By Michael Nwabueze
With the growing sociopolitical bedlam in Abia since May 29 2023, one would have thought that close to four months after, situation in the state would have been mastered and the people on cruise control to prosperity.
However, the last seven days have proven otherwise as the government of Alex Otti keeps drawing the ire of the people and institutions in the state owing to its many draconian policies, anti-people actions and hypocritical approach to governance.
Just after a week of protests by different categories of Abians against the misgovernance of his administration, Abians were greeted by another gross misapplication of government instrument of right of reply when Alex Otti in his hurried, emotional and unmeasured response to the Anglican Church, called them unprintable names and made all sorts of shocking allegations against that revered institution in a manner never done before in the entire history of the State.
The verbal attack was akin to the uncontrolled rampage of bandits against the church up north. That was political banditry unleashed on the chuch. It stripped the church of her dignity, humiliated her priests and excoriated her laity in one fell swoop, all because the church in her usual role of a foremost watchdog of society advised Mr Alex Otti to reverse the unwarranted sudden termination of appointments of thousands of Abia civil servants especially given the harsh economic situation of the country.
Rather than heed to the advice, Otti resorted to name-calling and went on a vitriolic spree that left the church red-faced.
If that was just a one-off incident, it would have been understandable. But Alex Otti and his team have spent their entire time in office so far insulting, denigrating and morbidly attacking anyone who dares to disagree with them on any issue, offer advice or criticise government policies when they go against the people. So when it happened to the Anglican Church, one of the most respected religious institutions in the entire universe, then one knows that Abians are in for a rough ride.
It is my earnest appeal to the Church not to be discouraged in her role as the spiritual compass of society because of the shenanigans of the current crop of political bandits in power but to keep praying for Abians to be rescued urgently from their grip so that Abians can breathe again.
