I borrow the title of this piece from Thomas Paine’s book, The Age of Reason and Common Sense. I encountered Thomas Paine and the likes of Frederick Engessoll and Bertrand Russell during my exploration of humanism. I wanted to understand the mindset and worldview of agnostics.
This piece is inspired by Governor Alex Otti’s covenant with Obingwa. The Governor made a loud proclamation which I consider not a policy statement but a declaration of covenant, like the covenant between God and Abraham and the nation of Isreal. ‘Obingwa is Waiting for Me’, declared the governor.
In one of his statements, the governor disclosed that he grew up partly in Obingwa and had his primary education in there…. at Owo Ahiafor, precisely. I am also aware that his clergy-father sojourned and lived at Mgboko Okpulor in my own Mgboko Amairi community. So Otti shares a life and a destiny with Obingwa. Therefore, his covenant is deep and enduring.
Thank you, Dee Nduka Nwachukwu from Owo Ahiafor for taking the bold step of leaving your former party to join the progressive Labour Party of Obingwa and enlisting into the vibrant Army of Otti’s followers. Thank you, the multitude of men and women that are collapsing into the Obingwa Labour Party and vounching support for governor. Thank you the duo of Chief Isaac Ogbonna (Akurulo) and Dee Okey Ugboaja, two elderstatesmen of honour in Obingwa, for sitting on the front row at the flag-off ceremony at Ntighuzor. Your presence was symbolic. You realised that what was coming to Obingwa was a generational gift, from a liberal leader, that will change the landscape and life of Nde-Obingwa. We are standing on the threshold of the age of reason.
Obingwa should throw the past behind and step into the age of reason and see the silver linning on the sky.
Otti has obviously stepped into this covenant. Last Wednesday, as he climbed unto the caterpillar to flag off the 12.6km Ohanze-Ntighuzor-Ibeme Road, I saw a man who has taken the plunge into Obingwa to fulfill his covenant. As I also write, the caterpillars are at work on the Omoba-Itungwa-Amairi-Obete to Nkwowelechi rural road, being constructed under the Rural Access Mobility Project. A third one, the Ukpakiri, Umuoru to Ntighuzor junction has also been approved for construction. I also know that the Mgboko, Umukpi, Obete to Osaukwu road has been earmarked for construction.
Otti has trully arrived Obingwa and our Local Government Area can never be the same again. The time has come for Obingwa to rise and embrace the man of covenant. The time has come for Obingwa to, in their characteristic force, stretch out their hands in fellowship with the leader who has already stretched out his hands of friendship and communion with Nde-Obingwa. Come 2027, Obingwa should belong to Otti as Otti belongs to Obingwa.
This is the Age of Reason.
