurping the nagging minds of our people asking whether Abia State is being run without a governor? He has always bragged of taking development to all the local government areas. Now you would be mind-numbed, when what he meant by this development were the taxis they said that he recently gave out to the unsuspecting youths.

While giving them the seemingly taxis, reportedly he swaggered: 'we will continue to give out cars to the youth free-of- charge until we leave office this is to empower our young people.'

Did you hear that? 'This is to empower our young people.' Whereas other governors are 'empowering' their wards with aeronaut engineering, piloting, maritime engineering, and other meaningful engagements, Governor Orji is giving out Keke NAPEP to our people to drive and, at the same time, saying that it is not easy for the government to provide job opportunities for its people.

So, since the government cannot provide job for its people, what it has turned out to replace job with is to empower the people with Motorcycles, Kekes, Taxis I am not sure when last I checked the true definition of shame in my Dictionary!

It is good that the world is seeing the 'empowerment scheme' of Gov. Orji â€' taxis, which he has always hyped to deafen our ears with the alias: 'people-oriented programme'. A governor that mouths that he is performing, is the same person that is using transitional chairmen to run the affairs of the local government areas in the state; the same government that has a lot of inclement shifts in operation and is always sending its cabinet and workers packing and that is bent on governing with cronies and relatives.

Anyone who doubts this should ask the governor why he has not conducted the local government areas elections close to eight years he has been in saddle. Has he made transitional government as part of government in the country?

According to a release made available by his government: 'His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Abia State has dissolved the Transition Committee (TC) chairmen and Councillors of the 17 Local Government Areas in accordance with the existing law of the state.

'The Governor says that the dissolution takes effect from Monday, May 5, 2014 since their tenure is up.

'The Governor further directs the TC chairmen and Councillors to handover to the Heads of Service in their different Local Governments.

'The Governor apart from thanking them for rendering service to the state, wishes them well in their future endeavors.'

I'm not sure what the governor meant by 'respecting the Abia Charter of Equity' in different fora, when we can see that there is no equity shown to the local governments, except as they are run by undemocratic appointees, who are unilaterally appointed to man the affairs of our people at grassroots, who yearn for the dividends of democracy like the whole world is wont to the BringBackOurGirls protests.

The Abia State House of Assembly is not even helping matter as it has taken as its obligation, only to receive the name of any appointee sent to it by the governor or any member of his family, without rising to the occasion of enacting checks and balance approach, which were supposed to be its statutory role, not the other way round.

The members of this assembly were supposed to be lawmakers, but have refused to react in the face of many daunting habits of the governor to governance.

It is time the governor checked his government instead of checking what the delegates at the national conference do, or not do. His connection should be on how to make our people happy and not by making bogus comments and postures. He has botched the expectations of our people from him and, there is no amount of self-seeking popularity can save him, unless he goes back to redeem the state he has plunged into a state of yesmen, media-gangsters and agberos.

Written By Odimegwu Onwumere
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