The Imo State Governor, Chief Ikedi Ohakim is currently attending a conference of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) in Washington, DC, USA. He presented a paper on the environment at the conference. A reception was hosted in his honour by Dr Ngozika Nwaneri and Chief Sam Uwandu. It took place at the Best Western Hotel, Lanham, Maryland on September 25, 2009.

Before the governor arrived, the Master of Ceremonies announced that the reception will be in the form of a Town Hall meeting where members of the audience will be allowed to ask the governor questions. 

In his remarks, one of the hosts - Chief Sam Uwandu reminded attendees that Imo indigenes in the US do not have a union. He suggested that we should borrow a leaf from our brothers from Anambra, Abia, Ebonyi and Enugu states who all have unions. Our own union he said will be called Imo Forum.

The reception was supposed to start at 7 PM and by 8 PM, the hall was filled to capacity with about 100 guests. However, in the fashion of "African Time", the governor did not arrive until 9.25 PM. In his entourage were officials from the Imo State government including Amanze Obi, Chuck Chukwuemeka, Kevin Adotama etc. 

Also in attendance were Prof Sylvester Ugo the former governor of Bank of Biafra and Hon Eboh, the composer of NPP's popular theme song during the 1979 elections ("Ebe ka anyi ga ebinye aka? Ebe esere mmadu", meaning "Where will we put our stamp? Where a human being is drawn").

Governor's Remarks: In his remarks, Chief Ohakim thanked Dr Nwaneri and Chief Uwandu for hosting the reception. He added that he will not be able to stay as long as planned since he has a meeting with Congresswoman Sheila Lee of Texas. He however promised to return in November for a longer visit. 

The governor stated that no administration since the creation of Imo State in 1979 has given more positions to Imo indigenes in the US than his administration. He said he currently has about 15 former US-based officials in his administration.

The Problem of Kidnappers: Chief Ohakim claimed that the problem of kidnapping is not as bad in Imo State as is being reported in the news. This generated grunts of disbelief from members of the audience. He added that more kidnappings happen in other parts of the world like Mexico than Nigeria. 

According to him, most of the kidnappings that happen in Imo State now are "family kidnappings". This involves a situation where an individual kidnaps a member of his family in order to extort money from the family. He narrated a case where a girl claimed that she has been kidnapped and got her father to pay money to the "kidnappers". In the end, it was discovered that the "kidnapping" was planned by her boyfriend with her co-operation.

In an explosive statement, Governor Ohakim also claimed that some US oil companies are behind some of the kidnappings in the Niger Delta region. According to him, the companies engage in such evil practices in order to drive away competing oil companies from Nigeria. To prove his point, he added that Americans are rarely kidnapped in the Niger Delta while Filipino and Vietnamese workers are kidnapped at random to drive away Chinese oil companies.

To fight this problem, Chief Ohakim said a law has been enacted in Imo State that now makes kidnapping an offence punishable by death. This drew loud applause from the audience. He also said that an individual whose house is used to hide a kidnapping victim will be severely punished.

The Economy: Chief Ohakim stated that Imo State basically has a rural economy which he is trying to modernize. He said his administration is working on a $240 million project which will employ 40,000 people. He lamented that our people suffer from what he called the Nshiko (crab) mentality. Just as crabs in a bucket prevent each other from climbing out, we prevent each from making progress. 

The governor informed the audience that Owerri is currently recognized as the cleanest city in Nigeria. He also said that in order to generate revenue, owners of multi-storey buildings in Imo State will now be required to pay yearly property tax.

According to the governor, Imo State has introduced free medical care for children aged 0 - 5 years and senior citizens aged 70 years and above. He thanked Dr Nwaneri and Dr Stanley Okoro for organizing yearly medical missions of American doctors to Imo State where sick patients are treated free of charge. 

During the Christmas season, the governor said his administration sends buses to 12 states in Nigeria to bring home Imo indigenes. He announced that his administration is offering to pay 50% of the airfare for Imo indigenes in the US willing to return home and reside in Imo State. He however added that due to high demand, beneficiaries will be chosen through a ballot.

On Joining the PDP: In a surprising pronouncement, the governor stated that he joined the PDP in order to attract federal projects to Imo State. According to him, since he joined the PDP, the following projects have been approved in Imo State and elsewhere:

• The dredging of the River Niger

• The dredging of the River Nworie in Owerri

• The conversion of Alvan Ikoku College of Education to a University

• The approval of 7 federal road projects

It must be noted that some people believe that Chief Ohakim actually joined the PDP in order to win re-election in 2011 while others believe that it was a fulfillment of the promise he made to the then President Olusegun Obasanjo who helped him win the governorship in 2007.

At the end of his speech, Chief Sam Uwandu informed the audience that the governor will no longer be able to take questions as planned since he is attending another event. He left around 10 PM. After he left, many in the audience expressed displeasure at the fact that the governor did not take even one question despite the fact that the event was supposed to be a town hall meeting.

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By Jay in MD
Posted Sep 26, 2009

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