How Gov. Uzodimma turned Imo to every week one trouble
By Ogu Bundu Nwadike, M.A
Since January 1, 2021, Senator Hope Uzodimma has always provided one reason or another to keep Imo State on the negative file of the news. And that has been discovered to be constantly on a daily and weekly basis. It has led to the conclusion that Uzodimma is a “one week one trouble” rabble rouser!
Hardly could a week pass without one negative utterance or action by Uzodimma which pitches the State and citizens against the positive side of the society, causing Imo people avoidable shame, disgrace and assorted shades of embarrassment and opprobrium. Imo State is now counted among the States with high tension!
Our interests and interventions are because of the negative impacts Uzodimma’s below average conduct and performance have on the image of the State and the people. A mad man is seldom conscious of his words and deeds, but his shame is felt by his kith and kin.
Testimony abound about how in recent times, at the mention of Imo at a neutral settings and locations, people hiss and shrug their expressions of ignominy and disdain. It’s more so at the mention of Uzodimma, and people guffaw and taunt him and the State, with Ndimo by extension.
It has been concluded that Uzodimma’s greatest undoing is his tongue in front of a television camera. He loses guard and control, emitting free speech and uttering what an intelligent leader shouldn’t utter. He makes many people wonder what manner of man is Uzodimma!
Just last week, precisely on Tuesday, August 24, 2021 Imo State was thrown into the bad condition of scarcity of petroleum products, following the lock down of all petrol stations in the State.
Prices of petrol shot out of the ceiling from the official N165 to N650 and above per litre in the clandestine black parallel market. Transport fares went up by 300%. Ndimo wept! There was much pain and agony in Imo State.
Now, instead of rushing home to take charge of affairs, Uzodimma tarried in Abuja visiting the president at Aso Rock, chopping elbow, and telling lies that there was no anti-open grazing law in Imo State, and that the sit at home order was inoperative in the State.
He capped his faulty tales with the advise to Ndimo to travel neighbouring States, that he said had “equidistant” proximity to them in Imo State, to go and purchase petroleum products at the authorized prices.
The worrisome emergency scarcity of petroleum was discovered to have been caused by Uzodimma’s refusal to honour the payment of a debt incurred by the Government of Imo State to a petrol station owner in Orlu, whose petrol station was demolished by the order of the State Government that was then in care of Owelle Rochas Okorocha.
Sadly and unfortunately, instead of Uzodimma to engage the creditor oil merchant reasonably, responsibly and respectfully, he called a meeting in which agreed to address the demands of independent petroleum marketers within 2 weeks from Friday, August 27, 2021.
It turned out that as the meeting adjourned sine die, the independent oil marketers were served a notice of a suit filed by Uzodimma, ordering them not to embark on any fresh strike over their originating complaint of non-payment of the debt owed their member.
The independent oil marketers have reportedly threatened to shut their petrol stations at any moment within the two weeks they agreed with Uzodimma. Consequently, there has been panic buying and stocking of petrol, while the prices have reverted to the black market prices of over N500.
And all of that were the troubles within one week. Yet, they are a far cry simpler than the more terrible troubles Uzodimma has caused the State since he was made governor by the Supreme Court on January 14, 2020!
As is the case now, the trouble caused by Uzodimma last week has been worsened by a fresh trouble this week. God knows what new trouble he’ll cause next week in the State. Truly, Imo people have a one week one trouble guy on the Chief Driver’s seat! The world is watching!
By God’s grace, Imo State must be rebuilt!!
