[dropcap]I[/dropcap]mo, the seventh most indebted state in the country in 2019, acquired a N187million worth ‘toy’ for gubernatorial use. It is the type used by international celebrities including Beyonce and Will Smith, It cost the state N187million, writes ROBERT EGBE

WHAT does hip hop royalty Beyonce and Jay-Z have in common with the Imo State government?

In 2012 when the couple gave birth to its first child Blue Ivy, it gave her the ultimate in luxury treatment.

Baby Blue Ivy’s first ride from the hospital was in a spacious custom luxury Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van.

Other global celebrities who also use similar vehicles include Will Smith, Dr. Dre and Vin Diesel.

California-based Becker Automotive Design, which builds a custom-made version of the Sprinter van, describes the vehicle as “more like the cabin of a private jet.”

The company is right.

‘Epitome of luxury’

From the outside, the van looks like a relatively normal Mercedes Sprinter, with additional aerials. But, according to the firm’s website, the van is the “epitome of luxury.”

Each vehicle is fitted with fresh air ventilation systems, sound-deadening materials and upgraded suspension to provide a better ride. The sliding doors are electrically powered.

Aside basic features such as reclining temperature controlled seats, a minibar, a giant LED TV, a 10-inch LED screen attached to each of the six seats, and a full-fledged multimedia centre, electric blinds for when you want to have a little privacy, this Sprinter also boasts of other top-notch facilities.

They include advanced military-grade communications system to provide broadband and allow several simultaneous connections to the internet and an air filter that can withstand biological attacks.

Of course, the vehicle is often armoured, has a powerful V8 engine, run-flat tires, and a redesigned suspension that allow the van “to take its passengers anywhere in comfort and style.”

For those seeking to nap while being driven around, the airline-style seats can fully recline while providing a massage

Even the driver can have the option of a Burlwood steering wheel, GPS navigation and hands-free cell phone kit. The vehicle can be fitted with handgun or assault rifle protection.

Probably the most valuable of all the van’s features is an “executive bathroom”, which can be fitted in the rear of the van.

The custom-built wonder-on-wheels goes for a price tag often reaching over $400,000 (about N155million) each.

Depending on the specifications, some cost even more, like the one the Imo State government took delivery of in February.  It was said to have been bought for N187million.

Commissioner for Information and Strategy Declan Emelumba alleged that the latest addition to the state’s car pool was the ‘parting gift’ of sorts for Emeka Ihedioha, who was removed from office on January 14 by the Supreme Court after less than a year as governor.

The Apex Court declared that the All Progressive Congress (APC) candidate Hope Uzodinma was the authentic winner of the March 11 poll and he was sworn in as Imo State Governor.

Ihedioha has denied the allegation. In a statement on his behalf by Imo PDP Secretary Nze Ray Emeana, he described the allegation as “a mere distraction from the obvious failure within the 100 days of the administration of Senator Hope Uzodinma”.

“The government of Emeka Ihedioha did everything for the benefit of the masses. We have checked the records and discovered that there is nothing like that. They can’t impugn on the integrity of Hon. Ihedioha. Nigerians know him as a man of impeccable character so let them saddle themselves with digging for issues to nail Ihedioha. They will never curry the legitimacy they are desperately seeking. This is a mere ploy to not pay workers’ salaries since February,” he said.

National culture of luxury cars buying

Elected officials are often accused of wasteful spending on luxury cars. The Eighth Senate which ended last year, allegedly spent not less than N4 billion to purchase Sports Utility Vehicles at a cost of N36 million each.

About N1.3 billion was expended on procuring vehicles for senators in 2012, a development that attracted severe public criticism. At the time, 109 cars were bought for the lawmakers, each costing N11. 07 million.

On March 27, the House of Representatives took delivery of the Toyota Camry 2020 model cars acquired for members as official cars, otherwise called utility vehicles.

The legislators had at an executive (closed-door) session on February 5, 2020, resolved to purchase 400 units of the exotic car.

The House did not disclose the cost of each unit of the vehicle, but the 2019 model is about N26.75m and N35.75m (for V6 engine).

It did, however, state that it had not yet distributed the vehicles to the members.

Imo is 7th most indebted state

According to Emelumba, Ihedioha ordered for the car “for his personal use” during his ten-month stint in the saddle between March 2019 and January 2020, but that the plan was aborted.

Last June, Imo joined the list of the top 10 states with the biggest borrowing in six months (January – June 2019).

According to data released by the Debt Management Office (DMO) last September, Imo, under Ihedioha, became the 7th most indebted state in the country.

The oil-rich state borrowed N52.6 billion between January and June 2019, pushing it into the league of the top ten states with the biggest overall debt stock across all states.

How the van was imported, impounded

According to Emelumba, the vehicle was shipped into the country a month after Ihedioha’s sack and Uzodinma got wind of the cargo through his “information network”. The vehicle was promptly impounded.

The commissioner made the claim last Thursday during a radio programme in Owerri, the state capital.

Ihedioha’s Supreme Court ouster, he added, was God’s way of saving the state from an “imperial appetite”.

Emeluba was reacting to a suggestion by Ihedioha’s Chief Press Secretary, Chibuike Onyeukwu, that Uzodinma should take tutorials on good governance from Ihedioha.

Onyekwu’s comments during a phone-in programme with Emeluba on an FM station last Thursday was echoed at another phone-in programme with IBC Orient FM Owerri the next day, also with the commissioner.

Responding, Emeluba said it was Ihedioha that needed good governance tutorials from Uzodinma because, according to him, the governor was “more honest and transparent in governance than Ihedioha and also better equipped in every sense to governor Imo State.”

He said God saved Imo people by delaying the van’s arrival until one month after Ihedioha’s sack.

He reasoned that no governor would ride a N187m vehicle while his people had yet to meet the basic needs of food and shelter.

“The car is equipped like Air Force One of the United States. It has a master bedroom, conference room, bar and other facilities. It is the type of car that only a monarch, an emperor or one with an imperial appetite will want to use.

“In the case of the sacked governor, how can one explain that someone who claimed to have been elected to rule an impoverished people will have the heart to be riding in a N187m car when the poor masses are battling with basic needs of food and shelter?” Emeluba said.

He claimed that but for God’s intervention which restored Uzodinma’s mandate, Ihedioha would have proceeded to become “an imperial lord and oppressor of the people.”

The commissioner also alleged that Ihedioha acquired almost 1000 plots of land from two communities in Ngor Okpala under false pretences while in office.

The Nation

[dropcap]A[/dropcap]s the dreaded coronavirus disease (COVID-19), continues to ravage globally, Chief Ambrose Elofu-Dike,The Chairman of Umudike Farms Limited and Hotel De Espana,Asaba, has made a passionate appeal to the people of Oshimili North not to panic about the Coronavirus pandemic but remain steadfast and pray for God’s healing upon the land.

Elofu-Dike, a businessman and astute politician and chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), who made the appeal after making donations to support the current efforts of the Anioma nation towards curbing the spread of COVID-19 and cushion the effects of the government stay-at-home order, noted that the lockdown has had a lot of negative effects on the people.

According to the Farmer, “I am appealing to Oshimili North people not to panic about the dreaded Covid-19 but continue to pray for God’s healing upon our land. “It is better to stay indoors and remain alive.

“I must thank the Delta State Government and our amiable Senator Peter Nwaoboshi for the swift intervention since the outbreak of the dreaded Covid-19 by protecting Deltans throughout the lockdown and the regular sensitization of the people against the virus and for putting palliative measure on ground to alleviate the plight of Deltans in the face of the war against the corona virus.

“Let me also appreciate the security agencies for enforcing the lockdown as directed by the State Governor, Senator Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa and the continuous sensitization of Deltans people on the need to adhere strictly to the State Government directives on Covid-19.”
Elofu-Dike, however used the opportunity to appeal to all well meaning Oshimili North leaders and businessmen to as a matter of urgency and importance support government in any positive measures aimed at fighting the virus.

[dropcap]G[/dropcap]rassroots Publishers online, in this piece, examines how what is now known among Deltans as ‘hunger virus’ and the siege of hoodlums on some communities are threatening to scuttle the chances of the lockdown to win the fight against the spread of coronavirus.
Governor Ifeanyi Okowa , on April 14, addressed the state and unveiled the strategies by his regime to curtail the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, which started in Wuhan, Hubei Province in China late 2019. In the address, Okowa adopted a similar strategy of lockdown being used in states like Lagos, Ogun  to tackle the virus, which has halted the economies of state around the nation.

The lockdown, as expected, has paralysed business activities and the informal sector of the economy, where a huge percentage of the population in the state is engaged has been badly affected. With the movement restriction order, millions of people who earn their living from proceeds of their daily activities are being battered by hunger. While many resort to begging to survive, some youths, especially those with criminal tendencies, have been moving from house to house, terrorising helpless and defenceless citizens, who are already pummelled by hunger.

The growing insecurity in the states is threatening the efficacy of the lockdown already as residents gathered in large numbers at night to ward off hoodlums attacking them. It is extremely difficult, if not impossible, for residents who form vigilance groups to observe the social distancing rule while fighting to stave off the rampaging armed robbers that mill around in large numbers.

Many had hoped that the hoodlums terrorising the innocent citizens would shift their focus from residential areas if Okowa should lift the lockdown order. However, the Gov. Okowa said the lockdown had helped to curb the spread of the virus to some extent and it would be extended by another two weeks to further help win the war against this invisible enemy.

Okowa said, “With this in mind and having carefully considered the briefings and report from the Presidential Task Force and the various options offered, it has become necessary to extend the current restriction of movement in Delta State for another 14 days effective from 11:59 pm on Monday, 13th of April, 2020. I am therefore once again asking you all to work with government in this fight.

“This is not a joke. It is a matter of life and death.Churches and  Mosques in Makkah and Madina have been closed. The Pope celebrated Mass on an empty St. Peter’s Square. The famous Notre Dame cathedral in Paris held Easter Mass with less than 10 people. India, Italy and France are in complete lockdown. Other countries are in the process of following suit. We cannot be lax.

“This is a difficult decision to take, but I am convinced that this is the right decision. The evidence is clear. The repercussions of any premature end to the lockdown action are unimaginable. We must not lose the gains achieved thus far. We must not allow a rapid increase in community transmission. We must endure a little longer.”

To survive the lockdown period, some persons including artisans, okada riders, commercial drivers have been defying the stay-at-home order and are going out to look for means of feeding their family members. Aside from this category of people, hoodlums also gather in large numbers to invade communities and terrorise innocent people. To stave off the attacks, affected residents also gather together in large numbers and make bonfires from dusk till dawn everyday. These large gatherings are defeating the essence of the lockdown and many believe that, if care is not taken, the state may not gain much from the lockdown despite the sacrifices being made.

The Chairman of Lifeguard Ltd, Chief Charles Okonkwo while speaking to this Grassroots Publishers Online, raised the alarm that hungry Deltans defying the lockdown and hoodlums moving about in large numbers could cause further spread of the dreaded virus.

He said, “The virus does not move about, people move it and that is why it spreads fast. The lockdown may become ineffective to curb it if people, especially unauthorised people, are allowed to move about. Those people moving about from place to place, the hoodlums moving in large numbers and even those forming vigilante groups to stop their attackers, are threatening the efficacy of the lockdown.

“I know that many Deltans depend on what they make on a daily basis to survive and, for almost a month now, they have not worked. They will go out in search of food if they do not have what to eat and you cannot blame residents congregating in large numbers to ward off attacks. We are also worried because there are areas where the youths gather in large numbers to play football and you can’t play football and still observe social distancing.

“The government’s palliatives (Food Bank) they are talking about have not reached the real vulnerable people in the state who need them the most and that is why you see them going out in search of their daily bread. We beg those in charge of the distribution of these palliatives to imbibe equity and justice. I believe people will obey the stay-at-home order if the palliatives can go round. Government should also do more to make the palliatives get to more vulnerable people. Security agencies should also devise new strategies to combat crime so that people can feel secure while staying at home.”

The Okowa palliatives being distributed  must not be politicised but should be given to the vulnerable people to encourage them to obey the government’s directive.

Okonkwo said, “Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution as amended says the welfare and security of citizens shall be the primary purpose of government. COVID-19 pandemic is a clear test case of the import of that provision. Of the desirable good things of life, good health and longevity are the ultimate. It is the responsibility of governments to promote good health for all.

“The United Nations in its different protocols and resolutions lends credence to this. Lockdown by government at federal and state levels are a vehicle to promoting good health, longevity and avoid premature deaths by preventing community spread of COVID-19. We should remind ourselves that the majority of Nigerians operate at the informal sector of the economy with all its vicissitudes and imponderables. Lockdown implies freezing of income, and unemployment for majority of Nigerians.

“An Ibusa adage says he who ties down a goat must provide it with feeding. Governments at all levels must make provisions for compensations to those who are losing income as a result of freedom of movement. To do otherwise is an invitation to chaos and lawlessness. Should governments feel persuaded to do so, it needs rigorous social research and data, which may not be readily available.

“But hungry people suffering from pains of the lockdown cannot wait forever. What then can be done? Governments can then resort to what they are at best doing — guesswork. The scale of suffering under the lockdown is unprecedented. And Deltans of different social classes are responding in diverse ways. All sorts of coping strategies are being improvised. Deltans who have as well non-governmental organisations are also intervening in the lives of the core poor. But these subsidies cannot travel far. Near total coverage of the vulnerable population is the responsibility of governments at all levels. There can be no excuses to allow the poor to die. This will be social murder.

“These interventions must not be for political patronage and hegemonic consolidation. It must be undertaken with dignity and a large dose of humanity. I have seen only jamboree and chaos in much of the recent interventions. Indeed, the targets are being missed and many are grabbing from all available sources. The loopholes are profound and the politics of distribution has been petty and dirty. In some ugly scenes, people are being asked for party membership cards or voters card. Are the effects of lockdown immune to colour of political party, religion, race or ethnicity?

“To do otherwise will produce further misery, hunger, stealing, robbery and generalised breakdown of law and order. If government responds with force, deaths may be the outcome. Avoidance of death, which the lockdown seeks to prevent, may, painfully though, become the eventual outcome. Governments must not allow the situation to degenerate to the point of escalating the current unacceptable security architecture.”

The private and corporate donations  to the state Government to assist in the fight against COVID-19, stated categorically that a substantial part of the fund should be given to assist the vulnerable people to cope at this time because their means of livelihoods had been frozen by the lockdown.

The one week left of the second part of the lockdown order will determine if the objective of the 14-day stay-at-home directive would be met or not. Either way, the security agencies have a pivotal role to play in government’s determination to rid the nation of the deadly virus.

“I know that security agents are trying but they need to do more. The IGP should empower commissioners of police to do more because they are the ones on the ground in their respective states. This will make the area commands and divisional police stations to do more. The police are even lucky because they have the complement of the military around on law enforcement duties. This should be maximised.”

“There is the need to ensure security of lives and properties in such areas as well. Hoodlums take advantage of porous situations like this and it may not be limited to Delta communities alone. So, security men all over the country should be at alert and do more, especially at this time so that the nation can be safe.