Imo West 2023: On Goodluck Nanah Opiah We Stand – By Kenneth Uwadi

By Kenneth Uwadi | Imo State, Nigeria | June 21, 2022  – These are interesting times, the atmosphere is getting frenzy, and the excitement is bursting. Billboards are springing up and posters have defaced Owerri and other towns of Imo State. Some people are urging Mr A and Mr B to run in 2023 while some are showcasing achievements in office of some politicians. The idea in using billboards and getting people to endorse one’s political aspiration is normal and acceptable in civilized society. But we may wish to ask some of our State House of Assembly members, House of Representative members, Senators whose pictures of projects are being displayed,  are they real existing projects that meets the needs of the people? For the years of representation of your constituency, what have you offered as service to the people of your constituency?

 If any representative of the people has served well, does he need billboards? Does he need to pay people to come up and endorse him for re-election? On daily basis we see politicians especially those seeking re-election running around begging people, hiring crowds and groups to endorse them for second tenure, pay money to newspapers, buying people, and locations to take photography.

The projects carried out by a politician when he was in office that bettered the people will motivate the people to support him for future elections. One of the factors that helps a politician get into office is his antecedent,  record of previous performance, how the politician  has through honest services, projects and programmes  affected  his constituency  positively in the past. Such a politician must have the capacity, competence and character to serve the people. He must also have a strong  grass root political structure. A Politician or representative that is not accessible to his people, that  cannot be reached, that does not pick his calls , that  is always busy in meetings, that  cannot grant audience or interact with his people is not qualify to be elected. I hardly say good things about politicians. I do more of criticizing. You must be good for me to say good things about you.  Saying good things about a non-performing politician  or representative is endorsing criminality, corruption, inept leadership and failure.

One politician worthy of praise is Rt Hon Goodluck Nanah Opiah. He is a man who has been working like a divine agent and putting smiles on the faces of the people of the oil kingdom of the State. He is good. Through Opiah so many persons from the oil kingdom have received political appointments, contracts, jobs and scholarships. He has attracted so many state and federal government projects to his constituency. He   is counted among men who have occupied leadership positions with genuine intentions to serve their fatherland, with loads of enviable and unmatched credentials. This man has indicated interest to run for the Orlu Zone Senatorial seat under the APC.

That he has indicated interest to represent the zone at the senate has brought hope to the people. He   is a cynosure of all eyes in a political topography devoid of leadership and clarity of political vision, a model deserving of widespread replication. He deserves all the credit he is getting. His Leadership philosophy and his ability to grow his ideas from paper to service-delivery outcome make him a champion in this segment of our democracy. In this era of leadership deficit of Orlu zone  at the Senate , we must look to the margins to locate and support such  effective, disciplined, compassionate, and result-oriented  leader. When he was at the Imo state House of Assembly as Speaker and at the Federal House of Reps, he gave a good account of himself. He also gave good account of himself as Special Adviser to the Governor of Imo State and Coordinator of Oil and Gas Matters as well as Imo State  Commissioner for Petroleum Resources.  His Political structure at the grass root is second to none. He is loved by his people, with high followership. With Opiah at the Senate many of our youths will get federal jobs. He will bring the  much-needed quality and purposeful representation by way of economic empowerment, poverty alleviation and infrastructural development of our constituency.

With Opiah at the Senate it surely will be a goodbye to too much talk and less action, good bye to total ignorance of legislative duties, good bye to ignorance of committee work, goodbye to neglect of Imo West constituency, goodbye to ineffective consultation with leaders. This man finds joy more in seeing smiles on the faces of those whose mandate he exercised  rather than in caressing his personal ego on the faces of newspapers and strut the walkways of political adulation. He knows the tedium of subsistence agrarian life and understands the frustrations of the man on the street because he has been there. He feels an inner glow when he sees young men of his constituency engaged in productive ventures, and strives to reduce the trauma by broadening their investment options rather than recline on the couch of ease .

Next week I will talk about  the physical transformation of  Ohaji/Egbema when Opiah was at the Imo State House of Assembly from 2003-2011 and  what he did for Ohaji/Egbema /Oguta/Oru West when he was at the Federal House of Reps from 2015 -2019  which are adequately documented though he has on numerous occasions reiterated his desire to be judged by the people rather than by media analysts and political commentators. This 2023  Senatorial election provides another  platform for the people to echo their conviction and confidence in his  leadership style. The beauty of democracy rests in the multiplicity of viewpoints, but where there is unanimity of opinion, democracy truly transforms into a mandate from the gods. Come 2023, the people of Orlu zone will speak for peace, progress  of the zone  and will  breath in  change and fresh air  with Opiah at the driver’s seat.  The people are in a vantage position to know which option will best serve their interest. In the light of this, people of the zone have said yes to Opiah for Imo West Senate . Our conviction is well-founded on resolve iron-clad. Hands of fellowship  have been extended  to  progressive forces in every hamlet, villages, communities and LGA’s in Imo West   to stand and be counted in this clarion to entrench visionary leadership,  accountability and, above all, peace in our  Senatorial Zone . On Opiah we stand come Imo West 2023.

-Kenneth Uwadi lives in Mmahu-Egbema, Imo State, Nigeria.

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