Orji’s Eight Years of Action
The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. When it is said that truth is bitter, it is not bitter to all. It is sweet to some and sour to others. Especially where people feel so indifferent in the face of evil, the man who pronounces the truth may not be popular. In real situations if experience is anything to go by, it is evident that many hedge from the truth for their selfish reasons. Martin Luther comes to our rescue again when he stated that, “in order to be true to one’s conscience and true to God, a righteous man has no alternative but to refuse to cooperate with an evil system.”
By the foregoing, it takes a man determined to go down in history as a peacemaker and pacesetter to stand firm for justice to be done on issues no matter whose ox is gored.
Such was the case with the governorship situation in Abia where two out of the three senatorial zones had taken their turns and one was left out. It is shocking and ironical to believe that somebody boasted that the zone will be in such subjugation for many years while Nigeria is known to have fought for other African countries to gain freedom, being more frontline than the frontline states.
While the quest to tilt the power balance towards the southern senatorial zone remains hazy, Chief T. A. Orji vehemently stated in many of his speeches that equity, justice and fair-play would come to play.
When a few of us who are writers condemned and mooted this anomaly, harping on the need for a positive change, we were cautioned especially when the topic pointed to issues on power shift. The question was, are you sure that the power that will back you in the rotation in favour of Ukwa na Ngwa? Having been a Government House insider and a T. A. Orji watcher for long, I have never ever heard or seen the governor prevaricates or equivocates on minor issues how much more on a serious thing as power-shift. He is a man guided by truth and high moral principles and fully believes the Igbo dictum of Egbe Bere Ugo Bere, translated to be live and let’s live. No condition is permanent. Change is constant and the change symbol in Abia today is akin to the biblical saying about the stone refused by the builders becoming the head cornerstone. Ukwa na Ngwa have the mandate and a power tour instead of tussle is on in the state, all to the glory of God. Today, there is a reversal of the funny expression of always a bride’s maid but never a bride and other sobriquets like Ukwa na Ngwa as the land of deputies. All is history now!
It is on record that Chief T. A. Orji insisted and the leadership of Abia PDP saw the need and concurred. We may not go back to the problems and setbacks suffered but it is scandalous that most beneficiaries opposed this novel idea for selfish reasons.
All Abia sons and daughters, mothers, fathers, clergy and laity should further affirm and extend the already existing equity law and practice in cultural union meetings, church groups and other political gatherings. Some people argue that zoning leads to mediocrity as it may not always bring out the best but the gains are enormous. In the efforts to correct wrongs sacrifices have to be made. This is not the first time where Chief T. A. Orji has come out to stand firmly on issues that will move Abia forward. In many cases, such decisions and actions are first case situations.
Recall that the civil service, his constituency was for the first time promoted massively from one level to the other.