The Okigwe Youth Assembly (OYA) an apex umbrella socio cultural organization accommodating all youth out fits in the zone has lauded and congratulated Hon. Chief Acho Ihim for his successful emergence as the new speaker for the Imo State House of Assembly. This they explained was against all odds and therefore worthy of celebration.
In a release made available to the press over the weekend, the Assembly stated that the election and swearing in of the new Speaker is unique, well-deserved and merited based on the rule of law as enacted in the house especially taking cognizance of ranking and the experience of the winner who was a former Executive Chairman of Okigwe Local Government Area, a successful private academic administrator and a second timer in the legislative assembly.
In the statement which was issued in Owerri, signed by, Dr. Harold Onumo and Comr. Ken Okonkwo, President and Secretary respectively, the Youth Assembly stated that while they had actually expected the position to swing to Hon. Acho Ihim, that it has become a poser for the youths of Okigwe zone and a challenge to the incumbent speaker who must not fail his various constituencies in this special outing including the electorate of his catchment Okigwe local government, those of Okigwe Senatorial zone and his colleagues in the House as well as Imolites in general.
The youths went memory lane to catalogue the lingering woes of Okigwe zone that ought not to repeat during the tenure of Chief Ihim who they requested to ensure to break the jinx that has afflicted injury on the zone over the years. They regretted that in the leadership of the past civilian administrations, Okigwe lost out, and enjoined Chief Acho Ihim to work assiduously and jointly with the executive so as to ensure that Imo gets the best legislation for good governance and that Okigwe zone enjoys commensurate dividends of democracy like never before.
The youths while pleading with Acho Ihim not to fail them also urged him not to tow the lines of his predecessors in the executive and legislative cadres both at federal and state levels, who could not give very good accounts of their services and stewardship to their constituency.
They cited a few instances that while De Sam Mbakwe was Governor, he made things happen in Imo State yet his zone has nothing to point to as benefit from his successors, and that Chief Ebere Udeagu as Deputy Governor between 1999-2007 could not attract the much orchestrated college of engineering of the Imo State University to Okigwe but rather deliberately destroyed the oldest known Community College at Umunna Onuimo LGA, whereas Chief Dr. Ikedi Ohakim as Governor cannot boast of one sustainable industrial or social infrastructure facility he bequeathed to his name in the zone.
According to the release, the youths said that the result from the legislative representation had been a far cry especially at the upper chamber of the National Assembly since 1999 and from the State Assembly where the zone held sway since 2007 to date.
They reminded him that charity ordinarily begins from home and pointed out to him how the Rescue Mission Agenda had in the first missionary journey ensured that only daughters of Orlu at home and in Diaspora were highly placed or utilized for the benefit of the governor’s home constituency, hence the goodwill that resulted or culminated to his re-election within Orlu zone.
They listed that almost all the female appointees of the administration were of Orlu zone. They pleaded with him to work closely with the state Chief Executive so as to ensure that there is equity and balance this time around both in the distribution of amenities and spread of political appointments with special emphasis on the take-off of the now abandoned Imo College of Education, Technical. The Youth Assembly expressed dissatisfaction that whereas the proposed college of education at Umuihi Ihitte/Uboma LGA and the Okigwe campus of Imo State University have since been completely abandoned, the Executive Governor of Imo State recently donated a cash of N100Million for the private catholic university in Orlu. This they say is aside the Ogboko campus of Imo European University also in Orlu zone, and wondered why Okigwe zone should be singled out for marginalization and neglect.
They also drew the attention of Chief Acho Ihim to the fact that he would be as marginalized as Okigwe zone in the scheme of things with Orlu zone producing the Governor, Deputy Speaker, V.C of IMSU, V.C of FUTO, Rector FEDPONEK, NDDC Commissioner and Ambassador to Singapore, Accountant-General of the State and LGAs etc. among other juicy appointments.
In the same vain, Owerri zone has produced the Deputy Governor, Chief Judge of the State Judiciary, Secretary to the Government of Imo State, Chief press Secretary to the Governor, and Rector State Polytechnic Umuagwo while Okigwe has only Speaker to boast of and advised Acho Ihim to strive to see that the ugly situation is redressed.
They therefore enjoined all the leaders of Okigwe zone to support the new Speaker so that together Okigwe will benefit maximally this time around and not to wait until it becomes too late in the d ay to ask for equity.
Courtesy: Community Watchdog Newspaper
