Ijeoma Nwogwugwu goofed on Abia and Ikpeazu

Ijeoma Nwogwugwu’s ThisDay’s ‘BEHIND THE PAGE’ weekly treatise at the best of times makes profound reading, more especially when she is unleashing her well-earned erudition in the arcane world of finance, economy, capital and money markets where she carved a niche. But her recent foray into the political terrain in the Monday, January 11th edition where she shed her toga as an open-minded editor to become a prejudiced high-powered promoter of Alex Otti, nay APGA, in my view, diminishes her stature as a public policy commentator.

I hasten to add that she is entitled to her political preferences, which is a fundamental human right, but to deploy a media platform in assailing and besmirching the character, person and office of the Abia State governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, in a choleric language devoid of elegance suggests she may have played into the hands of players, manipulators, advertisers, investors who are looking for favours in respective areas.

If she had restricted her appraisals to the legalism, tweedle-twaddle of the Appeal Court judgment on Abia governorship election, she probably would have made a seminal contribution to the cacophony of voices of lawyers, activists and stakeholders in the raging debate on the merits of the Appeal Court jurists. But when she goes gung-ho scolding Ikpeazu in a derogatory manner, well-meaning people are wont to wonder whatever happened to temperate language of public discourse.

Nwogwugwu calumniated Ikpeazu thus: “Placed side-by-side, Otti, despite his physiological height disadvantage, stands head and shoulders above Ikpeazu. He can read a balance sheet, has lofty private sector management experience, and has the right exposure to turn around the Aba economy, harness the oil economy in Ukwa West by attracting gas, fertilizer and petrochemicals producers, and boosting internal revenue through manufacturing, commerce and agriculture in the state rather than going cap in hand to Abuja to beg for handouts.

“The only thing Ikpeazu has going for him is his association with Theodore Orji who was a dreadful governor, very limited private sector experience spanning two years, and the cosmetic advantage of hailing from Abia South. Even as the head of the state’s environmental agency, Ikpeazu could not rid his own Aba of filth! Besides, the resort to organising demonstrations against the Appeal Court ruling was fraught with danger, as it had the potential of making traders and businessmen who were behind Otti feel threatened. Should they continue to feel insecure and unwanted, they could fight back and cause the kind of conflagration that Abia State could do without. It is a crying shame that politicians have not learnt from the vicarious crimes of others of their ilk that have led poverty-stricken citizens to the slaughter for self-serving reasons.

“Abia is a paradox that is impossible to explain. This is a state that is contiguous to Rivers State and whose largest city is a stone throw from the seaports in Port Harcourt, yet its economy is comatose. This is a state that has two large power plants – Geometric and Alaoji (the second largest in the country after Egbin) – and natural gas resources, yet both plants cannot wheel out electricity to residential and commercial consumers in Abia, not to mention neighbouring states in the east. This is state that has some of the best-educated Nigerians, but has fallen short of producing governors with the vision to elevate the state. This is a state whose citizens reside in much of Abia South but work in Port Harcourt, yet its leaders have not taken a cue from Ogun State which has ensured that their personal income taxes are paid to the state of residency.” 

Nwogwugwu’s vantage position is analogous to a public trust. She should keep a safe distance from forces whose motive for Abia is unclear. Ijeoma made such a heavy weather of Alex Otti’s panache of reading accounting balance sheets as evidence of his readiness for governorship of Ndi Abia. Well, some things don’t just add up. But that’s for another day.

To describe Aba today as ‘decrepit’, ‘eyesore’ and insecure is a one-sided opinion that is economical with the truth. Multinationals like UACN, John Holt with branches in Aba fled the country as result of the cruel bludgeoning of the Structural Adjustment Policy introduced by President Badamasi Babangida in the mid-80s. Many transnational companies nationwide like Pilkington Glass Apapa, BEWAC Motors Apapa, Kingsway Stores, UTC Stores, Bhojsons, Chanrai, Leyland Motors Ibadan, Steyr Motors Bauchi, Volkswagen Lagos, and Peugeot Automobile Nigeria (PAN) Kaduna took to their heels long before the swearing-in before the previous and present administrations in Abia.

However, Ijeoma should take note that till tomorrow, Nigerian Breweries Plc is still firing on all four cylinders at their Aba factory. Nobody supplanted them. Elites ensconced in their Abuja and Lagos comfort zones should please make efforts to visit home regularly and avoid hand-me-down beer parlour gossips.

It is trite knowledge that column writing is the hardest type of journalism because it requires good thinking and more than just the ability to articulate an opinion. Your opinions must make sense, provide insight and be convincing. Ijeoma Nwogwugwu’s piece was laden with too many errors, chicanery and bad-mouthing. It was at best a manual on name-calling, rumour-mongering, exhibition of unkind words like the characterisation of ex-Governor now Senator Theodore Orji as a ‘dreadful governor’ and Ikpeazu as slothful in cleansing Aba.

For the records, it must be stated that Aba today is squeaky clean – thanks to Ikpeazu’s tenure as the ASEPA general manager. And for upwards of two decades, he had been a key player in the corridors of politics as a home-baked politician who understands the nuances of the average Abian. During this period, his activism and services had been domiciled in the trenches with our people, fighting and battling with the various administrations for the elevation of Abia State.

A spin-off of this hands-on experience is his blueprint for development – a clear-headed, well-defined manifesto that derived its motive force from a bottom-up, all-inclusive, community-based approach with Aba as the centre-piece and hub of enterprise and production.

Conversational terrorism is not an art worthy of emulation because, as they say in a popular lingo, when the manure hits the ceiling fan, it tends to smear bystanders standing below. The narrative from stakeholders in the Abia project should be a continuum of conversation that elevates the truth and not grapevine tittle-tattle powered by an armoury of mud which is a game two people can play.

Chinyemike Torti