We ought to be mourning Dr. Alex Ekwueme  today. We shall yet do. Today, we comment on poor representation of a people. It is not so often that the sons of great men turn out like their fathers. For inexplicable reasons, they don’t usually measure up to the status of their fathers. If anything, they become a shadow of them. Take the fictional Nwoye sired by the great Okonkwo in Achebe’s classic, “Things Fall Apart.” But with modern science, enhanced technology and peer group influence, one had expected this narrative to change, at least for the sake of Ideato Federal Constituency of Imo State. Unfortunately, this has not been so as poor representation and lack of democracy dividends have been the lot of the people since the advent of the current democratic dispensation in 1999.

Ideato Federal Constituency comprises Ideato North Local Government Area, with headquarters in Urualla and Ideato South Local Government Area with headquarters in Dikenafai. It has such historical towns as Arodizuogu, Akokwa, Osina and Ogboko. It produced Late flambuoyant politician, Dr K. O. Mbadiwe and the boycottable giant, Late Mazi Mbonu Ojike. These were great parliamentarians who held the Nation spell bound in the first and second Republics with their activities, including robust debates. Late Collins Obi, an accomplished banker and gubernatorial candidate of the defunct NPN in old Imo State also hailed from there. Celebrated elegant stallion, Onyeka Onwenu also comes from there.

One therefore would rightly expect that anybody sent from this famous constituency to Abuja as a member of the House of Representatives would certainly prove his mettle. Indeed being a representative of people with such veritable heritage is a great honour that should  be reciprocated with hardwork and more hardwork.

But the reverse appears to have been the case since 1999 as those who have represented Ideato Federal Constituency may not have justified their exalted positions in terms of credible representation both at the Green Chambers and of course in attracting democracy dividends to the people of the area.

Since facts are sacred and comments free, I stand to be contradicted if any of the aforementioned representatives has offered qualitative representation to the people of Ideato Federal Constituency. It appeared that during the past 18 years, the voice of Ideato Nation was swallowed in the lower House. Nobody has heard of any earth shaking bills or even motions. Our Youths have also not come forward to testify that any of these representatives secured Federal Government jobs for them as being done by other representatives from even neighbouring constituencies.

Related News

In terms of infrastructure, we have Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State to commend. As an illustrious son of the area, he has tried, within the available resources to salvage the roads while siting other State projects to the area. But the major problem of devastating erosion menace threatening many communities still subsist. These, I believe are what our lawmakers should do by lobbying Federal Government’s agencies to address the infrastructural deficit in Ideato Federal Constituency. It is really saddening when we hear of exploits of other representatives and nothing tangible comes from those we sent to Abuja all these years.

But then, could it be said that the people are not lucky or the failure lies within them? Have they looked closely at the process that threw up these men and women? Was it transparent enough to have produced only the best? Or were they blinded by sentiments or pecuniary considerations in making our bad choices? These questions are germane because you can only make progress when you know when and where the rain started beating you. Indeed there is something strikingly similar with all the former representatives. They were all “foreigners”, who landed home just to contest the elections. In other words, they did not and could not understand the pains and needs of the people. It is only a man close to his neighbor that would perceive the odour from his mouth. Unfortunately, these representatives came from Lagos and Abuja and after winning the elections they returned to their bases and never bothered to connect with their people.

There is no doubt that this disconnect was responsible for the abysmal failure of the representatives. They could not give what they don’t have because they were bereft of the basic knowledge of those they were purporting to represent. The grave implication was that they remained alien to the people and could not therefore make any difference.

That is why the mistakes of the past should guide us to ensure that the next representative of Ideato Federal Constituency will not bear any resemblance to the former ones both in characteristics of course capacity. It is true that they cannot successfully scoop out the oil that had poured into the sand. But we can at least ensure that we don’t repeat the mistakes of the past. We can also ensure that the convoluted system that produced our former representatives is jettisoned for a more transparent and credible process.

As was pointed out earlier, political party consideration should be the least of our worries in the search for the next representative. They need a credible candidate who in 2019 will wipe away the tears of the people by being a voice that would be heard in the National Assembly through robust debates, sponsorship of motions and bills and of course attracting real democracy dividends to the people of Ideato nation. I do not hail from there but the people deserve better.