The world needs love and it’s only in love that the problem of humanity could be solved. Love is a divine principle that is holding the cosmic sphere. The language of love is peace and unity. Love reincarnates itself in all the universal Avatars and progenitors of divine religions of the world. In the words of Suri Ramakrishna, “Do you seek God? Well seek Him in man! His divinity is manifest more in man than in any other object. Look around you for a man with a love of God that overflows, a man who yearns for God, a man intoxicated with his love. In such a man God has reincarnated himself.”
For us to be advanced in love, we must adopt divine principle and be married to justice and equity. Any society that negates equity and justice is heading to anarchy and chaos. It was the above conviction that propelled Edmund Burke to infer, “Justice is itself the great standing policy of civil society, and any eminent departure from it, under any circumstances, lies under the suspicion of being no policy at all”. Justice is power and this power is truth in action. In my opinion, the search for equity, must follow certain and systematic process that is intertwined with fact.
We all know that facts are series of events and an event is series of actions while an action is a happening. It may be a conduct by expression, consent, implication, acquiescence or ‘condonation’ by an individual. Action and non-action constitute a person’s reaction to a given circumstance no wonder Webster’s New Encyclopedic Dictionary defines Equity as “Justice according to natural law or right; specifically, freedom from bias or favouritism…” Equity is the oil that greases justice because it is an inspired philosophy of social justice; its characteristics include the tentacles of validity in syllogistic deductions and conclusions. It asserts and maintains that any state of oppression, repression, exploitation or suppression is not synchronous and is therefore out of focus of naturalism.
John Kennedy, “The achievement of Justice is an endless process”. It is Justice that renders to each one what is his and does not claim another’s property which informs why St. Augustine concludes, “The soul has four virtues whereby, in this life, it lives spiritually, namely, temperance, prudence, fortitude, and justice. The fourth, justice is which pervades all the virtues.” Equity is the basis of honesty. In equity and justice our honesty make us deal fairly with friends and foes without causing an unbalance that creates envy, violence and revenge no wonder Aristotle say “If a man is interested in himself only, he is very small, if he is interested in his family, he is larger, if he is interested in his community, he is larger still”. This reality goes beyond politics in our Nigerian context and I find it very difficult to believe that we should play politics with everything in our society.
Confucius {550-478 B.C.} the Chinese sage, was asked if he knew a secret for happiness. He answered that he did not know any. Then another of his disciple asked, “Do you know any secret to ruin a country?” “Yes” Confucius replied. “When its rulers do not accept criticisms, equity and justice…” It is obvious that we become wise by adversity; prosperity destroys our appreciation of the light we have within.
Our forefathers taught us that an elder does not stay at home and a goat delivers on tether. As a result of this socio-cultural propriety, there is need to deliberate on the security welfare of Orlu zone with this article, given what happened few weeks ago in Orlu, which panic and effects affected more than half of the 12 LGAs of our senatorial district. Orlu zone is known for peace and peace we must pursue!
In fact in Orlu zone and in certain communities in Ohaji/Egbema, Orsu and Oguta LGAs, etc., intercommunity clashes surge on weekly basis especially over agrarian and land disputes. The seeming volatility that notch-mark youths’ reactions and counter-reactions in most LGAs in Orlu zone makes more exigent for the need for a roundtable discussion.
But before I proceed, I want to appreciate the swift action of our able Governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma, whose executive interventions not only arrested and halted the destructive crises and reprisals in Orlu, but restored real and evidential sense of security for citizens of the zone. The impact of this makes for more confidence in this government, especially in the protection of lives and properties, as well as in the provision of development projects round the State.
His Excellency, Governor Hope Uzodinma, has also extended his massive road construction and reconstruction in Imo State to Orlu zone, which we witness even on driving from different localities. The Owerri-Orlu road and other internal roads in Orlu zone have thus received rapid interventions at the rightful time of the year. These would alleviate the sufferings of the masses plying these roads, and also put a stop to the erosion menace that causes ecological disorders in the affected areas.
I also use this opportunity to appreciate His Excellency, Sen. Hope Uzodinma for the recovery of the Eastern Palm University as Imo State property. This recovery makes Orlu zone proud and bestows State-wide confidence on him.
More so, it is worthy to note here that the Governor’s upgrading of facilities in the Orlu Teaching Hospital is a welcome development. This is highly plausible, together with other worthy and innumerable developmental projects going on in the State just within his one year in office, which Orlu zone is not left out. We sincerely appreciate these and beg that he does more, especially in the areas of massive road construction and rehabilitation across the State, as well as the recruitment of teachers into the primary and secondary schools in each of the LGAs in Orlu zone, such that at least one primary school can have up to 4 or 5 teachers.
The security of lives and properties of Imo State and Orlu zone in particular calls for great concern. Orlu zone do not want the reoccurrence of what happened last month, which has never occurred in Orlu before. We don’t want fights, and thus need peaceful coexistence of our citizens, and safe relationship between civilians and our State arm-bearers. We don’t want this to reoccur in Orlu zone.
Of greater concern to us are the incessant killings of our people by armed Fulani herdsmen. So many of our illustrious sons and daughters have been kidnapped, maimed, raped and killed by these armed bandits. These armed bandits commit these criminal acts mostly in the forest. Human beings don’t inhabit the forest meant for animals. Those bandits should be tracked and driven out of our forests, not only in Orlu zone but all over the nation of Nigeria. The government should make efforts to bring them out of the forest and rehabilitate the good ones among them. I must make this point clear to everyone reading this article; it’s not every Fulani that’s a criminal, no not at all! I have seen so many of them that are good and behave very well and live peaceable among us. I am mostly concerned about the bandits among them.
However, while I appreciate the emergence of the Community Policing Special Constabulary as a classic security invention and boost in the Southeast and mostly in Imo State, it is suggestive that our Southeast Governors as a matter of urgency should reinvigorate, refine, retool and integrate other local vigilante initiatives of our various communities, including the Eastern Security Network (which has been adopted by the World Igbo Congress) to create a more robust and comprehensive security outfit.
There should be legislation in all the State to formalize this initiative and thus guarantee improved security in the entire Southeast zone, and the inflow of developmental projects and sustainable investments. The above security synergy would strengthen the stakeholders’ efforts in making sure there are desirable developmental projects and indigenous investments in Imo especially in Orlu zone, which would arrest unemployment and crime upsurge in the State.
In as much as our amiable governor is interested in making sure insecurity is properly handled, he should not trust those who are friendly enemies, those who will betray his good effort in building a stable state. He should be mindful of all those who are singing the songs of war indirectly and avoid them. If Gov. Hope wants to be remembered for good by tomorrow, he must act now in good conscience.
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