KALU FIRES AT OCHENDO I have been very reluctant for some time now to respond to the absurd and condemnable state of things in our state – Abia. I have also refused to join issues with the administration of Chief Theodore Ahamefule Orji in its orchestrated and deliberate campaign of calumny, character-assassination and falsehood mounted against me. I must confess that never in my wildest imagination would I ever have dreamed that a man I thought was my friend and brother would take his campaign of hate against me and the people of Abia State to such a bitter and preposterous level. As you read this piece Abia State is under siege. It is surprising that the elders and other well-meaning persons in our dear state have been cowed to the point of dumbness and submission. Everybody fears for his life and would rather maintain studied silence to avoid been harassed or molested. It has got to a stage that nobody could summon the courage to exercise his constitutional rights of free speech, free movement and free association any more. The affairs of the state are now fully run and controlled by the triumvirate comprising the governor, his wife and his son. Nobody else gets anything from the government unless he is ready to dance to the whims and caprices of the triumvirate or in the alternative opt to abuse Orji Kalu. Heaping abuses on me and members of my family has become a favourite pastime of the government and its propagandists. Surprisingly, the government and its paid agents have not given a single reason for their action. The opposition, which is a veritable pressure group in any democratic establishment, has been harassed and chastised, even to the point of some fleeing the state for fear of been harangued. Those who summon courage to speak out do so in hushed tones. There have been many instances of innocent people who were whisked away by the agents of the triumvirate for daring to criticise it or even being found close to the residence of any member of the opposition. What we have today in Abia State is a total siege: molestation of innocent people, confiscation or demolition of properties of people they deem as adversaries, revocation of Certificates of Occupancy, seizure of duly allotted shops and lands, and other unspeakable things, unheard of, even in the times of the military, let alone in a democratic setting as ours. As indicated earlier, nobody can ever utter a word of criticism over what is happening or else he or she will lick the dust. For this reason, everybody has scampered for safety – taking refuge in the confines of his home or better still run far away from the state. Many of these people now live in Abuja or Lagos, and seldom come home. Those who brave the odds and come home for one important thing or another move about disguised. From Arochukwu to Ohafia to Bende, Isuikwuato to Umunneochi, Umuahia to Isiala Ngwa, Aba to Obingwa, and Ugwunagbo to Ukwa, the situation is the same: reign of fear. Worst hit are political opposition who are hounded and terrorised on a daily basis. They dare not hold a rally anywhere in the state or risk being chased about or harmed by their hirelings. Abia State – a once peaceful and congenial place to reside and do business – has suddenly become the centre of the absurdity. The non-indigene campaign assumes new turns by the day. Apart from thousands that were sacked by the administration for no justifiable reason other than that they chose to live and work in Abia State there are many others who suffer other kinds of humiliation, intimidation and harassment. Many of these people live in Aba and Umuahia. It is either you dance to the music of the father, the mother and the son, or you risk losing your freedom or house or shop – whichever applies. I have never seen a state where people live in fear and where people’s rights and privileges have been unconscionably undermined as is the case in Abia State. And curiously, nobody (I repeat: nobody) is bold enough to speak out. If the poor masses fear to speak out, what about our generals, top technocrats, Abuja-based politicians, etc? Now some of the Abuja-based politicians who had been supporting the triumvirate have suddenly developed cold feet, because they too are being hunted. Nowhere is safe in the state any longer; and people find it hard to move about freely to do their business. Aba the commercial nerve-centre has been turned into a theatre of war between the agents of the triumvirate and traders. Traders reel under the weight of over-taxation and double-fees. Some pretend to back the government when deep inside they are dying gradually. Many have also been forced to flee the city for fear of molestation. “Keke” operators, mechanics and other artisans are overtaxed, harassed and threatened with relocation for flimsy reasons. The game-plan is to beat everybody into submission to do their biddings. Things are that bad. The airwaves are daily inundated with no meaningful news other than praise-singing and boot-licking. No other person is allowed access to the radio or TV if he does not have the blessing of the triumvirate: the father, the mother and the son. Why should these atrocious things happen in a democratic environment and yet the higher authorities do nothing to stop it? Or is their silence deliberate too? The difference between Abia State and a state like Borno or Yobe in terms of abridgment of people’s rights is in name. If the cameras are turned to Abia State, many people will be scandalised by the rights abuse that goes on here unchecked. I cannot understand why everybody has chosen to keep quiet when we can collectively stop this nonsense. This is why I am sounding this note of warning to all those concerned to desist forthwith or face the wrath of the people. There is no way all of us will fold our arms and watch a triumvirate intimidate and harass innocent people. The law enforcement agents in Abia State have done very well to contain the activities of hoodlums and other miscreants that had held the stage hostage in recent past. They should take the same measures to deal with the new threat to peace and order in the state. It will surely not be in the interest of our state if the people’s anger is allowed to explode. As peace-loving people we will continue to explore all available and legitimate avenues to restore the rights of our people, which have been bastardised and trampled upon. Nobody is standing in the way of the governor, his wife or his son in achieving their political dreams; after all it is a free society. However, it is absolutely wrong not to allow others the same liberty to express themselves. What is sauce for the goose, not sauce for the gander? For the eight years (1999-2007) I served as a PDP-governor of Abia State nothing like this ever happened. I treated people with dignity, respect and love because I knew then that someday I would leave the confines of Government House Umuahia to live among the same people I served as governor. It is only a fool that will pretend that he would remain in power forever. Power is transient, and everything before your eyes will vanish some day. I have never pretended to be a perfect man: I have my shortcomings. After all, I am human. But I never abused or mistreated people, while in office as governor. The present governor of Abia State served under me as Chief of Staff and he knew how we ran the administration. We demonstrated love, honesty and openness in the running of the affairs of government. Because of the way I had groomed him (to be compassionate and passionate about his job) I never thought he would ever allow himself to be so manipulated. I must confess that for the eight years he served as my Chief of Staff he never betrayed any traits of arrogance, meanness, brutality or greed. So, it was not improper for me to have trusted him in the first place. Deep inside me, I still see him as that harmless, quiet, industrious and loving man who worked as Chief of Staff under me. That was why I had found it very difficult to criticise him, even when he had done things that warranted that. I think the man is a victim of power-intoxication. Or what do you think? How he changed overnight and turned into a despotic leader is what still baffles me. What goes on in Abia State today beats my imagination. As governor, I was accused by the opposition then that my mother ran the show. Assuming that my mother ran the show, what would they call the situation in Abia State now where the governor, his wife and his son tread the political landscape of the state like colossuses? The three run the show and decide who gets what. I have nothing against that if it suits their conscience. My only concern is where such paternalistic union has been used to coerce and harass innocent people. The truth is that for the eight years I was governor my mother was never in charge of the show. I ran the show myself, with the support of people like the present governor of Abia State whom I trusted with many things. And he can vouch that I never did any business with anybody, no matter how high up. What I spent was my security vote, which was a paltry sum compared to the current windfall he is enjoying. So, I wonder why the governor, his son, and his wife would take our people for a ride. The governor can also attest to the fact that for the eight years I was governor I allowed everybody access to the Government House, while the opposition (if any) were not harassed or molested. That was why many people took turns then to visit our state to cherish the legendary hospitality of our people. I even visited and fraternised with those many thought were my adversaries. I wined and dined with them openly, knowing full well that politics is just a game and should not be played with bitterness. I paid them condolence visits when they lost dear ones and also celebrated with them when the occasions called for that. I wish to state here also that for the eight years I served as governor there was no single political killing and nobody’s property was destroyed. That was the spirit of our administration. And this accounted for the peace and harmony that existed in our state for the eight years I served. So, from where did the incumbent governor learn all the weird things he is doing in Abia State? He tells bare-faced lies against people for reasons best known to him. Does he think by running other people down he will achieve his ultimate political goal? I doubt it. The only thing that can immortalise him is his good works, not campaign of calumny against anybody. He should not forget that many of those who collaborate with him to humiliate and terrorise our people today will desert him when the chips are down. I thought he would have learned all these lessons after working with me for eight years. It is sad that he has submitted himself to be used as a pawn on the political chessboard. The clock is ticking with ferocity and time is running out fast. For what will he be remembered when he finally leaves office in less than 12 months from now? Will he have the courage to walk the streets freely as many of us do today when he leaves office as governor? How will he face up to the people he brutalised, chastised and humiliated when that time comes? Will he have the boldness to face the same people and give account of his stewardship or ask them for one favour or another? These are pertinent questions he must answer. He should not be deceived by the bigwigs that flock around him in the confines of his office or the Governor’s Lodge. These ones are not his best friends. His best friends are the poor, traumatised masses who expect him to do something meaningful to better their lot. These are the people he needs. It is these people that can stand up and protect him when the hour of judgment comes, if he had served them well. Distancing himself from them is the worst mistake he will ever make. Let me advise him, as somebody I personally cherish, not minding his excesses, to have a period of quiet introspection, take a cursory look at his tenure so far, and see where to make amends urgently before it is too late. He should not allow time to catch up with him, because judgment time is by the corner. He should liberate the people from bondage and allow them to express themselves freely. It is their constitutional right, not a favour. He should call his attack dogs to order and embrace peace, love, and mutual existence as a way of gaining the people’s confidence in his administration. I am glad the whole world now knows who really is holding Abia people hostage. He had, in his desperation, accused me of holding him hostage. Let me ask him this question: since May 2010 (when he claimed to have been liberated) and now what has he done differently to better the lives of Abians? He used the liberation-of-Abia propaganda as a stunt to deceive the people and create an imaginary enemy to fight. He knows very clearly that I had never interfered with his administration since I handed over to him in May 2007. It is on record that I have never visited the Government House since May 29, 2007 when I officially vacated the place. The truth is that it is Chief T.A. Orji who is holding himself and the people of Abia State hostage, not me. Come to think of it: how can a whole governor of a state, with all the powers and resources available to him, claim that one man (in this case, an Orji Kalu) is holding him hostage. What that simply means is that the man lacks the competence and moral fortitude to hold the office of governor, which comes with it enormous responsibilities. Let it also be placed on record that I was a PDP-governor of Abia State for eight years and as such a founding father and the most senior elected member of the party in the state. It is T. A. Orji who was elected governor on the platform of Progressive Peoples’ Alliance (PPA) before he jumped ship. I wish to use this opportunity to invite the security chiefs in Abuja to take a trip to Abia State to confirm the veracity or otherwise of my position. For those who know me, I do not embark on wild-goose chase. I stand by whatever I have written in this column and take absolute responsibility for them. Whatever I write in this column is verifiable, because one of the aims of founding the column is to protect the truth and straighten the fact. It will be too bad if they allow people’s anger to burst, because that is where we are headed. As leaders, we will continue to toe the path of peace and reconciliation, which is what the new administration of our great party has envisioned. It does not matter what our personal disagreements maybe. What is important is what unites us. The enemies of Abia State would wish for hatred to continue to thrive, but the times in which we are demand moral rectitude, peace and harmony, love of neighbour and fear of God. Anything in the contrary will lead us back to Egypt
Posted on: Sat, 09 Aug 2014 07:07:14 +0000
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