The piece published by Reagan Ufomba in one of the national dailies on Tuesday May 27, 2014 is at best ludicrous. It is very obvious that Ufomba has not discovered himself. He would not, because he had not spared the time to peer into his cosmic realm and so completely unaware of his comical potentials. If he did, Osuofia and Mr. Ibu would have been nonstarters in their comedy field. Ufomba from all his acts and hollow motions make himself a big Joke. If Reagan stopped in his mendacious ways to ponder for a few seconds, he wouldn’t have allowed himself to be rapaciously dangled by a wily puppeteer benefactor.
The page that Reagan wrote in DAILY SUN was donated to Reagan as far as it is used in running down Chief T.A. Orji and put his fame to shame but they cannot because the world knows T. A. Orji and has acclaimed him through many sources. Ufomba has sworn not to see any good in Abia as he has embarked on a war of attrition and total annihilation. For that phobic reason and more, any who whispers T. A. Orji becomes an instant buddy and a serious ally, profusely armed to insult the Abia helmsman. They may be adopting the Persian saying that ‘the enemy of my enemy is my friend.’
We in Abia are not bothered by the types of Reagan because as it was said in Julius Caesar, Act 5 scene 1, ‘the posture of your blows are yet unknown. But for your words, they rob the Hybla bees. And leave them honeyless.
Reagan is a persona non grata in his Umuogelle Village in Ntigha, Isiala Ngwa North LGA. It becomes very abhorrent when a man takes falsehood to his home. The Igbos have a saying that ‘you do not sell a crippled fowl at home,’ but that was what Reagan was alleged to have done as you read along. His credentials smirk of crime, calumny, unbridled duplicity and serial mendacity. Take these for samples:
In 1994, it was alleged that Reagan published an obituary of himself to dodge creditors he swindled. Some years later, he persuaded his people to pay a counterpart fund for a non-existent water project and churned out lies in defence until the youths of his community rolled out tanks against him and he made a plea to save his uninspiring life. What about the Health Centre at the express way near Ntigha Junction which Reagan took over from his town’s women and promised heaven on earth? It is now bushy, and a palace for reptiles and rodents. The story of an Owaza man Reagan was alleged to have collected over 4 million Naira from, with the promise to create an autonomous community for the victim while he was special assistant in the previous regime. Do I go on?
I wouldn’t have picked up my pen over Reagan, having profiled his misdeeds previously but for his quote where he refused to credit Edmund Burke, that Irish Man of note. ‘evil thrives where good men do nothing.’
Reagan is a pretender and in his make-believe write up, made so many claims that should not be ignored. As it is said in journalism, ‘Facts are sacred and opinion is free.’
As Reagan wrote, ‘my team and I would not sleep until the great people of Abia State, who had been beaten to slumber as a result of unprecedented mass poverty and backwardness regain their consciousness and pride of place.’
This as you can see is complete falsehood. Ochendo’s governance has breathed life into Abians if we work on available facts. The Agric sector has been given quantum push. The ambitious liberation farms slated for the 17 Local Government Areas have successfully taken off in most Local Government Areas. The donation of improved variety of cassava stems, palm seedling, cocoa and innumerable others are good examples. The one billion Agric loans have put Abians into being managers of their own resources. Have these happened before?
The youths in Abia have never ever been so empowered since the creation of the state. Abia youths have been taken through multiple skills and empowered to thrive. Over two thousand vehicles have been given out free of charge. Bursaries have been paid to all Abians in the tertiary institutions and computers and other resourceful gadgets issued. Free Education at Primary and Secondary has been on since 2007. Civil Servants were enormously promoted and Abia pays the highest minimum wage in the country, so where is the poverty. Based on many of the above, our children at home and abroad have won laurels to unprecedented levels so we can say that Reagan is having a nightmare wishing evil for Abia.
He went to his usual refrain of Igbos who were transferred to their states. Yes! When the governor took that action, he made it clear to all and explained the reasons as the revenue and allocation of Abia were on the decline but Reagan cannot remember now that Abia has reabsorbed 2,700 of these numbers.
Reagan shamelessly wrote ‘As a young man, I had rebelled against societal ills: I left the seminary school as a result of injustice. I left the APGA faction under Victor Umeh as a result of injustice. I refused to “negotiate” with T.A. Orji after the 2011 governorship election because that would amount to injustice to our people.’
For where? Reagan did not leave these places on his own terms. What has he to negotiate with T.A. Orji? Is it as a party man, or statesman? Probably as a populist? How many votes did he get? A poor percentage of Ochendo’s landslide votes. His trademark lie means that Reagan cannot change. I am sure that Chief Victor Umeh has his dossier on Reagan and would release them at the right time. Do we need to bother with late sage Benjamin Franklin who predicted that ‘it is hard for an empty bag to stand erect.’
Let me sound a note of warning to those who may fall prey to Reagan and his antics. Reagan has never done any good deed all his life. His claims are hollow. He boasted some years ago to establish a cement factory that will beat Dangote and he appointed distributors who gullibly registered. Your guess is as good as mine over what happened to the funds. Where do these factories exist? What does Reagan do for a living? Are his businesses registered and functional? Are they quoted in the stock exchange and NAFDAC? Where do these phantom businesses pay taxes?
Reagan after blowing hot air of going to do new things, grabbed the APGA ticket in 2011 but what did he get? A distant second to Ochendo’s first: 641,158 votes as against 49,421 votes.
A ratio rating of 12: 1,7.7 percent of Ochendo’s total votes and 6.6% of total votes cast for the best four contestants in Abia. As you can see, an abysmal mandatory spread of votes in all local governments in Abia.
Going by the above statistics, is Reagan worth all the troubles? What a huge rejection? What a poor showing for a man who pretended to covet the Abia top post? Reagan is bedeviled with so many curses. When the Ukwa na Ngwa publicly forbade their sons from running in 2011, Reagan disobeyed. He impersonated the bible and blasphemed God by his slogan of Isaiah 43 v. 18, ‘behold I will do a new thing!’
Reagan is not a candidate and can never be. An African proverb once said, ‘never insult the crocodile until you cross the river.’ Reagan has bitten the political fingers that fed him. Mind you, he previously desecrated the altar that raised him. APGA cannot give Reagan a ticket except he runs from the numerous nondescript parties that are at the brink of extinction. Even when he tried in 2011, it was only a handful of votes. Now Ochendo in his magnanimity has thrown his weight behind power shift in the governorship race to Ukwa na Ngwa, so by being of Ngwa extraction, Reagan can run for the election in 2015 but who will support him? Senators Enyinnaya Abaribe, Nkechi Nworgu, Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu, Barrister Friday Nwosu all have some credible showing. Can Reagan stand with these heavyweights? Would he measure up to their shoulders, waists or the knees? Reagan is a Jehu, recklessly cruising on the back of the tiger, unaware that he is a super component of the tiger’s next menu.
It sounds so unbelievable and an aberration that this infamous Reagan shares nativity with Monsignor Nwachukwu, the popes nuncio, Hon Chinenye Ike, Eze Amara Nwabeke, an impeccable gentleman, Ginger Onwusibe, the twice appointed Transition Chairman of Isiala Ngwa North LGA and many other illustrious sons. Reagan is a huge joke and will continue to be one, quote me.
*Onuzuruike wrote in from Umuahia, Abia State
