WHY NGIGE COVETS GOVERNMENT HOUSE

I was at the Anambra State government house the other day and was compelled to marvel at the extent of its turn around. From the days when it was like an abandoned office complex, it has today turned into a place fit for decent people to work in. I remembered the time of Ngige when he refused to lay a finger on any of the burnt buildings which his illegal occupation of the place orchestrated.

It also flooded back sad memories of the burned down public buildings like the ANSIEC office, ABS studios, House of Assembly, deputy governor's office, judiciary complex, etc, all of which were burned but which Ngige never attempted to rebuild. Today, however, Gov Peter Obi, like a messiah, has not only rebuilt them, but made them more beautiful.

It then struck me like a bomb! This is why Ngige is dying to return to the place he had abandoned.

I also recalled that during his dark days, he had fled to the governor's lodge at Amawbia instead of rebuilding his office at govt house which was burnt. In fact, throughout his illegal stay, nothing was done to change the face of the government house. Workers did not even have good offices and they were scattered across the capital territory and beyond. In government house, the press had no befitting press unit and worked and sweated in a colonial type office where cockroaches struggled for space with them.

But when Obi came, he gave the press a befitting office in no time. The office is airconditioned and enjoys cable TV. Workers have been made to come together in one place through the modern secretariat built by Obi. It is so good, beautiful and elegant that soon after completion Ngige wanted to claim it as his initiative. Indeed, my visit to government house yesterday opened my eyes to a lot of things i never knew or knew but didn't take seriously. The place has been made so habitable that today Ngige can't wait to return there and enjoy the fruit of another's favour. But thankfully, even a child knows it is a malaria-induced dream by Ngige.

•Seth Mbam writes