The Labour Party of Nigeria is unarguably the single most popular Political Party in Nigeria today with an impressive mass mobilization activities resulting from a well co-ordinated grassroots exercise which spans the thirty six states of the country and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja.
This same national scenario is replicated in Abia State of Nigeria where Dr. Alex Otti is contesting to be the governor on the March 11, 2023 general election with a solid political mobilization structure that penetrates down to the council ward levels comprising chairmen, vice chairmen, secretaries, financial secretaries women leaders, heads of contact and mobilization, market union leaders and other accessory positions.
With over 250 town unions, market unions, and other constituted bodies and structures Labour Party has emerged as a positive political group fashioned as a weapon for the much expected change in a completely new dispensation that strive to restore the true moral values of social responsibility, honesty, dedicated service and self discipline in leadership instead of the present ugly situation which is compounded by the continued erosion of cherished values as propagated by the reprehensible private and public conduct of those who governed Nigeria generally and Abia State in particular in the last Twenty-five years and promoted factors that are responsible for the increasing crime wave in major cities around the country and Aba the Enymba City and Umuahia Abia’s capital city in particular.
Ever since, the crime rate in Aba has continued to soar, reaching alarming proportions some years ago resulting in the formation of a vigilante group known as Bakassi Boys by some traders of the Ariaria International market who were the most affected. However, the group was accused of extra judicial killings and other illegalities and consequently outlawed by the government of former president Olusegun Obasanjo.
Remember that Aba the commercial nerve centre of the South Eastern Nigeria was relatively a safe abode for habitation and thriving businesses in the 1970’s, 1980’s and 1990’s due to low crime rate. But this state of affairs was altered as a result of rapid urbanization arising from the massive inflow of people from the rural to urban centers and the strain on existing and ailing infrastructure and the population explosion led to high levels of unemployment and underemployment.
The growing army of unemployed youths, the dream of many job seekers that were attracted to urban centers remains largely and usually unfulfilled as a result of the inability of the labour market to absorb the expanding numbers of idle youth population. At some point Aba was uder siege as armed robbers almost took over the entire city, attacking commercial banks in broad daylight. But when these banks improved their security measures, hoodlums operating in the state took to kidnapping high networth individual for ransom as this terrifying criminality became an alternative source of income for the perpetrators. While some notable citizens of the state were being abducted daily, the law enforcement agents busied themselves with illegal extortion of money from members of the public particularly motorists making the people of Abia State to continually live in fear as they completely lost confidence in the ability of law enforcement agents to curb these spate of violent crimes.
Notwithstanding all the facts stated above, there have been the diversion of money meant for public projects, fraudulent acquisition of properties, concealing offences, taking and receiving bribes. Those in authority used public funds to build exotic mansions and drove intimidating automobiles and stashed public funds in private foreign bank accounts even when the members of the public they profess to represent know too well that their legitimate salaries could not afford the lifestyle they display.
But the fact remains that unpatriotic tendencies as tolerance of corruption, indolence, wrangling, obtaining by tricks generally impede nation building as they are vices humanity have always tried to battle and overcome. To see them for whatever reason as acceptable integral patterns of a culture is to put the mind to violent distortion.
It is also clear that the failure of people, institutions and governments have to do with the inability and unwillingness to learn and implement those positive ideals that augur well with their interest. Also, positive values such as cleanliness, self consciousness, punctuality, reliability, basic hygiene, has remained deeply entrenched in human nature and are no inventions of any particular culture rather tacit cannons of man’s quest towards decent and contended living.
The same human judgment applies with regards to public sense of justice and fair play, ability towards sensible management of resources, dependability, respect for law and order, respect for human freedoms and exercise of franchise.
It is then sacrosanct that for a transformation to take place, the need arises for a thorough overhaul of the meaning our people attach to such issues as morality, immorality, public property, wealth, election, justice, private interest, patriotism, tribe, peace, poverty, freedom, nepotism, embezzlement, bribery, corruption, wastefulness negligence and exploitation.
Only after such critical self examination can we as a people come to realize that Abia State and indeed Nigeria can become an industrialized developed location of the world while still retaining the positive values of traditional African societies. We cannot achieve this enviable virtues by a free ride on the back of others, rather it will only be achievable through hardwork, self discipline, dedication and our ability to learn in the systematic process of self rediscovery.
Abians and indeed other Nigerian cannot continue to believe that by serving our ego first, in total neglect of the interest of all, we can serve ourselves best, because that belief is wrong and untrue as it only causes public pain and disorder at all levels of society. Inotherwords, people who occupy public and elective positions must not see themselves and lords over other members of the larger society.
That is the main reason why an Alex Otti Government in Abia State will as a matter of urgency tackle these issues headlong to re-direct our dear God’s own state in the path of progress and growth in a twenty- first century economy that continually draws the entire world into a global village of extra ordinary economic and social opportunities.
These principles of decency and dedication to service will serve as basic rules of engagement in Dr. Alex Otti’s government in Abia State of Nigeria across all sector’s of the economy that includes fundamental human rights, health and medicare services, education and human development, housing and transportation, agriculture and natural resources, local government administration and development, water resources and public health, environment and urban development and many more.
The governorship election of March 11, 2023 gives us the great opportunity of coming out in large numbers with our P.V.Cs to massively vote Dr. Alex Otti and the Labour Party into office as the next Governor of Abia State of Nigeria when we vote on the ballot column recognizable by the picture of a family made up of father, mother and child otherwise known as papa, mama and pikin.
God bless you and your family as do this.
Dr. Charles Chinekezi is a chartered management professor (C.M.P.) of the Nigerian Institute of Management, Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria.