Governor Theodore Ahamefule Orji of Abia State has no shame to congratulate
with the INEC-declared Governor-elect of Ekiti State, Ayo Fayose, in the
June 21st gubernatorial election in that state widely acclaimed as a bunch
of professors.
The skeletal-brained Orji who has sent in his congratulatory message was
unashamed to tell the world previously that he had these, as achievement
for eight years in office, as governor: a conference centre, 22-room house
of assembly office complex and workers secretariat.
These have not even been investigated. They could be lies, because this is
a government that derives pleasure in blame-game and propaganda. The
question Abia people have been asking him that he has not answered (before
he goes to congratulate with a Fayose who may not like his name be
mentioned alongside Orji because of the bad ordeal that Orji has become) is
how do those titular building translate to people-oriented programmes that
the ‘common’ man in the street of Abia State is yarning for.
It is only in Orji’s Abia State that a government could not account for the
money it had so far received from the Federation Account, when the
presidency and Federal Finance minister had called on the oil producing
states to do so. It was evident that the ignominious leader receives
monthly allocations that are more than the annual budget of many African
countries. Yet, there is nothing to write home about in Abia State, except
the deafening jingles and intimidating bill-boards of “Ochendo Global” that
Abia State has been forcefully compelled to accept as its own form of the
dividend of democracy.
That was where the state money goes to. If not, the minute investments that
the governor brags as achievements are what a ‘common’ Igbo trader in
Onitsha or Lagos can build and donate to his community and yet will be
crying of being financially poor not to assist his community the way he had
wanted. This is a government that cannot differentiate between structures
and infrastructures. Did you say it is a shame? Orji is one governor that
is yet to lay down any plan for his Abia State for nearly 8yrs he has been
saddling that state as a dictatorial governor he is. He owes workers good
sums of salaries and allowances for nearly a year now and rules with
security operatives and forcefully taxes the residents through their
nostrils.
Orji’s voice among the millions of Nigerians in congratulating the Ekiti
Governor-elect, Ayo Fayose on his victory is balderdash, let alone
describing what had transpired in the election as “democracy in action”
whereas Orji is a despot under a democratic government. Orji lauded as
“maturity and sportsmanship demonstrated by the incumbent Gov. Kayode
Fayemi in accepting defeat and accepting to support the Governor – elect”
whereas he is the most unsophisticated and immature human being that the
world has ever produced in the 20s century. Let this be a story for another
day.
If the world sees what has happened in Ekiti State as democracy at work,
then they are yet to see the un-democracy at work under the leadership of
Orji in Abia State. What Fayemi had exhibited that the world is applauding
him for, was what T.A Orji would have sent his notorious son Chinedum
“Ikuku” to go for the spoil. Orji who was praising the outcome of the Ekiti
elections preferred to work with touts, instead of dissenters. In the
government’s definition of democracy, any dissenters should be labeled a
kidnapper, rapist, armed robber, and many other useless names and
attributes. In Orji’s diary, he has no effective and easy ways to run Abia
State, except the glaring imposition of a government of pettiness and
intimidation, bickering, tinkering, backbiting and brickbats…on the people.
Orji sees talk as cheap and is quick to throw his voice when well-meaning
and enterprising Nigerians in respective positions are lending their
voices, when he is yet to conduct local government elections in Abia State.
He is not very careful doing same, because of the irritant he has made
himself before the people of Nigeria, which his arsenal of media propaganda
has not redeemed. Today, is Orji government not fanning the embers of
tribal and religious sentiments, playing politics with the issue of
terrorism, in its usual bid to be in the news always? but regrettably on
the wrong side of the news. Always paranoid! He would prefer buying “icon
of democracy” while the people of Abia State are suffering the effects of
‘Icon of Dictatorship. It is a shame!
