Again, Ikenga Ugochinyere Stumbles On Wild Goose Chase

BEN AHANONU

Recently, the House of Representatives resolved to investigate alleged abandonment of Orlu-Mgbe-Akokwa Road in Ideato North-South Federal Constituency of Imo State, by the state government and some oil companies despite former President Muhammadu Buhari’s approval of Tax Incentive Credit for the project.

Recall that in October, 2017, former President Buhari approved the Road Infrastructure Tax Credit (RITC) Scheme, which was designed to attract private sector involvement in the provision of road infrastructure across the length and breadth of Nigeria.

Among the many roads that were contemplated within the scheme for repair and reconstruction is the 22-kilometre -Orlu-Mgbe-Akokwa Federal Road.

The resolution of the lawmakers was a sequel to the adoption of a petition from the Forum of Elders of Ideato Communities laid at the House plenary by the lawmaker representing the constituency, Hon. Ikenga Ugochinyere.

Laying the petition dated March 14, 2024 and signed by the forum’s chairman, one Elder Ejike Okwara, and secretary, Elder Mbaoma Uche, the forum noted that under the tax credit scheme, the Imo State government and the oil companies entered into a partnership for the repair and rehabilitation of the road.

The petitioners, however, lamented that a year after the construction of the road was flagged off, there was little or no work done on it and the people of the constituency were suffering a total cut-off from other parts of the State and country, as a result of the poor state of the road.

Let me state categorically that Hon. Ikenga “Ikeagwuonu” Ugochinyere is obviously disoriented and in utter misrepresentation of the great Ideato Nation at the Federal House of Representatives with his penchant for political grandstanding, uncanny love for making a mountain out of a molehill by raising a dust where there is none through his dubious claims and reprehensible false alarms that are always of no consequence.

I had thought that with the end of electioneering, Hon. Ikenga Ugochinyere should have focused on “bringing the federal government of Nigeria” to Ideato Nation, given his vociferousness and misleading display of wheeler-dealer bravado. Unfortunately, so far, Ikenga Ugochinyere has not been able to attract any project from the Federal Government to Ideato Nation despite all his intense pretensions and puritanical posturing that are suspect.

The energy he has dissipated in trying to discredit the Shared Prosperity Administration of Distinguished Senator Hope Uzodimma should have been utilized to initiate and effect the passage of landmark legislations that will favour Ideato Nation instead, everything proves to be a mirage.

Curiously, Ikenga Ugochinyere failed to understand the difference between ongoing and abandoned project in a sickening demonstration of mediocrity.

Distinguished Senator Hope Uzodimma does not abandon projects because he is an embodiment of probity and keenly focused on achieving greatness for Imo State, hence he cannot start what he will not finish – never!

Governor Uzodimma is a good leader that loves Imo people. In locating projects, he does not neglect areas where people did not vote for him like the Anambra State Governor, our cerebral brother, Professor Charles Soludo, who recently disclosed that he refused fixing bad roads because they were in the constituency of an opposition politician – just imagine!

Professor Soludo, while inaugurating a 12 -kilometer-road in the Okpoko area of the State, explained that the road was done because the politician joined his party, All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) but Governor Uzodimma is not like that. He is a radical departure from such vindictive approach to governance otherwise he would have refused to reconstruct the road in question because Ugochinyere “Ikeagwuonu” is not a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and heavens will not fall.

Many factors including logistics, contractual, financial, technical, and political issues come into play in road construction and one had expected Ugochinyere “Ikeagwuonu” and the misguided Ideato Elders to know that if the construction work on the road in question slowed not stopped, it could be as a result of the intrusion of any of those factors and which will always be addressed.

The so-called Ideato Elders also failed to realize that Governor Uzodimma, who is happily married to Barrister Chioma Uzodimma is their famous son-in-law and that what he cannot do for Ideato Nation because of the love he has for his wife, does not exist.

In fact, if need be, Uzodimma can relocate Imo Government House to Ideato Nation just to please Ugochinyere “Ikeagwuonu” and his group of inconsequential elders.

If Ugochinyere “Ikeagwuonu” and his co-travellers did not premeditatedly resolve to denigrate the Shared Prosperity Administration for reasons best known to them, they would have stopped at nothing to explore all channels of communication to reach the Governor so as to present their grievances to him even if unfounded.

Indeed, if Ikenga Ugochinyere has genuine intentions why did he not liaise with the Southeast caucus in the national assembly including a ranking member of the Senate from Orlu Zone in the person of Distinguished Senator Osita Izunaso, to reach out to Governor Uzodimma on the matter assuming he, Governor Uzodimma is unreachable?

Interestingly, Governor Uzodimma as a true public servant is very accessible and will definitely grant them an audience but Ugochinyere had other heinous plots and devilish motives.

Let me emphasize that Gov. Uzodimma has a contract with God Almighty and Imo masses, hence his policies, acts and deeds are guided by the contract.

One thing certain is that as a Governor, Uzodimma refuses to play to the gallery and he is not frightened by cheap political showmanship and cannot be railroaded into pleasing the egotistic Ugochinyere “Ikeagwuonu” or the so-called Ideato Elders, who lack a clear sense of direction as elders otherwise they would not have allowed the loquacious Ugochinyere to mislead them and control their handicapped reasoning.

Uzodimma for goodness’ sake is the Governor of Imo State and working assiduously to make Imo, a flourishing and economically prosperous State with modern infrastructure including good road network and flyovers (like the one currently under construction at the Control Post, Owerri) that will stand the test of time unlike what was done by previous administrations.

Pursuant to his clear vision for Imo as encapsulated in the 3Rs of Recovery, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction, Distinguished Senator Hope Uzodimma, saw the need for the reconstruction of the road in question, which was abandoned to deteriorate for so long by previous administrations and as it stands now, reconstruction work is ongoing on the road.

If the federal legislators should allow themselves to be so easily hoodwinked by notoriously vociferous Ikenga Ugochinyere “Ikeagwuonu,” it means they are not busy and this underscores the demand by Nigerians that legislative work should be a part-time thing.

The honourable members of the Federal House of Representatives are free to conduct the probe – as it is a democracy and they will be quick to declare that it is part of their oversight functions and nobody is disputing that but when it becomes a calculated attempt to pursue a frivolous claim, it goes against the grain.

I therefore, admonish them to be wary of the manipulative tendencies of devious Ugochinyere “Ikeagwuonu,” who so far has made more false claims than real.

Let God Almighty continue to bless Imo State.