By Gift Okechimaghalam
For the sake of time and posterity, I am held by my conscience to write this piece. May I please use this medium to render unreserved apology to Imo people for dishing out a vitriolic information, as I was falsely informed though.
A week today (Sunday, August 26), I was at the APGA (Imo) State office where Sir Stanley Chiedoziem Amuchie made his declaration, what was more like an interactive session to run for governorship with the APGA platform. What took me aback was my view of a man with so much humility, yet focused. At that juncture, I knew my last piece on him was so puerile and silly.
I had written earlier that Sir Stanley was being sponsored by (Imo State Governor) Rochas Okorocha. But I was disappointed in myself with such a pedestrian write-up after listening to him answer questions to that regard. The air was further cleared when I discovered that Imo State’s main account has been with Access Bank for sometime now and not just Zenith Bank. That this decision was taken by government of the day when he (Sir Stanley) single-handedly stopped them from getting more loan from Zenith Bank without due process or in an uncouth manner, thus saving the state from more depth. As at today, Imo State does not owe Zenith Bank directly but the Federal Government which is deducted from source by the CBN before it comes to Imo State. Again even if Imo State is owing any bank, no new governor can stop them from paying back the debt because there is usually an agreement which the CBN is aware of.
Sir Stanley Amuchie is an Mbaise-born, first class graduate of Industrial Chemistry from the University of Benin and holds M.Sc. in Corporate Governance from Leeds Beckett University, UK. With so much experience, today he is the General Manager/Group Zonal Head, Zenith Bank Plc.
With the genuineness and humility I have seen in this banker turned politician, I pray against all morbid interest to the aspiration of this young man. I say this because Imo people must be careful of detractors flying around their rumours and propaganda against the real and genuine leaders we are looking up to for the rescue and recovery of our dear state.
My ignominious attitude in my last piece, ‘WHY NDI IMO MUST REJECT ZENITH BANK AND ANYTHING FROM IT’, where I made a full allegation, associating Sir Stanley’s ambition as being sponsored by Okorocha and actors of Zenith Bank, was from misinformation from biased and mischievous people I called friends. I now know that they are afraid of the weight Sir Stanley is coming with.
I plead with Imo people, media professionals, bloggers, APGA as a party, the clergy, etc to help me ask Sir Stanley Amuchie to find it somewhere in his heart to forgive me. Today, I know better.
•Photo: Ezinwa Sir Stanley Amuchie
•Gift Okechimaghalam is from Egbema, Imo State.
