- A Seeming Conversation between two Imolites reflecting Divergent Views*
Okenwa: On May 29, we will have a new government, a government everyone is looking forward to.True change has come back to our State.
Thomas: Whichchange. It’s the same thing. We will not see much.Mark my words.
Okenwa: How do you mean? You should be positive. A new government that is coming in deserves all our support to succeed. Besides, they look set for the task ahead.
Thomas: We are watching. This is the return of the Ali baba and the forty thieves. The PDP has a pattern of running government. Chop I chop mentality. Is such still fashionable in governance?
Okenwa: There is nothing wrong with chop I chop government. Do you prefer chop alone government? A Government of the family, by the family and for the family. Or do you want to remain under the yoke of a Master who gives out crumbs to his servants.You want the wailing to continue?
Thomas: Rescue and Rebuild which one sounds better in your ear?
Okenwa: Rebuild is better. We need to rebuild this State?
Thomas: Rebuild What? Rebuild what has been already been built?
Okenwa: Rebuild our State.We had it rough in the last eight years.Are you not in this State, why are you pretending as if you do no know what I m talking about.
Thomas: I do not see anything that went wrong in the last eight years. The man at Government House had his style of governance which worked for him and to a large extent in the State. We saw good infrastructure, infact I get pissed off when people say he did not work for the State.
Okenwa: You are out of your mind.What style of governance?. A pattern that favoured his family members alone to the extent he wanted to impose his son in law to take over from him. Is this State a Monarchy? We have never had it so bad like this period. Nothing worked in the State.
Thomas: Do not tell me such things because I disagree with you. You cannot tell me that the man did not perform in the last eight years. Look at Owerri, are there no changes in the road network?
Okenwa: Roads without drainage built by unknown contractors. When the rains come, the whole place turns to Pacific and Atlantic Ocean joined together. How come there was so much that was built yet the State had no investor, not even a bamboo seller in China came to invest in the State.People kept on complaining .Hunger became a weapon to subdue the people.
Thomas: Hunger! And yet we had more eateries and restaurants in Owerri during this period. His biggest offence was that he was not sharing money to big men and women and they used e rats on the social media to run him down.
Okenwa: You talk as If he is sharing his personal money. This is our commonwealth my brother. Did Oshiomole reject him and his son in law because they did not share money to him?Why did he find it difficult to pay the pensioners. The workers were begging for their salary. This State is the only place in Nigeria where workers do not have a fixed salary.
Thomas: We had ghost pensioners and workers. And we cannot be paying ghosts. Oshiomole only succeeded to crumble the broom party in Imo.
Okenwa: And what happened to the countless audits he said he carried out to fish out ghost pensioners.
Thomas: (Silence) I m not here to join issues with you. This man cut these big men and women to size in the State. He made Government House less attractive for them because he refused to share the money.
Okenwa: But he shared to his family members, friends and cronies who sang his praise. His son in law ran the most expensive campaign during the election period and you did not see anything wrong with it. Many people complained of losing their land without notice and compensation
Thomas:Sometimes we mix up non issues with core issues. All these are all propaganda. Calling dog a bad name in order to hang it.
Okenwa: How?. These are not cooked up stories, not hear say.
Thomas: Cock and bull stories. All those who claimed their land were grabbed from them. Where are they. In the moon? let them come out and speak out. Stopping thriving on hear say. And for his son in law, leave him alone. His Father in law said his son in law is the only one that will sustain his policies and programmes such as free education, urban renewal and other good innovations he introduced. The man had his plans well laid out for the State.
Okenwa: Is he the owner of the State? Are you listening to yourself? Father In law told Son in law he should take over as Governor. How does it sound in your ear? Are we in Soweto? How come he was so short sighted that he saw his son in law as the only one that could continue his supposed good work. Are other followers of his dummies?
Thomas: He is the one sitting there and he knows what he is talking about. Bill Clinton was President for eight years and his wife was Secretary of State and eventually ran for President. In America o, the inventor of democracy.
Okenwa: Did Hilary Clinton wanted to take over from Bill when the latter had done eight years? Do not twist history and records. And because he did not have his way at the governorship elections that is why he is putting booby traps for the man coming to take over from him.
Thomas: How do you mean? Traps. Is he rat catcher? Traps for what?
Okenwa: The stealing of spoons, rods, chair, rug, plates, fork and knife as alleged by your party people.
Thomas: He said it is your party people that are stealing it.
Okenwa: We do not steal spoons, plate and rods. That’s petty.
Thomas: That’s what he said. He said it is in your character to loot.
Okenwa:Pot calling kettle black. The accuser cannot be the accused. It is not in our character.We have come to rebuild the State. When the Mbano man left in 2011, did he steal the table in his office? He even left behind a huge sum of money, N26 billion.
Thomas: Builders of the temple. Make sure you people build a Notre Dame for us.A bigger one than the one that got burnt in France. Which 26 billion? Forget all that media noise. Story for the birds.
Okenwa: Media noise.? Did your man deny he never saw some billions the man from Mbano left behind? We have come to work. The man that is coming is experienced and he knows what leadership and governance is all about. You will see the best of governance in this State. He is tested and trusted. The happiness of the people will be restored.
Thomas: Akuko Ufo..By sharing money. That is the language your guys understand.
Okenwa: Which money? The money that has developed wings and flown away. We are not talking of sharing of money.I m telling you that this State will come back to life again.Pensioners will be paid, workers will get their due. The people will be happy. We will also have a vibrant House of Assembly not this rubber stamp in place at the moment. We have already started work. You saw the calibre people in the two committees he set up..
Thomas: Hold it there my friend. Do not go there. Which committees?. You mean the playground Committee. Just Transition, and Hand over Committee, you have about 500 people.
Okenwa: This is a tip of the iceberg. He is walking his talk by saying he will constitute an inclusive government. And that is the stuff a responsible leader is made up. We are already seeing a man doing what he says.
Thomas: By packing crowd of people together like Sardine and Geisha and called them a Committee?
Okenwa: You seem to have lost touch with core principles of governance.Iberiberism is really affecting your sense of reasoning. You better purge yourself of it. Don’t you not know that Transition Committees prepare the foundation for the take off a new government, a serious administration for that matter. And I m surprised at this moment, your man has not come up with a Committee to synergize with the Handover committee for a smooth transition on May 29.
Thomas: Stop blowing grammar. He is bringing people together for his election in the event the tribunal kicks him out. The Committee is over bloated. We had no such number in other States.
Okenwa: Meaning? That’s a stupid talk.This is the ranting of a loser. Which Tribunal? Remove who? Wake up from slumber my friend. It is in the character of losers to cry foul play when they lose. We carry the mandate of the people. This man will be there for eight years. So better prepare your role in opposition. I see that you will be there for a very long time
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