By Ivlas Adama
Chief Charles Orie was appointed as Managing Director of Imo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (ISOPADEC) amidst the #EndSARSRevolution in October, 2020.
The same October 2020 that a lying Minister of Petroleum told Nigerians that one and half billion dollars was released for turn-around maintenance of the Port Harcourt Refinery which was supposed to be achieved within eighteen months!!
Incidentally, Nigeria turned sixty years old as an independent nation that same October 2020.
Reminds one of the popular American Science Fiction television drama series in the early 1980s titled “2020”.
Back then, the year 2020 held a lot of promise for high tech advancement in the global village.
The saying “A fool at forty is a fool forever obviously means nothing to Nigeria. If it did not, why would Nigerians sit back and carry on as if nothing happened in the petroleum sector banditry of colossal dimension?
One month and eighteen days from now will be four solid years since Lai made good his name by lying to us as Information Minister about what his counterpart in the petroleum sector made us believe as gullible citizens, that petrol would start flowing from Port Harcourt Refinery after eighteen months which should have been in April, 2022!!
In the same sector driven by crude oil-producing communities in Imo State, we are now treated to free comedy featuring Governor Hope Uzodimma and Chief Charles Orie as lead actors.
First is the prolonged absence of Orie from office and silence after his first tenure expired following which he traveled to Canada.
Then came the news of Orie’s resignation two days ago followed by refutal by Uzodimma via his Commissioner for Information Strategy and Public Re-orientation, Declan Emelumba saying Orie was wrong to claim he resigned.
According to Emelumba, Orie’s tenure expired and Uzodimma did not re-appoint him.
Amidst the confusion, Orie responded by saying there is no rift between him and Uzodimma and busy bodies should mind their business instead of creating nonexistent rifts.
Hon. Chief Henry Ekpe, former Chief Press Secretary to former governor, Dr. Ikedi Ohakim, rising from the celebration of his former boss’s birthday, would caution Uzodimma’s aides against making a mountain out of a mole hill, citing wrong description of Orie as “Chairman” of ISOPADEC in an official government press statement by Emelumba as curious.
Then, Ndubueze Nwokoma, a former media aide to Orie would thrill some spectators with a cliff hanger titled “Orie Resigns, To End Bad Governance In Imo”
According to Nwokoma in his article, the oil-producing areas in Orie’s Federal Constituency have no development to show for Orie’s position because Orie was just there as a zombie for mere decoration as he was not given free hand to operate.
The Querist has commenced investigations. The question for now is, Uzodimma, Orie, what the hell is going on?