A new nuance is required and a
new reality is descending regarding Imo State political discourse. This reality
is born out of a consensus that regression has taken hold and known secular
mechanisms of transformation have failed Imo State. As a result the purpose of
this piece is to move further beyond platitudes and commence tentative steps in
developing the concept of Geospirituality (geopolitics reflecting spirituality
of variables/events/processes) as a panacea to leadership problem of Imo State.
No doubt a spectre is haunting Imo State, the solution is known and
deliberately ignored. This solution is now offered in full.
Crucible of Disaster
History has confirmed that after
the civilian administration of Chief Sam Onunaka Mbakwe, Imo State has
continued on a regressive and downward trend. Even erstwhile political
opponents of Chief Mbakwe have reversed their conclusion to acknowledge that
the territorial integrity and dignity of the peoples contained is abused. On
almost every indicator or comparative index imaginable in the last 3 decades, Imo
State continues to lag behind global standards. The most disturbing issue is
the acceptance and melding of the negative practices and experiences as the
norm. Thus Imo State becomes an exclusive space of abnormality. A recent article
in one of the dailies summarised this abnormality turned into norm.
Spatial Pattern of Political
Experience
The confusion projected by failed
expectation has the tendency of either increasing the scope alternative positive
outcome or impose a depressed outlook for the majority where a laboured point
of a single positive initiative turns into object of melodrama by failed
leadership. For bruised and battered citizens though almost hopeless care less
about the state, its operatives and its existence as a reliable vehicle of
positive transformation. Such lethargy extends its grip in the usual conclusion
that experience is not unique rather a dominant variable in the geopolitical
neighbourhood.
Intellectually, this is akin to
the First Law of Geography which states that "Everything is related to everything else, but near things are
more related than distant things”. This implies without context that if excellence
and ugly variables at a give time take root in a part of the neighbourhood then
the rest are condemned to be infected. Of course evidence that this is not
always the case exist, exceptions emerge. Variables are also disaggregated and
differential to give room for wider interpretation and performance. In the case
of Imo State, the question will be if ugliness of leadership is the neighbourhood
norm, how ugly is Imo State ugliness?
Let us take two variables. Based
on various sources, it is established that pensions and salaries respectively
have not been paid in full to recipient for more than 3 months. It could be
longer but not less. This is not an unusual trend and this in no way suggest
acceptance rather express an observation that has dominated over time. In a sense
Imo State is now known as a space for non-payment of pensions and salaries. A
great shame! If pensions and salaries cannot be paid, then which process can be
designed and executed with efficiency?
Pan-African Regression
One of the most ignored
dimensions of the sadness emerging from poor leadership is the erroneous
assumption that awareness of malfeasance in this part of Africa is restricted
to it geography. This is untrue, rather is given vent and ammunition to the
long conclusion by global stakeholders that Africans cannot get their acts
together. This example also testifies the difficulty of convincing anyone in Diaspora,
Africa, Europe, Asia and South America that something positive with wider
geographical footprint is emerging from Africa & Africans within. This is public
relations disaster sustained!
While all Africans or all
Nigerians cannot be tarnished by Imo State experience of the current regime
form of governance, the citizens and stakeholders carry a huge burden
individually and collectively. This unenviable task is no less painful as much
of the anticipated decision on the next move and how to execute it becomes problematic.
It is also difficult to even suggest which other option remains on the table in
the confirmed event of a failed state.
The pain is equally inflamed by
glorious histories of past achievements including recent past heroic
contributions by Ndigbo of this part towards Nigerian independence, actions in
the short-lived Republic of Biafra and during the resulting war with Nigeria.
It seemed like these events never happened, that these sacrifices are nought
and a people no longer exist since they can no longer achieve. Rather a stupid
narrative is taking hold lauding progressive individuals at the expense of a
devastated collective on a backward match under a culture that is increasing
accepting regression as ideal and positive transformation as anathema.
Failed Solutions
There is no secular solution to
the leadership problem in Imo State. Democracy as a secular god will not
deliver Imo State, therefore more or less of it will make no visible change.
This is not only a given, it is an established fact. The problem is quite deep
and entrenched that soft processes are eviscerated while majority are misled to
pay attention to physical maldevelopment.
While spatial distribution of various variables of physical
maldevelopment has increased; efficiency, reliability, accountability and
values remains sub-standard, qualitatively abhorrent and simply insulting to
our collective dignity.
Confronting Forces of Power
One of the main issues
confronting post-independent Africa is preponderance of ignorance especially intellectuals
on the nature of temporal power i.e. political power. For the majority brought
up on malevolent diet of ‘technical education’ laced in cultural amnesia & western
democracy potion, they have a romantic and utopian view of power where all
boxes are ticked and the power machine swings into action with expected
results. They always looking North attesting to the ‘beauties’ of democracy in
the United States blindly avoiding its genocidal stamp and to European
dalliance while absolving its centuries of industrial killings of the innocent.
These unfortunate testaments of minds born in suppress contradictions and
uncontested impositions compound basic awareness of unique history, unique
environments and the special role of time.
Power of any form is contested by
vested interests and vested interests commit fully to the pursuit of power
through formidable vehicles of which opposition is only tolerated as the
environment permits. The vested interests are interlocking networks of
individuals mostly men who maximise their position, knowledge, awareness and
above popular ignorance over time to converge around instruments of power
through the economic, political, military and cultural dimensions of a state.
For them power is a zero-sum game, there is no opposition, there is no dissent
and there is no compromise.
There is no romance in the
pursuit of power regardless of its ideology or disposition or configuration of
the political system. Power is not about systems, it is about domination of the
majority with any means necessary including investment in dark/satanic forces
of this world. No person or group of persons shares or gives up power without
defiant struggle at times to the death. The question now is why is power the
object for struggle and fatal consequences? This is a question Imo State citizens
refuse to confront? Furthermore this is a question for majority of Imo State
citizen who proclaim Christianity as faith.
Subterfuge of Separation of
Church & State
Either a person is Christian or
not. One is by virtue of baptism and/or turned blind or ignorant through
failure to accept the positive implications of baptism. The last 500 years
opened a rupture in the erstwhile dominance of power in the western world and former
powers linked to the Church was overthrown violently imposing a new order which
at its core is the elimination of Jesus Christ (not just any God) in the
affairs of man. You read of Rights of
Man, what of Rights of God?
Organised programme of usurpation completed the rounds
with Bolshevik Revolution which overthrew Russian Empire under Tsar Nicholas in
1917. Pay attention to the fact that no viable
Catholic monarch exists in Europe! This disposition was codified in the 1648
Treaty of Westphalia. This is the point which is lost to many Christians. Who
doesn’t want Jesus Christ in the affairs of the State and will not be or
represent his opposite? Who is the opposite of Christ who is not satanic?
Many claim ‘separation of Church &
State’ as US patrimony but who wrote her constitution and why did the writers
who claimed to profess Christianity eliminated God from it? If there is only
one Faith/Religion of Christ at the time, who/what was the competing
religion/god warranting Christ’s elimination or equalisation with another? What
secret spiritual association did writers of US constitution belong to? Whose
interest were they serving by banishing God from their constitution if they
were so much of Christians? If they were Christians i.e. US a Christian State,
why build a statue to Liberty in New York rather than to Christ? Ignorance
kills generations! Hosea (4:6) was and is on the money!
There are many Christians in Imo
State who among them probably possess highest accolade in learning from
prestigious universities around the world including leaders. Their full
expression of Christian spirituality is arid or morbid in their expressions and
they fall hook, line and sinker to deceptions in the name of intellectual
progress. Unfortunately they fail miserably to notice a raging spiritual war
which is waged for the total dominance of temporal/political power which
determines the direction of economy, education, culture, family, environment
and practically everything is shaped. This spiritual war continues to haemorrhage
Imo State citizens of dignity, honour and integrity while they blindly pontificate
woefully on their bondage.
In Imo State like in many other
parts of the world, vested interests with their interlocking network of
powerful individuals mostly men with determined and formidable anti-Christian
credentials have come to dominate political power. They have also sent the
so-called Christians into submission, fear and panic to the point that no
productive initiative in employed to counter the offensive based on the promise
of their master, Jesus Christ. What may seem easy like taking over the public
space at a given period for expression of the same faith is avoided. What is
clear is that Christians in Imo State for the most part are ignorant,
disorganised and dislocated. Many so-called Christians waste time tearing
themselves on minor differences rather than converge on their common raison
d’être, body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ.
As a result of this strategic
disorganisation, Imo State leadership will be dominated by the opposition. By
opposition is implied those who see God of Jesus Christ, His Church and His
Laws as obstacle to their enterprise. The inaction of Christian leadership to
deliberate, plan, decide and deploy effectively the spiritual weapon systems to
counter regressive leadership in Owerri simply puts Imo State on the reverse
for many years to come.
It is important to ask Christians
in Imo State, “How did Emperor Constantine take power in Rome in 312 AD? How did 313 AD Edict
of Milan come about which legitimised for the first time the Faith and
Church in Roman Empire after almost 300 years of persecution?”
Rise and Shine
Imo State belongs to Christ. Public
confirmation and consolidation process must start in Owerri. The state which belongs
to her citizens who claim to belong to Christ therefore belongs to the same Christ
and doesn’t need any act of law for citizens to justify the ownership or to reclaim
it if they have faith. Does the Imo Christian what he/she has in Jesus Christ?
The only hope for real progress
and genuine transformation in Imo State will emerge from effective, active &
collective leadership of the Church including Catholic & non-Catholic.
Clear understanding of a problem allows room for seeking for solution and
effectively deployment of the solutions. The Church doesn’t lack weapons of Love,
Hope and Faith but spiritual blindness, laziness and attention to material
things have become cancers against real evangelisation and conversion. The
Church is the true vehicle of signs of wonders which continue to the present
day. If Christ is the same yesterday and today, the perceived absence of
miracle flows from a lack of faith and in a case confirm a shameful
contradiction.
Therefore there is need for new
mobilisation by the highest leadership of the Church in Imo State to contain &
reverse the current phase of spiritual war taking place before their noses. No
amount of PhD will diminish this fact, no amount of intellectual reflection
will eliminate it and the crisis will be sustained in part by defiance or
repression of the Holy Spirit within the Church. It is sad that the Church today
especially in worship seem light years away from post-resurrection, biblical
and ante-Nicene Church worship where signs, wonders and miracles were the
norm. Most Christians in Imo State may
not have observed signs, wonder & miracles in the Church, and may even
accept their impossibility. A sad state of spiritual affairs!
Imo State will not move forward
until the Church unleashes her weapons effectively to win the latest round of a
devastating spiritual war. This is the truth, no ifs and no buts! Ignore it to
your peril!
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