The last time I checked, Imolites could
apparently be described as ‘enemies’ of Imo, the Eastern Heartland. They were
seen as those who do not wish the state well.
The above assertion was informed by the
outcome of what transpired two weeks ago, precisely on Friday, 8th
June 2018. It’s not anymore news that at the night of the aforementioned date,
a natural disaster befell the state owing to the unusual wind that blew
therein.
As a result of that natural phenomenon,
several completed buildings – including private and public owned ones – were
severely ravaged. In particular, the roofing segment of the affected structures
was outrightly detached from the block segment, thereby throwing the various
roofing materials to the floor.
In some quarters, the main erected
structures were equally damaged alongside the roof. But it was deeply painful
that most government owned buildings were among those that were seriously
affected. Or would I say; most of the structures affected belong to the state
government.
Ironically, rather than being in sober mood as
was rationally expected, thousands of Imolites were seen in their numbers
jubilating as well as popping Champagne over the ordeal that visited the state.
In some areas, I overheard from the misled citizens that the Governor, Rochas
Okorocha had gotten what he deserved.
When
I caught the sight of the uncalled celebration, I could not help but continued
to wonder how exactly we got to this point. I had since then been making
frantic effort to fathom what actually led to this scenario. The thoughtful
mood I found myself resulted in insomnia, which till now is yet to depart from
my system.
Doesn’t it sound ridiculous and crazy
that a certain state was faced with crisis and instead of being touched by the
ugly and unspeakable incident, the citizens were spotted throwing party over
the occurrence? Isn’t it untold that my fellow citizens were gloating over a
bad omen that arrived at the Eastern Heartland?
It’s even more saddening when realized that
the jubilation was to witch-hunt the sitting governor, or to hurt his feelings.
I wonder why they could think that the incident in question affected only the
governor, forgetting that government is a continuum. I wonder why it didn’t
occur to them that if the next governor of the state inherits bad properties,
its consequence would be to the detriment of the state’s resources. Rescue
Mission will surely go someday and another one will come.
It
was really disheartening that the gloat over the ill was occasioned by the
hatred some of the citizens bear for the sitting governor. State owned
structures were damaged and we were acting as if the ravaged properties are
Okorocha’s. We acted as if the buildings in question belong to the Okorocha
dynasty. For crying out loud, we were on the contrary supposed to be deeply sad
concerning the anomaly considering that it was an injury to all, and not to one
as wrongly perceived.
Those
structures were erected with the aid of the tax payers’ money, hence the need
to see them as our collective belongings rather than personal possessions. We
must note that the funds that could have been channeled into other meaningful
projects would be used in repairing the damaged structures.
Come to think of it; even if the
affected properties belong to Governor Okorocha, did the incident call for
celebration in any way? Even if we are enemies to the number one citizen, were
we meant to give thanksgiving over his downfall? We really need to be guided
over how we parade our pattern of politicking to avoid attracting the wrath of
God.
Those who know me too well can attest
to the fact that I’m not one of Okorocha’s fans and had never been, neither am I
in any of his camps, but the gospel truth is that we seriously need to be
rational and logical while reacting to events.
It’s totally preposterous and evil to
rejoice over the downfall of anyone irrespective of our relationship with
him/her let alone the sitting governor of our dearly beloved state. It’s indeed
high time we stopped mixing politics with governance just to achieve our cheap
political goals.
Another controversy trailing the
incident was that inferior building materials were used during the construction
of those affected structures. As a tech expert, I’m not unaware that wind
effect is meant to be considered before designing any proposed building, hence
the need for the government not to see such a criticism as ill-advised or destructive
but constructive. In view of this, I implore the government to comprehend that
public buildings are in question, thus their construction ought not to be
equated with those meant for private usage.
The funny part of the criticism was that so
many other private owned structures were ravaged in the process but it was
reported as if only government properties were affected by the wind. That was a
very wrong and unbalanced analysis. However, the bone of contention is that
people presently no longer pay attention to the kind of materials to be
purchased in the course of erecting any structure, be it private or public.
It’s not news that contractors carryout any project according to how they are
funded.
In accordance with the appraised facts, I urge
the Rescue Mission to use this opportunity to ensure that every building
erected, or to be built, by the government can stand the test of time as I
enjoin it not to be deterred by the natural disaster. The private owners or
prospective landlords ought to equally follow suit. In the same vein, as we
address the properties that were variously affected, let’s ensure that only the
needed materials are engaged.
So,
as we immensely thank God that the disaster didn’t occur during school or
office hours, I want to let my fellow Imolites realize that it’s time they
desisted from involving themselves in uncalled thoughts or actions. Think about
it!
Fred Doc Nwaozor
National Coordinator,
Right Thinkers Movement
__________________________________
frednwaozor@gmail.com
Twitter: @mediambassador
