Nigeria: Imo State Round Table Meetings In Los Angeles: A Baby Talk?

BY AMBROSE EHIRIM

Roudtable image by SCSU

The last time I was at any Imo State-related meeting was in 2007 when former governor of the state, Ikedi Ohakim had “just” been elected into office and the Southern California chapter of Nd’Imo, in a quick fix, organized and confirmed Ohakim’s formal visit to Los Angeles. I was in the said meeting and questioned the validity of the governor's visit when he had “just” been sworn into office.

In this modernity, four years would storm by and Ohakim would have no time to stop by and see how the Southern California residents of his state are doing; the ones who threw their support and sent him an invitation for a state visit to Los Angeles. Not surprising to some and stunning to those who expected much from the governor, Ohakim would run Imo State for four years - good or bad - and the Southern California elites would not utter a word until Ohakim’s love-hate relationship with the state would be over.

When Ohakim was chased out of office by the peoples mandate, a sigh of euphoria beclouded Imo indigenes in the Soutland with a new strategy that began to unfold in another attempt at throwing in support to the new governor-elect, Rochas Okorocha. Thus begun the new movement and another round of “never again should we sit idly and allow another maladministration happen in our presence. We must not let this happen again,” which earnestly called for action to rescue Imo State from its nightmare and the long ordeal of bad leadership.

Upon Okorocha’s projected victory, the call was immediately announced on a series of outlets and related groups in cyberspace, and had been made public. The call was not about dissolution of Imo meeting in Los Angeles; it was not about the formation of a new one; it was about finding the ways and means to get involved in Okorocha’s administration and to help the state have a sense of belonging and purpose. It was also not about getting rid of the “Old Guards,” but to determine if they’d like to continue or abandon what they started years ago in the quest for a properly, organized Imo State, home and Diaspora.

Nevertheless, the initiative was well worth it and the attempt a bold one. But here is the hiccup, which is troublesome: It’s been six months since Imo Diaspora of the Los Angeles, California-area residents came out with a new political agenda tailored to be significantly engaging in an upcoming Okorocha’s administration in the Igbo heartland. I was overwhelmed and filled with enthusiasm on the basis that Nd’Imo residing in Southern California had made up their minds to “pull the bull by the horn” and get Imo State moving again all around the globe with its new projected guidelines. With an obvious pumping fist in the air, I engaged some very few among my Imo colleagues here in the Southland, showing my interest by way of applications, recon-structuring journalism as part of the ideals to be drawn and required to effecting change in Imo, and especially to set the standard to improve relations between Diaspora and homeland.

From that perspective, many suggestions were made as to a framework that would help launch a new Greater Los Angeles area Imo meeting which did begun, announcing its intentions to the Nigerian list serves. The idea was that all the blah, blah, blah, considering Imo’s magnitude and without question, the thoughts of its intellectual powerhouse though with nothing to show for it, would be a thing of the past if not immediately arrested. The Imo Diaspora of Greater Los Angeles meant business, and patently, no more baby talk. I had assumed, learning about the architects of change, it would go well and be smooth.

From my list of proposals suggesting a guideline which would help map out a spectacular blueprint, I listed the following I had thought was important for the creators who had gunned for a new, vitalized Imo, both home and Diaspora:

1). Start Imo Diaspora network by way of a discussion forum which must be restricted with admissions by referral and verification. Table items to be discussed and if needs be, moderated for out of character commentaries.

2). Get our respective districts involved by attending town hall meetings and voicing our opinions with regards to the ways and means of the relevance of our stay here coupled with the 'push factor' which had enabled us to be part of this great society.

3). Establish a thorough and efficient pressure group to monitor the floors of our federal and state assemblies which would also include the conduct of the state executive branch.

4). Open up a non-profit organization with a Imo Diaspora bearings to start building institutions in all of Imo State, say, for instance, University of Imo State, Amazano Campus, specializing in Agriculture; University of Imo State, Umuowa Campus, specializing in engineering; University of Imo State, Umuohiagu campus, specialing in medicine; University of Imo State, Mbano campus, specializing in all areas of liberal arts; University of Imo State, Nekede campus, specializing in teaching credentials; University of Imo State, Arondizuogu campus known for its business school, and the list goes on and on.

5). Being practical and committed to the cause applying effective leadership.

6). Start working on the agitation for Imo Diaspora Liaison offices all around the world and regional branches in the United States of America for its larger concentration

7). Having direct contact with any sitting governor of the state, the state assembly members, the federal representatives, local government councilors for transparency and accountability.

8). Initiate learning institutes here in Diaspora for our kids to learn a variety of who we are, for instance the kind of food that we eat (botany) and things like that.

19). Initiate paying stipends to our reporters at home as they monitor the goings on, on the floors of the state and national assembly, including that of the executive branch.

What happened from around where this development fertilized was that the three most concerned Imo figures in the South-land involved with the new vision, was that most of us, if not all, had seen an unfolding, committed leadership that needed our moral support. Before the meeting held ground and supposedly no more time for baby talk, but absolutely and positively relative discourses to the well being of Nd’Imo. I, in several occasions, engaged my friend and pointblank, talking-head, radical teacher, Innocent Osunwa, who had been blunt over the years on an idling and do-nothing Imo Diaspora regarding its quest to make Imo a model for the Igbo-related states.

On the trio of intended creators of a new Imo Diaspora and a new Imo in homeland, nothing went through our minds as in suspecting lack of interest to get things done. We did not see the three as enemies of one another, nor seeing them as formidable political personalities who came to play politics with our heads and walk away with something else in their minds. We did not even see them as ambitious, having different visions for the state. We saw the three as having good intentions and same visions of a good society, adapting the American democratic fabric model -- which they have since the ‘push factor,’ the conditions that compelled them to seek better lives elsewhere - and that the press lubricates democracy. We also did not see them as engaging in the personal endeavor to struggle for influence in Imo on the interest of their respective personal gains as indicative of previously mismanaged administrations of Achike Udenwa and Ohakim which was a shocking realization.

I had attended the first Imo meeting “call for action” in Los Angeles held at the All Saints Anglican Church conference room in Hawthorne, California. Based on how the announcement circulated online, I had looked forward to a huge turnout from a Los Angeles-area concentration; and as it was, the turnout wasn’t disappointing. And I had also thought what the previous administrations had left behind - a state that is rich in cash and resources, but socially fragmented and intellectually impoverished - would rise like a phoenix getting the state back on track from what I earlier outlined in this framework. The long reign of past, corrupt regimes during the military juntas’ handling of the affairs of state; the excruciating pains of inept, corrupt administrations during the 2nd, 3rd, 4th Republics respectively, which held in suspense the ordinary struggles that forge historical progress. Imo rebirth expected to be created by the Los Angeles area “progressives” who had thought power should be earned by virtue of dedication, sacrifice and hard work; and what they saw as an opportunistic, financial oligarchic class which erupted a state of empire and anarchy should now be a thing of the past, bringing forth a new era and key figures to speak for the Imo people on accounts of thorough systems typical of organized societies.

The case of sad reality is that the real battle extending the state of empire and anarchy has just begun. Osunwa and I engaged on the subject matter, the probabilities of the “same old song,” old wine in a new bottle kind of stuff, that Okorocha’s backers are of the Old Guards, and if probably not, that Okorocha still have some payback time to his election campaign donors who helped catapult him to Government House, Owerri.

In one of my talking points, bedtime discourses  with Osunwa, which took us into the night, and after the first meeting I had attended as path finder, I argued that the region’s modern state of insanity as seen over the years - kidnapping, human parts trafficking, rape (most unreported), police brutality, murder and things like that - that if we have been serious to face the challenges squarely, it must start from Diaspora to set up the pace condemning the all sorts of mayhem occurring in Imo and all the Igbo-related states through a powerful web of activists, writers, journalists to global links meant to influence Igbo leaderships on an array of problems requiring solutions that must be applied consistently.

Osunwa had relied on the creator’s sense of good judgement to shovel out the Los Angeles area Imo Diaspora from the deep mess it has been into over the years by lacking a sense of purpose. He had also endorsed the state of mind the creators had adopted in pursuing its course of getting Imo State out of the nonsense, square peg in a round hole drama that likely was taking the state to hell. It was in this atmosphere of Osunwa’s imagination that I chipped in to talk about journalism and why it should be taken as important as any aspect of the creators' intent to be romantically involved directly with the goings on at Government House, Owerri, without laying more emphasis on the necessities that provides the tools for change - which by all accounts becomes the work of the journalists to shape how we think, inform the public and govern which comes along with a sound democratic fabric. And why do journalists think about what they do? The job is calling: the mission is to improve every corner of our enclaves. And how’s this done and achieved effectively? And why would it matter?

On the days approaching the first meeting of the “New Order” to a “New Dawn,” I was able to hold some conversations with many of the new dawns on how to get Imo Diaspora and the administrators of the home state to work in tandem for a better understanding and how working collectively would lead to utopia, coupled with a communication gap over the years that could be bridged by means of openness with journalism’s take. Osunwa, however, acknowledged the fact that journal work “is” more than required in a fledgling democracy like Nigeria to keep the government in check, and also said “independent journalists” must be made available to keep checks and balances orderly and not the kind of scandalous journalists who blackmail government and public figures when they have something on them and then negotiate a price within a range of some cash depending on the gravity which is how most newspapers survive in the country; and which at the same time destroys the reputation of worthy, news reporting.

And, remarkably, now that we have fallen into the age of Internet, everyone from individual citizens to political operatives can gather information, investigate the powerful, reach out to the powerless, mediate between government protocol and provide analysis in its investigative work. But as the case has been, not everyone engages in the need for news gathering. For instance, the Igbo-related discussion groups, staggering by the numbers of its subscribed members, and yet haven’t been established well enough to creating impact on how it could influence decisions in its respective administrations from the local governments, the municipalities, the legislature and its executive arm of government that is not however, done by these discussion, news-related groups. Or, are these discussion, news-related groups working on providing quality news items assuming it has established its own line of items that would have its own independent link to reach governmental institutions, as a stable organization which can facilitate regular reporting? And if so, why haven’t we seen a serious news break to their credit, linking directly with these organizations to governmental institutions including the local outlets other than wired news stories?

What has hindered these discussion groups from engaging itself directly with the governmental institutions - the executive, legislature and judiciary - directly for its Diaspora to be engaged fully and be part of a government their role is needed for a sound, thorough democratic dispensation? What was the purpose of creating these groups, for picnic, social gathering and ego-tripping, bragging on its members’ social economic status and the nouveau riche in its class? Why should these discussion groups still be standing in more than 12 years of its founding and are yet to establish any link connecting it directly with series of its governmental organizations in a strictly business way?

Maybe, not so clear to some. These discussion groups, whatever its foundation, cannot afford to be providing us information on picnic, ballroom dances, a new chief in town and its grand-style coronation, a breakthrough purchasing some new arrival of a ‘powerfully’ made machine by the Germans or the Japanese, negating and leaving aside its lifeline that should be benefiting generations to come by totally engaging in the political and socio-cultural issues affecting its land with a concrete, structurally established system for their off-springs and more, more generations to follow; and by discussing innovations, inventions, new techniques, formats for change, ideas and discoveries, and of course, the ways and means to compete in a challenging global market economy.

What are they leaving for the generations to come as legacy when they are sitting idly watching and applauding their land turned into a state of empire and anarchy? What would their generations to come, think of who they were, looking at how hopeless they left the situation? And why is it taken that these discussion groups of a Diaspora stock assume they have nothing to do with the affairs of state, of its native land? And if that be the case focusing on its adopted land, are they fully involved in the administrative process of its council members, senators and representatives at the state and federal level in its respective districts, where they should be presumably presenting their case for the turmoil in their home land like other communities always do? How many town-hall meetings and series of activities that follows have they been to checking on how the folks they elected to office are doing by way of reaching out to its district? Or, would it be they played it off, caught up on a crossroad, not belonging to any side of the road?

There shouldn’t be any quiz here; and if only they had paid attention looking back to a failure , lacking the vision, as a result of their deliberately made mistakes and at a terrible cost, the generations to come, many would have to go through, probably would have done something that should have avoided such a terrible mistake of a lifetime - by using the same mechanisms of their upbringing that “it takes a village to raise a child,” putting the priorities into perspective.

And what would have amounted to such a terrible, costly mistake?

Again, one is weary of pointing out, especially on the logjam cases of a strong Diaspora foundations in building bridges by connecting as in all communities we all bear witness; how in similar, they overcame their predicaments of culture shock, struggled, worked hard as a community and thrived; becoming powerful, influencing decisions in their new found land and their native land. In that regard, they acquired all the accessories to become powerful in all aspects. They established their own banks for their commerce and industry; their own schools to teach their own; their own markets and farms for their own people; their subsidies and other related programs for the underprivileged and for their own elderly; their own learning center to teach their own language and culture; their own elected representatives to speak on their behalf and legislate for their concerns and needs; their own means of employment, employing their own; their own hospitals and women’s clinic to care for their own; their own medical staff and medical benefits for their own; their own vocational institutes teaching variety of trades and crafts for their own; their own mortgage companies attending to housing needs of their own; their own newspapers in their own languages; their own communities and villages where they can be identified; their own quest and determination to make life better for each and everyone of their own; their own socializing courts where the next line of projects are put into perspective; their own orthodox in religion where all their kind worship; their own landscaping company where gardening and things of that nature services the community; their own eateries where its dishes are now universal; their own playhouses where drama, musicals, movies, comedy, life band performances of its own musical genre and dance shows, and things like that, draws a diversified audience, and the list goes on and on and on.

So, too, as the creators' had planned to use the above outlines beginning from establishing a newspaper due to, without news. “we cannot be in business facing the challenges of building community.” Folks need to know about new development in its community. Folks need to read on the latest update in a news worthy world. Folks need information from its own bulletin boards.

And how could this be arrived?

In terms of Imo State, as the creators'  had visioned, creating funds for local news with money made available from federated accounts or money collected from communication-bent projects, like tele-communication users, television and radio broadcast licensing fees, or internet service providers, and which would be administered in open competition through state local news councils. The same could be applied to Diaspora in the event it becomes too much of a burden for the home states to bear. Diaspora could channel a whole lot of ways in getting the news out: through multi-task revenues from related social events, funds from varieties of not for profit organizations, levies from non-governmental events like the churches, enterprises, and many other outlets where funding could be derived so journalists could focus on serious news at the local and state level; and could get it direct on one-on-one to reach the public, uncensored, unless where need be, like the classifieds.

And, as it goes, the bills of the journalist must be paid to get the quality and news-worthy stories across. Journalism has always been a direct/indirect, private/public backed projects. And from that background, journalists in this order, would then have a good relationship with those who pay their bills, whether advertisers targeting consumers and its business development, or private and public domains working on improving infrastructures, needing the services of citizens.

In one of my conversations with one of the creators' regarding the infrastructural needs of the state and how the message could be sent across to a governmental awareness, journal work surfaced, citing outside newspapers’ credits that has been the mouthpiece of the people. The Sahara Reporters, an online news outlet, which has been doing well from noted public opinion polls, on its account of how it handles the news. While the creators applauded The Sahara Reporters’ line of work in its reporting; analysis; dissected programmed blogs; essays relative to Nigeria’s problems grand and small; and documentaries of the same nature, I had wondered if the source of Sahara Reporters’ energy on news-gathering and analysis came from another planet. I had told them that the forces behind Sahara Reporters funding was not unearthly. That the forces, from its foundation of engineering social and democratic change during the Sani Abacha years remains one of its backbones to its existence. So, why wouldn’t Sahara Reporters be top notch agency news reporting outlet, from how it operated in the past and in disguise, masquerading with many handles to fight for democracy and social change?

The creators, from their point of view, weighing Sahara Reporters to have remarkably done a good job in its thought provoking reports and analysis over the years, applauding its efforts; one thing should be borne in mind: it’s time to get your own news outlet and be sure of what the general audience is getting from your reel. Face the challenges and fund your own newspaper. Organize, make it happen and leave it to the experts to handle.

For instance, it will not take all the heavenly places to piece together the finest Igbo writers, correspondents, investigative journalists, including reporters and researchers in homeland to dig deeply providing Diaspora with authentic and reliable, worthy news stories, which is where the creators should start putting their money where their mouth is; that is, if they honestly want to see change and be part of its outcome. The other question should be, are they willing to face the challenges of walking the talk?

Journalists, reporters, writers and researchers in the likes of Chidi Nkwopara-Uduma Kalu -Tony Edike (Vanguard), Leon Usigbe (Tribune), Ikechukwu Enyiagu (syndicated columnist), Chibuzo Ukaibe (Leadership Nigeria), Emma Mgbeahurike (The Nation), Chiawo Nwankwo (Punch), Nkechi Opurum (Daily Times), Petrus Obi-Chidi Nnadi-Ofole Okafor (Daily Sun), Andy Uneze (This Day), Ike Okonta (Daily Star), with a long list of Igbo journalists and scholars on a variety of discipline at the numerous Igbo-related institutions can be given the task; and by investing on good reporting and writing, a whole lot would gradually change especially in this new era of collaborative and “accountability journalism.”

Nkwopara, Kalu, Edike, et al., without doubt, have been doing some fine work of journalism; researching, reporting and writing to keep us informed on a variety of interesting subjects within our surroundings, in Ala-Igbo and its central government in Abuja, including the several other big cities in the nation where Nd’Igbo transact business on a daily basis providing goods and services that sustains the nation.

And why shouldn’t Diaspora be concerned about the affairs of its own people with the kind of work these folks in our journal world send to us, not even mentioning the scholars on their dissertation process and much, much more they will be having us know in terms of information and upfront knowledge. And how much are these folks paid by a controlling publishers and board directors who bankroll what these fine journalists transmits to us regularly?: On how we live and what’s going on in our communities; who is out there to attack us and who wants us dead or alive; how the government is playing games on a very gullible and vulnerable people; why we missed it all on our political, democratic endeavors; why Nigeria is failing all of us; what the urban hard-money banks, insurance companies and big corporations like Shell - are doing to us; the churches in every nook and cranny of the land and why it has become so; how anti-intellectualism and demonization of writers and critics is destroying free speech, and how we are becoming less and less a news reading media people; the angst of the Islamic Boko Haram terrorists, the series of kidnappings in Ala-Igbo and what should be done; the nasty romances in the governmental houses; and how easy going and down to earth men fell readily available as political tool for use by ugly politicians, hard and brutish men; so, the list goes on and on and on.

There are several reasons why other news outlets are performing much better than any independent, Igbo-related owned newspaper, that is, if there is a credible one. From the list of Igbo journalists I have cited, and taking a closer look at the news outlets they work for, about one or so could be said to be owned by a South-easterner; and taking a closer look, too, who indeed runs the paper? The creators cannot be trashy-talky, reproachy, sloppy and gossipy on inconsequential stuff while they have loads and loads of untouched literary and historical issues confronting them -- paying their journalists and writers to start researching on a wide range of their origin, where all the migration began, who they were, how they got trapped into a fabricated nation through a colonization mandate; their role in that fabrication and its aftermath; the pogrom, the civil war, the post-civil war and an alleged reconstruction that followed; and regarding the pogrom and civil war, the victims’ family, the participants who survived and what they know, leading-edge research and interviews in that perspective; and a whole lot connected to the facts and logic about what happened -- and not doing anything about it, which in its entirety a continuous tragedy.

Also, the creators should come to realization that the people want an administration that is open to scrutiny, making its financial accounts public, one of the lapses former governor Ohakim was able to elude them.

The creators should be focusing and coming up with projects, since a lame duck government of deceit would not get anything done; on how to influence, shape, establishing their literary culture by building libraries in every of its enclaves where access to all that is important in its history and things like that can be located -- works of traditional and lyric poetry, comedy, cultural festivals, history, tragedy, medical writers, the pagans and all about the myth; Agwuisi na Amadioha; nd’amala and what they may have left behind; the churches and those church fathers who combined Omenala and the Biblical principles to their practice; the Dibies (native doctors), who combined mgborogwu and Western medicine to their profession; the nd’ na agba afa, soothsayers, who combine their craft with Western ideals of logic and philosophy, and the list goes on and on and on.

Remarking on these blows, I remember interviewing Dr. Julius Kpaduwa on August 11, 2002. I had scheduled this interview with Kpaduwa after reaching agreement with my colleagues at BNW Magazine on questions they would want asked. I had also notified my friend and colleague, Austen Oghuma, who promised he’d be there on the day of the said interview at Kpaduwa’s bedroom community, The Country Diamond Bar home.

What happened was, Kpaduwa had declared his candidacy to run for the governorship of Imo State. I was not there at his formal declaration party. I was investigating the Otokoto family criminal mafia, asking questions on who knows what on a trail of mayhem, rape, lynching, body parts trafficking and mob killings connected to the Otokoto family in Owerri and its environs. I would interview the son of the mob, Maxwell Otokoto Duru, here in Los Angeles on that trail of heinous crimes that spooked Owerri township.

While working on the Kpaduwa interview, first of its kind by any Nigerian, U.S.-based news magazine in that order, its content and capacity, which was during Achike Udenwa’s administration in Imo State, I bumped into Dr. Edmund Ugorji, then medical director, Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, who had since relocated back to Nigeria and who had questioned if I was still writing my “thought provoking” stuff treading with caution that even though what I write is clearly the way it’s suppose to be, that Nigeria ‘is’ not America, that “my people are not matured yet for your kind of write-ups; we are still learning the process of democracy,” Ugorji would tell me. Ugorji also popped up the question of Kpaduwa, if I heard anything since he’d been shot by his political opponents in Nigeria.

“What actually happened and what are the details, do you know?” Ugorji asked.

“I have been scheduled to interview Kpaduwa at his Diamond Bar home and I have been talking to Kpaduwa since the attempt on his life in Nigeria, and I will be meeting with him soon for the interview,” I told Ugorji.

“Good, tell him that I said be well and be strong,” (emphasis mine) Ugorji said.

In late 2004, Ugorji, Kpaduwa, Jimmy Asiegbu and a host of Igbo Diaspora in Greater Los Angeles would summon its elite class to address the plight of the Igbo Nation and how to arrest the troubling situations in the Igbo-related states, which I will be writing in a different essay.

On August 08, 2002, my colleagues and I - Chinedu Ibe (Chicago, Illinois), Dr. Emeka J. Amanze (College Park, Maryland), Nick N. Nwuda (Inland Empire, California), Odo Akaji (Gloucestershire, England), Dr. Emeka S. Enwere (London, England) and Dr. Chidi Okorie (London, England) - had a teleconference on Kpaduwa’s interview to be published exclusively at BNW Magazine. The questions were all in order as agreed. Kpaduwa, fine with the date of interview, was prepared waiting for my arrival. Upon arrival, I met Oghuma, and some of Kpaduwa’s friends, colleagues and political allies who looked forward to the interview.

And for sure, investigative and compelling, I asked the questions and Kpaduwa answered all that had stuff to do with Igbo-related worthy causes and the people of Imo in general. Just like a country or state without appropriate measures operating a police force without bullets, Kpaduwa laid out his agenda for his ideas and visions if elected governor, when I popped the question on healthcare:

BNW: Let's talk about healthcare. The healthcare system in Imo state today is in shambles. I remember the story of a dying patient who could not be treated because he had no deposit. That, for sure, will not happen in the United States. Here, in America, in a situation like this, all one need to do is dial 911 and the response would be available immediately. If elected, how would your administration address the issue, improving the healthcare system?

Dr. Kpaduwa: You have asked the most important question of the night, though I don't know how many more questions you have. I can tell you that for the past four years, my wife and I (my wife is also a physician), we have been organizing and going on medical missions,, a free medical care to all parts of Imo State. As a matter of fact, we just finished one last Friday and we had a whole lot of cases. I was not able to go, even though I arranged it, and my wife could not go even though she was suppose to be part of the medical team. You just have to talk to people from Mbano, and they will tell can tell you what they experienced in our medical missions last week. Not only in Mbano, there were accounts of people who came from Orlu, Owerri and Mbaise trooping to Mbano Joint Hospital for free medical treatments and needs.

In fact, it was as a result of inadequate medical care I experienced during or very first medical mission that drove me to what I am doing now, running for the governor of Imo State, because I found out I could do very little with a stethoscope. I found out that if there was sound, good public policy as far as healthcare is concerned, the people of Imo State would be better off. That's really what motivated me to seek the office of the governor.

I have a plan that is very well laid out in our Manifesto, so to speak. And that plan, basically will guarantee any division of government owned Imo State hospital, standard of community hospital in the United States, if you know what I mean. That means that the operating room has to be fully equipped and functional. There has to be a functioning emergency department. There has to be adequate amount of drugs. And you will ask me how are we going to finance this. We have been doing this without even being in office, completely free of charge. We happen to be in a country--the United States of America--and God bless America that philanthropy is one of the bedrock of society. There is no where I can go to the hospitals that I practice, and ask them for equipments which are still functional and very good, or do a drive around the United States, I will equip every single hospital, functioning without spending a penny. All I need is the transportation. I will train a personnel, an adequate personnel. We will fully compensate the physicians that work there.

The hospitals, nobody goes to them because there is little or no care. We practiced in those hospitals, they are only hospitals in name and it is a shame. If you do not provide the people with minimum wages, decent jobs that will not guarantee them some form of health insurance or any form of health coverage, I believe that the government has the sole responsibility to take care of its own citizens. I don't care where you get the fund from,you go out there and get it until such a time when you have brought out the economic level of the state to a point whereby people can begin to get health insurances from their various jobs.

Under our own government structure, no single individual will be turned away from government hospital and emergency cases because of the inability to pay. It can be done because we will be able to get resources from outside of the country. For complex cases, no individual, for any operation that is needed will be turned away because he or she did not have money. And that is what's going on now. If you don't have money even on emergency basis, in fact, when I was shot and they took me to Federal Medical Center in Owerri, they refused to let me down until I have a police report. This is a gun shot wound, I was bleeding; I was in pain; nobody took the time to access my condition, I could have died. They told us that I cannot come down. So, we went to the police station to get a police report. Under our administration, such a nonsense will not happen.

When we got the police report and went back to the hospital, they refused to attend to me until we are able to pay certain basic fees. I just was lucky my wife's friend who's a physician works at that hospital and she happened to be there when we walked in. She paid all the fees. It's not that I don't have the money, but we just didn't have it on us. You will need a card, you will need this, you will need that in order to be attended, or they won't attend to you. Under our administration, that comes to a full stop. I don't care whether it's a federal medical center or a state hospital.

So the Imo people are in for a treat, as far as healthcare is concerned. That's where they will have the immediate benefits of our administration, because this is not depending on anybody else effort. It is going to be solely our effort. I belong to the Association of Nigeria Physicians in America; they help me run the medical mission in Mbano. The Imo people really are out for a treat; they want decent health-care and we are going to put a whole lot of money for it.”

Which, as the interview entails years we have been living in different times, if at all, we ever had normal lives, with no sense of an ending, as our daily life and movements have been altered, not knowing where the kidnappers are planning for their next victim; not knowing the next politician to be murdered in the most brutal of circumstances; not knowing when a village encounters police on a shootout on the vagaries of a kidnapped local government chairman; not knowing the next victim to be hanged on a tree; not knowing when a Diaspora is waylaid by hired assassins while visiting his native land; not knowing when a young girl would be raped by a gang of college students; not knowing when police would fatally shoot a U.S.-based resident visiting his homeland, and the list goes on and on and on.

We have not in many instances cared about these practices except when it’s shown in the news or we heard it while socializing in beer parlors, and as it’s not happening directly to us, but others - until, one day, and unfortunately like a man going about his business knowing nothing at all and suddenly hears the story of his or her relative being a victim, of the chaotic nature of the land, and that’s when we’ll be up awake, in shock, moping, “is this happening in our land? Jesus Christ!”

What is actually disturbing is the recent incident of the rapists Jonah Uche, Zaki, Ifeanyi Justin Ogu and Winston Okoye Chinonso who collaboratively raped a young college student brutally to a point the victim asked to be killed. The irony: the follow-up to the case seems to have quieted down, fizzled out and we are erasing it from our memory with nothing done as time passes by. Has anyone thought of the rape victim being a sister, a sister’s friend, a mother, a family friend’s wife and or a very close relative?

These and a whole lot of problems is what should be expected from Diaspora to address with their influence and a positive result.. And with this framework, and a Diaspora comparing its ideals to other communities, in analogy, as they lay claim on their cumulative life experiences in building community from turmoil to triumph in what did pay off telling of their American story as a community; and telling of American prosperity from their building community; and telling of American triumphalism, who else would doubt and argue when they say: The United States Of America is the greatest nation in the world!

Ede chaa nam!

References: See;

BNW Face 2 Face: Dr. Julius Kpaduwa, The Exclusive Interview
http://magazine.biafranigeriaworld.com/aehirim/2002aug16.html

The Otokoto Family Criminal Mafia
A BNW Magazine/The Ambrose Ehirim Files Exclusive Interview With Maxwell Vincent Duru Otokoto
http://tinyurl.com/3lavqrk
http://tinyurl.com/3suq9ph

Rochas Okorocha and the New Dawm
http://ambroseehirim.blogspot.com/2011/06/rochas-okorocha-and-new-dawn.html