By Mr. Dikeukwu F M
Analyst/Public Affairs Commentator.
It has been unveiled to the Imo public that the ill fated regime of Rt. Hon Emeka Ihedioha took a whooping sum of N3.5b as loan in the name of the State. Going for loan Or borrowing money for the purpose of the general development/interest(s) of the State is not a crime but what is worrisome here is that the effect with regard to the acclaimed purpose of this particular loan taken is not felt and worst still is that the said loan was uncounted for by then government.
Since the exposition of this vice, many die-hard supporters of Chief Ihedioha like Messrs Collins Opuruzor & Ikenna Onuoha, have laboriously struggled to cover this heist involving their assumed St. Emeka Ihedioha including resorting to wanton propaganda against the Governor, Government and the IMHA just to camouflage or divert attention from this crime. What captures one’s fancy in this whole saga is the double speak of the defenders of Chief Ihedioha. At the initial stage, this absurd action was met with very stiff denial that no loan of this magnitude was ever obtained by the regime of Sir Ihedioha. As more details were revealed, the defenders started caving in with some feeble explanations linking the Central Bank of Nigeria to the loan. There wouldn’t have been any hara-kiri had the truth been told first by the PDP apologists that the loan accessed by that regime according to them was for the Accelerated Agricultural Development Scheme (AADS) And the Commercial Agricultural Credit (CAC) Scheme, sponsored by the Central Bank of Nigeria to facilitate Imo Entrepreneurs. By the initial concerted efforts by the supporters of Chief Ihedioha to cover up this misdemeanor, they unfortunately succeeded in making a pimple look like a boil. This denial plus the name calling on the Government and the subsequent blackmail of the Leadership of the IMHA all aimed at parrying over this dubious act, became the tonic that heightened the inquisitiveness of the good people of the State to insist on unravelling the truth in this matter. Now that it is ascertained that a loan of N3.5b was obtained, the next issue is for the defenders to go ahead to pinpoint to Imolites the things (tangible and intangible) that were done with this loan and the anticipated benefits to the State. Mr. Ikenna Onuoha in his attempt to further defend this punishable act of concealment, turned to heap unfounded blames and condemnation on the Shared Prosperity Government and unabashedly questioned the veracity of the action of Government in probing the said loan. For his weak and untenable disgraceful defence, he equated the Shared Prosperity Government’s inquest into this dirty deal as administrative ineptitude, diversion of attention to cover up the killings, cowardice to face the economic realities of the time, and such other irreverent (IKONU) excuses for want of tangible facts. What these defenders of evil pretentiously forgot is that to ignore evil is to become accomplice to it.
One would want to ask when it became an aberration for a succeeding government to look into the books of it’s predecessor. This we all know is the acceptable standard practice world over. If therefore nothing is hidden in this loan saga, why would anybody be obsessed by the action of the government of the day. From the foregoing and before all discerning minds, there is more to this loan saga than the eyes can see which probably led to this level of bitter agitation from the PDP quarters against a normal practice of government. Honestly Carl Jung was right when he said that, People can do anything, no matter how absurd, to avoid facing their Souls.
In the light of the above, we need no soothsayer to foretell that all the laborious efforts put up is to belie the truth that the said loan obtained in the name of the State under the short lived Chief Ihedioha regime was used not for the publicized purpose but probably for some political settlements during the heat of the election tribunals.
In conclusion, Imolites would wish that the Shared Prosperity Government in keeping with it’s avowed policy Thrust anchored on the 3R Mantra of Recovery, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction, take all necessary but legal steps to free the State from being unduly encumbered over this unexplainable loan.
