...The Villain (continued from last week)

"I keep attacking the villains, the know-nothings, the people who want to take our freedoms away"

                                                                             Al Goldstein

 

It did not take long before the cough stopped. Some sips of water did the magic. However, it left my eyes blood shot.

One of the three men I had earlier seen broke the silence.

He said the governor, angry with his cabinet at the embarrassment, sacked key commissioners, all the transition chairmen of Local Government Areas in Abia State. A case of a lazy man quarreling with his tools, I mused.

I recalled that the Chief Press Secretary of the governor had in a swift reaction and in defense of his boss said that his paymaster had spent about five billion naira, on road reconstruction alone. In response to this when I had it on the state-owned radio station, I said “you and your government spent five billion in the air, not on roads. How come you spend this huge sum of money on roads and yet people don’t see a reason to hail (I didn’t say boo) your government? “

Zik has always been on the fence on issues like this owing to the fact that he was neither Igbo nor an Abian. . Many a time, he would jokingly add:

“No be una broad?”

The man who had brought the news argued that the governor had no moral right to be at Ojukwu’s funeral rites in the first place. He posited that by the singular act of decamping from the All Progressive Grand Alliance APGA, Orji had dumped Ojukwu other progressives and their philosophies.

“What moral right has he to dump the APGA after Ojukwu came and raised his hands as their flag bearer in Abia State?  Does he expect to be a welcome guest at the burial of its national leader and the leader of the all Igbo sons and daughters?”, he queried.

Another man, one of the three, agreed with the last speaker saying that Ojukwu and Orji were worlds apart in terms of governance, morality and leadership. He further maintained that when it mattered most, Ojukwu as a governor-general of the western region (comprising of 25 provinces spanning more than seven states presently) did not fail the people. The warrior had taken up the gauntlet.

The third man, who had been silent, interrupted the speaker, insisting that it was the handiwork of the governor’s detractors. He argued that the governor had done so much to liberate the state from the shackles poverty, “godfathers and godmothers”.

“Ahh oga no talk like dat oo. I don travel many places for this Abia state. Aba, Umuahia and a few other towns are a bit developed and you no  fit compare them with any city or town in neighbouring states owing to their backwardness. “, Zik cut in. I was amazed that he could say this much especially in public.

I however queried the quality of roads constructed or ‘reconstructed’. I also queried the sack of the commissioners and transition chairmen. I also queried the snail speed at which Abia state was developing compared to sister states like Imo and Akwa Ibom states. I wondered if the governor would stand tall, beat his chest and say he has done alot for the people of the state enough to be remembered for more than a decade after.

I came to the conclusion that not only was the state government in Abia state bankrupt with ideas to develop the state, it has to a large extent formed a cult-like followership comprising of praise singers, sycophants and cowards who find it very difficult to tell their boss the truth. If Orji had constructed quality roads in Aba and environs, he will not be booed. The booing is itself an indictment on the state government that its supposed dividends of democracy leaves much to be desired.  I also came to the conclusion that the state government holds the ace to fast track development in the state. It ought to create the enabling environment for private investors to come in and invest. But will the government own up to its responsibilities like Ojukwu did? T.A., the ball is in your court.

For all I care, there was no need to sack the commissioners, transition chairmen and key government house security chief.  

An American president in a brave move to accept blame said:

“The buck stops here”.

To Governor T.A Orji, I say ‘the buck stops on your desk’ on cowards and villains pass the buck.

Chukwudi

Watch out for the Women’s Day special edition midweek.