A good governance advocate and concerned citizen of Imo State Amb Ezinwa Ugwuanya, has expressed disappointment over what he described as the inept and purposeless state of governance in Imo State and the questionable silence by those who should stand up and ask relevant questions. This, he said has led to “the gap between promises made and the reality on ground characterized by what many perceive as lack of performance and administrative rascality”.
Ugwuanya, who stated this in a write-up he captioned, “Beyond Fear: Why Imo State Must Reclaim Its Voice and Demand Accountability”, further posited that, “It is easy to point fingers at the government, but the responsibility also lies with us. When we witness the degradation of our public institutions and the failure of basic governance, choosing to remain silent is not just an act of caution it is, in effect, an endorsement of the status quo.
The Climate of Intimidation:
We can no longer ignore the instruments used to silence the people of Imo. The “Tiger Base” police unit originally established to combat kidnapping has increasingly become a tool for intimidation, used to subdue innocent citizens who summon the courage to speak out against the ills of this administration.
Reports and investigations, including recent findings by Amnesty International, have brought to light a grim reality:
Systemic Abuse: The unit is accused of widespread human rights violations, including torture, unlawful detention for weeks or months without charge, and extrajudicial executions.
According to him, Extortion and Corruption Officers are alleged to use their positions to settle personal, land, and family disputes, often utilizing illegal Point-of-Sale (POS) systems to extract lucrative bribes from families of the detained.
Grave Allegations: Most distressing are the persistent allegations circulating among our people regarding the involvement of this unit in kidnappings, killings, and even organ harvesting. These are not merely administrative failures; they are profound moral atrocities that demand immediate and independent investigation.
Why We Must Rise Above Fear
Accountability is a Civic Duty: A government without an active, vocal citizenry is a government that operates without constraints. When we speak up, we remind those in power that they are servants, not masters.
The Cost of Inaction: Staying quiet out of fear does not protect us; it merely delays the inevitable. The longer we allow mismanagement and these alleged atrocities to go unchecked, the deeper the damage to our social fabric and our future.
Strength in Collective Voice: Intimidation works best when it targets individuals. When the collective voice of the people rises, the power of intimidation vanishes. Our strength as a people lies in our numbers and our shared vision for a better state.
Honor for the Next Generation: We have a duty to ensure that we leave behind a state that is functional and thriving. Staying silent today means leaving the burden of these unresolved issues to our children.
Courage is not the absence of fear, but the ability to act in spite of it. The rascality we see can only be curtailed when the majority refuses to be intimidated by the machinery of power. Imo State is a land of vibrant, educated, and resilient people; it is time we reflected those qualities in our approach to civic engagement.
The time for Ikegwuru (exhaustion/frustration) is over; the time for active, principled, and bold participation is now.
