Theodore and Chinedu Orji, 150 Billion Naira and The Stories Beyond the Headlines.  

By Okafor Dodoh
1.  I am cutting short my social media leave to state my position on the mind-boggling revelations published in the papers last weekend exposing how Mr Theodore Orji and his son Chinedu allegedly stole over a hundred billion naira from the coffers of the Abia state government over the last 20 years. 

2. As one of the few persons who have consistently demanded accountability in the way public resources are managed in Umuahia,  it has become inevitable that I join my voice in demanding a thorough investigation into the allegations, then open prosecution (without the option of plea bargain) and possibly - a lifetime imprisonment of the duo- if found guilty and anyone identified to be remotely culpable in the criminal looting of Abia since 1999

3. It is important that I speak up lest I be accused of joining the band of shameless media personalities and influential elders in the state who have sold their consciences to the Theodore Orji family while the state continues to wallow in underdevelopment and frightening poverty levels 

4. Truth is: no true son or daughter of Abia ought to be quiet in the face of these heartbreaking revelations. To begin with, I must insist that a thorough psychiatric evaluation be carried out on Theodore Orji and his son.  That for me is the first place to begin. Are these people mentally OK? What does one family need a over a hundred billion naira for in a state with widespread poverty level? 

5. Perhaps it is about time we began to investigate the mental composition of the people we address as rulers in Abia state. It is not just enough to assume that a man is mentally sound just because he has a horde of hungry charlatan politicians or jobless youths hanging around him. What does an individual need a hundred bank accounts for? 

6. Long before now, I had consistently maintained that the problem we have in Abia state is the gullibility of the public,  the cowardice of the masses- their unwillingness to rise to the first responsibility of citizenship - vigilance.  There are too many lazy citizens in Abia and these are the true enablers of the rot we find all over the state today.  

7. These citizens you find all over Aba and Umuahia have never met a bad condition they do not like. A 120g pack of Indomie Noodles brings them more satisfaction than electing a governor who understands the urgency of building a society that works. They can murmur about the poor state of roads in their streets but would dance around the governor and sing his praises when telling him a few time truths would bring some succor.  

8. How can a people be happy living around streets littered with mountains of refuse and still- insist that "the governor is trying?" How about trade union leaders who accept gifts and bribes from the PDP leaders to betray those they ought to be representing?  Do you also look at the keke and bus drivers who pay daily extortionate fees to touts empowered by politicians and wonder if these people truly understand the powers they have as citizens?  

9. How about the traditional rulers who hand out chieftaincy titles to thieves in government offices? Aren't they part of the grand conspiracy against the people?  How can elders be actively committed to impovershing their communities?
  
10. Abia has many well-known politicians who are outspoken on national issues. Have you heard from any of them since Sunday when news of the scandalous looting of state resources by Theodore Orji and his son became public information?  Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe is a senator from Abia state, have you heard anything from him? How about leading APC figures from the state?  Any word? 

11. Many of us who have followed Abia politics in the last few years have always been convinced that it is nothing but a gangster enterprise. It does not matter what political party they belong to, they are always the same- persons with impure intentions waiting for their opportunity to swoop. It is no surprise that they are all keeping quiet- hoping the noise would die down so they continue their looting and sharing game. 

12. Dr. Alex Otti in my estimation and that of millions of Abians is the only principled and sincere opposition politician in Abia state. He is the only high standing person committed to liberating the state from the grip of lootocrats and mindless criminals in power. He it was who told us sometime ago about what he called a culture of "blood tonic" in the Abia political system. 

12b. Here, state resources are rationed off at source to several influential individuals in the state including politicians,  traditional rulers,  religious leaders, labor union leaders,  influential media personalities and anyone who has the capacity to cause disquiet when he speaks. In return for the "blood tonic" offered, these men become sycophants - praising whatever the governor does. 

13. The "blood tonic" cabal are the real enablers of the mess we have in Abia state today.  Their silence and active connivance emboldened Theodore Orji and his son to loot with such mindless impunity.  The question is- why would any man of conscience permit himself to be a party to the destruction of his state? 

14. Imagine if the revelations about the looting of state resources had broken out in Anambra or Imo. Do you think anyone could have bribed the entire radio stations in the state into abandoning such a juicy story? Theodore Orji and his lackeys were able to stop the story from being broadcast on air because they know the civil society in Abia is weak, the media is compromised and the opposition politicians don't have the coordinating capacity to profit from such events. 

15. But I must commend scores of social media activists who have made sure this story is not swept under the carpet. On Facebook,  Twitter and on WhatsApp groups, millions across the world are discussing the grand looting of state resources by Theodore Orji and his son.  

15b. You can bribe BCA, intimidate VISIONAfrica Radio,  blackmail FloFM, Magic FM and their likes but how about us? You cant stop us because for those of us on social media, this is a mission - we have a covenant to continually contribute our quota and stop at nothing till the state is set from from lootomaniacs. 

16. I would encourage all of us to make sure this story is not swept under the carpet.  We have a duty to keep this on the front burner. Theodore Orji and his son cannot steal our sleep and rest easy at night. 

17. We must constantly keep it in public domain that their thievery is the reason civil servants have not been paid in over 10 months.  It must be emphasised that the looting of Abia's resources by the duo and their accomplices is the reason Abia students now rely on malpractices to pass exams. It must be stated again and again that it is because of their mindless stealing that Abia is now being compared on the development index with Kogi and Benue.  

18. I am ashamed of the members of the Abia state HoA. Their failure to call for the immediate resignation of Chinedu Theodore Orji as the speaker of the ASHA is an indictment on their collective morality and portrays them as co-conspirators in the entire mess. It gets more disgusting when one realises that in this assembly are APGA and APC members. Aren't they all the same? 

19. Where do we go from here? Simple- to continue to demand the prosecution of the thieving political class and their lackeys, to demand that all stolen resources be returned to the Abia treasury and ultimately - the imprisonment of all who took the state 50 years behind states like Ebonyi and Enugu.  

20. Now Abians know their true enemies.  As I have maintained- our enemies are not in Abuja.  Buhari is not the reason salaries of civil servants are not being paid, Hausa-Fulanis have no part in the rot Aba and Umuahia have become. The Biafra war is not the reason millions of Abia youths rely on demeaning menial jobs to earn a living.  Fulani herders are not the reason pensioners have not been paid in the last 24 months.  

21. Why don't we go after these enemies in Abia government House,  state House of Assembly and in the political parties to free our state from the satanic grip of poverty,  underdevelopment and ultimate collapse?