The naysayers can rant but can’t erase, By Ferdinand Ekeoma

The photo you are seeing here was Isi Gate, Umuahia, before Governor Alex Otti assumed office.

The same sorry spectacle greeted Abians at every other junction and corner. Contrary to the Igbo adage “Ihe Oma na Anya Gbaba Ndu” (There is a covenant between the eyes and good things), in the past, what existed was “Ihe Ojo na Anya Gbaba Ndu” (There was a covenant between the eyes and bad things), and our people accepted their fate with equanimity during the period under review.

This spectacle diminished the standing of every Abian at home and in the diaspora. It buried our dignity in the mud. It made Abia and Abians objects of caricature.

The majority of opposition elements, especially the embittered ones vilifying the present government and the Governor on a daily basis today, are not doing so because they want good governance. No! They are doing it because the era of iniquity they profiteered from, and which they desperately want to return, has become a laughable illusion. They know this reality, but they are afraid to acknowledge it.

The noise is not about good governance. If it were, they would have pushed for it when they had the opportunity to do so.

Alternatively, they would have been humble enough to acknowledge the massive changes that have happened in Abia under Governor Alex Otti’s watch. It is about their stomachs. It is about our common patrimony which they controlled and squandered with impunity when they called the shots. It is about the audacity of shamelessness. It is about lack of repentance, and of course, it is about self-inflicted deceit.

As the election year draws closer, we will not fall prey to the strategy of distraction, which the noise makers are pushing through disinformation. We will not keep ourselves busy responding to stage-managed false narratives or explaining things to those who are deaf to the truth. Instead, we will occupy ourselves with the task of telling our story, which is both factual and verifiable.

We will be presenting verifiable facts of our achievements, while humbly acknowledging areas of shortcomings and explaining measures being put in place to improve on them.

In 2023, Governor Alex Otti made promises to Ndi Abia. They believed him because of his character, capacity and accomplishments, and subsequently voted him in. Today, he and his team will be showing the things that have been achieved. Luckily, our people are smart, intelligent and discerning. They are telling the story even more than the government itself, because they were the biggest victims of the poor governance of the past. They can feel the difference and they are telling it.

The countdown begins!

*Ferdinand Ekeoma is the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Governor Alex Otti of Abia State