No king or emperor will sit back and watch his kingdom or dynasty crumble without a fight; the reason the bravest and proudest of kings considers suicide in favour of humiliant surrender to avoid the shame of captivity and the mock­ery that goes with it.
Prior to Senator Theodore Ahamefule Orji’s emergence as the people’s governor and liberator in 2007; in a manner akin to the feudalistic era, few individuals in Abia State capitalized on fatalism and low litera­cy level of the people then to enrich them­selves at the expense of the majority of us.
Pitiably, some ancient kingdoms that make up Abia State such as Ibeku, found themselves at the mercy of one self-ac­claimed prince who not only enslaved the people but also enriched himself through coercive land appropriation. This account­ed to why he laid claim to the ownership of approximately 3000 acres of land in a king­dom that has less than 200, 000 population and about 5000 acres of land.
An average Ibeku family was impov­erished and incapacitated; men trampled upon with their wives and daughters in­duced fiscally and subsequently snatched from them. Rather than go to school, chil­dren who constitute the future of this great ancient kingdom were exposed to cattle rearing and afterward became less useful to the society due to their poor academic level which circumscribed them from compet­ing effectively with their contemporaries from other clans despite their proximity to town.
The youths were battered and enslaved and their future stolen. With obvious rai­son d’etre; the poverty stricken youths find solace in their fathers and forefathers mud houses while the remnant lands, they help­lessly sold to non-indigenous merchants; the reason 50% of upstairs and good houses in Umuahia till the emergence of Sen. T.A Orji as governor in 2007 belong to non-indigenes, 40% to this Ibeku self-acclaimed prince while the rest of our battered fathers collectively owned the remaining 10%.
Except Golden Guinea and Ceramics, the conspicuous infrastructures in Umua­hia, the state capital were Garaki, Slaughter house, Timber shed and Isi-gate market until mid 90s when Garaki and slaughter house were relocated to Okigwe by the then military administrator before Sen. Orji re­located Isi-Gate main market and Timber shed to Ubani and Ahieke respectively to open up the ancient town for development.
Against all expectations, instead of pro­viding genuine developmental precursors such as infrastructures that ought to have accelerated development in Abia State, Golden Guinea breweries which was es­tablished by Premier of the defunct East­ern Region, Dr. Michael Okpara was shut down in 2003 following a contrived fire outbreak during the administration that preceded Sen. Orji’s.
Instead of seeking ways to revive the facility, in a subtle manner to further de­bilitate financially the already battered Abia youths and keep them in abject pov­erty ad infinitum, the then administration deceived and made them to believe that the company had been sold to a private company; a claim discovered to be false through the committee set up by Sen. Orji who was the governor from 2007-2015.
Then in line with the socio-political ide­ology of that administration, Abia youths including graduates were empowered with motorcycles, wheel-barrows, machetes, diggers, head pans, shovels and hoes and were encouraged into menial jobs, while some who dared to venture into politics were made to serve as house boys and girls to the then powerful family for a period of time before being forced into oath taking in exchange for political positions.
Who gets what and when in Abia State then became exclusive right of the most powerful family in accordance with this Ibeku acclaimed prince. Qualified Abia youths were ignored in most occasions for political appointments in favour of youths from other states. Abia elder statesmen were ridiculed, labeled Abuja politicians and declared persona non grata for speak­ing against the unrestrained behavior of that administration.
To add salt to these bleeding injuries, Abia State economy was badly decimated as a result of the collapse of cordiality be­tween the state and the federal government which saw the transferring of our oil wells to Rivers State’s already robust economy. Abia State polity was polarized to the wor­rying extent that our demographic and psychographic similarities were ignored and once peaceful state suddenly collapsed into a theater of war until 2007 when Sen. Orji emerged the governor of Abia State.
Of course, inheriting a state without in­frastructures and already designed/struc­tured to perpetually enslave and impover­ish the people as well as being the head of government constituted 100% by the god father with long list of his personal and family obligations to meet was going to be enormous battle for someone with differ­ent ideology.
Having sacrificed his integrity few months to his election as the then Gov­ernor of Abia State in the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s, detention where he was detained by the anti graft of­ficials who were seeking vital information from a principal officer to help unravel the financial misappropriation of his predeces­sor who then was under immunity and spending another eight years satisfying his and fellow emperors insatiable appetites would amount to self-immolation for Sen. T.A Orji; the obvious reason he chose the people, precipitating the famous liberation slogan of 2010.
Of course, breaking the monopoly was going to be difficult as the emperors being aware of the irrelevance and political obliv­ion starring them at the faces were not go­ing to sit back without a fight. When their efforts to instigate the older populace and the Abia elder statesmen against Sen. Orji’s government failed, they quickly engaged multiplicity of media and pseudo hatchet men, subsequently established several on­line portals to complement the effort of the only traditional medium in their position to antagonize Sen. Orji’s government and his policies as well as misinform the pub­lic through their opinion leaders who set, formed and primed agenda for the unsus­pecting masses.
Their plan was to rubbish Sen. Orji’s un­precedented achievements as well as proj­ect his government appallingly, but that was not successful especially to the edu­cated and advanced populace largely be­cause of the exceptional steps wisely taken by him.
Firstly, the warring parties in Abia State were reconciled and the dignities of the dis­graced elder statesmen were restored. They were given sense of belonging by Sen. Orji who engaged them on advisory role as well as ensured that they functioned in that ca­pacity effectively.
Secondly, the once battered Abia youths who prior to that time were surviving from hand-to-mouth received lifeline and finan­cial breakthrough through various youth empowerment programmes initiated by Sen. Orji which transformed Abia State to egalitarian state with the making of well
 over 50, 000 Abia youths mil­lionaires. Wheel-barrow, ma­chete, hoe, shovel and head pan empowerments were replaced with buses, cabs, tricycles and farming equipment to farmers. Mud houses which permeate the entire land were replaced with contemporary houses and the once cattle rearers became proud owners of big businesses including hotels to the shame of the emperors whose plan was to remain the power brokers ad infinitum.
Thirdly, idolatry which held sway and which youths and in­dividuals aspiring for political positions were held in bondage was discarded by Sen. Orji who ensured that qualified youths participated freely and elected or appointed on merit without swearing anachronistic oath of allegiance to any godfather.
Fourthly, priority was placed on the building and renovating of infrastructures which the em­peror ignored, such as hospitals, schools, courts, ministries, gov­ernment house, markets, E.T.C. This saw the establishment of infrastructures referred to as Legacy Projects-the building and/or renovation of 44 schools both primary and secondary schools- building, renovating and equipping of 712 health centers such as the Abia State Specialist Hospital and Diag­nostic Center, Umuahia, Dialy­sis and Ophthalmology Center, Umuahia, Modern Eye Center, Umuahia, Abia State Specialist Hospital and Diagnostic Center Annex, Amachara, Abia State Specialist Hospital and Diag­nostic Center Aba, and Ahiaba Okpuala Health Center, Isiala Ngwa, just to mention but few.
Fifthly, the opening of Umua­hia for proper development befitting a state capital with the relocation of Timber and Al­lied market and Isi-gate main market which were formerly situated at the heart of the city to Ahiaeke and Ubani respectively where Sen. Orji built ultra-modern infrastructures with the help of private partnership. The allocation to a private establish­ment, the abandoned former Gariki land for the construction of the famous Abia mall which has been completed and open for rent to interested individu­als.
Sixthly, the expeditious trans­formation of agriculture in Abia State with the establishment of the famous liberation farms which ensure that Abia State produced the best cocoa as well as eradicate illiteracy and ensure the massive enrollment of pu­pils and students in primary and secondary education which led to UNESCO rating Abia State the fifth literacy state in Nigeria from its lowest previous rank­ing.
These contributed substan­tially to why Sen. Orji was voted en masse by the people of Abia Central Senatorial District while his accusers have struggled to make any political impact since their demystification and have shamefully lost in all the elec­tions they had contested with every Tom, Dick and Harry, de­spite the campaign of calumny against Sen. Orji which they or­chestrated through their online portals and their newspaper or­ganisations using various attack dogs.
Except village idiots, who in his right sense of mind will take seriously the recent media campaign questioning the in­tegrity of the EFCC for refusing to dignify their frivolous peti­tions against an innocent man currently being championed by their recently recruited attack dog, Mr. Igwe Samuel Obinna through their irresponsible news organization? Even the in­tegrity of the individuals behind this recent media propaganda leaves much to be desired.
While one is having a pend­ing court case instituted by the EFCC against him for defraud­ing one young man a whopping sum of N36 million through the sale of six acres of land already acquired for the federal gov­ernment railway project as well as multiplicity of land related court cases in various cadres in Umuahia, the other is facing a court case instituted by the EFCC for financial embezzle­ment of state funds, inability to prove genuine ownership of N5.6billion and ownership of various business conglomerates while in office as well as altera­tion of asset declaration form.
As this latest attack dog con­tinues to make caricature of his old self through various inter­views and articles being pub­lished solely by their newspaper organization week in, week out, Sen. T.A Orji has continued to assume the status of an institu­tion, growing so large in the hearts and minds of Nigerians through his endearing legisla­tive performance which has seen him sponsor eight bills, one of them being the famous Food Security bill which when enact­ed will ensure a healthy society, and a robust population.
Because it will certainly re­duce drastically and/or elimi­nate completely the menace of malnourishment, morbidity, neo-natal mortality, high rate of child and maternal mortal­ity which Nigeria is the second largest contributor with the loss of about 2, 300 under-five-year-olds and 145 women of child­bearing age every single day ac­cording to the current UNICEF record. In other words, about 8.395 million and 52, 925 an­nual infants and maternal mor­tality will be prevented.
In just 365 days as a senator, T.A Orji initiated a scholarship scheme that will produce 240 graduates in four years as well as the continuous empower­ment of his constituents with vocational equipment that will gradually ensure their financial freedom.
In his ranting, and the alacrity with which he took to the social media to display the sudden col­lapse of Umuahia/Ikot Ekpene federal road and in his usual subversive manner, attributed it to Sen. Orji’s “ineptitude” (sic), one had expected him to be bold enough to also tell his Face Book docile admirers that through the persuasive demand of Sen. Orji and other capable Abia NASS representatives, that the Federal Government through the Fed­eral Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA), has requested for expression of interest for con­sultancy service for the main­tenance/repairs of critical failed sections, along Umuahia-Ari­am, Ikot Ekpene road in Abia State as advertised by FERMA on Thisday newspaper edition of Monday, June 13, 2016.
To his shame, he has con­tinued in his stoking business without mentioning that the same agency had also requested for expression of interest for the rehabilitation of Egbelu-Adae­lu road, off expressway, Abia State as well as the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs invitation for prequalification and direct tendering for works, goods and expression of interest for con­sultancy services for the 2016 capital projects for the design and supervision of Orie-Ngodo-Lamara road in Umunneochi LGA, Mbom-Ameke-Olokoro-Umuikea roads, 7up/Umuola-Nkwo Elechi Ohuhu road-5km and the consultancy services for training and empowerment in agriculture and other value chain in Abia State.
This latest attack dog who also parades himself as com­rade and leader of social me­dia World Ibeku Congress and Agenda for Abia Advancement has failed to tell us what indel­ible impact his sponsors have made in the lives of Abia youths. Are there scholarships or voca­tional programmes to improve their lives by these emperors he is massaging their battered egos? I stand to be corrected, ex­cept the infrastructures built by the late Sam Mbakwe, the then governor of the Old Imo State, every other conspicuous project in Abia State were initiated and built by Sen. Orji.
What their former attack dogs have failed to achieve in the past will certainly not be achieved by this latest recruit. Like others before him, he will certainly be used and dumped, and gradually he will slide into oblivion as no one is ready to dignify him henceforth with comments. For Igwe Samuel Obinna to boldly made refer­ence to the baseless allegation made against Sen. Orji by this same Ibeku acclaimed prince who raped his future with that of his children to buttress his ill-fated campaign in the Sun newspapers of Wednesday 22, June 2016 shows the charlatan­ism in him.
I understand that Senator Theodore Orji Ochendo CON has become an institution in Abia State and it is therefore un­derstandable that any Tom, Dick or Harry that wants relevance in Abia State must pretend to be at­tacking him; one of the obvious reasons Igwe Samuel Obinna is struggling to be heard after his initial false alarm of assassina­tion plan against him by Sen. Orji failed to attract sympathy and recognition to him. Have you wondered why that same character who cried murder in 2014 is now roaming the street of Abia State freely? Does it mean that those hired to assas­sinate him then have all died? Igwe Samuel Obinna a word is enough for the wise.
Don Norman Obinna is the media adviser to Senator T A Orji