The present state of Imo should be perfectly described with the word ‘unthinkable’, unlike the sugar-coated bitter kola being sold by paid e-vendors on social media especially.
Imo used to be beautiful and adorable in practical sense until now that we have resorted to virtual beauty, where the craze for completed projects is forcing governors to leave more uncompleted projects.
Starting from the time of Ikedi Ohakim where Okigwe stadium and roads were completed on billboards and magazines, down to the time of Rochas Okorocha when projects are being renovated on the day of their commissioning, it is just as if we a living in the book ‘things fall apart’
Hon. Emeka Ihedioha came in with the spirit to rebuild in Imo but first to became the biggest demolition man the state has ever witness.
His defence was that you will have to destroy before you can rebuild and today, every single thing he considered unfit and destroyed has never been rebuilt even when there are plenty Rs in the agenda of the government of the day.
Imolites often wonder if there is something wrong with the seat of power in the state. Another school of thought believe the state has been cursed to have the worst governors in the country. Men who totally become blind the moment they walk into that government house.
Imo has then become a mini-Nigeria where presidents embark on Roundabout movement without setting what could possibly be seen as the Nigerian dream.
Good thing is that there will never be Roundabout movement in Imo again, at least for the moment because Governor Hope Uzodimma has demolished them, at least all of them in Owerri metropolis.
The name of the governor is so significant for those who take names seriously. But I am different. I don’t believe that the name given to a man will ever affect his destiny.
There are Blessings, Godspowers, Precious and other fantastic names in our prisons as convicted criminals. So name does not save anyone.
Naming a child Pele, Messi or even our own Okocha will never make the person a good football. It might even be a thing of mockery if the fail.
Imagine being known as the Messi who didn’t go pro.
There’s a simple joke people started making recently with the name of Imo State Governor, to depict the sorry state of Imo road.
Man: Babe please come and see me in Owerri.
Lady: I Hope Ụzọ dị nma?
Ụzọ dị nma (the road is good) has now been over taken by Ụzọ (ọ) dị nma? (is the road good?) the question as the most mentioned name in the state.
The poor state of roads in Imo State is still unthinkable and deplorable is an unfair underestimation of what people are seeing daily in the state.
The clock started ticking when Ikedi Ohakim completed roads on billboards as if he was thinking Imolites were blind.
It continued when Rochas Okorocha became the master of ‘China’ roads, building roads that were damaged even before he left office.
Emeka Ihedioha tagged the master planner had a field time with his one-junction-one-Caterpillar scheme. At the end of the day, spots like World Bank Roundabout which a Caterpillar for about 4 months was not built.
Governor Hope Uzodimma showed a lot of urgency and purpose ahead of the recent visit of the president, by making sure all the demolished junctions were fixed despite the rains.
The question now is, if Government House junction, control post, fire service, Warehouse and others could be demolished and fixed in rainy season, why can’t the same people and their technology fix Chukwuma Nwoha, Toronto and all the deadly spots in imo state.
So the governor knows what he is doing. So the governor knows what to do but won’t do it.
We are now in a situation of ‘the more you wait, the more you lose’ and every single day we step out, something new is added to problems we are facings.
Governor Hope Uzodimma as a matter of fact will have to step up and take charge of Imo state before the questions posed by his name overwhelms him.
I pray this doesn’t get to the point where Road contracts will be given to anyone who can hire equipments like former Governor Okorocha did.
The rains are almost gone, let the man step up before the questions rules us to suffering.
God bless Imo State.
