WITH what is happening in the South-East Nigeria, especially with the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Newsden visited Imo State and spoke with Chief Jerry Ibe. Below is the excerpt from the interview. Happy reading:
May we know you?
I am Chief Jimmy Ibe, I am the Ochiagha of Ahiazu, Mbaise Local Government Area of Imo State. I am also, the Chinaetu-Ugo of my immediate community, Ahiara, where you had the Ahiara Declaration, where you also have the Ahiara-Mbaise Catholic Diocese. I have been in the local government for three times as the Special Adviser to the local government Chairman, recently, I was the Special Adviser, Political to the Rt. Hon. Speaker of the Imo House of Assembly, Dr Chiji Collins who the governor had dinner with and the following morning, moved for his removal as Speaker. (Laughs). With that, I refused all overtures to be part of this ill government of Imo. Ill government because the government on ground now is not for the people and it has no plans for the people. It is a government that was imposed on the people through the Supreme Court after eight months of an elected government was in the office. The governor who was removed by the Supreme Court, Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, within the eight months he was in office as Governor, set a pace as he was focused, he knew where to take Imo to. Imo people where happy that Ihedioha had rescued them from 8 wasteful years of Rochas Okorocha. By the grace of God, Imo people got power, true the ballot box by voting massively for Emeka Ihedioha. Ihedioha, was working in all the 27 local government areas of Imo State and the people were happy. You can imagine a Governor from Owerri zone, from Mbaise extraction that has never produced the governor executing projects simultaneously in all the local government areas. Owerri zone with the largest population in Imo, boasts of personalities both in the industries and intellectually, but immediately Emeka Ihedioha came into power, the first multi-billion naira project he awarded was that of Ideato where former Governor Okorocha came from; that is, the collapsed bridge that links Imo to Anambra from that axis. As a true democrat who did not discriminate, Ihedioha was awarding contracts to control erosion without concentrating on his own zone. He believes in “onye ndi ebea, onye ndi eba” that is giving proportionately to all zones without discrimination. Imo people were happy, even those in the Diaspora were happy. This is because, Ihedioha as someone who did well in the National Assembly, he is experienced and not myopic in his reasoning. No one could fault him in governance. But, overnight, Nigerians woke up to hear that the Supreme Court had chosen somebody who came 4th, someone who did not even contest in the elections won and had to be sworn-in immediately. Can you imagine such scenario? But, it happened in Imo.
Is that why there is problem, security challenges in Imo State?
I cannot say categorically, but, it should be one of the reasons. The gods of the land are not happy, human beings are not happy. In short, the world is not happy with the removal of a democratically elected governor but I cannot attribute it to what is happening now. As an individual, we can trace the situation to the disagreement between Rochas Okorocha and his brother, Hope Uzodinma. They know what they are fighting for, what they are trying to do with Imo with their godfathers among the Fulanis. I wanted to say the Federal Government, but, it is not. How can few people conspire to upturn the goodwill of the people and impose someone on us to rule Imo? You can see, within these short period, Uzodinma has destroyed Imo. He destroyed all that Okorocha did. Yes, Okorocha is not a Saint, but, there are things that he did that were beneficial to the people but, Uzodinma destroyed everything without providing solutions. Why should he destroy in the first place? Can’t he continue from where the other person stopped? The best things that Ihedioha did within eight months have also been destroyed. He destroyed all the roundabouts in Imo, there are no roads in Owerri, people are disorganised, the rains have come and he has not worked on the roads.
What is the way forward?
The way forward? It will take Imo somebody like Emeka Ihedioha to rebuild what has been destroyed and reposition the state for the future. Uzodinma was not prepared for governance and when you get funds and keep it for yourself and family, the state will not move forward. No project can be done without funds.
So, in a nutshell, you are not seeing Hope Uzodinma succeeding as Governor?
Succeeding in Imo? No. He is already a failure. There is no magic. When the enmity has gotten to the extent of attacking his home in the village, attacking Government House, releasing prisoners, my brother, that will be much.
But, he still has more than six years to make corrections if he is to seek for second term?
Second tenure? Unless that will be in another state or the moon. Imo people are law abiding. Owerri zone has respectable and God-fearing people. By His grace, if we are to go for another elections now, if Emeka Ihedioha is contesting, he will get a clear victory. Which second term are you talking about for Uzodinma? Has he succeeded in his first term?
As a grassroots politician, looking at what is going on in Imo and the entire South-East, do you think you can contest for the position of Nigeria’s President?
No.
Even when it is zoned to the South-East?
Who zoned what? What party? No party can tell you that. All these promises are gimmicks that the ruling class uses to destabilise us. I am a strong PDP man. I have not seen any aspirant for the President and if the real men are to come out for such, they will not be allowed. Where is the money to sponsor the intellectuals? And again, you cannot go into marriage with these people in the North who have made money from our people to sponsor the election. They did not sponsor you and they are intimidating you, deciding what you should do, talk less of when they install you as President.
You are not painting a good picture of the South-East producing the President.?
From what is going on now with the IPOB, there is no guarantee about the coming elections talk less about Ibo son or daughter contesting for the presidential slot. Unless you will be in the North talking about it. We need to tell ourselves the truth. From the way these boys are going, no human being born of a woman from the South-East will contest to be the President of Nigeria. The situation, the whole place is tensed up.
But, is Biafra realisable as a country?
For now, looking at individuals, no. Today we are in Nigeria. Disintegration is not realisable for now. We don’t want war any more. I was a young man during the Nigeria/Biafra Civil War; I saw what transpired; we lost and up till now, we have not recovered. So, anybody talking about disintegration now cannot work. What is the barometer to pull out? Is it possible to say, we are no longer together?
So, what is the future you envisage for Nigeria?
The future, we have to come together and tell ourselves the truth. But those people in Abuja does not want it. The same people who are holding us to ransom, those who are holding our money. We ought to learn from what happened with EndSARS. Nigeria is sitting on a time bomb, waiting to explode. On the way forward, no ethnic group should Lord itself over other ethnic groups. Those people representing us in Abuja should look back and remember that they will come home no matter the property they have in Abuja and outside the country, we should look inwards and do the right things.
