Street Lawyer Writes:

Clement Jimbo, the Ordinary Man and the rest of us
God knows I love the leadership style of Hon. Clement Jimbo. It's the Ordinary Man's Style. And it's even more fitting of him considering the fact that he joined the race for the Abak Federal Constituency as an ordinary man whom all of us felt was a walk over for the incumbent veteran whose defeat we didn't see coming, didn't believe when it came and some of us are still yet to accept almost a year after.

As an ordinary man, Clement hit the ground running with inherited projects from his predecessor without pretending to be the sole facilitator of the project, unlike most ordinary men we know.

By the way, how come nobody seems to be asking if he's the only House of Representative who inherited already facilitated projects from his predecessor? It looks like even those who succeeded themselves didn't. inherit any project from their previous time at the green chamber. Whereas we all know these are carryovers from the budget of the previous year.

Perhaps, they're all doing what Jimbo is doing but are publicity shy. I doubt that. Some of them, perhaps, but not all. After all, I know of one new Member of House of Representatives (MHR) who refused to confirm completion of such projects to enable the contractor claim his payment despite entreaties from his predecessor both of whom are of the same political party. Thank God both men are publicity shy, else the whole world would have settled their quarrel forthem.

But ordinary man, Jimbo is not publicity shy knowing where he comes from and the "cardinal need" to "show workings" from day one. He doesn't just court publicity. He lives in publicity. Come to think of it, how can a public office holder live outside publicity? And this leads us to the other aspect of his ordinary man style, accessibility.

He seems to be the most accessible MHR from Akwa Ibom State The veteran journalist and Secretary of Nigerian Union of Journalists (NU), Akwa Ibom Chapter in the person of Comrade Dominic Akpan published a treaties of this the other day.

Meanwhile, I know of a friend of mine working with a House of Rep member from Kano who tried to see his own Constituency House of Representative Member thrice and was denied audience even when the said House Member sauntered into the office while he sat at the reception on one of his visits. And the MHR in question prides himself as the most street friendly politician in Akwa lbom State. What an irony!

Alas! It's this same common man style that seem to pitch Jimbo with a faction of the masses on social media recently where he was cheered and jeered for asking a serial mendicant who approached him for tuition fees for his Ph.D program and was asked to roll up his sleeves and go lift blocks at a construction site to raise money for his tuition. It turned out the said man had received tuition grant from another MHR in January. So he lied. Hence a case of “Ordinary man deceives ordinary man" followed by a reprisal case of "Ordinary man shuning ordinary man" now interpreted by some faction of the ordinary man community as “ordinary man shaming ordinary man.” What a misinterpretation What the heck is wrong with Ordinary man and the rest of us? An ordinary man is supposed to speak his mind at all times. But Jimbo did and we Say it was wrong.

Would we have preferred he ignored that ordinary man as most of our leaders would ? Perhaps we preferred he played the ordinary man by giving him false hopes like some of our leaders are known for. What is wrong with one ordinary man telling a fellow ordinary man trying to scam or loot him for whatever noble cause to go and look for work to fend for his noble cause?

And this is an ordinary man who has record of helping people which fact should play in his favour. So many of our favourites have done worse and have been justified by us with the most absurd syllogistic sophistries. Let's not talk about how the same folks support Donald Trump like me.

But Ordinary man Jimbo will not be Cowed. The Man has refused to concede to their bully. Instead, he goes further to tell his stories and live his life to the derision of his accusers. lronically, most of his accusers do not know that they are used as free media thugs of Jimbo's political rivalries whose political relevance is threatened by Jimbo's stewardship and political career I've always said it, the most ruthless assassins are the masses. Their gullibility and innocence validating their hostility makes for a perfect crime Invisibility.

Demanding for Jimbo's head over this smacks of political homicide and nothing more pretentious. Now, latest of ordinary man Jimbo's streaks is his public celebration of the leadership, policies and projects of Governor Umo Eno regardless of party differences with particular reference to what he describes as his people expressing "joy to Gov. Umo Eno for swiftly awarding the construction of Ediene-Etinan Road." In the past, politicians have made it an article of faith to play down and even obstruct projects from other political sources all to the detriment of the people. Many are still indulging in this but not Jimbo. Dear reader, take a pause of this read and clap for Jimbo, please.

Apropos, it is my humble submission from the foregoing that Akwa Ibom State needs more ordinary men like Jimbo in public offices. Let them speak their mind as they would, provided they are bringing in the due dividends. In Oro nation where I come from we publicly trade contumelies with our politicians and still go ahead to vote the ones whose dividends speak louder than their incivilities and episodic short comings. In the end, it is not Jimbo's incivilities that determine his political career but politics and politicians most of whom are worse in civilities. Thank you.