By Ogu Bundu Nwadike
On a sunny smoothly tarred road, there often appears a glimmer of a body of water about 200-300 meters away on the road ahead. It’s like a wet road under the sun! That’s called mirage.
It leaves a feeling of the more you look, the less you see. This is more so as the river you saw a moment earlier, you don’t see again, even as another body of water yet appears!
Such deceptive conditions abound a lot in human relationships, particularly in the nature and features of politics.
There’s this mirage that characterizes aspects of politics. The cloud seems perpetually hazy and predictable.
Inept, clueless, incompetent and inglorious politicians boast of capacities and capabilities they don’t possess. And some people see them as messiahs and mentors. Mirage!
Probably, the concept of mirage in human relationships gave rise to the thought of the “bigger picture”.
It’s a reference to the overall ingredients, attributes, features and nature of the person, the place or thing, much of which can’t be seen or comprehended from far.
In Imo State, with the governor, His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, CON, KSC, FNIFST, there’s a bigger picture, which Imo people need to configure and comprehend. Doing that will help many Imolites to cool and calm down and support the governor’s great plans, policies, programmes and projects as have been designed and tailored to the overall benefit of entire Ndimo!
Fortunately, the trust and confidence of the people, which was eroded by the strange leadership styles of the immediate past administration in the State, are being restored by Gov. Ihedioha.
Imo people are steadily observing that the governor consults and involves them in the workings and runnings of the State.
With the continued increase of the various people-oriented programmes and projects of the RebuildImo government, the rate of trust and confidence of Imo people in the government will continue to increase!
Then, they will begin to visualize the bigger picture ahead of them and the State. They will see the great transformation and development that will blossom in Imo in the nearest future. They will begin to patiently live in the future from the present, away from the gory past!
It’s no longer news that Gov. Ihedioha is steadily effecting desirable changes in Imo State by the veritable instrumentality of his good programmes and projects in all sectors of the State’s economy – finance, education, health, works, public utilities, environment, commerce and industry, technology development, youth, sports and security.
Gov. Ihedioha has set in the right pedestal the relationship among the arms and tiers of government in Imo State.
While the State and Local Governments tiers enjoy hand in glove relationship, as they should be, the arms of executive, legislature and judiciary are responsibly and respectfully co-existing very peacefully.
He’s in very good terms with various institutions like the traditional institution, the religious institution, the market unions, the youths and the students etcetera.
The bigger picture is that in no distant future, there will be better teaching and learning in the State’s education system.
The finances of the State will be performing much better than it’s doing now, with a highly technological, and digitized systes at all levels.
The healthcare sector, at primary, secondary and tertiary levels, will be patronized by the people, with trust and confidence that were once lost but restored by Gov. Ihedioha.
The road network will be good and durable for refreshing driving experience.
Regular public water supply will be assured. Steady public electricity supply will be guaranteed. Youths and sports will present in delightful experiences. Transport system will be perfected, with functional busstops marked along every major motorway.
There will be genuine factories and industries established by Imo people at home and abroad.
There will be more jobs and businesses. There will be wealth creation for Ndimo. Abundant joy and happiness will flourish in Imo State again!
Life is in the heart and the mind. If you can see it, if you can believe it, then count it as a done deal.
Virtually everything that is configured in conjecture, manifests in reality. Much of what are seen as nuggets of physical development were once on the drawing boards of the heart and the mind. That’s what the concept of the bigger picture in this discourse is all about.
That philosopher taught that if you can dream about it, then you can get it. But if you can’t dream about it, you can’t be sure about getting it.
The scriptures abound with experiences that capture the mirage and bigger picture concept aptly and succintly.
Therefore, Ndimo must refuse to be pinned down, retarded and stagnated by their ugly experiences of the past. That forms part of the mirage. There’s a new dawn. There’s a change of baton. Gov. Ihedioha is the current duly elected governor of Imo State. There’s a bigger picture!
Let Ndimo look up and see what Gov. Ihedioha is seeing and follow where he’s leading Imo State to. He’s a charismatic leader. He’s a man of character and integrity. Honesty, transparency and accountability are his watch words. He’s guided by rule of law and due process. His words are his bond!
May God Almighty help Ndimo to see the bigger picture ahead! In Jesus’ name! Amen!
Nwadike is author of the book, Nigeria Worth Dying for, he writes from Owerri