IMO, 2019 AND OKOROCHA’S APPARENT CONFIDENCE IN THE YOUTH
The
last time I painstakingly checked, Imo – the Eastern Heartland – was indeed
intensely hot owing to a view aired by the state’s governor, Chief Rochas
Okorocha as regards whom takes over the helm of affairs of the Douglas House
come 2019. In his words, the state’s number one citizen unequivocally claimed
that nobody above fifty years of age would become a governor in the state
again.
The boss who stated this penultimate
week in Owerri during the ceremony marking the commencement of the 2016/2017
Legal Week of the Imo Judiciary, precisely on Monday 6th March 2017,
said that all politicians in the state, whom are above 50 years, had at one
time or the other in the past improvised the state to the detriment of the
citizenry, thus ought not to be allowed to ruin the state anymore.
Governor Okorocha who was the Special
Guest of Honour at the event, was of the notion that Imo should be entrusted to
individuals whom had the burning and genuine desires to move the state forward
after his exit as the state’s governor come 2019, and such persons could only
be found within the 50 years and below age bracket. He went further to boast
that aside the past governor of old Imo State Late Dr. Sam Mbakwe, no other
governor that served before him (Okorocha) did up to twenty per cent (20%) of
what he had done as the state’s governor.
The
governor’s frank statement, which was conspicuously controversial, has
generated deep ripples among the state’s gubernatorial aspirants and Imolites
at large since it is no longer news that the majority of the said aspirants are
above 50 years. In various quarters across the state, and even beyond, you
would see men and women gathered in their numbers discussing the scenario. Some
were of the opinion that Chief Okorocha’s claim was an expensive one whilst
others believed it was timely and a right step in the right direction.
An
old time friend of mine who called from Canada to register his mixed feelings,
wanted to know what actually necessitated the utterance. To him, the governor
was yet to disclose the real reason behind his submission. According to him,
there were still individuals above 50 whom could be entrusted with the state’s
treasure; on the other hand, ‘there are many whom are below 50 but have the
tendency of defrauding the state if given the opportunity to lead just for a
day’.
Away from Canada, one of the roadside
commentators whom I ran into last weekend in the vicinity of my place of
residence in Owerri opined that the governor remained a man whom does not get deterred
by anything, hence, it could be the statement was one of the ways of asking his
opponents to keep off as far as the awaited 2019 governorship race is
concerned. He stated that the boss was an ‘intriguing politician who
understands the best language to use in whisking some perceived enemies/rivals
away.
Whichever the intention of the said leader
could be, it’s imperative for him to acknowledge that Imolites are only
interested in receiving someone who is keenly and genuinely ready to deliver,
and not just a person who is below 50 years of age. Age, from my understanding,
is never a criterion while assessing one’s potentials or qualities, but what
he/she can offer to the society coupled with his/her background and
antecedents. Hence, regardless of age, Imolites as a people want an individual who
can consolidate on the good works of his/her predecessors, and not otherwise.
Gov. Okorocha was born on 22nd
September 1962, thus he is currently 54, meaning that he assumed duty as the
state’s governor at the age of below 50. He may have performed credibly well
since assumption of office, but that isn’t a clear indication to assert wholly
that anyone below the stipulated age means well for the state. Performing ‘very
well’ having ascended the throne at below the age of 50 could be a mere
coincidence, and not that people within that age bracket mean well for the
state.
However, if critically examined, one
would acknowledged that come 2019 gubernatorial polls, that statement of Gov.
Okorocha was for the good of the Imo youth. This implies that the
aforementioned class of persons that seemed to have been enjoying a state of
slumber is expected to at the moment, as a matter of urgency, wake up from such
unwarranted mood. The youth had, via that utterance, been conscientized to
reclaim power as well as sustain it for eternity. It’s a sure way of informing
the teeming Imo youths to key into issues that would draw them closer to the
corridor of power.
In other words, Gov. Okorocha may have
made an expensive and controversial statement, but the truth remains that it is
time for the youth to bounce back and never go back to the relegation lane. It
is the ripe time for them to lead and not just follow. Worse still, most of
them don’t even follow wisely, but sheepishly. It suffices to say that the
speech in question is not just an eye-opener but a pathway to the long-awaited
emancipation of the youth in the state, and of course Nigeria in general.
Nevertheless, as much as it’s apparent that
his Excellency has explicit confidence in the youth, let it be in record that
Imo is never in any way interested in habouring riffraff in the name of ‘vying
for governorship position’. Nature itself abhors nonentities, thus let the
youth utilize the glaring opportunity judiciously to avoid crying ‘had I known’
in the long run. Think about it!
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