By GCON Media.
We have read the recent write-up celebrating the NDDC’s swift intervention on the Agbor-Abavo-Warri Road and compelled to speak on it’s content because what we saw was not an exact report of development but a deliberate attempt to twist record, re-write history and cause division among our people. The most painful omission in that entire write-up is the name of Mr. Chiedu Ebie, our own Son, from Ika South.
Chiedu Ebie Esq is the Chairman, Governing Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, the very Agency that has now moved to terminate and re-award the contract on that road. How do you write about NDDC intervention in Ika South and refuse to mention the man behind the success story, who painstakingly took the matter to Abuja, sat in numerous meetings, pushed the files, and made sure the process was restarted? That is not reportage. That is politics of erasure, which must stop.
Sad enough, that is the same kind of politics that has kept Ika South backward for far too long. The politics of lifting one person and burying another. The politics of using our collective pain to fight internal battles. The politics of selective praise while pretending others do not exist. Lets be clear here, the people of Abavo, Agbor, and Obiaruku have suffered on that road for years. They do not care about deceits and propaganda. Rather, they care about movement. They care about their farm produce getting to the market. They care about their children getting to school without fear. And they deserve the truth.
The truth is that the renewed push at NDDC did not happen by accident. It happened because an Ika South Don is now in a position of authority and decided to use that position for the good of his people. Mr. Chiedu Ebie carried this burden. He engaged the right quarters. He followed up. He ensured the failed contract was addressed. So to write an entire piece on this intervention and leave his name out is wicked, intentional and an insult to the intelligence of Ika people.
We must also ask, what is the intention behind this kind of writing? Is it to unite or divide us? Is it to celebrate development or to start a fight among leaders? We ask these questions because the multiplier effect of that write-up is nothing but division. It is creating suspicion and telling our people that only some voices matter while others do not. That is dangerous, especially now that we need unity to ensure this project is completed and to prepare for the future of Ika Federal Constituency.
We are party men and we will stand with our party, but loyalty to party must never mean lying to our people. Loyalty means telling the truth even when it is hard. And the truth is, without the intervention and drive from Chiedu Ebie, we would still be here crying on social media while nothing moved in Abuja.
So our appeal is simple ; Correct the record and give credence to whom and where it is due. Mr. Chiedu Ebie is the face of this NDDC intervention and he must be given his flowers and clearly acknowledged.
Again, let’s focus on the work ahead. Our people need to see equipment on site. They need to see quality work. They need to see the road completed on time. That is what will bring joy to Abavo and to all of Ika South.
Finally, let us stop this politics of division and sentimentss. Ika South is one. Our challenges are the same. Our future is tied together.
To the writers, do better. Be fair. Be factual. Be for the people.
To our leaders, let us put Ika first above every other consideration. And to our people, hold all of us accountable but also protect the truth.
When the road is finally completed, history will record who truly fought for it. And that name is Mr Chief Chiedu Ebie. Therefore, let us support him, let us support the process, and let us get this project done for the good of Ika South.
God bless Ika South.
God bless Ika Federal Constituency.
