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I got into the ship, destination Bonny, a big ship. Nnamdi runs the engineering office from the throne in the centre of a room. One wall is covered in instruments, the other is a long window overlooking the Bonny River . Nnamdi is a friend. He was assisting me to cross over to Bonny. In his office the noise of the hydraulic stabilizer isn’t quite deafening but the skull –rattling throbbing is damped to a survival level. I tried not to look out the window. I have this fear of sea crossing. Like a swan, the sea looks peaceful on the surface but under the waterline there is a hive of frantic activities.
The public address system crackles overhead when the phone call came. Austine’s call came in like an Irish ghost, talking out his low level resentment for non lawyers. ‘Look you did not wait for me before you left Owerri. We were to meet at 3pm but you left. You have to come back tomorrow . We will meet again by 11am’’ “ May I remind you that you don’t order me around”, I said. I was in a meeting in Owerri that has to do with Senator Hope Uzodinma . I left after the meeting and someone wants me back in Owerri the next morning . ‘’You have to come in here tomorrow” Austin said with resignation catching my thoughts. I really love Senator Uzodinma and the way he does his things. I don’t talk so much about love, I try to show it.
Before Senator Hope joined the guber race, I do ask myself, who will be the man, the God –sent that will deliver Imo from a one man business ? Imo State, a beautiful state blessed with fertile and productive landscape no doubt is “in chains. The state today is Okorocha only. If you are not a member of the governor’s family you won’t get a job, contract or appointment. Over 80% of Imolites at the grassroot are suffering. The teachers are suffering. The civil servants are suffering. Business men are suffering. Even the traders are suffering. What we have in Imo is the more you look the less you see. We have no jobs in Imo as youths from the oil kingdom but they laugh at us and call us ogogoro drinkers. Just 1% who have been sucking the state dry since June 2011 are being handed over 80% of our wealth . They converted Imo State and its funds into a family enterprise while governing the State with impunity and military fiat not minding or giving a hoot how the people feel.
And they said the governor’s son in-law must be the next governor to continue the family business. But we thank the lord for Senator Hope Uzodinma who God is using to deliver Imo from the Lion’s den. Sometimes a single act by a God-sent individual at a propitious moment could change the fortunes of a nation or state. This was precisely the case when the dreaded disease of Ebola found its way into Nigeria. It is on record and has been widely acknowledged that the swift and accurate diagnosis of the index patient by Dr Stella Ameyo Adadevoh and her firm decision to hold him in the hospital against his will contributed to the early containment of the disease. Nigeria had never had an Ebola case before so it was an impressive piece of diagnostic work that was a testament to her competence , dedication to duty and powerful intuition. From the devastating losses that Ebola caused to the lives and economy of some other West African countries it was clear that Nigeria was indeed very fortunate to have escaped a similar fate. Dr Adadevoh who paid the ultimate sacrifice by putting herself at risk for her country is acknowledged to have been God-sent by Nigerians and has been widely accorded heroine status.
We know where the rain began to drench us in Imo. We only need to do the simplest thing: re-strategize and trace our way out of the bush. For me Hope Uzodinma is the answer. He is the right man for the job. God is using him and I see him doing well as governor of Imo State . The fortunes of medieval France was turned around by a mere teenage girl born around 1412, named Jeanne d’Arc( Joan of Arc) She believed that God had chosen her to lead France to victory in its long running war with England and Burgundy. With no military training, Joan convinced the embattled crown prince Charles of Valois to allow her to lead a French army to the besieged city of Orléans. She achieved a momentous victory over the English and their French allies, the Burgundians. Senator Hope has formidable structure across Imo . The people love him and he has a vibrant team that will restructure and rebuild Imo. Imo ga adi mma ozo
