Though life has remained hard, poverty etched on peoples’ faces and hopelessness seen in their eyes, one can notice a few changes in Owerri. Things have not been exactly the same as they were three years ago when yours truly left the country. However, a few things have remained unchanged. One of them that I consider the most irritating is the impunity with which the mobile police men stationed on the high ways ostensibly for the protection of the citizenry extort N20 from motorists. If any thing, their ‘duty posts’ seem to have multiplied or be multiplying by the day, especially along the Owerri -Umuahia road en route to Mbaise. I have to mention this particularly as that was the road I plied the most during my stay in Imo State  since I had to commute from my home in Mbaise to Owerri almost on daily basis. 

It beggars belief that this type of thing still takes place in Nigeria in spite of all the talk about better conditions of service for the Police and ridding the same of this disgraceful practice. I take my experience of the Police in Imo State as a metaphor for much of what is still happening in other parts of Nigeria with regards to police presence on the roads. Moreover, I had cause to visit Ogun State and the story is not much different. What is even more ridiculous is that armed robbery and car-snatching have remained unabated despite the heavy presence of these uniformed men within yards from each other on our roads in Imo. It is curious to think of what it would be like if these often shabbily-dressed gun-welding N20 collecting officers are to be ordered out of our highways. The Inspector -General of Police Mike Okiro and the Imo State Police commissioner should be told in clear terms that their policies have largely failed and are still failing in this direction. Perhaps, another line of action would be advisable at this juncture.

The first recommendation by this writer would be the complete removal of these men from the roads. They have lost all relevance on the highways and have become almost the same with the common criminals and car-jackers they are out to nab. The taxi drivers suffer terribly at their hands. What for this writer is more outrageous is the matter-of-factly resignation and ready ‘understanding’ with which this issue is treated. Some of the commuters themselves would be the people to reprimand the drivers should he delay in responding accordingly to the unspoken wishes of the officer. It is a sad scenario. A heated exchange of words can easily develop into a brawl, either between the drivers and their passengers or between passengers themselves.

That is another striking feature of the average Igboman. He is angry, frustrated and bitter, and he seems poised to take it out on the one seating next to him. When Fela sang about the common man in Nigeria ‘suffering and smiling’, things have not become this unbearable. Now it is a different ball game. These days, one would see the suffering boldly tattooed on the patched skins of fellow country men and women but not much of the smiles. The average shop keeper and supermarket attendant in Owerri is certainly not given to ready smiles. They are economical with a kind word and a gracious mien. That is why you could easily be told off if your enquiry or request sounds a bit different from the expected run-of-the-mill. What is there to smile about any way?

Why would they smile when many of them have gone for days without breakfast? Why would anybody be nice when their electric bulbs and other gadgets have become merely decorative features of their homes? Why would they be in a pleasant mood when their ordinarily mosquito-troubled night sleep is further disturbed by the hum of the generating sets of neighbours? I spent a few weeks at the World Bank Housing Estate which supposedly is one of the elite sections of Owerri and it was shocking to note that such a residential area is not unused to staying several weeks without power.  Owning a power generator has become essential hence almost every home has one. The cacophony of the noise coming from these generating sets and their unmistakably pungent fumes have all become part of the night. It is all normal and the way of life here, take it or leave it, I am told.

The Clean and Green Campaign of the Ikedi Ohakim led administration seem to be yielding positive results as Owerri is markedly tidier now than in 2005 when last I visited. The State Government deserves to be commended for this initiative. I still vividly remember that the entrance to St Pauls’ Church along Douglas Road then, became a rubbish dump of sorts. Bags of refuse were not only dumped at the middle of the road right in front of the church gate, but also were set ablaze there on the spot. The odour oozing out of the decomposing filth combined with the acrid fumes from the burnings were horribly nauseating. What a sorry sight it was then.

However, to my pleasant surprise, all such “emergency” refuse disposal sites that sporadically sprang up during the Udenwa administration, were no longer to be seen. At the time, Owerri that once prided itself as the cleanest Nigerian city was a caricature of itself. It looks a bit different now. On the major streets and street corners were to be found metal refuse bins often with the NDDC inscription on them, which I assumed were emptied on regular basis as they were not overflowing with rubbish. It was clear in many ways, that order and concern for the environment is gradually graining ground in Imo State and among Ndi Imo. It also gives one the impression that Ikedi Ohakim is at least doing something. 

In any case, I could not reconcile this impression of Ohakim with what I saw in Owerri on the last sanitation day I witnessed which was on Saturday August 30, 2008. One would ordinarily think that before embarking on any sanitation exercise, plans and machinery must have been put in place to ensure effective and safe disposal of whatever rubbish will  be collected, especially given the currency that hygiene and the environment has gained under the state-sponsored clean and green initiative. But that is not to be.  It was rather shocking therefore to see huge mountains of refuse (contents of gutters and household wastes) abandoned on several streets of Owerri all through that Saturday and even to the next day Sunday 31 August. Douglas Road and Royce were two such examples.

The foul stench was insufferable.  Pedestrians and Motorists not excluding the ubiquitous Okada men had to manage the narrow space left between the rubbish heap sitting pretty on the middle of the highway and the edge of the gutter. That little space had to be made use of by vehicles going in opposite directions and it was no surprise that a few buses did bash into each other, followed by fights between the two drivers and their conductors. It would have been funny were it not so pathetic. Talk of a scene straight from an 18^th Century horror movie. It would be more interesting though to hear how the Imo State Government would explain this.

What is more worrying is the helpless look on the faces of our people who see nothing wrong in the whole system. It is that “no so life be” attitude, that “wetin persin go do” disposition, that “this Nigeria sef, only God go save us” idea that bothers me sick. Would it be too much to expect the Imo State government to make policy choices and effectively carry them through to completion? Is it too naive to expect them to continually strive to match their words with actions? There is so much that can dampen the spirit after visiting Nigeria, eastern Nigeria more especially, so much to be angry about. It is not about seeing the glass half empty or half full. We still have a long way to go. The sycophants would certainly disagree. Though he has been in office for less than 2 years, Ikedi Ohakim has to my utter bewilderment been proclaimed the “best governor” Imo has ever had! A banner to this effect is been displayed conspicuously in Owerri. Would anyone be surprised if tomorrow therefore Yar’adua receives his own award as the “healthiest Nigerian President” since the beginning of time? That is Nigeria for you. There are pockets of improvement here and there no doubt but they are like a drop in the bucket. However, as hard and tough as it may be, we must not give up. Not now or ever.

Robot  # 1 | 15.09.2008 22:28

Though life has remained hard, poverty etched on peoples’ faces and hopelessness seen in th...Read the full article.