BY Emeke Ekwenze
After going through the piece titled Obiano and his 50 year plan written by one Tai Emeka Obasi, I thought it wise to rebut some of his wild claims. In doing this, I intend to cut to the chase. This is because I do not have the patience of a lengthy response to his waffled piece.
Obasi has been in hatchet writing for some time now. He appears not to relent anytime soon.
Two things are responsible. One, his script-writing career is on the skids, forcing him into fierce written attacks for survival. Two, the loss of the Abuja project has compelled a new political consideration. The vision of conquering Anambra in 2021 has entered the political calculation. Governor Obiano must be made weak by every means, and ahead of time. To that extent a team of propagandists led by Obasi himself with a few masked defamers has been unleashed on the state to see if it could cause the Governor image problem. They have continued to throw feeble punches.
But who is Tai Emeka Obasi? What has been his pedigree? Beyond script writing which he did not achieve much and could not script a blockbuster, he has been in struggle. He has failed in subsequent engagements, including political writing. Without intent on insult, most of the low-grade-mass-produced-films dotting the shades at Upper Iweka were scripted by Obasi. It was after he could not raise his trade like Tchidi Chikere that he veered off into political writing and marketing of politicians. His first assignment like the present one was a disaster. Ernest Ndukwe who had a chance of representing his people of Anambra South senatorial zone in the National Assembly was demarketed by Obasi. An otherwise bright engineer, Ndukwe, had an impressive CV and a good party, the All Progresssives Grand Alliance (APGA) to snatch victory at the polls. His opponent and the middling performer, Andy Ubah, had no chance to stop him in the 2015 contest. But Obasi blew the chance through antagonistic writings. The “crossover artist” saw his brief as he does today as a call to defamation. He abused Andy, wrote unprintable things about him as well as other contestants. His lack of media judgement and penchant for defamatory writings unwittingly pushed Andy into the embrace of the electorate. The good old Ndukwe did not just lose the election, but did so woefully. He is yet to recover from that.
Then came the former Governor Peter Obi, his latest victim. Since Obasi became visible in the propaganda machinery of the ex-governor, provoking wars for him, failure has dogged the man’s footsteps. Though both men, unlike Ndukwe, are two of a kind. Obi, against the dictates of good reason has refused to play the role of a statesman since leaving office. He has continued to prance around the political scene of the state, refusing all entreaties to remain an ex. He struts about as if he were the only ex governor alive. Ex-Governor Chris Ngige, even when he was not of the same party with Obi, and left in a circumstance that would provoke animosity in less charitable politician, disappeared from the scene once the court ruled. And he left some copious funds in the coffers of the state which Obi could not acknowledge and did not leave for his successor. Forget the lies of N75 billion bequest and the denial of making demands of N7 billion from Obiano as campaign expenditure.
In Enugu, ex Governor Sullivan Chime who performed more than all his contemporaries put together and brought in Ugwuanyi is yet to offend. He has since retired into his M9 in peace. In Abia, even with what ex-Governor Orji Uzor Kalu did for Theodore Orji (he took him from Kirikiri prison and made him governor) Abia does not fight wars of the Orjis. Even when Theodore Orji went as far as denying him(Orji Kalu) his academic certificate from ABSU. The list is endless.
No doubt, Obasi has no other engagement but Obiano. In his rose-coloured spectable he sees only Obi as the best thing that has happened to the state, even Nigeria. How naive? Sadly he claimed, like his band of naivete in the propaganda team, every achievement of Governor Obiano as effort of an illusory fund. Obiano built Awka flyovers because Obi left him money. Obiano navigated the state away from economic recession because Obi kept money. Obiano completed Agulu hotel because Obi paid in full before leaving. Obiano pays civil servants promptly because Obi left money. Obiano built Odeno, Nengo, Iyiora bridges etc because Obi left him money. Obiano installs street lights because he has Obi’s money. Obiano built the road to the oil rig in Aguleri because Obi kept money. Obiano brought insecurity in the state to an end because Obi started it. Investors who moved in droves into the state in the last 5 years as a result of the security and liberal policy of Obiano did so because Obi prepared the ground. Obiano should not have empanelled Vision 2070 since Obi’s ANIDS is yet to be carried through. Haba!
It is quite ridiculous when minions like Obasi, because of handouts from politicians, write conceitedly and without facts. Look at this: “I had written numerous articles asking Obiano why he abandoned ANIDS and otherwise jumped into a rudderless jamboree of planlessness”. This is curious. What was ANIDS? What impact did it make? Apart from soliciting funds from individuals and appropriating a huge chunk, what did it achieve? ANIDS became visible when the Anambra fleet was created. What happened to the vehicles? The ownership is now in private hands. BenFlo has since taken our patrimony. The much celebrated SabMiller is also in private hands. What could be worse abuse of office! Just because Obiano has chosen the path of peace that is why hack writers like Obasi will continue to delude himself. Who is Obasi to say he has been asking Obiano question? A mere pamphleteer who could not advance the fortunes of his political masters.
Only in Anambra have I seen hack writers who cannot tell a verb from a noun, an adjective from an adverb and still appropriate the cognomen – media influencers. It does not happen elsewhere. That is why an Obasi will venture out of obscurity and write with so much arrogance- “I had asked Obiano this, I had asked Obiano that”. He did not ask Obi why he did not build the state capital, including the Three Arm Zone, No International Stadium, No Airport, No International School, No International Conference Centre, but had to leave some princely amount for Obiano. Okwu ana agwa Ndi yard!
The brains of those who peddle these lies must be wired differently while worse with those who propagate the lies in the media like Obasi and co.
Always in hurry to arrogate to himself what he hasn’t got, Obasi would tell you he had even advised Obiano, but rather than heed his advice the Governor sent his media aides after him. Madu afugo ife! He will equally tag this piece as coming from such aides. Our people will call the likes of Obasi an Nkiti (emptiness). Nothing fits better.
Emeke Ekwenze
Otuocha, Anambra State.
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