GOV. ALEX OTTI AND THE CHALLENGES OF THE OLD ORDER.

By Chizaram Kennedy Esq.

CHARLES Krauthammer said it all when he opined ” It is an old liberal theme that conservative ideas, being red in tooth and claw, cannot possibly emerge from any notion of the public good “

An indept analysis of Krauthammer’s position portends the rigidity of the Master Evangelists of the “Old Order”. The characteristics of these Evangelists were well captured by Krauthammer in his use of these three words,” red, tooth and claw”

The masterminds of the Old Order are always red in thoughts with a sharp teeth for piercing carnivorously, their victims. Like a vulture, they develop glue claws to hold tenaciously, their prey and with such extremism, they can never emerge from any notion of the public good. Ofcourse, they create a world of their own made up of few of their kind while declaring war on the majority of the public. They have one slogan ” The old order must persist”.

Above circumstances were the precarious situation of Abia state in the past 24 years. Created in 1991 by the President Ibrahim Babangida Administration, Abia state has suffered both infrastructural and Social amenities and fate of her people wallowing in no direction such that no free born of Abia was sure of the next minute.

There was complete infrastructural decay in both rural and urban areas of the state. For instance, Aba which is Africa Industrial hub in textile and commerce has been in total decay suffering from administrative epilepsy of the yester years to the extent that Aba sympathizers at some point proposed ” Mercy Killing”

Umuahia, the state capital was not left out of machinations of the “old order tsunami ” Hear it not, believe it not that the Abia state Government House operated from a rented apartment for the past 24years. Sadly, it is the only state that operated in such condition in the entire South/East Zone of Nigeria.

The capital city Umuahia, had remained an object of mockery as bad roads, “Shanties” characterised the major signature with which the town could be described. No developed markets and other infrastructural facilities for which a capital city is known. Ofcourse, the masterminds of the old order were not worried because to them, they can never emerge from any notion of public good.

The sufferings and wailings continued within the state and spread into the rural areas like epidemic. Rural dwellers caught the flu with stucked agricultural products as there were no good roads to bring them to the city to meet large market for their goods.

Out of excruciating thirst for water, they were compelled to share ponds with pigs and goats. Sadly, the masterminds of the old order in contrary were pomping champagne laced with chilled ozonized bottle water. After the banquet, they are chauffeur driven in chilled cars and air conditioned chambers. If you ask them, they would tell you ” We are discussing matters of public importance” . The question therefore is, who are the publics and how important is their discussion?

The ugly situation continued in the Gods Own State and at a point, the lovers of freedom chose to be awake while we were sleeping. The situation mirrors the Lucky Dube’s presentation of the Freedom Fighter who according to the music maestro “Freedom Fighter, Standing in a foreign country trying to send messages to his people back in the Ghetto. The freedom Fighter had a home, love of his life but he left all that behind”

This was the mind of one man who had all it takes to be comfortable at home as a private person but chose to leave the comfort of his home to climb the mountain in the midnight in search of Freedom of his people.

” Oh, yes, l can hear him clearly as he whispered into the air, his voice came out loud and clear. All he asked for was a prayer as he turned to walk away, he said, “l am still here in the house of exile for the love of my nation”

The man is Dr. Alex Chioma Otti. Upon assumption of Office, Governor Alex Otti chose to make a total overhaul of the state. He has put Abia in books of record . He has come to set a “New Order” whose masterminds will not emerge from the notion of the few but of the public good.

Approaching him from a distance as a warrior, you would dismiss his strength considering his physical height but unknown to you, the height of his mental construction and physical will is unimaginable. No wonder, the protagonists of the old order, like Goliat, roared to devour him and “feed the birds of the air with his body” during the 2023 General Election . But like the gentle David who stood the battle for his people, Alex Otti triumphed through the overwhelming and thunderous will of the people of Abia state.

He took the bull by the horn to dismantle the Old Order whose claws and piercing teeth had held tenaciously to the resources of Abia state to the detriment of his people. Today, the breeze of people oriented projects have taken over the surface of Abia.

As at one year in office, Alex Otti’s government has completed sixty roads across the state with many on going. All the sectors of the state, Health, Education, and and others show testimonies of a new Abia. This is not excluding his triumph in the power sector, commerce and manpower development, regular payment of workers and pensioners.

lt is therefore, not surprising that there is an organised and calculated efforts to distract the present Government in Abia state using multi dimensional approach especially in the area of lnsecurity to ensure that Governor Otti’s attention is withdrawn from the central focus of developing the state.

What is happening in Abia state is nothing but the challenges of confronting the Old Order. Perhaps, in their “Conclave” they have arrived at the strategy of ensuring persistent security threat to whittle the glowing profile of the Master Servant of Abia state.

To confront the Old Order is a journey that requires strong will which Alex Otti possesses and is equal to the task backed strongly by the overwhelming followership and mass support of the people, the Governor will surely succeed.