President Muhammadu Buhari’s Sept 9 Imo visit has ended but the ripples are still reverberating all over the state and beyond. It seems that the controversy surrounding the visit will take a long while to wind down drawing from the bickering between the media handlers of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) government and the main opposition party, the People’s Democratic Party, (PDP).
Shortly before PMB’s visit the media handlers of Gov. Hope Uzodimma had in what political observers tagged as diversionary tactics began a deluge of attack on the person of Gov, Emeka Ihedioha. The onslaught was led by a former media aide of Ihedioha who now found favour with Uzodimma and ported.
It was stated that they had thought the opposition PDP would begin to expose the numerous sins of Uzodimma in the state and so they launched a diversionary attack on the former governor just to distract. The visit of the president eventually turned into some mess, controversies and huge embarrassment to the government thereby robbing it of the shine and the point it wanted to score against political opponents.
On arrival Buhari declared that he came because Uzodimma who he struggled to pronounce his name at a point during one of his speeches is a man of integrity. This statement no doubt had rattled many especially those who knows the background of the governor. It was shocking, even more disturbing that such a description came from Buhari who is described as ‘Integrity’ personified.
Many had wondered if the president was thoughtful in making such pronouncement given the public service life of the governor or if he was influenced to make such comment to shore up what many had described as sagged or collapsed integrity of the governor which is adjudged as the reason he cannot win the confidence of Imo people.
But PMB is so outspoken and independent minded that it is difficult to believe that anyone could convince him to say what he never meant. He shoots straight without minding whose ox is gored. Ori Martins at the height of the struggle by Uzodimma’s media aides to change the meaning of what the president meant as he signed off his speech, noted that if Buhari could in far away America tell the world that his wife belongs to the other room who then can he not speak to or about as it is.
PMB may have indirectly reversed himself on the integrity issue when he in his closing speech he thanked Uzodimma for hosting him but regretted that “I will be careful with your future invitations’’. This singular statement had set media handlers and sympathizers of Uzodimma on an uphill task struggling to cancel what it meant.
While some declared that it was fake and the handiwork of Okorocha, an ex-governor, others twisted its meaning as they like denying that the president did not say it. Some claimed the president stated that he would be more ‘cheerful’ instead of careful. Femi Adeshina, the presidential spokesperson submitted that the president was delighted with the visit and meant no harm but only pulled a joke.
Bishop Udo Azogu, a cleric and friend of the president as well as the President Oil Minerals Producing Areas Landlords Association of Nigeria (OMPALAN), however thinks differently. In his words, ‘’don’t mind them. Femi Adeshina is just trying to cover up things. What Buhari said everybody heard it. We know the context. He came with the mind of commissioning projects-bridges, he didn’t see any but all these high sounding names, and then when he went to commission about 2 or 3Km of roads, you can imagine, he didn’t see the inhabitants of the communities.
They didn’t come out. He is an intelligence officer; he knows he was a failure. I am an APC stalwart.’’
But the million dollar question still agitating the minds of people is where did Buhari find the integrity he credited Uzodimma with? Those who know the Imo governor closely avers that the governor simply dressed him in borrowed robes. I wonder where the president is coming from or could he be talking with his tongue in his cheek, queried an Orlu politician who does not want his name in print.
Saddened by the description, he went on, “could the president be referring to another Uzodimma. The Uzodimma we know served as driver to a 419 king pin, Okwelle Holdings. His credentials were at a time subject of dispute that was challenged in a court including his school certificate. He got a travel ban to foreign countries and there is no way that would not have limited the chances of exploring business opportunities for the state with foreign investors. Why would a man of integrity be banned from travelling overseas I ask Mr. President.’’
According to Thomas Onwe, a professional architect, “since assumption of office Uzodimma had tried to impress Imo people with some of his actions bearing in mind that he came in through the wrong process. His public rating is very low and it is difficult to convince many people about his sincerity because many know where he is coming from. No matter how you manipulate issues you cannot pull wool over the people’s eyes and think that they can’t remember your past.’’
Continuing, he warned aspiring politicians who want to hoodwink the public with their ill gotten wealth and power to be wary of how they build their lives because according to him there is always a time of reckoning always. Said he, “character is everything. You cannot continue to cheat the people all your life and think that you are smarter than everyone, believing that everyone has a price. This is the pitiable character of politicians. If anyone should fault my comment the government should allow an independent group to conduct a survey on its integrity and popularity ’’
Uzodimma is like a cat with nine lives. Before Uzodimma became the governor he had a running battle with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over a contract scandal that was not performed amounting to over 12bn naira for the building of Calabar wharf. He was also facing another charge of issuing a dud cheque of N200m for which the EFCC also hunted for him.
These cases hunted him as he ran for the governorship election but he successfully escaped conviction. On assumption of office, the anti-graft agency concluded that they cannot go further because their hands were tied by the immunity clause shielding governors from prosecution. When and if this matter will be resurrected is a matter of time.
Again Ori Martins in a social media commentary drew attention to some of the questionable conducts of the governor which is a strong departure from what is expected of a man of integrity. It further queries the credibility of Buhari’s statement leaving one to wonder what integrity means to him. We draw extensively from Ori’s writing as captured below.
“Number one: Governor Uzodimma told Imolites that he was/is saving a mouthwatering sum of N2b monthly from the excesses of salary and pension vaults. Multiply two billion naira by 17 months and see the huge amount of money that comes out of it. And now, where is the money? Of course, Uzodimma made that claim to curry favour, but his rickety media men (and women), rather than ignoring it, took it to Mount Kilimanjaro and danced dangerously with it. In the process, they brought bad image to the governor and the government.
“Number two: Uzodimma started on very terrible note when he labeled Imo civil servants and pensioner’s ghost workers. He decided to pay only about 47 per cent of the workforce and pensioners. To attract attention to their deplorable and pathetic condition, the workers and pensioners embarked on protests.
Here, the misguided Uzodimma media aides, almost like shelling machine in the Nigeria, Biafra civil war, jumped to all the media organizations in the state – both electronic and press – to hammer home the Olympic lie of the decade to wit: “those protesting are ghost workers and pensioners”. Sadly, the so-called ghost workers and pensioners have children, grand – children,family members, friends and associates who know that the ghost tag is not real.
“Number three: Julius Berger Group is a repeatable construction giant. One evening, Uzodimma sensationally announced that the Germany owned firm had been contracted to reconstruct Owerri – Orlu Road as well as the Owerri – Okigwe Road. It was highly applauded even as most people received the news with a dignified reservation. As it turned out, Julius Berger never turned up in either of the two roads. Next, the weary media aides went to time and proclaimed most shamefully that ” let Julius Berger go, the firm coming is better than it. After all, in Germany, no person knows Julius Berger”. Can you beat that?
“Number four: Governor Uzodimma kicked off billions of naira rabbit empowerment scheme for Imo farmers. It was made a media show by the ragtag media team. It was an avoidable dramatization of a show of shame. Where are the rabbit farms and farmers in the state?
“Number five: Ben Johnson was a renowned sprint star. However, he tested positive to banned steroids and all his golden medals and honours withdrawn. He ended up an usurper and a cheat. But Uzodimma, explaining how he got the APC 2019 governorship ticket, told the world he got it in Ben Johnson way! What a dramatic irony? What a tragedy? What a shame? Regrettably, the government house Sahenderin masquerading as media aides endlessly sought to defend that nauseating disposition.
Again Bishop Azogu, rates Buhari as an honest man. An extract from his comment in an interview with News Echo newspaper he had this to say: “The truth is that many elites do not accept Buhari. This is because before a few generals were determining the fate of this country, deciding who will be in Aso Rock. They decided Buhari’s case but when he assumed power he rejected them and that is the genesis of his problems. There is wide spread corruption in the country but Buhari is not corrupt. As a man of God we are monitoring him. He is not corrupt as a person. We agree a lot of people around him are corrupt.’’
If this is the case as it is still the assumption of many people how did Buhari arrive at his conclusion that Uzodimma is a man of integrity if the above comments are anything to go by. Buhari rode to power on the assumption of a high level of incorruptibility and integrity.
And we ask again drawing from the above highlighted issues and others not chronicled here does Uzodimma pass the integrity test or has Buhari redefined the meaning of integrity.
“Number one: Governor Uzodimma told Imolites that he was/is saving a mouthwatering sum of N2b monthly from the excesses of salary and pension vaults. Multiply two billion naira by 17 months and see the huge amount of money that comes out of it. And now, where is the money? Of course, Uzodimma made that claim to curry favour, but his rickety media men (and women), rather than ignoring it, took it to Mount Kilimanjaro and danced dangerously with it. In the process, they brought bad image to the governor and the government. “Number two: Uzodimma started on very terrible note when he labeled Imo civil servants and pensioner’s ghost workers.
He decided to pay only about 47 per cent of the workforce and pensioners. To attract attention to their deplorable and pathetic condition, the workers and pensioners embarked on protests. Here, the misguided Uzodimma media aides, almost like shelling machine in the Nigeria, Biafra civil war, jumped to all the media organizations in the state – both electronic and press – to hammer home the Olympic lie of the decade to wit: “those protesting are ghost workers and pensioners”. Sadly, the so-called ghost workers and pensioners have children, grand – children,family members, friends and associates who know that the ghost tag is not real.
“But the million dollar question still agitating the minds of people is where did Buhari find the integrity he credited Uzodimma with? Those who know the Imo governor closely avers that the governor simply dressed him in borrowed robes. I wonder where the president is coming from or could he be talking with his tongue in his cheek, queried an Orlu politician who does not want his name in print.
Saddened by the description, he went on, “could the president be referring to another Uzodimma. The Uzodimma we know served as driver to a 419 king pin, Okwelle Holdings. His credentials were at a time subject of dispute that was challenged in a court including his school certificate. He got a travel ban to foreign countries and there is no way that would not have limited the chances of exploring business opportunities for the state with foreign investors. Why would a man of integrity be banned from travelling overseas I ask Mr. President.’’