Imo Education, Future And Uzodimma’s Second Journey To Insanity – Mba Ogbonnaya

I was on my way to the office for my usual daily hustle but ran into a gridlock with Stern looking armed to the teeth security personnel redirecting every vehicle back to where they were coming from.

That agonising experience is just a reflection of Uzodimma led Government’s disinterestedness on the course of the Imo citizenry. That siege was as a result of the awaiting arrival of the Vice President of Nigeria, Kashim Shettima.

To the consternation of Imo people, Okorocha shamelessly put in appearance and as usual without any modicum of sensitivity was seen waving at those he had abandoned in coma after a reported large scale pillaging of common wealth of the State and thieving from the poor masses. That is a story for another day.

At issue is, what does Uzodimma intends to bring to the table for Ndi Imo to earn their votes after four years of misadventure as the Governor of Imo State. Uzodimma according to him became the Governor of Imo State through the “Ben Johnson way”, and in confirmation of his factual claims, Imo has suffered an unimaginable under-development. It is so because Uzodimma had no plans abinitio on what to bequeath to the state; he was wholly unprepared.

What can Uzodimma say about the education system in the state, which used to be the major Industry? Under the present government, the only achievement was the half baked training he organised for All Progressives Congress (APC) Youths who later received the least and the most inferior type of computer. It was Celeron processor Core 2. It was one of the oldest generation of computers and the lowest processor category of Intel, which has been totally faced out. 

Granted that Uzodimma may have decided to cash in on the rising tide vis-a-vis technological revolution pervading the globe, especially in coding, robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) but certainly missed the point.

What Uzodimma has forgotten is that countries that have done well in various areas of social and economic endeavours achieved this through a carefully planned education system; and education has been the fulcrum of the today’s “Knowledge Economy.”

Education is a process of imparting or acquiring knowledge, developing powers of reasoning and Judgment, and generally of preparing oneself or others intellectually for mature life, the act or process of imparting or acquiring particular knowledge or skills, as for a profession.

Looking at the demographic Uzodimma said he has trained, at best most of them are only half baked. Education is synonymous to profession blas profession is just a scratch to what education is. That is why it is a human right and the greatest fundamental of development.

It is unfortunate that teachers who toil day and night to gees that lay the golden eggs have been abandoned and impoverished. While the take home is nothing to write home about, still, they are denied of the paltry sum.

It is incontrovertible that Imo teachers are the most relegated.

It was baffling to learn of the alleged large number of teachers that have been literarily pushed beyond limit of starvation if not the grace of God that abounds.

We have whopping 449 teachers who have neither received salaries or any remuneration in whatever kind since 2022. They cry every day about their sufferings, including their families. How can a government be this heartless to the people it sword to protect and see to their welfare.

However, our Governor Uzodimma goes about boasting that he is not owing any worker. Here we are, the care givers of the future of the state are being maltreated and enslaved.

This is the reason Imo schools are mere structures where children go everyday to dissipate energy and to waste precious time without any knowledge investment in them. In worse scenarios, some of them are mere sign posts indicating names of the schools since everything about the school have all gone into oblivion.

Like Uzodimma confessed, his biggest achievement in education sector in the state was to recover the University in Ogboko, which Okorocha appropriated to himself.

His words: “For us one of our greatest achievements in the education sector is the recovery of the K. O. Mbadiwe University for Imo people. As you may well know, the University was built and furnished with tax-payers money…”

While we applaud Uzodimma for wrestling Imo school out of his today’s number one supporter and partners in misrule, is that all about education?

Anambra State, the neighbouring state has been up and doing breaking every record in all the national examinations.

It’s a bye-bye to education in Imo. The privately owned schools which parents are going through harrowing experience to train their children are also abandoned. In the worse scenario even when they have engagements that will bring honour to the state, they are denied any help.

Investigation reveals that most schools have not had Mathematics lesson for the Past two years. While we must as a matter of fact commend Owerri City School for the commitment of the teachers in that school. Their students applauded them but still complain of lack of empathy and love. These are vagaries of bitterness of hunger stricken teachers who are passing through hell.

The same thing cannot be said of most other schools that have suffered untold abandonment. This is to the extent that the facilities are almost collapsing on the head of the teachers and the students.

Revelation in Ikenegbu Girls is startling. JSS 1 since the inception of the new term in September have only had one Mathematics lesson. This is one deconstruct in the lives of our of our children that may be difficult to recover.

Meanwhile, over five local government areas in the state are under siege. What policy thrust is on the ground to safeguard those children who have been plunged into an untold hardship, having lost their freedom. 

Motivation at work is dead. This is not unconnected with the failure of the present Government of Hope Uzodimma to live up to its contract with the people.

While the Government wallows in the wilderness because of the Ben Johnson theory heaped on instead of buying the truth, it is the future of Imo people that is being jeopardised.

Let us not forget that the future is now. If we mismanage children, the caregivers and teachers, posterity certainly will never remember this sordidity well.

With Hope Uzodimma’s theory of branding unpaid teachers ghost workers, it is glaring that he is happy dancing on the grave of the dead teachers who died of hunger, malnutrition and heartache caused by the State.

Imo people have another opportunity to either remain in modern day slavery sponsored by the state or vote another Imo son who has the love of the State and the citizenry at heart.