The level of man’s inhumanity to man as perpetrated by the agents of Governor Owelle Rochas Okorocha against one Hon. Imo Gogo, a native of Amaoji, Umunna has been decried by some of his kits and kins or cultural leaders of Orlu Town.
The said Gogo who is bed ridden with paralysis over a number of years now which affected both his fore and hind limbs had his ancestral home appropriated by Governor Owelle Rochas Okorocha through Chief Uche Best Mbanaso while serving as Mayor of Orlu Zone and Commissioner for Works.
Gogo’s troubles started with Okorocha’s massive and intensive demolition exercise to make way for the dualization and beautification of the major Orlu Township roads, Owus Avenue where he lived with his family.
Like most landlords and owners of properties along the road whose ancestral homes were adversely affected, Gogo protested against the attempt to force him out of his ancestral home even under the worsening conditions of his partial paralysis or stroke. A pretending and deceitful Uche Best Mbanaso who feigned ignorance of the debilitating state of Gogo’s ailing health had offered to assist with relocating Gogo and his family even as he was bedridden, an offer the unsuspecting needy family compromised to under serious pressure and threat to life.
Initially, Chief Mbanaso who was the architect of this alleged demonic displacement of the family of Gogo from his ancestral home promised to build a new home for them at Orlu “Chesire Home” area of the town. When the family which was virtually sleeping in the open after their home was desecrated along with the tombs of their forbearers, bulldozed away waiting in vain for the rehabilitation, they cried out for public attention. The story which made headlines in most local tabloids forced Ichie Uche Best Mbanaso to secure a flat for the paralyzed Gogo and his wife at the Orlu Housing Estate. But before they could move in, they were informed of a change of mind and directed to instead move into an alternative accommodation where one-bedroom flat was secured and paid for one year advanced rentage. While the family of Gogo and other members were impatiently licking their wounds hoping that the promise of a permanent home at Orlu Chesire home will after all come through, Mbanaso who now realized that there was no need initially to demolish the traditional home which was now more than 100meters or 15 feet from the dualized road, sold the idea of building a Hotel on the spot. To deceive unsuspecting members of the public, the duo of Okorocha and Mbanaso virtually handed the project over to a proxy to front for them. The proxy happens to be one alleged illegal immigrant and suspect by name Mr. Gary who by this was handling all the construction jobs in Orlu and elsewhere for Governor Owelle Rochas Okorocha. The sight of a white man along Orlu streets had given the Orlu community a false impression that the road dualization contract being executed by an expatriate white firm and was executed in good faith. However the insinuation that Okorocha actually owns the hotel complex which sprouted from the graveside of the fore bearers of Gogo was rejected by those who were seeing the good roads for the first time. Recent events have proved the earlier claims that Gary actually built the Hotel Complex with a yet to be completed swimming pool for Okorocha at the directive, promptings and support of Ichie Uche Best Mbanaso.
According to our usually reliable source, the complex is almost at the commissioning stage as a member of the Lammonde Group of Hotels one of which situates along Okigwe road Owerri and another along Orlu road Amakohia in Owerri North LGA. Arrangements for the commissioning ceremony have drawn, however, the community leaders who recently embarked on a journey to the communily shrine to invoke the spirit and the anger of the dead Gogo elders and the gods of the land to strike Chief Uche Mbanaso dead before the end of the year 2015 for daring to deprive Gogo of not just his ancestral home but the comfort and companionship of his wife. They are furious that Mbanaso and Rochas Okorocha could be so heartless as to abandon Gogo to die on his sick bed in a strange place while his ancestral home has been converted into a 3-Star Hotels.
Courtesy: Community Watchdog Newspaper
