IS “OKEZUO ABIA” A STATIC NORM? ABIA NEEDS A PLANNER AND DEVELOPER.
The saying “Ok’ezuo Abia” was made popular during the quest for Abia State governor of Abia South extraction. Also sometime ago the Saying “Otu Onu” was also made parochially popular in 2003 when governor Orji Uzor Kalu sought for his second tenure as provided by the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Harsh tags will always be used as much as the quest for power, be it to achieve justice and equity, fight for our rights, privileges or inordinate quest to satisfy our greed, gluttony, in compassionate desires and all other uncomplimentary negative escapades continues to pop up from time to time.
These harsh tags that are catchers and punchlines captured to drive home recent or trending topics of the moment(s) are most times misunderstood.
It’s my humble wish to drive home these axioms to always set records straight.
Firstly, it’s very important to understand the transition of “Otu Onu” meaning ” just one opportunity ” to ” Okezuo Abia”
It is necessary to state that whereas “Otu Onu,” which as medical parlance would say DOA; “Dead on Arrival” was acutely unpopular, “Okezuo Abia” for obvious reasons was victorious because of its nature of justice and equity contents.
Did our out gone governor, Founding fathers of Abia State, Statesmen, Clergy, political party faithfuls and Abians support and lived to the bidings of “Okezuo Abia”? The answer is affirmatively YES.
We must also use this opportunity to despise the dumbness of average Abians who lack the audacity of voicing out the truth but, however, must thank those who spoke loud for the deaf to hear that “what is good for the geese is good for the gander”.
Since Abians started extrapolating the need for a governor of Abia North extraction, I must confess, a more than open agitation on this line of thought is up to a whopping percentage of over 75.
This stand shows that no matter our greed, we still share that conscience of “eme nwata ka emere ibe ya, obi adi ya nma”.
In not too long a past, His Excellency, Senator Adolf Wabara who needs no introduction to Nigerians, Nze P. O. P. Ogbonnaya; one of the founding fathers of Abia State, Vice Chairman of the Committee that drafted “Abia Chatter of Equity” and a signatory to the revered document, Eze Dr. Anagha Ezeikpe; the Chairman of the Committee that founded Abia State, Elders of Abia State etc. have at different times of this season advocated for a governor of Abia North extraction with a vivid consideration of Isuikwuato district; the only alphabet that has not been compensated as contained in “Abia Charter of Equity”
Yes, of course, no one; protagonist or antagonist of Abia State governor of Abia North extraction has denied the existence of such a revered document “Abia Charter of Equity ” aka “Onye ahala nwanne ya”.
Kindly permit me to refer us to the extract of an interview granted by His Excellency Senator Adolf Wabara and Nze P O P Ogbonna in the Vanguard News paper of Friday, August 6th 2021 (pg 44) and Daily independent of Wednesday August 18 2021(pg 10) which detailed the intentions of the founding fathers of Abia State and the wisdom behind zoning.
Subsequent interviews granted by Eze Ogo Dr. Anaga EzeIkpe, Elders of Abia State etc. in this regard are also numerous.
The doubt expressed by minute opinionated views that Abia needs a seasoned technocrat to sail her through troubled waters and not holding tenaciously to zoning is neither here nor there.
In as much as we assiduously search for a seasoned technocrat, every Abian must hit his chest with pride that there are no kind of personalities in all enviable fields of expertise that Abia North cannot boast of. They have them in all the numbers.
“Okezuo Abia” is not an end on itself. It is not static. It is a means to an end; a saying that drives the enemies of Abia peace, justice and equity out of their gluttony, perversion, greed, inordinate ambitions and situate justice and equity.
Those of us who say; the rounds have been completed should reason objectively. We can’t after resitting numbers one (1) to ten (10) start from 10 to 1 or 5 to 1. Even our time clock made the distinction by constantly rotating in a clock wise direction. It taught us this sequence from cradle. Doing otherwise shall mean changing the goal post at the middle of a match and spitting on the graves of our founding fathers who are no more with us. It also tantamounts to insulting the reverence of the very few living with us.
We call it “erim” I may not know what you call it. It has its own repercussions and karma.
Let us not violate the wisdom of silks or their sanctity of purpose.
We are duty bound to respect the views of our elders most especially when they have nothing ostentatious to gain by standing on the truth and ensuring peace for all and sundry.
If we listened to voices of reasoning ( Our founding fathers on “Abia Chatter of Equity”) in 2014/2015, to welcome a governor of Abia South extraction and deliver our Governor; Dr Okezie Ikpeazu, why can’t we heed to their advice now?
“Okezuo Abia”
By Ndubisi Uka Mba .
