Each time one mentions Late Chukwunonye Irouno and the work he did as the Senior Special Assistant on Entertainment to then Governor Rochas Okorocha, it seems like you will be calling out the people who came after him.
A lot of people believed he came into the office through the back door, but with time he proved them wrong, at least to an extent.
Irouno was formerly a Chief Protocol Officer to the Governor, until the office happened.
One would surely go on to say that his time did not witness the likes of Covid-19 and insecurity, but the fact remains that he was someone who always found a way out of situations.
He set a momentum so high that when the Government of Hon. Emeka Ihedioha took over, his appointees in that area seemed clueless to a lot of people.
No doubt that legendary comic actor Charles Awurum and musician Chinonso Aniche were in their class, but the ability of Irouno to attend to a lot of things within a short time, eclipsed their efforts.
Some said it is because the government then trusted him so much, but who would appoint people they don’t trust to represent them in such a hostile sector.
Due to the the nature of the economic landscape of the state, government funding and partnerships have been pivotal to the development of certain sectors and just because Gov. Rochas Okorocha in his time was able to provide that stimulus, capped with Irouno’s strategies, a lot was able to happen.
There were complaints about Irouno as no man would be perfect, but those lines have since been wiped away as no other even worked enough to earn such complaints from the people.
Everyone in Imo State can comfortably say that the time of Governor Hope Uzodimma has been the worst for entertainment in the history of Imo State.
This is without sentiment and his appointees have been the worst and the most underperforming since the creation of Imo State
Someone even said that the few months of Charles Awurum in office is better than the four years of the present government amd all their appointees in the sector.
One can clearly state that Governor Hope Uzodimma has abandoned the entertainment sector with good reasons. If one puts into consideration the amount of money entertainment is shipping into the country, every smart government will prioritize its development.
A lot of young people can be gainfully employed in this sector if it is well stimulated but recently, the governor appointed more than 150 aides and none was for entertainment.
Even hawkers got an aide overseeing their activities, that’s how bad it it.
Irouno’s era is gone and we probably might not be needing another one because of the dynamism in the sector and the state needs not just someone who will brag about having decades of experience and knowing everybody, but someone with a strategy to turn a trip of stone into a pile of gold.
We also know that behind every successful Irouno, there was a Governor willing to invest through him and this is what we expect fom Gov. hope Uzodimma.
For the industry to thrive, it will not be a place to sing the praises of the Governor. The industry has to be distanced from politics and made to embrace the reality that Imo is no longer where it used to be, despite previously producing some of the best talents in the country.
Governor Uzodinma should acknowledge the vacancy in his cabinet and do the needful.
Imo cannot be the new or old Lagos, but Imo can become the real Imo and only those who understand the yearnings of the terrain can help the governor to do this great job.
There is a lot we can still do despite the level of insecurity in the state. We can be great again.
