Peter Oparah
28 October 2008
opinion
While one agrees that the overwhelming need to promote one's selfish interests, couched in the garb of playing politics, is at the root of the persistent liberty the opposition in Imo State is taking with truth and the people's emotion, there is need to counsel the few that take these people serious to think before you swallow their many lies.
Even in the desire to win and gain from such victory, what should be sacrosanct is the time-honored instinct to preserve truth and cloak whatever interest we choose to promote with verifiable truth, which should be supported by facts and not the concocted invention of desperadoes that see nothing good in any setting that does not favour their selfish permutations.
In Imo State, it is obvious that the emergent jingoist, Maximus Uba, who has spent most of his productive years touting for whoever can afford his miserly pay, has taken enough liberty with the truth in his zealous quest to please his present master.
Operating under the masthead of a one-man NGO (or is it non-governmental individual), Uba recently raised a wild and reckless allegation that the Imo State Governor, Ikedi Ohakim, sponsored the memorial concert in honour of the late Italian music impresario, Signor Luciano Pavarotti. He alleged that the Governor indeed funded the activity, which he alleged, involved the ferrying of several men and women from Italy on first class travel arrangement, lodged them in exotic hotels and paid them honorarium at the end of the day.
One wonders how Uba felt after he authored this dawdy piece of trash. He must have felt the same way Mark Anthony, the Roman General felt when he roused the mob to rise against the conspirators that murdered Julius Caesar as he uttered, "mischief, thou art afoot". But while Mark Anthony knew that he was doing a patriotic job, Uba knew very well that he was merely trading in mischief and reckless lies to suggest that Ohakim spent a dime of Imo people's money in sponsoring an event for the Italian Embassy.
Uba knows that he was wildly trading in fictions and lurid negative inventions in making that unsubstantiated allegation. He knows that there was no atom of truth in the allegation although it works to harness his desperate and well-exploited tactics of trading lies to besmear the Ohakim government for his self-serving interests.
Yet, Uba cared no hoot to drag the name of the famed musician into his narrow political warfare. He never batted an eyelid when he misrepresented issues to insinuate that the Imo State Government bankrolled an event that was exclusively an Italian Embassy initiative just because he wanted to present the state government in bad light and enhance his wretched political interests.
To enlighten those that must have been unfortunately swayed by Uba's antics, the Pavarotti Concert was organized by the Italian Embassy to honour one of its famous nationals who made waves as a classical musician and who died on September 6, 2007. Seen as one of the world's most famous vocal performers and one of "The Three Tenors", he was well known for his televised concerts and media appearances. He was also famous for his acclaimed support to the Red Cross Society. The Embassy decided to honour this famous Act and showcase him to Nigerians on the occasion of his first year memorial anniversary.
It is therefore tendentious, outrightly wicked, malicious and indeed unimaginable to suggest that the Italian Government, through the Italian Embassy, went cap in hand to beg Imo State to bankroll the event. When one considers that developed societies are governed by higher etiquettes and norms of behavior and there is no way it can tolerate the kind of bizarre norm Maximus Uba wanted to impose on them through the kind of imputation it made in his article, there is need for most Nigerians to self-regulate their penchant to turn every issue to profit. At best, it violates long-nurtured and long-tended sacred values of decency, which one understands, is alien to Uba and the masters for whom he does these smear jobs.
Governor Ohakim came as a guest of the Italian Embassy and most importantly as a devotee of the legendary musician and no more. He was not sought to nor did he commit a kobo of Imo State money to the hosting of the concert.
The sponsors of the Concert, as advertised in the invitation card are, Transorp Hilton Hotel, Borini Prono and Co (Nig.) Ltd, B. Stabilini & Co. Ltd, Eagle Construction, Cefo Building Services Ltd, Frate Virgola Int. Ltd, Nigeria Agip Oil Company, Alitalia, Grimaldi Group, Salini Nigeria Ltd, Pated Marbles, Saipem Nigeria Ltd, Alcon Nig. Ltd, Nigeria America Line, Impreglilo, Motor Parts Ind, Cappa & D'Albertto, Trevi Foundations, Intels Team Nigeria Ltd, Better Living, Sarplast Group and Elektrint (Nig) Ltd.
His presence and speech at the occasion was stellar and for this, the Italian Ambassador, Massimo Baistrocchi, through an appreciation letter dated September 23, 2008, which he personally signed, stated inter alia: "Indeed, your presence at the concert not only reflects an unwavering commitment and support to music but an encouragement to the group of young and talented Nigerian Artists who did us all proud with their amazing, awesome and spectacular performance. It goes to show what the youths of this country can do if given proper guidance and the right opportunities".
I have gone this length to show that Uba specialises in these types of mischief just to gain advantage in his self-declared war for those that recruited him for their self-serving political interests. His latest outing is not different from what he knows how to do most; raking mud and mucks to score his points.
It is even good that so late in the day, Uba and his masters remember the artists from Imo State, some of whom he mentioned in his jeremiad but it should interest him that most of the key performers at the concert he is desperately trying to besmear were Imo citizens who did the state proud by their great showing at the concert and among them, Joseph Oparamanuike stood out.
It should interest him that the state government plans to hold a musical concert in Owerri this December to celebrate not only living artistes from the state but also dead artistes. It may be convenient for him to deliberately misrepresent this as another Pavarotti concert for which he said he is mobilising artistes and Imo citizens to stop.
It would be a sight to see him practically show off his new-found strength in public mobilisation but let only a fool believe that the Pavarotti Concert has become a circuit that is replicated any time and anywhere, as he tried to see it. For me and those who know, the concert has never degenerated to this level just because a jobber slaves to score his decrepit political point.
I can also comfortably say that Imo State is not planning to hold another Pavarotti Concert because it cannot ever be possible to hold another Pavarotti Memorial Concert soon after. So when next you hear from Uba and his one-man NGO, bring closer your salt container because you will certainly need it.
Mr. Oparah, a public affairs commentator, writes from Lagos.
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