Random Thoughts
Last week was a trending video of a Catholic priest quarreling with women under the aegis of Catholic Women’s Organization, CWO, in a parish in Udi, Enugu State. The scuffle was inside a church where the women were said to be holding what we have come to know as August Meeting. It is a meeting at this time of the year that sees women coming together to brainstorm on many issues affecting them and the Church; at least this is what it is supposed to be.
In some places delegates are sent from the cities to the home parishes to be part of the meeting and report back. It is a meeting that has over the years snowballed into something huge for the women. But last week in the trending video, the women of that parish left their meeting and started fighting with the priest, who, it was said, had warned against holding the meeting in the church. Worse still, the women were drinking beer inside the church and the enraged priest snatched those bottles from the women and started throwing them on the floor where they broke. There was indeed, chaos.
But worse was yet to come. The women’s husbands later stormed the church and started harassing the priest. The whole scenario was so, so un-Catholic and shocked many people. While some said the priest overreacted, others quoted the Bible where Jesus chased away those trading in the church and used this to justify the priest’s action and anger.
But whatever it is, I’m worried by the growing disrespect by our members for the Catholic Church. We saw it in Ahiara, Abia Sate; later, in Benin, Edo State, and now, the flame seems to have caught on and spreading like wild fire. It is also worrisome that the scuffle in Udi was by women attending August Meeting where they were supposed to be planning how to support the Church and better themselves spiritually and physically. But they turned it into an avenue to fight their priest.
Thus, one may be constrained to ask if really those women understood what they had come to do or what August Meeting is all about. It only goes to show that these days more emphasis is being laid on razzmatazz than on the actual stuff. Do they see August Meeting as an occasion to flaunt their material acquisitions?
Do they see it as an occasion to determine who splashes more cash? I say this because this is what August Meetings are turning into. Some women now go to great lengths to borrow money in order to ”show them” at such meetings, meaning that the substance is being sacrificed for the shadow.
The incident in Udi was a bad one for the image of the Church, especially when it was done by the women folk who should be the ones suing for peace. There is not just any excuse for that show of shame and I urge the authorities to take adequate punitive measures against those women.
Their leadership should be stripped of their positions and a more level headed one installed, while a retreat should be organized for them on obedience to the Church and her hierarchies.
The distinguishing mark of the Catholic Church has been obedience to her priests, and, indeed, to the hierarchy. That is why the Catholic Church has stood out over the years from other churches. Who wants to destroy this now? Certainly not those who should be teaching good examples to their children.
Security in Anambra: every man to himself
Suddenly, the peace and tranquility of Anambra State have become threatened again and we are going back to square one. Kidnappings have resurfaced and are happening everywhere. Sadly, the government seems to have no clues as to how to respond. It is even felt in some quarters that government is nonchalant about it.
The security outfit set up by government earlier this year, Agunechamba, has returned to default mode. Rather than go after criminals as before, they are now more concerned with extorting money from commercial drivers and even acting as private dispute settlers.
But while the citizens go about with dread, the state governor goes about in a long, heavily armed and guarded convoy that includes even armoured vehicles. Seeing the governor’s convoy pass can make one think we are in a state of war.
It does seem as though the government of the day has left the citizenry to their devices, having taken steps to protect themselves as a government. Whenever I see this convoy the irony is not lost on me and sometimes I feel embarrassed on behalf of the government.
No one, indeed, should be blamed for seeing this as an abdication of responsibility by the state government which seems to have sounded the whistle for the citizenry to find means of defending themselves.
I do not think the state government has invested enough in security. When one remembers the fact that there is no tracking facility in the state and no security cameras, one begins to wonder how the state government manages security in the state. But it raise this poser and what you’ll hear is that you are part of the opposition or that it is the opposition that is behind the insecurity; something I know is far from the truth.
As I stated last week, Anambra is not known for violent politicking and even though they may bark and bark, they never bite. I had challenged those blaming the opposition to produce those opposition members behind the kidnappings, while pointing out that the Soludo I knew would never hesitate to unmask any opposition member found to be fueling crime in the state.
This done, I call on the Anambra State Government to please look into the security situation in the state. When an illness suffers a relapse it is usually more deadly and this is why the state government should not allow things to degenerate again.
Whatever is the problem making Agunechamba to slow down should be addressed and quickly too. They should be made to be alive to their responsibilities and desist from extorting commercial drivers as this corrupts them and takes their minds off their job.
I will only believe there is security in the state when the governor, his deputy and the speaker of the state assembly quit moving about in heavily protected convoys. They can’t be doing this and be telling us that all is well. Soludo please act!
Have Okpuno Roads Been forgotten?
Soon after the coming on board of the present administration in the state the government had among some other roads given hope that roads in Okpuno would be reconstructed. It had quickly begun scraping the roads in the area and people cheered. That was two years ago. The roads have remained unattended to and have now so deteriorated that those doing business there are groaning from reduced patronage by customers many of whom have stopped using those roads because of their deterioration.
I am talking about the road from Millenium Industry Junction to Goodwill Junction; the road from Retreat Centre Junction to Nodu Market and the road passing through Geneva Hotel area. The initial cheers from the people in these areas have turned to agony and I appeal to the government to take pity on those people and finish what it had started.
Is ASWAMA still functional?
A major feature of some streets in the capital city of Awka is the pile of garbage seen in them. In some of those places, no sooner had the garbage been cleared by the concerned agency than it would return; while in some places the garbage will remain uncleared for long periods.
I am now wondering what has gone wrong with the agency charged with doing this job, the Anambra State Waste Management Agency (ASWAMA). Is it that they lack functional vehicles or that their vehicles are not enough? Are the workers being owed? Whatever is the reason for its poor performance should be addressed in order for residents in those areas to breathe easier.
What has happened to the streetlights?
During the Willie Obiano regime streetlights were a feature of the capital city. This encouraged businesses to thrive at night as everywhere was lit up. It also reduced crime as it is well known that criminals avoid brightly lit areas. But since the coming of the current administration, the lights have gone out in most places and the only place where they function well is along the road leading to the new Government House and Lodge.
It is little wonder that criminal activities are back in full force in many areas at night. Government should look into this and restore the streetlights.
