By Prof. Protus Nathan Uzorma
In my term, anyone who risks his conscience is a coward. I am free when I anchor my entire life on the function of conscience. He whose conscience is dead is a man from the war zone of the other dark world. Anyone that disobeys his conscience knows that he is a coward and has no place in the entire spectrum of the new age spirituality.
In the words of Schiller, “A brave man risks his life but not his conscience” in the same vein, Mahatma Gandhi says, “In matters of conscience, the law of majority has no place.” For Martin Luther King Jr, “It is both hazardous and dishonorable for a man to act contrary to the dictates of conscience.” The foregoing assertions justify the reason why God made man and equipped man with conscience for proper sense of direction. Any leader whose activities and administrative dexterity are bereft of conscience is one that has serious moral burden to justify his claims.
I think this is exactly where Gov. Rochas has found himself. Our governor is out of the track completely in view of his visionless activities. What is actually wrong with Mr. Rochas Okorocha? Is the rumor by Imolites that he was slapped by a ghost responsible for what is truly going on? He has always gotten it wrong from time to time. Is Gov. Rochas under any kind of spell cum enchantment? Is anybody anywhere pushing him against his will and conscience? This is not ordinary!
The print and electronic media is awash with the news of demolition of Eke-Ukwu Owerri market that took place on Saturday, August 26, 2017. As the exercise was going on, I had torrents of calls on my telephone, some were shouting, others were crying helplessly. Tears rolled down my cheeks as one young girl informed me that she was going to commit suicide because her means of livelihood was snatched from her without any alternative provision. The entire exercise was like taking the traders by surprise. This is not ordinary!
Let me begin by telling Imolites particularly Owerri people that this is just the beginning. Owelle is not done yet. He started by balkanizing your traditional institution ; thereby creating new autonomous communities , many of you praised him for that and I reacted and informed you that such exercise was not ordinary. He applied the principles of divide and rule, and some prominent Owerri sons and daughters applauded such ignoble effort. Today, he has just started and I maintain is not ordinary. It was this situation that compelled my mentor, Mahatma Gandhi to infer thus, “I can retain neither respect nor affection for a government which has been moving from wrong to wrong in order to defend its immorality. “ Gov. Rochas government is constantly moving from wrong to wrong and as a result he does not deserve my commendation and respect at all.
Today, Imolites are shouting consequent on the demolition of Eke-Uku Owerri, I predicted this in my article in 2011 after the purported gubber debate at Assumpta Cathedral that gave Mr. Okorocha the leeway to his victory against Chief Ohakim. I told Ndi Owerri then, that they should watch out on how Chief Rochas would grab their lands after the gubber victory. On the issue of the land, what has happened? I mentioned that he was going to destroy the traditional cum ancestral unity of Owerri. I did say also that Mr. Rochas will also demolish Assumpta Cathedral . This is yet to fulfill but you should watch out for it.
Beautifying the city through cherished reconstruction to make Imo modern is very good but let it follow the due process. This is not the best time for this kind of demolition at all. Gov. Rochas should rethink.
The demolition of Eke-Ukwu Owerri reminds me of our highly cherished serene Ama JK Recreation Park that was demolished by Mr. Okorocha four years ago thereby rendering its staff jobless. Today, it is quite obvious that Gov Rochas has less than 18 months to wind up his corrosive administration without any hope of completing the highly trumpeted Imo High Rising Modern Car Park. This is not ordinary!
Imo people should watch out very soon, Gov. Okorocha in line with his ill-effected autra-modern dualization of all the roads in Owerri municipality, demolition harmer shall soon fall on The Assumpta Cathedral in order to actualize his vindictive mission against the Arch Bishop AJV Obinna for speaking out. This is not ordinary! It may be that Chief Rochas Okorocha has a mission to put Imo in the Guinness Book of Record as he claimed in 2011/ 2012 or that some forces of darkness or God wants Imo people to suffer for their sins of choosing a leader he did not anoint. Just hypothesis!
My governor, just pause a minute and ask yourself some questions that may assist in giving you good sense of direction. Why the demolition when your government has not provided an alternative for the traders?
Let me remind you if you have forgotten so soon, where are all the huge funds allocated monthly to the 27 Local Government Areas of Imo state? From 2011 till date, Imo has received over N300 billion, what have you done with Imo money? Did you use it to build local roads? Which of the roads have you completed and commissioned in our rural areas? What about the N13.3 billion bond proceeds for Oguta Wonder Lake? Let me not mention the bailout founds which has become a bugaboo today. With all the monies your administration has stocked, they are quite enough to properly complete the building and relocation of traders from Eke-Ukwu Owerri to the so called Ohi Market. But I know for the fact you have not done it, is not ordinary!
Gov. Rochas, you administrative lapses and inaptitude has led to the death of some Imo indigenes. You went ahead to demolish Eke-Ukwu Owerri without recourse to the subsisting order of Imo state High Court. Okorocha, you have institutionalized impunity in your administration. It is not ordinary! Gov. Rochas inability to obey court orders is not ordinary at all. He needs help.
No right thinking leader would do this in our modern age without having his head re-examined properly to determine the psycho-function. Reason for this is obvious because for a demolition of such a market without an alternative accommodation and compensation in our current economic difficulties is absolutely inhuman. Such behavioral function may fall into the class of common psychological disorders known as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADD or ADHD). In the school of Psychology, such disorder can pose serious consequences such as chronic under-achievement, school/work failure, problematic and strained relationships, administrative ineptitude, lowered self-esteem and much more.
For those who died during the demolition, I pray God to grant your souls rest in his abode. To those who killed, also bear in mind that non gets out of this life being alive. I weep for my state because nobody knows the next life that would be lost in another demolition elsewhere. All the sacred writings of antiquity condemns killing.
In the Isopanisad as translated by Swami Prabhupada, mantre three states, “The killer of the soul, whoever he may be, must enter into the planets known as the worlds of the faithless, full of darkness and ignorance.” In the Bible one of the major laws given to Moses states, “Thou shall not kill.” Our governor should try to resurrect the souls of all those that died at Eke-Ukwu Owerri market on Saturday, because if they are not brought back, their ghosts may react and their reaction may generate another rumour of slap.