Never in the history of Imo state since her creation on February 3, 1976 have the indigenes be subjected to the kind of traumatic experience they are currently going through, no thanks to the spate of insecurity which has enveloped the once most peaceful state East of the Niger.
In her 45 years of existence, Imo state has not been this volatile with none state actors running amok and the attempts by the government to confront them using force have resulted in inflicting more injuries on the innocent indigenes, leaving in its wake blood, tears and sorrow.
Imo towns, communities, villages and clans have suddenly become theatres of war in the past months. The three senatorial zones of the state namely Okigwe, Owerri and
and Orlu have not been spared of bloodletting as innocent people are caught in the cross-fire.
This is even as no day passes without the sad news of kidnappings, killing and burning of public or privately owned properties with the attack on the Owerri Correctional Center and setting free all the inmates by the popular “Unknown Gunmen” (aka Un-gun Known Men) earlier this year the most brazen operation.
Curiously, the Owerri Correctional Center which was attacked by the hoodlums who operated for hours without any challenge is located close to both Imo State Police Command and Government House, Owerri yet till date Nigerians have not been told who were the people that carried out the deadly attack.
After that incident, many more deadly attacks have been visited on the people of Imo state by the “Unknown Gunmen” across the 27 Local Government Areas with the traditional rulers being the latest targets as some of them have either been abducted or killed and their bodies dismembered or roasted by the cannibals.
All these are happening in the 21st Century Imo state which prides herself as the nation’s most literate state and which has produced many illustrious sons and daughters who have made their marks in all spheres of lives including Politics, Education, Entertainment, Business and Economy among others.
However, Imo state which ranks amongst the top oil-rich states in the country with
over 163 oil wells at over 12 different locations in the state has not been able to plough back the huge revenue accruing to the state for the development of the state.
To be clear, both International Oil Companies (IOC) and local outfits are doing business in Imo state with the main petroleum companies operating in the state being Addax Petroleum, Chevron Corporation, Royal Dutch Shell and Agip. Some of the established oil-rich LGAs include Ohaji/Egbema, Oguta, Oru East, Iho, Oru West, Obowo and Ngor Okpala respectively.
Also, Imo state as a member of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) receives oil revenue given to oil-producing states and gets monthly Federal Allocations too.
Yet, successive governments after the Golden Era of Chief Samuel Onunaka Mbakwe from October 1, 1979 to December 31, 1983, have done something tangible to develop the state as most of the existing key infrastructure in Imo state presently were put in place by the Nigerian People’s Party (NPP) government of Mbakwe from Okigwe zone.
They include Sam Mbakwe International Airport, Owerri; Concorde Hotel Limited, Owerri; Adapalm Limited, Ohaji; Avutu Poultry Limited, Obowo; Inyishi Aluminium Manufacturing Co. Limited, Ikeduru; Independent Power Plant (PDS) Limited, Amaraku and Modern Shoe/Leather Factory, Owerri and Modern Ceramics Factory, Okigwe among others.
Specifically, since the 4th Republic, from May 29, 1999 to the present, Imo state has seen the worse type of democratic governance with no visible sign of dividends of democracy which Imo indigenes can point to 22 years down the road.
Sadly, in these 22 years, Imo state has been governed by politicians from Orlu zone for 18 long years and still counting as the incumbent Governor Hope Uzodinma is also from Orlu zone which controls the highest number of LGAs in the state.
Since Nigeria’s latest democratic experimentation, both Chief Achike Udenwa of People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and Senator Ethelbert Rochas Okorocha of All Progressive Congress (APC) from Orlu zone ruled for eight uniterupted years each while Dr. Ikedi Ohakim of the Progressive People’s Alliance (PPA) and later PDP governed for just four years in between.
With its numerical strength, Orlu zone has been able to marginalize both Okigwe and Owerri zones and when it looked like Owerri zone through Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha has been elected in 2019 to take the turn of Owerri zone in the Spirit of Imo Charter of Equity which stipulates rotation of Governorship Position amongst the Three Zones, Uzodinma of APC from Orlu zone like the immediate past Governor was declared the winner of election which brought Ihedioha to power.
But since fate entrusted Imo state unto Orlu’s “care” the state has not been the same again even as two prominent sons Orlu zone from the same party have turned the entire Imo state to theatre of war with the indigenes bearing the brunt of the personality clash.
Last Sunday, the needless supremacy war between ex-Governor Rochas Okorocha and seating Governor Hope Uzodinma, took a different dimension as both are now blaming each other for the novel invasion of a Sacred Place of Worship by hooded persons who have been confirmed to be Police operatives to abduct Chief Uche Nwosu, son-in-law of ex-Governor Okorocha.
That singular act has been described as a desecration of the Holy Sanctuary of the church by The Most Reverend (Dr.) David Onuoha, Archbishop, Anglican Province of Owerri who in a statement he personally issued last Monday in Owerri insists that the Gestapo way a worshipper was bundled from St. Peter’s Anglican Church, Eziama-Obaire in Nkwerre local government area of Imo state on Sunday can only fuel insecurity in the state.
Also the Anglican Bishop of Orlu Diocese, The Rt. Rev. (Dr) Benjamin Okeke has called on the federal government and Imo state governments to probe the incident and bring the persons who desecrated a Holy Sanctuary to book.
The above is the latest in the chains of security challenges in the state which has been beset by violence at various points throughout its history, most notably the anti-cult 1996 Otokoto Riots and the ongoing separatist violence from the Eastern Security Network (ESN) along with other opportunistic nativist gunmen.
The spate of insecurity in the state has resulted to the crumbling of businesses, both small and medium while government and private offices now open two or three times in a week in Imo state as Monday and Friday are being observed as Seat at Home ordered by the Indigenous Peoples of Biafran (IPOB) throughout the South East states.
Despite unrest, with its fast growing population and industrialization, Imo state has the joint-sixth highest Human Development Index in the country but there are indications that no progress in this regard will be achieved unless the Political Question is addressed and Imo Charter of Equity is restored in the sharing political power of the state.
Until then, neighbouring states especially Rivers, Anambra, Delta and Abia states will be delivering democracy dividends like good roads, good healthcare services, clean water and other infrastructural development to their indigenes while Imo state continues to struggle with security challenges.
Harry Chidozie
Awurumibe is Abuja-based Public Affairs Analyst
