By VALENTINE OBIENYEM

The three malls in Onitsha, Awka, and Nnewi were initiated by Mr. Peter Obi. They formed part of the requirements for implementing the urban renewal plan for the three major towns in Anambra State.

Onitsha Mall: This project was entirely executed by a private company. The state’s obligations were to acquire the land, dualize the access road, and provide the necessary due diligence and facilitation for its commencement. Mr. Peter Obi fulfilled these obligations. Thereafter, the state government did not contribute a kobo to the project till completion.

Awka Shopping Mall: It is commendable that the project has now been completed. It was initiated by Mr. Peter Obi, who also set aside funds for its completion before leaving office. At the time he left office, work was actively ongoing on the project under Akiota Construction Company.

Nnewi Mall: The same applies here. Mr. Peter Obi initiated the project and made provision for its completion before leaving office.

I was shocked when a minion of Prof. Charles Soludo claimed that the Nnewi Mall had been abandoned almost 17 years ago. The obvious intention was to mislead the public into believing that Obi abandoned the project. Seventeen years ago was 2009 – a year in which the project had not even been conceived, let alone commenced. It was a deliberate attempt to create a false impression.

Because the author is a known, compulsive, and irredeemable liar, one who will undoubtedly turn against Soludo himself once a new patron emerges or engages him in the future, we initially ignored him. Mentioning his name will diminish this write-up.

Why, after all, should one respond to one of those little demons who have no respect for holy water?

Surprisingly, this morning, I encountered the same mischief on Prof. Charles Soludo’s own social media platform (https://www.facebook.com/share/v/18cp429pzK/?mibextid=wwXIfr). Perhaps I should send him an invoice for this unsolicited advertisement.

Given his high office, and assuming him to be above such petty falsehoods, I am inclined to believe, rightly or wrongly, that it was a mistake. If it was not, then it can only be seen as a childish web of alliances and intrigues between the Governor and his little demon, stretched to the bursting point.

Is a state Governor not expected to rise above certain categories of mischief, especially those that collapse under the slightest scrutiny? Is the office of Governor now to be enlisted in the service of claims that defy chronology, logic, and readily verifiable facts? Should the occupant of such a high office lend credibility to assertions that a project was abandoned years before it was even conceived? Is it now the duty of government platforms to amplify distortions that any careful examination of the record would immediately expose? Is the force driving some people against Obi so powerful that it drives them into wantonness? Is it so overwhelming that it compels actions which, upon sober reflection, even the perpetrators themselves would scratch their head in perplexity? At times, one wonders whether they are acting out of conviction or merely under the influence of an irresistible, Obi’s impulse.

Honestly, is this affliction not spiritual? How else does one explain a situation in which otherwise rational individuals abandon facts, chronology, and common sense in pursuit of a narrative? One is tempted to ask, half in jest and half in earnest: could this be the handiwork of village people?

One is left to wonder: was this an oversight, or has political rivalry become so consuming that even elementary facts must be sacrificed at its altar? Whatever the answer, the people deserve better. Public discourse ought to be anchored on facts, not on lies dressed up as history.

The facts remain straightforward. These malls were initiated under Mr. Peter Obi. In the case of the Nnewi Mall, the “casus belli” of this write-up, the project was started in 2013 and pursued vigorously. Work was ongoing, amidst court cases, when Obi handed over office. Indeed, he had also set aside the funds required for its completion.

Any attempt to rewrite this history simply does not stand up to scrutiny.

Thus, the Governor’s corroboration of his little demon should be regarded as distasteful and unfortunate. It calls for the taming of the spirit of lies, falsehood, mischief, distortion, and historical revisionism that too often finds its way into our public discourse. Public office is best served by fidelity to facts, respect for truth, and the discipline to resist the temptation of partisan fiction, no matter how politically convenient it may appear.

Beyond these lies the question of questions: why this at this time? Because he also promised to start housing estate in Nnewi, the question by Engr. Chibuike Pat. Ezeabasili is germane: “You didn’t start housing which is most critical in your first term, immediately seahorse is about clinching NDC ticket, boom! You remembered that Nnewi deserves housing estate.”

•Obienyem writes from Awka.