By Okechukwu Keshi Ukegbu
Every period of the history has an”urgency of now”. This term was popularized by a black American civil rights activist,Martin Luther King Jr. This was contained in his message that has shaped political and civil rights causes. It is the message in which Barack Obama’s presidential aspiration was predicated on years after.
In 1967, King speaking from the pulpit at the historic Riverside Church in New York City declared thus:”We are now faced with the fact, my friends, that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there is such a thing as being too late.
He continued: “Procrastination is still the thief of time. Life often leaves us standing bare, naked, and dejected with a lost opportunity. The tide in the affairs of men does not remain at flood- it ebbs. We may cry out desperately for time to pause in her passage, but time is adamant to every plea and rushes on. Over the bleached bones and jumbled residues of numerous civilization are written the pathetic words,” Too late. “There is an invisible book of life that faithfully records our vigilance or neglect”.
This message resurfaced recently at Umuahia Township Stadium when a fresh primaries of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) were conducted to fill the vacuum created by late Prof. Uche Eleazar Ikonne, the deceased gubernatorial candidate of the party.
Chief Okey Ahiwe, after emerging the gubernatorial candidate of the party declared thus” I give glory to God who has made it possible for us to witness a day like this.”Today is a very important day for the Peoples Democratic Party in Abia State. Today, we have dumbfounded those who predicted that we will be consumed by crisis. Today, we are leaving this stadium, more united, more determined and more resolute to retain our pre-eminent position as the dominant party in Abia State.
“You are all aware of the circumstances that necessitated today’s primaries. I will therefore like to pay special tribute to the memory of our dearly departed brother, Prof. Eleazar Uche Ikonne, whose demise meant that we are holding another primary to elect another candidate today. I pay homage to the memory of Prof. Ikonne. I commiserate with his family and loved ones and pray God to grant his soul sweet repose”.
Chief Ahiwe’s message is highly characterised by hope as he strongly assures that the PDP will win the elections in the state, adding that the state remains a PDP state. The following lines buttress his assurance”We are not novices to the system neither are we greenhorns. I have been a part of the inner caucus of Governor Okezie Victor Ikpeazu for the last 7 years so I understand the dynamics of Governance from the grassroots to the highest levels. I was an integral part of Late Prof. Uche Ikonne’s Campaign at the Strategic level and I fully understand the demands and dictates of running a comprehensive campaign. I will not drop the ball. I know that we have grounds to cover and I am ready to hit the ground running.
“The focus of our Campaign shall be to consolidate on the laudable work done by our Leader, Dr. Okezie Victor Ikpeazu while expanding the scope of service to the people”.
God willing, when Gov Okezie Ikpeazu’s administration elapses on May 29, Abians will be comfortable and relaxed that the person who succeeds him will sustain his legacies. This is so because Chief Okey Ahiwe has promised thus” There is no gainsaying the fact that security remains the bedrock of any development plan. We thank our Leader Dr. Okezie Victor Ikpeazu for entrenching a culture of peaceful co-existence in Abia State and as a priority, we will continue on the trajectory that he has laid and ensure that Abia State continues to remain the most peaceful State in the South East and one of the most peaceful in the country.
In education and youth empowerment,he has promised to pursue and sustain the highest standards of Education and human capital development, adding “We shall not allow any gaps whatsoever in the functional development of our youths in whose future we must make necessary investments to build new generations of leadership champions”.
He has promised to rejig and bring it at par with a transport scheme that would be obtainable in other developed cities.” Also, Public Private Partnerships will be explored for a viable, modern and sustainable transport system for our cities”.
There is hope, of course, a very strong hope for Abians as the agricultural process will be mechanized to make it attractive to our youths and reduce the tediousness of traditional farming models. This is as special attention will be paid to the Agricultural Development Initiatives to ensure that they are capable of attracting available support and input from the Federal Government and other Development Partners.
More cheering is that Chief Ahiwe’s government will be participatory as government’s policies will be substantially drawn from the wishes of the people. This is to ensure a robust participatory government.
Chief Okey Ahiwe’s urban renewal stride will include Development Commissions for our Urban Cities of Aba, Umuahia, Ohafia and others, and to pursue a holistic development including provision of critical infrastructure working with professionals and relevant development partners. Because of this, Chief Okey Ahiwe has promised “we hall endeavour to ensure that our rural areas are not neglected to stem rural-urban migration and guarantee quality of life for our rural dwellers”. This is because in developing economies, emphasis is highly accorded to rural development because of the number of population concentrated in this setting.
Abians, because of these laudable proposals by Chief Okey Ahiwe, the pull is very strong and compelling to support his gubernatorial ambition. We have a very sure bet in Chief Okey Ahiwe.
