The word ‘Ihedioha’ can be defined by the dictionary of the mind as anything that has the capacity of being successful even in the midst of difficulties. The “dictionary” further explains it as an act of being successful or achieving something where some others think it may be difficult. This goes to say that one can make a sentence using the word Ihedioha. For example, “In this coming election, my team and I shall emerge ihediohanally (successfully),” and “this event was indeed ihediohanised (successful)”, etc.
The word ‘phobia’ on the other hand, was novel to me until my senior secondary class when I had an encounter with my wonderful English teacher, Mrs. Adiukwu. She told us then that “phobia” means being afraid of something. In her examples, she used things like: Mathematics phobia, Physics phobia, Chemistry phobia, and all that.
However, I thank Mrs. Adiukwu for exposing me to the word ‘phobia’ and, to a large extent, thank Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha for fighting hard and strong to add his name to the dictionary of the mind. It is important to note that while some persons’ definition about you in their own dictionary of the mind may not be in accordance with your worldview, you shouldn’t be perturbed by it. The truth remains that the voice of the people must prevail.
Now let me proceed to the crux of this piece. What a lot of the opposition groups in Imo today are suffering is termed Ihediohaphobia. In this context, it can therefore be defined as being afraid of success. And in a broader political sense, it means being an enemy of the people and the good tidings that should come to them.
Ihediohaphobia has eaten deep into the fabrics of some people that they don’t even wish to hear the name. It can be diagnosed through what they write, say and do on hearing the name Ihedioha. Some of them have gone to the extent of photographing the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, just to make the false claim that he was seated while the National Anthem was being rendered at a recent function in Owerri.
One wonders where else this kind of blackmail could have emanated from, if not from those who suffer from this political epidemic called Ihediohaphobia. A lawmaker per excellence, who has changed the status quo in lawmaking, cannot be found wanting in obeying the laws of the land. A flag-flying officer of the Republic cannot be sitting, even in his dream, when the Nigerian Anthem is ongoing.
It is also worthy of note that since after the recent Iri Ji Mbaise festival, Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State and his band of apologists have not recovered from the shock reality of Ihedioha’s increasing popularity across Imo. The fact that Okorocha was booed while Ihedioha was hailed at the festival is a rude reality check for the governor.
The reason for this write-up is to advise Okorocha’s aides to focus on mending the image of their boss which has gone into oblivion. For a man who had goodwill before becoming governor to, at this point, be hiring youths to chant his praise shows that he has lost it. His aides should therefore concentrate on explaining to Imolites why the roads shown on African Independent Television (AIT) are without potholes, while in Imo, potholes are inseparable from Okorocha’s road projects. They should explain to Imolites why there is no job creation and why local government elections are still not conducted since he got to office till today. They should explain the financial status of Imo and tell us why a huge debt of over N130 billion hangs over the state. They should tell us why the once cleanest city of Owerri is nowhere to be found in the convocation of beautiful cities in Nigeria. Let them inform us where pensioners are only paid on AIT and even National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members posted to Imo only receive their salary from the state on AIT. Let them not forget to tell us why the purported ‘Youth Must Work’ members were given “engagement letters” instead of appointment letters. They can go further to tell us why a man who parades an empty talk on rule of law has been disobeying the law since inception into office.
Finally, it is necessary to state that Ihedioha is like a golden fish which has no hiding place. He is a man whose time has come and no human being can pull him down. He is a man with a large heart; a man full of wisdom and administrative decorum. He is a man loved by the youths, the old, the women and even children. Ihedioha cannot be stopped, no matter the amount of PHD (pull him down) strategies which the rescue mission government adopts. Ihedioha thinks; Ihedioha listens; and above all, Ihedioha delivers without telling stories.
Imo ga adi mma ozo! (Imo will be good again).
• Akwarandu wrote in from Owerri, Imo State.