“Ife ejesogo m aru”, ‘ife ejesogo ndi Imo aru’ ( stressing, mine), my Anambra friend would always say when he wants to be silly after being aroused when his eyes are set on a beautiful damsel.’ Ife ejesogo m aru’ he would say, it means in Igbo language that ‘things has really gone round me’, literarily speaking, ‘things has really gone round Imolites.
The city of Owerri, the capital of Imo state, woke up on a Tuesday morning to witness what could be called the mother of all protests in town, mother of all protests for me, in the sense that it hasn’t happen like that for some while now, where protesters wore black on black to march the streets of Owerri in sorrowful procession.
Ndi Imo are now, more or less, swimming in an unalterable and unending state of confusion; they do not know like in the Animal farm, between their past and present realities, which is much better or much worse –hunger,hardship,and disappointment, civil servants and other government establishments owed over 20 months salary arrears.
But as the governor like Squealer never get tired of explaining, PDP must have masterminded the protest, dwindling oil price, his detractors at work again, endlessly, so on and so forth.
Imo is the only state in the country that the opponent of the sitting governor after elections still sponsors protests and labour union’s strike actions.
This is how Snowball (PDP) masterminds the state workers (lesser Animals) to be against the Napolean (Okorocha) government; PDP bought and maintains Okorocha’s allege private jets that makes it impossible for he,Okorocha to be carrying out his primary obligation of paying the state workers. PDP collected the allocation accruing to the 27 LGAs of Imo state to serve as collateral to commercial banks in Owerri where the governor acquired billions of naira as loans to flourish the businesses of my family my family in Owerri which empowers them to buying every choice properties in the state. PDP sold adapalm that makes money for the state. PDP sold Imo Concord hotel. PDP sold all the General hospitals in Imo state. PDP sold ITC and IBC.
My governor should not bother wasting his money again on calling press conference as a Squealer, to explaining to his cynical animals (Imolites) on how the PDP masterminded the Tuesday’s Imo workers’ protest as I have already done justice to it, free of charge, he can keep the money to fuel his allege private aircraft, that’s some ‘change’ in the pocket.
One may be wondering at my rude manner of referring to Imo brethren as the animals in the animal farm; without sounding immodest, I can’t really explain any difference of what is presently happening in my Imo state and what happened in the animal farm, even at worsened note- the animals in animal farm were much better than us as it stands NOW! Ours is now VERY pathetic because the animals in this world class fiction ‘never lost, even for instant, their sense of of honour and privilege in being members of Animal Farm.
They were still the only farm in the whole country –in all England!- owned and operated by Animals. Not one of them, not even the youngest, not even the newcomers who had been brought from farms tens or twenty miles away, ever ceased to marvel at that. And when they heard the gun booming and saw the green flag fluttering at the masthead, their hearts swelled with imperishable pride, and the talk always turned towards the old heroic days, the expulsion of Jones, the writing of the Seven Commandments, the great battles in which the human invaders had been defeated. None of the old dreams had been abandoned. The Republic of the Animals which Major had foretold, when the green fields of England should be untrodden by human feet, was still believed. Some day it was coming: it might not be within the lifetime of any animal now living, but still it was coming.’
To say the least, the Animals even being in the state of deception akin to what is currently pervading Imo state still had some hope and some sense of pride on them; where is the hope of that of Imo state? Imolites? Where is our source of pride, the legacy and dream of our forbearers? Of being the pillar of education in the whole of south east, where our institutions and students were the first five in every national academic competition are now no where to be found, atleast, the animals were the only animals in the whole of England run by Animals.
As it stands in the state as present , ‘ife ejesogo ndi Imo aru’, Okorocha has destroyed all the legacy he met in the state; Ada-palm,Corcord hotel,ITC,IBC,General Hospitals,IMSU,Education,motorable roads to mention a few.
For a period of a long time now, for those of you who may have noticed, since after the last election, I took a break from commenting on issues affecting us like before of which I had received countless notification of worry and inquires, I had even decided to continue for more longer time but my followers and readers wouldn’t allow me be, most especially, Imo workers and those who sang ‘Rochas we know’ few months ago, the disturbance from these sets of people are now almost irritating as if my public commentary was going to play the role of the ‘savouring’.
The cries were too much so I decided to break my silence, just like last Tuesday, while I was minding my business, calls were flowing from all corners especially from former Okorocha’s sycophants informing me about the protest, initially, I felt reluctant but have to report for duty, as I got there, I was really touched as I felt pity for them, very poor fellows. While they wailed, cried and chanted songs of sorrows, my governor my governor was busy at Aso rock, callously climbing on a chair to snap photograph with a whiteman while his subjects are wallowing in hunger and dying miserably.
Imolites are now receiving their dose of punishments in full measure, they truly deserve Rochas Okorocha, all that I wrote in the past has come to pass, but will they ever learn? Wouldn’t they still turn dumb when next we raise alarm? Wouldn’t they still never criticize? Wouldn’t they still never complain no matter what happened?
(Hon). Ambrose Nwaogwugwu is a social critic and the 2014 winner of Imo State Social Media News Reporter of the year. Follow him on Twitter: @Ambrose_247