THE DEVIL FISHES IN TROUBLED WATERS, JUST LIKE IN OPPOSITION POLITICS :


OPINION:

While I am not in a good frame of mind over the recent events in Imo , but it sounds relatively a cheering news to observe that a number of the cheerleaders and ignorant Imo residents who are blindly hailing the hoodlums and unknown gunmen terrorising some parts of the state are gradually coming back to their senses as they can now see that these monsters do not mean well for the state ; including the poor masses who erroneously thought the criminal elements were defending them in the stead of government security agents .``

`` Give the devil attention, he will give you a suggestion .``

`` Give him your home address, he must surely pay an unscheduled visit.``

Ndi Imo, let's be careful as the enemies of the state are within and among us !

The hoodlums and unknown gunmen whose true identity is yet to be ascertained or decoded by any dispassionate independent security experts may afterall, not be whom people think they are !

In crisis situation, most people don't think straight any longer . This is understandably so, as blames , suspicious , accusations and counter- accusations become the order of the day and take over that reasonable , rationale and creative part of man; thinking outside the box !
Unfortunately, security operatives more often than not , see it as an opportunity to vent their anger on the masses at the slightest provocation. And the gullible, the innocent are usually victims while the alleged culprits are at large !

At this point, everyone is a prime suspect; including the innocent and real perpetrators of the heinous attacks on government facilites and security operatives . Therefore , it is not the best time to trust anyone even your colleague as you may not know on which side of the divides he or she belongs to !

Security requires intelligence and survilenace! And as such, the personnel are expected to be well trained, patriotic , dispassionate and analytical rather than being emotional with some attachment to ethnic mien or religious demeanour.

The above deliberate opacity makes security intelligence , information gathering and survilenace somewhat a diffcult game but not an impossible mission until the officers are given a new orientation that Nigeria is one indivisible entity where equity, fairness and justice must reign above ethnictism, nepotism, favouritism and religious fanaticism .

In the last month or so, Imo State has become a hotbed for security impasse , carnage and alleged extra -justice killings while the supposed elder statesmen , stakeholders, political gladiators and other key players have remained silent. Something must be fishing. It is either they are not in tune with the way the governor is handling the security issues in the state or , they do not want him to succeed !

From the above expressed concern , I am of the strongest opinion that the handlers and image makers of Governor Hope Uzodimma should candidly tell him the need for fence mending; healing process through restitution and geninue peace talk and reconcilation with Imo stakeholders , especially, the political gladiators who are not on the same page with him. We have never had it this bad as a once peaceful and bubbling Imo is now a hotbed for carnage and all sorts of unverifiable reported extra - judicial killings. No thanks, to the unpatriotic social media warriors who felt the best way to be noticed and celebrated is to pull a sitting governor down simply because a projected or supposed political marriage with their principal had a miscarriage!

Since these unknown gunmen who have become thorns in the flesh of ndi Imo and the state government are human beings and not spirits; they have feelings and blood flowing in their veins. Therefore , it will not be out of place to engage trained lobbyists and negotiators to have a round- table meeting with them for a possible ceasefire. While the state government constitutes a delegation of trusted and respected religious leaders and traditional rulers to meet the representatives of the IPOB- Independent People of Biafra under the leadership of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu to also ceasefire . Imo has been a major victim of this war as the state economy is completely shut down; creating unnecessary tensions and more hardship as people now live in fears !

To the opposition Imo PDP, you seem to be guilty of the accusation of a possible accomplice to the security impasse in the state given your insensitive , mischievous and callous press conference of last Thursday, June 3, 2021.

While we encourage healthy and credible opposition as to hold the government accountable to the people , calling for the governor's resignation without showing empathy and resilence over the security issue in the state implies you glory in a situation like this.
`` Just as the devil fishes in troubled waters . ``

Imo lives should matter most to you than this blind craze for regaining political power at all costs !

The State Publicity Secretary of the Imo State Peoples Democratic Party , Mr. Ogu Bundu, must have written that piece which was not vetted by the state chairman , Chief Charles Ugwu before it was flagrantly released without throwing caution to the wind.

The governor's handlers must be watchful and on alert. They should also learn about the psychology of defeatism and phenomenon of the masked and unmasked opposition. Because when people manifest a particular personality trait , that may well be a cover -up.

The Imo security challenge has exposed alot of things. At a trying time like this, it is easier to observe people's actions and inactions. Their complicity. Their body language and support to the ravaging crisis ; wittingly or unwittingly. Making a political capital of the fragile Imo security is the most insensitive outing of the Peoples Democratic Party in the state under the inhumnae Chairmanship of Chief Charles Ugwu .

Moments of crisis also reveal people's weakness, or determination to keep fighting so hard to reclaim their territory and regain the seeming lost glory of their state .

Imo House of Assembly members , critical stakeholders, opinion moulders , religious leaders, traditional rulers , youth and women groups including the media should join hands and lend their voices to condemn the spate of this alleged sponsored insecurity in the state .

It is not about Hope Uzodinma who occupies the seat of power, but about our future , the future of our children and beloved state which is on the verge of being collapsed if we all kept quite, and allow enemies of the state toil with our common destiny and heritage .

+ Njoku Macdonald Obinna