Prior to the 2019 governorship election in Imo State,
some political foes of the in-coming Governor, Rt Hon. Emeka Ihedioha,
made it a point of duty to whip up baseless argument that if he
eventually wins, he will Mbaisenise his government. This group of
pernicious political propagandists regarded it as a potent weapon which
could sway the support of Imo people against Ihedioha and by so doing,
cut short his genuine aspiration to recover Imo from her present ruins
and subsequently rebuild her.
But
alas, the election came and Imo people proved that they are no longer
gullible to swallow hook, line and sinker the gibberish against the
Mbaise nation. With their votes, they showed that they are now wiser and
can no longer be goaded into believing nonsensical and ugly sentiments
being bandied about the good people of Mbaise.
I
have deliberately chosen this line of discussion in order to correct
the erroneous impression hitherto held against the Mbaise nation in Imo
State. In my last piece titled, “Ihedioha’s 140 Apostles and Matters
Arising”, I clearly made reference to this same issue which one
professor of law wanted to mischievously make an issue and by so doing,
heat up the polity with it again as they did in 2015. Unfortunately for
him, he failed woefully in his plans.
To
me, the in-coming governor, Rt. Hon Emeka Ihedioha as at now, has
become a good reference point of what an Mbaise man is or not or should
be. He is the mirror through which the entire Mbaise clan is assessed by
both well meaning people as well as mischievous arm chair critics of
the Mbaise nation.
The
question is: are Mbaise people clannish, bad, unreliable,lazy or
fraudulent? The answer is capital No. if anybody says an average Mbaise
indigene is dogged, hardworking, dependable and a team player, I can
agree intoto. If one says an Mbaise man or woman cannot be brain washed
or cheated or easily swindled, I can also concur.
The
problem Mbaise people perhaps, have with some lazy minds is that they
are ever pro-active and intelligent. They are fast-thinkers and
independent-minded. That to any rational mind, does not in any way
constitute a crime or unacceptable way of life.
Citing
the in-coming governor as a reference point, one easily sees capacity,
astounding intelligence, hard work, capability and altruism in an Mbaise
man. He is also an embodiment of team work and a man who is very
receptive to constructive criticism. He is always conscious of public
opinion. All these are essential hallmarks of a democrat.
In
his first two appointments as an in-coming governor, Rt. Hon Ihedioha
has apparently proved doubting Thomases wrong about his inclusive style
of administration. He accommodated people from diverse backgrounds,
political parties and different localities. The appointments were evenly
spread such that those who hitherto expressed reservations about how he
intends to rule Imo probably with people from a particular locality
dominating his administration have swallowed back their vomits.
The
Transition Technical Committee and the Governorship Inauguration and
Handover Committee are headed by credible men, who are not even from
Owerri geo-political zone where the in-coming governor hails from, not
to talk of his Mbaise native clan. The Transition Technical Committee
(TTC) is chaired by the former Deputy Governor of Central Bank of
Nigeria (CBN), Dr. Ernest Ebi from Ideato Clan in Orlu geo-political
zone. The vice Chairman of the TTC is former Nigerian Ambassador to
Republic of Ireland, Dr (Mrs) Kema Chikwe from Owerri North Local
Government .
The
Governorship Inauguration and Handover Committee is equally chaired by
another seasoned administrator and two times Secretary to the Government
of Imo State, Chief (Barr) Chris Okewulonu from Obowo in Okigwe
geo-political zone. Rt. Hon Jones Onyeriri from Nkwerre in Orlu
geo-political zone is the Vice Chairman. The sub-committees are equally
headed by credible persons from different Local Government Areas in Imo,
ditto for their memberships. No Mbaise man is chairing any of these two
committees.
For me,
criticism is good in a democracy, in fact, it is an indispensable
ingredient of any government of the people. However, such criticisms
must be backed with empirical facts. One should not criticise out of
hatred or myopia.
Anybody
who truly knows the in-coming governor of Imo State cannot associate
him with clannishness. He is a man in love with dexterity, hardwork,
excellence in service delivery and commitment to any given assignment.
He abhors laxity, untidiness and sycophancy no matter how closely the
person is related to him. This perhaps is what some people have failed
to realise.
A critical
appraisal of the leadership of the two committees he has set up so far,
is a vivid reflection of the above assertions. The leadership and
membership of the committees have caused some wicked critics to suddenly
keep mute, waiting probably for a slip from the in-coming governor. But
they may have to wait for a very long time for that to happen, if at
all such will ever happen.
The
point I am trying to put forward herein is that an average Mbaise man
is very reliable and fore-sighted. Rt. Hon Ihedioha as a case study.
Some people say “tell me who is your friend and I will tell you who you
are”. Ihedioha in this case serves as the prism through which the Mbaise
nation is appraised. He is a tested and trusted leader.
Those
who had thought that by now, they would have been seeing flashes of
clannishness, should be having a re-think. Though some may still argue
that it is too early in the day to run into conclusions, I make bold to
assure such people that the in-coming governor, as a national leader,
knows where the booby traps and banana peels are. He is very experienced
and intelligent to be lured into such traps.
For
clarification sake, I am not of Mbaise decent. I am rather of Mbaike
clan, Ikeduru to be precise. My assessment of the attitude of the Mbaise
people is borne of practical experiences and interactions with them.
Though among twelve, they may always be a Judas (which anyway, is also
applicable to other localities), the majority of the people of Mbaise
clan are jolly good fellows and very industrious.
It
gladdens the heart that the good people of Imo, having realized that
the bad tag on the harmless people of Mbaise by some goons, was a mere
fallacy of non-sequitor, resolved to elect Rt. Hon Emeka Ihedioha as the
next governor of Imo State. By so doing, they have collectively
demystified the erroneous and baseless conceptions about the Mbaise
nation and consequently, buried such baseless conception for good.
Ihedioha
has kept fate with his political mantra “MY WORD, MY BOND”. We hope and
pray that God grants him Solomon’s wisdom to keep to his words of
running an all inclusive government. For now, the signs are promising.