Hope Uzodimma, Governor of Imo State, has exhibited a strange approach to governance. He runs Imo the way he changes his eye glasses. He interchanges two glasses at a time- a dark and a white one- which he both hangs with a rope on his neck and uses at random.
This tells us the character Uzodimma is- a two faced fellow, who runs Imo like a fiefdom. He heads a clueless government with an obscure style, devoid of charm and candour.
His administration is the most colourless, directionless in the history of Imo State. Never have the people of Imo State witnessed a drab administration led by an unprepared governor who is learning and adjusting so poorly to the dynamics of governance.
His government is also run in a mafiaso pattern reminiscent of Italian mafia with a capone in charge. Those that hold contrary views and opinions about the godfather and his queer style of governance are hounded and harassed.
Uzodimma is afraid of his own shadow. He is completely overwhelmed with the task involved in governance. Because he was never elected to be governor of Imo State, but forced into seat of government by a power drunk cartel outside the shores of the State, he does not know that he is indebted to the people.
He has remained a hostage to those who offered him the ladder to climb to power. And those who suffer from this snare are the good people of Imo State whose commonwealth has remained the collateral for his hideous action.
A visit to Imo State capital, Owerri, shows that Imolites are marooned by the actions of a governor who lives in a glass House and completely disconnected from his people. He and his motley crowd of appointees lack acceptance. The latter are just errand boys with no job description, or simply put, school boys who flock around a village head master.
Imo people do not pretend about the fact that they never voted for him. Aware of this verdict, he is desperately renovating roads and other projects to impress the people. This strategy is not working for the man who wears the garment of a Supreme Court governor and who confessed that he became governor through Ben Johnson way.
Uzodimma is an unwanted tenant at Government House, Owerri. He is a usurper who stole the mandate of the people freely given to Rt Hon. Emeka Ihedioha during the 2019 governorship election.
And because he lacks credibility and labours in vain to earn it, he lives like a recluse and avoids relevant segments of the Imo society who will question his fumbling and wobbling governance in Imo.
He evades the genuine stakeholders because he is afraid they will embarrass him with the feelings and notion the people of the State hold about him. He rather takes delight seeing aged pensioners flogged or subjected to painful and horrendous verification exercises.
Workers in Imo State are not paid salaries. Those who are lucky to get paid suffer the loss of slash in their meagre pay. Another set are tagged ghost workers, including those who have put in meritorious years of service.
Because he lives like one boxed in a pigeon hole, Uzodimma remains disconnected from those he governs. He is the most inaccessible Governor Imo State has ever had. He runs a system which scares away everyone from him.
This mannequin with a sordid past has taken Imo State aback. There is despondency in the land. Imo has never had it so good. We are yet to get to Eldorado.
*** Article by Ken Onwuka.
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