Imo State: Contextualizing The Politically-motivated Issue Of Insecurity

The Lloyd’s Register Foundation Safety Perceptions Index (SPI), produced by the Institute for Economics and Peace, ranked Nigeria 75th out of 141 countries surveyed on the 2022 global safety perception index amid worsening insecurity,  which continues to claim lives daily.

According to the report: “Sub-Saharan Africa had the highest overall score on the index; half of the 34 countries in the region that were included in the index were ranked amongst the 20 countries with the highest impact of risk,”  thus buttressing the fact that a community can only be secure if adjacent communities are too.”

Cases of kidnapping, terrorism, communal and ethnic clashes, police violence and criminal activities among many other problems have become rampant in not only Nigeria but also in entire Sub-Saharan Africa.

I decided to first situate and contextualize the national and global scope of insecurity before narrowing it down to Imo State.

With the commencement of electioneering for the November 11, 2023 gubernatorial election in Imo State, candidates of the opposition parties especially the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and their agents including the so-called Ohaneze Youth Council, have been making much noise about the issue of insecurity, which is not peculiar to Imo State and not as bad and terrible as they are painting it even as the Governor, Distinguished Senator Hope Uzodimma, in his capacity as the Chief Security Officer of the State, works round the clock to ensure that Imo people are safe and secure.

Of course, talk is cheap and I know their basic intent is to capitalize on the issue of insecurity hoping that it will sway voters to them but they are so wrong. One thing that is incontrovertible is that all over the world, there is no perfect and total security anywhere – not even in the United States and Europe. Instead, what is obtainable is ‘relative security’ and it is because insecurity as an issue is hydra – headed and mutates like Corona Virus with lapses all over thus necessitating the need for security agencies and personnel.

It is true that Insecurity is not peculiar to Imo State – nay the southeast and Nigeria,  nonetheless, it has been the wish and plot of the floundering candidates of the opposition parties in Imo State – who are natural bad losers and obsessed with falsehood, to overhype the issue of insecurity so that the federal government will declare state of emergency in Imo – but that will never happen because Nigerians including the impartial clergy know the truth and which is that the so-called insecurity in Imo State is politically – motivated

For example, The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Imo State Chapter, recently called on the political class to stop instigating crisis and fanning embers of war, particularly in Imo State, while keeping their own family members outside the country.

Speaking through Rev. Eches Divine Eches (Ph.D), CAN not only condemned in strong terms the attack on Governor Hope Uzodimma’s Country home at Omuma, but also the killing of innocent security personnel, (who are in the state to discharge their constitutional duties) and prominent members of the All Progressives Congress,

Rev. Eches also condemned the illegal breaking of the Owerri Correctional Centre to set hardened and condemned prisoners free, the burning of vehicles at the Police Headquarters in Owerri and the invasion of Okigwe South Area Command of the Nigeria Police Force that left five policemen dead among others. He called for a stop to the carnage and destruction of lives and property in Imo State.

The CAN Chairman said:  While the Church is not taking side, the leadership will not fail to call on all the gladiators to sheathe their sword and give peace a chance” – I pray they will  hear.

Rev. Eches said: “There is need for caution because like the saying goes, the danger of creating a monster is that one day it will turn against its master.

In fact, what the loquacious and clueless opposition candidates are engaging in is just fear-mongering, alongside spiteful hate – with the blessed and level-headed Gov Uzodimma as their theme – quite awful.

So far, their campaign lacks substance, they have yet to tell the good Imo electorate how they will outperform the workaholic Uzodimma, whom God has appointed, destined and anointed to lead Imo people this time.

The opposition including the People’s Democratic Party, the PDP,  the defeated and divided Labour Party that worked against the good man called Peter Obi, the Action Alliance, AA,  without any good action, the All Progressives Grand Alliance APGA, that embarrassed late Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu – Eze Igbo gburugburu, and other inconsequential fringe parties with unknown candidates, have no other manifesto except Uzodimma and insecurity. They are busy attacking the People’s Governor and the Lord’s anointed, who is on a mission to Recover (Imo that was literally abandoned in limbo of uncertainty), Rehabilitate and Reconstruct the State – which he has been doing earnestly to the chagrin of the opposition masqueraders.

Imo people should never allow themselves to be deceived by the placeholders and wishful opposition candidates, who have the penchant for telling lies.

Yes, there may be isolated incidents of security breaches in Imo State just like in other states but that cannot be the yardstick to classify Imo as a war zone.

They say that Imo is Afghanistan but the entire doctors in Nigeria recently converged on Imo State for their annual meeting and before then, the Nigerian Guild of Editors and entire officers of the Nigeria Police Force had held their meetings in Owerri peacefully. The churches are also not left out. For instance, the Dunamis Church headed by Dr Paul Eneche regularly convenes mega crusade in Owerri and which passes off peacefully yet there is war in Owerri according to the PDP and co – who is fooling who?

For once, these so-called “saints” never condemned the killings in Imo State rather they were hailing the criminals and now they want to make a political point with the criminality they supported by not condemning it ab initio.

Now that insecurity has been contextualized  and established as relative all over the world including Imo, Anambra, Enugu, Abia, Ebonyi and entire Nigeria, Imo people should please disregard the “agendaless opposition candidates” – who are only seeking the recognition of Governor Uzodimma  – true. They are not serious and should never be trusted. Only Governor Uzodimma is trustworthy and honest. He has been tested and found worthy.

Governor Uzodimma is the only Governor in Nigeria that cancelled the so-called “security vote,” (used by others to enrich themselves) and preferred to plough all the money into the development of Imo State – now you can understand why some misguided fellows are accusing him of stinginess – just because he is not wasteful and engaging in squandermania like others. I think they forgot that Distinguished Senator Hope Uzodimma promised Imo people that it is not going to be business as usual – ask the payroll thieves.

Indeed, Governor Hope Uzodimma means well, has performed creditably in his first term and truly deserves a second term. Let us vote for him massively. He will never disappoint.

God bless Imo State.