By Sergius Izunobi
Many people feel they can function in the executive office of president, governor and local government chairman. Incidentally, just a minor fraction can actually do well in those positions. A case of many were called but few were chosen!
One person who is proving not to have any iota of competence or capacity to play the roles and perform the functions of governor is Senator Hope Uzodimma. I have no apologies saying! It’s a statement of fact!
Since his imposition upon Imo people by the Supreme Court on January 14, Uzodimma has been wobbling and fumbling with words and actions to betray his claims to have been prepared to be a governor.
Trending now is the statement he purportedly made, announcing to President Muhammadu Buhari that Imo State is in financial distress. Consequently, he was reported to have requested that a N32 billion owed Imo State by the Federal Government be paid.
That talk about the Federal Government, owing Imo State N32 billion has since been debunked as false.
If it was true, the very professional and meticulous Economic Team of the RebuildImo administration led by His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Ogbuagu Emeka Ihedioha CON KSC FNIFST, would have discovered it and exposed it as they did for the N112 billion that some banks owe the Government Imo State.
It’s not true that Imo State is in financial distress. Sure, there’s need for increased revenue, but that doesn’t mean Imo is in financial distress.
It has been so for years running under the looter-in-chief, 2011-2019. Clear evidence was the N250 million internally generated revenue (IGR) that Gov. Ihedioha inherited on May 29, 2019.
Evidence is in the 77 months unpaid pension arrears and various months of salary arrears. Evidence is in the total lack of infrastructure, with rotten and decayed roads in the State.
Imo State as at May 29, 2019 was like Alaigbo in January 1970, immediately after the war. There was total devastation. Nothing worked. No roads. No water. No electricity. No infrastructure, in short. Salaries and pensions were in arrears.
But there was evidence that the rogue regime looted about N1 trillion Imo money in its eight-year tenure. If the looted money were utilized judiciously for the development of Imo State, may be something different from “RebuildImo” would have been the mantra of Gov. Ihedioha’s administration.
My point is amid that zero kobo treasury, Gov. Ihedioha hit the ground running and within seven months laid solid foundation for the rebuilding of Imo State.
He restored salaries and pensions from 70% and 40% respectively to 100%. He began to pay pensions via bank alerts. He adopted the Treasury Single Account (TSA) and eliminated over 250 bank accounts through looting of Imo money was made easy. He awarded contracts for some 60 roads across the State. And numerous other achievements.
Never for once did Gov. Ihedioha go a borrowing or embark debt collection drive in Aso Rock. Yes, he visited President Buhari once, but it was to solicit for mutual cooperation and support in the areas of agriculture and human capital development.
But Uzodimma who penultimate week stated publicly that he’s bringing “shared prosperity” to Imo, has within his first five weeks in office exposed his lack of vision for solution to the economic challenges of Imo State. What kind of prosperity is that?
There’s a combination of irony, oxymoron and paradox in that outburst by Uzodimma shaming and disgracing Imo State and Imo people with his ingenious lamentations. Ndimo must demand for a stop to that bad conduct!
How many States in Nigeria are free from financial distress? How many States have been reported to have gone to Buhari on debt recovery? How many governors have called press conference to announce that their States were suffering from financial distress? Only Uzodimma! Haba!
A good governor would gather his economic team and they will design an economic policy that will guide the successful and rewarding running of the State.
For me, therefore, Imo State isn’t more in financial distress as Uzodimma is in cluelessness, ineptitude and incompetence distress.
Uzodimma should keep quiet and be thinking of life after few weeks in Douglas House. Time waits for nobody! Soon, time will catch up with him!
Otherwise, let Uzodimma be humble and honest enough to tell Imo people that he went to do a last minute lobbying for the president to uphold his illegitimate emergence as Supreme Court imposed governor of Imo State.
At least, he should have made some efforts at driving the economy of the State as the good driver he claimed to be before crying out loud. What type of driver is he?
A woman in labour must have made some visible efforts at pushing before her calls upon her neighbours for help could be honoured. Uzodimma failed!
As at December 2019, in his seventh month, Gov. Ihedioha had grown Imo IGR from N250 million in June to N1.18 billion.
Ordinarily, that would have provided basic support while he worked out the salvation of Imo State with fear and trembling. But Uzodimma choose to cry out loud to expose his lack of leadership acumen and capacity.
While he counts last days in his short lease in Douglas House, Uzodimma should stop proferring reasons to loot the FAAC allocations and IGR of Imo State. Imo isn’t in financial distress!
Ndimo must start asking the right questions and resist any clandestine plans by Uzodimma and company to loot the commonwealth of Imo State. Let’s start asking questions!
