By Udo Uruakpa
The politics of calumny has in the recent time been upgraded to a business where demagogues attack like marauders. The disturbing aspect of it all is that their attack is unprovoked to the extent of involving those that we respect. The level of absurdity of these jokes calls for concern.
Frankly speaking,the alarming spate of criticism and media war meted on the personality of Sen. T.A. Orji by some critics need to be checked. Unfortunately, the Daily Sun Newspaper has numerically topped the list of media houses that have taken pride in painting the Senator black. We woke up on Monday , the 21st of November, 2016, only to read in the Daily Sun Newspaper(the town-crier of ex-governor T.A. Orji’s critics) on how one ex-speaker of the Abia State House of Assembly, Hon. Stanley Ohajuruka has just joined the queue in an article he titled: ‘T.A. Orji is Senator in exile’. This is a joke on a hardworking sitting Senator taken too far.
It may not be very necessary to join issues with Hon. Stanley Ohajuruka. Obviously, Senator T.A. Orji is too big for the ex-lawmaker to trade words with.The only reason one can comment on what this ex-lawmaker has written is that those of us who read the dailies may be cajoled into believing that there are facts in his comments.
My interest and concern in replying people who sound like Hon. Ohajuruka is that, I, for one do not feel comfortable to hear people criticise leaders the Igbo nation have raised and who are our pride especially when the criticisms are for selfish reasons. Hon. Ohajuruka’s comments are to the best of my knowledge, selfish. Firstly, Hon. Ohajuruka by using the Daily Sun Newspaper medium to assassinate the character of ex-governor, Sen. T.A. Orji is a clear indication of his personality being used for a hatchet job. Secondly, his failed attempt to become governor of Abia State some time ago has aroused this unprovoked attack on his perceived enemies including Sen. T.A. Orji.
Hon. Ohajuruka as a former Speaker in the State House of Assembly cannot exonerate himself from blames if Abia State failed in the past. It is very uncivil of him as an ex-lawmaker to comment that a Senator that is not representing him alone is in exile in the senate. The ex-speaker cannot substantiate claims that Sen. T. A. Orji does not visit home or hold meetings with his constituents. This is because he has alienated himself from his representative in the Senate. He should have asked other constituents who are aware of the busy schedule of the Senator and are robbing minds with him to move Abia Central Senatorial Zone forward. The Senator’s office in the NASS Complex is a beehive of activities and daily besieged by who’s who in Abia State, superior to Hon. Ohajuruka, not only from Abia Central Senatorial Zone where he represents.
As an ex-lawmaker, both at the state and the federal levels, Hon. Ohajuru should know that the primary assignment of lawmakers is to make laws and possibly attract projects to their constituencies in which case Sen. T.A. Orji is not lagging behind. The ex-lawmaker boasted that he attracted 63 projects to his Ikwuano/Umuahia Federal Constituency but did not boast for their completion and the number of bills sponsored by him that touched on the life of his constituents and Nigerians at large. If his acclaimed achievement is anything to reckon with, was it throughout his representation in both the Federal and State House of Assembly? He should rather boast and prove to us that his constituency nay village does not have a single poor person after he usurped their chances in the name of representing them two times and a single tenure in the House of Representatives
Space will fail me to enumerate for Ohajuruka, the legislative achievements of Sen. T.A. Orji in one and half years of his representation in the National Assembly. On a serious note, Hon. Ohajuruka should not be an armchair critic but should enquire of the sponsor of the following Bills in the 8thsenate:
1. The Nigerian Investment Promotion Council Act CAP N117 2004 repeal and re-enactment Bill
2. National Planning Process Bill 2015 (SB.73)
3. Deep Offshore and Inland Basin Production Sharing Contracts Act CAP D3 LFN 2004 Amendment Bill 2015(SB.-119)
4. Nigerian Biodiversity Bill 2015(SB.79)
5. Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999(alteration) Portfolio Designation Bill 2015
6. Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DIVA) Bill 2015 (SB.78)
7. National Metallurgical Industry Bill 2016 (SB.260) to mention but a few. Just between June 2015 and now.
Having achieved this feat in less than two years, the sky can be his starting point by 2019. Sen. T.A. Orji is not in exile in the senate neither is he sleeping. He started with the primary functions of law-making and will hopefully translate his efforts into attracting many projects to his constituency more than Ohajuruka and other critics. He’s will not only be to attract, he will see these projects completed.
It is high time our leaders stopped this proclivity for criticisms that are not constructive because those who live in glass houses should not throw stones. I advise Abia Central indigenes to checkmate these unprovoked attacks on our Senator. I advise Ndi Igbo to checkmate the rampant gratuitous attacks on our ready-made leaders. Hon. Ohajuruka should be told that he has no other option of a Senator than His Excellency, Chief T.A. Orji throughout his (Orji’s) tenure. If this is his own way of seeking political popularity, he is rather heading towards political oblivion and should make a U-turn now. May God help Abia State and Nigeria as a nation.
*Udo Uruakpa writes from Abuja.