ShortStory I Shocking U-Turn (II)

SHOCKING  U-TURN (II)

       As days unfolded, the 28-year-old engineer, Dubem who was his parents’ only male child alongside his 25-year-old fiancée Ebere – a psychologist – who was at the time serving her fatherland as the country’s academic custom requested, kept pondering over what could have informed the abrupt U-turn displayed by his father, Mr. Ike Ubochi.

        On his part, the maiden’s dad, Mr. Elu Okoro who had vowed never to approach the purportedly aggrieved man towards ascertaining the actual cause of his grievance, was ostensibly the bitterest creature on the mother Earth as the uncalled malice continued unabated.

        “Oh my God!” Mr. Ubochi’s wife, Nneka soliloquized as she was seated lonely on her matrimonial bed in the evening on a Friday. “Who has bewitched my husband?” She supplemented.

         “Nobody has bewitched your husband.” Mr. Ubochi who just returned from his private office responded as he walked into the room.

          He had aptly presumed what was troubling her mind, thus needn’t a soothsayer to expatiate her moment of anguish.

          Mrs. Nneka who was startled by the interruption, hurriedly looked up only to observe her hubby’s presence; it was about 5:00pm. “You are welcome.” She managed to utter, still seated on the bed.

         “Why are you eating up yourself over nothing?” Mr. Ubochi queried as he calmly dropped his briefcase on the bed.

           The mother of three looked up to him, surprised. “Over nothing..?” She argued.

        “Of course,” he said, stood still. “Is there any cause for alarm?”

        “Why are you saying this?” she roared. “A man who loves and adores a girl suddenly turned around and began behaving strangely.” she asserted, paused. “And you are here telling me there is no cause for alarm.”

         Mr. Ubochi tenderly sat closely to her. “So,” he uttered. “Do you want to know what prompted the sudden change?”

         Nneka fixed her gaze on his. “My dear husband,” she said. “I absolutely deserve to know why that innocent girl deserves such treatment.” She passionately opined.

       “Okay, if you must know,” quoth Mr. Ubochi. “That girl cannot marry my son because she is Osu.” He frankly notified, paused. “None of my children will settle down with an Osu.”

         An Osu in some parts of Igboland and its environs is one who is traditionally regarded as an outcast, thus does not deserve to associate with other members of his/her immediate or wider society let alone getting married to them.

         “Osu?” echoed Mrs. Nneka who had been a pious woman as regards Christianity.

         “Yes, if you must know.”

           She abruptly felt disappointed. “So this is all about Osu, right?”

         “You don’t believe in Osu?’ He verified, became marvelled.

         “If you were not my husband, I would have walked out on you right now.” she informed with alacrity. “How can someone like you who always sit at the front of the church be talking about Osu at this twenty first century?”

          “Will you shut up, woman!” he ranted. “What do you know about tradition?”

          “It is even more appalling that you are a member of the knighthood.”

          “And so?” he argued. “What does the knighthood got to do with this?”

          Mrs. Nneka shook her head. “You amuse me, my dear husband.”

         “Me, amuse you?” he said, placing his right hand on his chest. “Woman, you better watch your tongue.”

          “Isn’t it clear that…” Nneka continued.

            Before she could land, Dubem who had been eavesdropping the conversation fiercely stepped into the room whose door was widely open except the curtain. “So dad, this is it right?” He roared as soon as he dashed in.

           The couple was startled. “This is what?’ Mr. Ike Ubochi managed to respond.

        “So, this is all about Osu?” Dubem supplemented.

          The couple, particularly the man of the house became mute, though Mrs. Nneka was apparently gladdened that the issue was no longer concealed.

        “So because of Osu,” Dubem proceeded. “You have been witch-hunting that poor girl?” he said, gesticulating. “That innocent girl, Ebere?” he added, still standing right before them.

          Mr. Ubochi remained speechless as he stylishly glanced at his wife who was still seated closely to him.

         “You have forgotten that you have two daughters who are yet to get married.” he furiously reminded. “So if you continue with this kind of belief, who would marry them?’

         “Will you shut up, Dubem?’ Mr. Ubochi interrupted fiercely. “How dare you put up such question before your father?” he said, paused. “So you have grown so wild, right?”

          “You caused it, dad,” replied the distressed dude. “You caused it.” He added in a jiffy.

          “Dubem, is okay.” his mum urged calmly. “You can excuse us.” She supplemented, looking strongly into his eyes.

           On hearing the motherly voice, he submissively looked at her, quickly turned his back on the couple and dashed out.

          “You see what you have caused?” Nneka reaffirmed, stylishly glancing at the man of the house.

          “Enough of this, please..!” Mr. Ubochi said frowning, stood up from the bed and dashed out too.

           Days later, Mr. Ike Ubochi was invited by his church’s priest on the subject matter. The clergy had been informed by Dubem who ran to him the following day after the altercation between him and his dad.

          “Sir Ike Ubochi,” the priest called as they were seated in his office.

          “Yes, pastor.” The knight responded.

          “It is annoying that after all we have preached in this church concerning the so-called Osu,” the Anglican priest rode on. “People like you are still talking about it.”

         “So pastor,” quoth the guest, surprised. “My son reported me to you?”

        “That is not the issue,” the priest countered. “If you were in his shoes, you would do the same.” he said, paused. “This is a very serious matter, sir Ike.”

         The guest became dumbfounded at this point, looking at the tiled floor.

        “Please, I don’t want to hear this again.” The clergy proceeded. “Go and reconcile with that innocent girl.” He enjoined succinctly.

          Weeks on as God would have it, Engr. Dubem Ubochi successfully led Miss Ebere Okoro down the aisle. Before this period, the father of the former had peacefully jettisoned all his charges against the latter having heeded the church’s counsel. It was conspicuously a moment of jubilation for both families.

         Years down the line, the couple remained happily married with promising kids.

         The rest is history, please.    

 

FDN Nwaozor

Executive Director, Docfred Resource Hub - Owerri

___________________________________

frednwaozor@gmail.com

Twitter: @mediambassador            

 

          

          

                    

Opinion I Ending Drug Abuse In Imo

THE QUEST TO END DRUG ABUSE IN IMO

       

The last time I painstakingly checked, intake of hard drugs and other related substances had been formally recognized as an illicit act in Imo State, the Eastern Heartland. Hence, there was apparently a strong and impassionate move to end the behaviour which was described as societal menace.   

       

The Executive Governor of the state in the person of Chief Rochas Okorocha made this known on Tuesday, 16^th January 2018 during his New Year meeting with the stakeholders of the ruling party – the All Progressives Congress (APC). According to the number-one citizen, drug abuse which is now found among the greater percentage of productive youths in the state and Nigeria in general, had become a great concern to the Rescue Mission government, hence the need for him and his team to act fast towards eradicating the cankerworm.

        

In view of the aforementioned worry, the governor therein – precisely at the Imo International Conference Centre (IICC), the venue of the event – outrightly set up an ad-hoc committee to handle the situation. The team, which is headed by a woman, has a Deputy Chairman in charge of each senatorial zone in the state. Aside inaugurating the committee, which was described as long overdue, the people present at the occasion applauded the governor for finding a lady worthy to super head its activities.

        

Consequently, the state’s House of Assembly led by Acho Ihim disclosed its readiness to back the governor on his seeming candid quest to clamp down on the derailed homosapiens. The legislators in their view opined that such manner of attitude deserved no pity or mercy, hence the need to decisively end it before it ends the state’s existence. Owing to their understanding, they unanimously agreed to tender a bill in that regard with a view to passing the said social crusade and the penalties accruable to defaulters into law.

       

The least I would say over the government’s intent to initiate a war against all forms of drug abuse in the state is that, it is a welcome development. I was told by my beloved dad that the best and fastest way to terminate the future of an upcoming young man is to expose him to hard drugs. In my father’s opinion, intake or consumption of illicit drugs “does absolutely nothing good to the body of any man than to keep him/her busy doing nothing”. The octogenarian may not be a philosopher by profession but I grew up to see him as one.

      

However, each time I perceive such pronouncement as was made by Chief Okorocha, the first thing I invariably try to ascertain is the sincerity and determination that accompanies it. It’s not anymore news that overtime several governments at all levels had come up with such mantra but eventually ended up doing virtually nothing.

      

Even as the Assembly has drummed its support for the cause, the question remains; how prepared are the lawmakers to treat the forthcoming bill as a priority? You never can tell if the bill would take over a calendar year to be passed into law let alone assenting to it by the executive arm. In other words, the House must be willing to consider its scale of preference for such an anticipated laudable law to see the light of the day.

      

So, if the Okorocha–led administration is truly desirous to kick against drug abuse, the political will must be worn like a clothe. And mind you; you cannot aptly end the consumption of any substance if there’s no action taken to stop the dealers or distributors from doing so. It suffices to say that, firstly, the government needs to checkmate how those unwanted substances enter into the state on a daily basis.

        

Also, if there’s anywhere they are produced in the state, there must be measure to ensure that they are distributed only to the quarters where their need is not illegal. It’s noteworthy that most of the substances in question are essential raw materials needed in the day-to-day manufacturing of some vital products required for our everyday use; but when taken raw, it becomes a problem to the human system.

       

It is needless to state that they were not originally provided to be consumed raw by any individual regardless of his or her physical ability. The primary intent of coming up with such substances was to make use of them in various production firms such as breweries, distilleries, and pharmaceutical companies, among others.  

      

On the other hand, my dad equally told me that the best thing that would happen to a man is to have a good job; and to a woman, a good husband. This analogy implies that a young man occupied with a good job would always be mentally busy doing something meaningful, thus wouldn’t have the time to indulge in other uncalled activities or mingle with bad companies. I concur explicitly with this theory.

       

Against this backdrop, successive governments are requested to endeavour to ensure that their teeming subjects are meaningfully occupied, job wise. All over the globe, there is nowhere it is the responsibility of any government to create jobs for the overall citizens. But it is the statutory duty of every government to create enabling environment that would spur the citizenry to become useful to themselves, and that of Imo wouldn’t be an exception.

       

Creation of enabling environment simply means providing those necessary facilities or social amenities that would encourage people to invest their hard earned monies as well as enable talented individuals to commercialize their respective patents with ease. When prospective private investors invest in the state, several Imolites cum residents would be greatly opportune to be gainfully employed.

       

It is therefore needless to assert that the Imo government must, in addition to ensuring that drug abuse is drastically alleviated within the four corners of the state, endeavour to wholly do the needful in respect of governance. Think about it!

 

 Comrade FDN Nwaozor

Executive Director, Docfred Resource Hub - Owerri

____________________________________

frednwaozor@gmail.com

Twitter: @mediambassador      

 

Opinion I Averting Reprisals Over Herdsmen Massacres

AVERTING REPRISALS OVER HERDSMEN MASSACRES

       

The popular saying that warns ‘make hay while the Sun shines’ would only be considered reasonable and rational when there’s still hay left in the bushes as well as every arena where it’s usually found. Of course, you can only be conscientized to grab something on time when the stuff in question is still available.

        

For years now, several communities across Nigeria had been subjected to an untold hardship and seemingly perpetual torture by the so-called Fulani herdsmen. I can’t forget in a hurry that virtually all the states in Nigeria have tasted at least a bit of this venom at one time or the other. The aforesaid set of farmers, rather than acting as guests while breeding their livestock, end up constituting evitable nuisance in their various host communities.

       

This domineering and nonchalant idiosyncrasy of these armed herdsmen who parade themselves with unspeakable ammunitions and weapons has overtime been arguably overlooked by the government and other concerned authorities. Two years ago, precisely on Monday 25^th April 2016, a certain group of herdsmen unleashed an astonishing terror on the people of Nimbo Community in Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area (LGA) of Enugu State; an attack that ushered in an unimagined massacre. In the said crisis, reportedly scores feared dead, countless persons maimed, about a hundred residents injured, several houses cum churches razed, thereby rendering over two thousand dwellers homeless.

        

Though the incident may have come and gone, it’s imperative to acknowledge that the peril it inflicted on the living victims is unarguably an experience they will all live to recall. Myself, each time I recollect that a certain community in Enugu State sometime in the history of this country woke one morning only to be brutally taken unawares by a group of total strangers, I invariably take solace in the ‘notion’ that it could be a mere dream.

       

As if that wasn’t enough, that of Nimbo never marked the end of the crisis as we anticipated; rather, it transcended to other states. Recently, it seemed Benue State had abruptly become the headquarters of the cruel herdsmen. Before now, no week that came on board we wouldn’t hear that a certain part of the state had been attacked by them.

         

The last time I checked, the herdsmen imbroglio was occurring ubiquitously in the country that it required only a severe and drastic measure towards addressing it. Relocating the office of the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to Benue State might be a step in solving the menace but can never be the complete remedy to it. First, the Federal Government (FG) must be very sincere about how it goes about this. If the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) could be proscribed by the government, I wonder why this set of militias operating in disguise as herdsmen should be spared.

        

It is also appalling that till date, the Presidency is yet to address the Nigerian state concerning a situation that has eaten deep into our bone marrow. It’s worth noting that the continuous silence of Mr. President signals a great danger to the teeming Nigerians that are looking up to his person.

      

However, it’s noteworthy that it isn’t all the herdsmen that are brutal. The vandals are some of them who unnecessarily intend to unleash terror on their host communities, probably owing to one or two frivolous reasons. To this end, the bad eggs must be fished out via the effort of the leadership of the herdsmen’s coalition, and thereafter brought to book. The relevant law enforcement agents ought to take this step very seriously. Nigerians aren’t just yearning for mere arrest but to adequately prosecute these suspected terrors in our midst.

         

I’m strongly of the view that the best way to holistically solve any existing anomaly is to duly ascertain its fundamental cause(s), and this very one isn’t exceptional. Hence, I enjoin the apt authorities such as the Police, in collaboration with other relevant agencies, to embark on a rigorous finding with a view to ensuring that they ascertain the prime origin of the ongoing state of unrest. In addition, governments at all levels should variously set up committees to look into this aspect.

       

Town hall meetings equally ought to be randomly scheduled to sensitize the general public on their civic responsibilities in this regard as well as to give the affected host communities a sense of belonging. We must note that we can’t completely unravel this state of quagmire without employing Community Policing, which would be thoroughly effective and efficient only if the entire dwellers are carried along. We mustn’t take any action without involving the potential victims of the mayhem.

       

There’s also need for us, especially the security agents, to headlong stop inserting ‘Fulani’ whenever we intend to speak or write on anything pertaining to the herdsmen; we must take into cognizance that anyone could be a herdsman regardless of his/her place of origin. Besides, anyone who intends to hurt you might come in disguise as anything; needless to reiterate that someone or a group that had been longing to terrorize you, may decide to hide under the guise of herdsmen. Thus, we must be thoroughly guided on how we go about the so called Fulani herdsmen.

       

Among all, henceforth Cattle owners need to be mandated to own ranches within their respective jurisdictions, so that, their herdsmen would desist from defacing the outlook of our various major roads cum farms as it is invariably found whenever they migrate with their cattle. In other words, grazing or colony cannot remedy the plight.

        

I can’t round off this critique without reminding the various governments on the need to embark on a massive compensation programme that would touch the lives of all the families affected from the onset across the federation. Let’s make hay while the Sun shines now it (hay) is still available in the various bushes. Think about it!

 

Comrade FDN Nwaozor

Executive Director, Docfred Resource Hub - Owerri

__________________________________

frednwaozor@gmail.com

Twitter: @mediambassador