#BlogFeature - This Thing Called Change

Here is another  thought provoking article by Vivian Beulah Igbokwe. She has been featured as a guest writer on my blog a few times recently. Read, be enlightened about your communities and please do share with every one you know. You never know just how far this might go in getting the change we seek.

Thanks.

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There's been a lot of cry in my state, Abia, for change. That seems to be the watchword on all our lips these days. The old men are preaching it, the young people are willing to fight  for it. And for a season, we all seemed to have a consensus candidate: the man we all felt had the capability to take us into the promised land.

But I'm scared for this thing called change. How many of us are truly ready for it?

For a while now, I've been actively observing the political climate in my state, and have on one occasion being a part of a historic political moment in my state. For the first time, our people came out in mass to protest the result of the governorship elections. Wooh! Those were heart touching moments. I was there on Sunday evening when even children protested till very late into the night. I was there till Monday evening when it was obvious that nothing was going to come out of our wait; when we heard that Channels Television announced that there was a stalemate, whatever that meant. I was there when the crisis broke out and the policemen started beating and harassing people who were protesting peacefully. I heard the gunshots. I took cover. I was there when it all ended.

As I returned home that evening from Umuahia, I felt like a war hero (lol). I felt part of an important moment in our common history. I listened to the women selling things on the road side chat in joy filled voices "Otti has won." I smiled and also chuckled. I couldn't wait for that statement to be true. I closed my eyes and envisioned clean roads, good hospitals, good schools-Otti simply had to win.

So, you can imagine my disappointment in the salon the next day when I went to make my hair. The salon issues unisex. Excitedly I said "it's no longer business as usual in Abia State." And that was the Barber's cue. He went on and on abusing Otti, how he's not from Ngwa (I thought he was), how the people of Arochukwu had rejected him that he's not their son,  how he has many political godfathers some from the North, how he would rob us dry...l was speechless.

I thought every normal person in Abia would be happy to have Otti as our leader considering his achievements and connections. I told the Barber that I was tired of seeing our graduates migrate to another state in search of jobs; that Otti was going to bring an end to that. But I was on my own.

An old man joined in the discussion and castigated Otti the more. I also found out from the discussion that many Abians didn't go out to vote. Their "director" from Radio Biafra told them not to. How can our people be this gullible? Biafra?

I question our readiness for this thing called change. As a people, we must make up our minds on what we want. As for this thing called change, it will definitely come to us, whether we like it or yes. But the trend it takes, negative or positive, forward or downward decline, depends on us.

Saturday will soon come upon us but we must ask ourselves if we are ready for this thing called change.

Article by:  Vivian Beulah Igbokwe.

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