EBERE UZOUKWA: THE HALLUCINATIONS OF A FAILED JOURNALIST.

-Adimchi Abraham Onyenso

My attention was drawn to an article written by a failed Punch Newspaper reporter and self styled Media Consultant to Abia State Government, Ebere Uzoukwa, titled "Why Crying Over Ikpeazu And His Failures”.

Without mincing words, in those days that journalism was practiced and regulated by noble characters, the contents of that article would have been enough to sack Mr. Uzoukwa who admitted to investing his "resources and time as well as activated our contacts and deploring our professionalism to ensure his victory at the polls and later in the courts."

A journalist is ordinarily expected to pursue his trade with absolute neutrality and report issues factually rather than engage in "deploring" professionalism in pursuit of narrow ill defined clannish agenda.

How will the management of Punch Newspapers and NUJ respond to Ebere's self admission of professional misconduct?

Looking at the article, as published by an online medium known for its opposition to the Ikpeazu administration, it will be apparent that Mr. Uzoukwa was merely lamenting the loss or denial of ill defined personal and group privileges he expected that will come with his so called efforts at supporting the emergence of the first Ukwa/Ngwa born Governor of Abia State.

That shows that his lamentations do not have anything to do with the interest of Abians or the Governor's non performance in office as the Governor of the whole of Abia State.

It also highlighted the wrong headed expectations of certain elements in Ukwa/Ngwa political axis that recently made the governor to emphasize the fact that he is the Governor of all Abians.

Speaking at a town-hall meeting in Obehie in Ukwa East Local Government Area of Abia State, on the plans of his administration to develop the state, Governor Ikpeazu said:

“My dear brothers and sisters from Ukwa/Ngwa, it is true that I am one of you, it is also true that we’ve not been governor until now, but I am the Governor of Abia State, and not just the Governor of Ukwa/Ngwa people.

“So when I want to take decisions about our state, I will think of Abia as a state and not Abia South or Ukwa/Ngwa. This is one truth that I must tell you.

I know where I come from, and our brothers and sisters from Old Bende know that I come from somewhere. We must be fair to every Abian and visitors in our land."

Apparently the import of that statement was lost on journalist Uzoukwa and others like him who expected the Governor to become the champion of their narrow selfish agenda aimed at instituting a culture of "our Governor" as against the Governor of Abia State. He clearly wanted a Governor Ikpeazu who is an Ukwa/Ngwa Governor as against the Governor of Abia State.

Whatever Uzoukwa and his likes wanted from Governor Ikpeazu certainly did not include development projects located across the state, which the Governor has been delivering. After all, the same Uzoukwa is on record as confirming in an article titled "As Court Verdict Fails to Distract Ikpeazu" that the Governor was development minded and his opponents couldn't distract him from the many projects he has executed to develop the whole of Abia State.

Portions of that article published on the 18th of January 2016 read as follows:

"Governor Ikpeazu's recent activities and official functions at delivering dividends of democracy and overall good governance to the people have largely betrayed the emotion of many bookmakers who had earlier thought that he would temporarily halt his infrastructural revolution and massive road projects ongoing in Aba and other parts of the state in pursuit of his matter already lodged at the Supreme Court by his team of lawyers.


"Now judging the activities of Dr. Ikpeazu since the appeal court bombshell, every discerning mind will appreciate and conclusively agree that no other person is divinely positioned to govern and rebuild Abia at this most critical period in the history of our nation. As the biblical David, Dr. Ikpeazu has abundantly showcased wisdom, kindness, perseverance, humility, intelligence, knowledge, simplicity, transparency, sincerity of purpose, accountability, resilience and mostly the fear of God to fast-track development and deliver the much needed social amenities to the people. The massive road construction projects aimed at restoring commerce and entrepreneurship in Aba summarizes Dr. Ikpeazu vision for greater and prosperous Abia state."

What could have led to Ebere Uzoukwa's new song of "non performance" by Governor Ikpeazu?

My personal checks reveal that Mr Uche Ogah, who unsuccessfully tried to steal the mandate of Governor Ikpeazu, "performed" for Ebere Uzoukwa who was broke and struggling for survival with the dwindling earnings from his failing media career.

As these sayings go, an idle mind is the devil's workshop and a hungry man is an angry man.

With the failure of Mr Uzoukwa to realize his dream of becoming the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Ikpeazu, after lobbying through his contacts in the state, he apparently became a bitter man and an easy prey to the likes of desperate Uche Ogah and other elements in the state who expected that the Government of Dr Ikpeazu will share the commonwealth of Abians with them and leave out the work of the people of Abia State.

If Governor Ikpeazu had agreed to appoint Ebere or regularly funded him and his sponsors he would have continued to tell the truth on the first class performance of Dr Ikpeazu in about 2 years of his administration that whethered through many distractions and sabotage from his political opponents. But since truth is now denominated in financial and other patronages, Mr Uzoukwa has transformed into a bitter opponent of the Governor seeking attention through serial attempted media blackmail.

Many Ukwa-Ngwa sons and daughters are proud of the performance of the first Ukwa-Ngwa Governor of Abia State and are already boasting that their people have produced the best and most development focused Governor of Abia state since the state was created in 1992. They are proud of the choice they made and are gearing up to deliver even more support to the Governor, when the time comes.

Only those seeking to be clan champions are complaining, not just from the Ukwa/Ngwa axis but also from old Bende political axis.

It is interesting to note that some clannish elements from old Bende axis are also whining that the Governor has done more work at Aba, a commercial city majorly populated by non-Ukwa/Ngwa people, than at old Bende area. To them Governor Ikpeazu is "Aba/Ukwa Ngwa Governor" while those who actually want him to be "Ukwa/Ngwa Governor" like Ebere Uzoukwa are also ranting that the Governor is doing more work at old Bende.

If anyone needs evidence that the Governor has not been partial to any area, there you have it.

Apparently what Ebere Uzoukwa now see as incompetence is the statewide development efforts of the Governor as against the partitioning of development in favor of any of the geopolitical zones of the state.

I wonder if anyone expects the Governor to apologize for that.

When we get to 2019 the whole of Abia State will certainly vote to re-elect Governor Ikpeazu and anyone can bet that the development loving Ukwa-Ngwa people will be in the front row of the support for the Governor who is making them and all Abians proud with his performance.

Adimchi Abraham Onyenso wrote from Mgboko in Obingwa LGA