IMO: Uzodinma's Political Jobs 

The tempo of political activities has been high in Imo State following the release of the time-table for the 2023 governorship elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).The governorship election is slated for 11th November 2023. Political parties have organized primaries and selected their candidates. The APC has presented Governor Hope Uzodinma for re-election. In his re-election campaign speech recently, the governor jumped up, boxed in and ‘talked the talk' about how he has made Imo State an El Dorado.

El Dorado? Should he claim El Dorado due to the political teaching jobs that he released two days ago? Is he claiming El dorado for announcing names of some persons for teaching jobs a few weeks before the governorship election in the state? I still remember Ohakim ten thousand jobs. Any job released a few days before the governorship election is no job.

Should Uzodinma claim El Dorado when he did not conduct Local government elections for 4 years? What manner of El Dorado when he had no plans for Imo in terms of provision of gainful employment?

Imo State unemployment rate is high. Today, the unemployment situation is bad for all age grades but, at 64%, it is worse for the youths in particular. Uzodinma is culpable for the failure to create decent job opportunities despite huge resources at his disposal. This is because he subscribed to the same anti-poor neo-liberal capitalist looting policies of the last administration in Imo State. His government placed a greater premium on the private accumulation of capital and profit as against adequate investment in social services. His government’s elitist and profit-first policies were top-down, brutal, exploitative, corrupt and fundamentally anti-people.

What manner of political teaching job is Uzodinma creating in a few weeks to the governorship election? LGA elections which could have created jobs for the youths were not conducted. Why must he use SOLAD in Imo for 4 years? Such is the abysmal fate of working masses and youths in Imo despite the huge reserve of oil wealth and high monthly allocations . The state is beset with poor infrastructure and extreme backwardness with millions of the poor and the unemployed living in excruciating poverty amidst huge resources. What solutions is the government currently advancing in resolving the jobs question in the state?

One nightmare that is confronting youths in the state is the challenge of getting a job . Instead of giving our youth’s laptops and political jobs, our government would have provided real and productive jobs. Thousands of Imolites are willing to work in Imo but are not employed. Unemployment is the number one issue in the state today. Imo people need jobs not fake jobs. That is how they can put food on the table. Every day, thousands of our unemployed brothers and sisters, scan the pages of newspapers and websites for job advertisements. I ask again, why did Uzodinma not create jobs when he resumed as governor?. Why should he create a teaching job on paper few days to the governorship election ?

The education sector in Imo is completely underfunded as dry laboratories; congested classrooms; poor conditions of learning in schools; are the order of the day. The handwriting on the wall today is clear that the Uzodinma’s government toed the path of austerity policies. Schools in Imo today cannot afford to provide ordinary chalks and printed examination questions for its schools. The governments deliberately underfunded public schools in Imo and encouraged private schools to thrive. Public resources that were in the past budgeted for social amenities have now become fair games for treasury looters and corrupt politicians. Businessmen who yearly spend billions on political campaigns are in turn compensated through government policies, while politicians equally compensate themselves with large chunks of annual budget, earmarked for their emolument and looting. The result of government policy of underfunding of schools in Imo is the tragic conditions on our campuses today. From the bed-bug infested mattresses at the prestigious Imo State University Teaching Hospital Hostels in Orlu and the poor health infrastructure and official negligence, to the decayed hostel facilities and dirty toilets and bathrooms at University of Agriculture Umuagwo, things are so bad for Imo students nowadays. It is unfortunate that the student bodies we have in Imo are not up to the task as they have completely turned into instruments in the hands of the State. Instead they have engaged in one scandal upon another.Who will save Imo State? Time will tell .

-Kenneth Uwadi writes from Mmahu-Egbema, Imo State and can be reached via 08037982714