By Kola Oredipe
“This Governor is proving difficult to give me an appointment. I will continue to fight him until he recognises me. Douye, is my friend. He is a good man but he needs to understand that I am hungry. I have to survive my brother”, John Idumange, was reported to have shared this conversation with a friend.
Idumange’s recent public posture and jaundiced views on the social media almost simply confirms this story to be true as the many reasons he seems to be wagging media war against the Governor, Senator Douye Diri.
We have watched Idumange, make invective statements over the past few weeks against the current administration. Too bad, he has met a man (Gov. Diri) who is not given to blackmails making his strategy to reap an appointment, a journey to zero respond.
Unfortunately, some gullible persons joined Idumange’s tirade of unwarranted criticism of Governor Douye Diri. Idumange’s epistles are riddled with pure lies, fabricated stories and provocative statements in many instances. No wonder he is answering questions in court for his previous wrongdoing and malicious posts.
Forget all the write-ups he is making, they are laced with emotions and alleged complaints of “political abandonment”.
Truth be told, that once Idumange gets an appointment, all the ‘gloating’ will stop. His story, is however, likened to that of a man who goes to the market square to criticize the “Igwe” but at sunset, returns to the home of one of the ‘Princes’ heaping praises on the king to attract personal gains. This unexemplary style is incredulous and legendary of Idumange!
Idumange and his co-travelers want the government to showcase and commission his completed projects. Good! They apparently, have been enslaved emotionally to realize that most of the ongoing legacy projects only started about a year ago after ravaging Covid-19 lockdown and those big ticket projects would take sometime to be ready. Yes, when completed, they would be commissioned.
Even a man who has not been to the four walls of a higher institution could comprehend that such projects demand huge finances and are not completed under one year in this terrain. The good news are that these projects are going on very fine.
From the Yenagoa-Oporoma road to Sagbama-Ekeremor, Igbedi road, GloryDrive, Igbogene-AIT Elebele road among others, contractors have not left site.
Apart from the road projects, the Prosperity Government is also constructing six new schools within Yenagoa metropolis – Obogoro Community, Yenezu-epie, Igbogene Community, Akenfa, Agudama, Biogbolo Community, and Ovom Community.
Again, three Information Communication Technology (ICT) centres have been constructed at the Bayelsa Medical University (BMU), Bayelsa State College of Health Technology Otuogidi (BYCOTECH) and Ijaw National Academy (INA) Kaiama.
A lot is happening in the education sub-sector. This government is constructing new Science and Technical Colleges at Ayamassa, Sampou, Opume, Igbeta-Iwoma and the
upgrade of the Technical school in Swali.
It is very myopic of Idumange and his gang to reason that the Governor was not prepare for office. We have a well-focused leader and the best at this time helping to effectively manage the lean resources of the State but the unprogressive and greedy minds have resorted to the very trademark of “Pull Him Down” syndrome among Bayelsans.
We challenge Idumange and his gang of traducers to independently visit the projects sites and see for themselves the level of investments on these projects.
As we speak, work has not stopped at any of the sites rather contractors are squaring up to deliver on the jobs.
Idumange, is regrettably the chief “Traducer”. He now sleeps, wakes up and sees the very unassuming, intelligent and capacity Governor Douye Diri in his dreams.
Instead of wishing the governor failures in your sleep, please, in the general interest of Bayelsa State, what John Idumange, should do is to wish him well, pray for the leader for more wisdom to carry on with the onerous assignments before him.
Mr. Idumange, moral teachings taught us that if you desire good things, you do not wish another human bad. There is a natural principle of retributive justice for evil plotters and doers!
I recommend that you also pray fervently for your dream “political appointment”, after all we all serve a God of miracles and today, we have a Miracle Governor, who is championing the cause of prosperity among the people of Bayelsa State.
But John Idumange, must know that he needs to be born again to receive God’s blessings except he is God’s anointed. Anointed Idumange, I do not know of that.
Again, Idumange ought to know that “those who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.” Bayelsans know who Idumange is; he is a man with antecedents. Bayelsans have record of his stewardship in public offices he served including being General Manager, Bayelsa State Broadcasting Corporation (Radio Bayelsa).
It is difficult to cover up the inglorious past even as he suddenly tries to present himself as a statesman who is concerned about the development of Bayelsa State. The holy book captures such a life style in 2 Corinthians 11:14, when it says, “And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.”
Although, change they say is the only permanent thing in this life, this change must be clear to all discerning minds.
Idumange must purge himself, redeem his integrity, and display the minimum societal public conduct expected of him. That is when this society can take him seriously. For now, Idumange is no “Angel John.”
Kola Oredipe, is Director/ Co-ordinator, New Media to the Bayelsa State Governor
