by Kenneth Uwadi
If Okorocha is not in Kaduna attending meetings with some Boko Haram Governors he will be in Ibadan hosting birthday parties or he is in USA meeting his fleshy needs, things that has little to do with Imo state administration.
The announcement by the Governor of Imo State, Owelle Rochas Anayo Okorocha, that he will re-contest his position in the 2015 general election generated several headlines and commentaries. Okorocha’s declaration to contest the next election is in total negation of his position before assumption of office in 2011. At the 2011 Governor’s Debate at the Assumpta Cathedral, Okorocha had promised Imolites that he would be in office for four years.
Now he is recontesting.That is Governor Okorocha for you, a political chameleon. I once wrote articles were i stated why he should resign as Imo Governor. To me, Okorocha worships power with his whole body, his whole heart, his whole spirit and, in fact, his whole being. For him, nothing is too small or too great to do to acquire power and flaunt it. His love of publicity is part of his endless scheming for power. Once he grabs it, he immediately and unceremoniously abandons all who helped him.
Honestly, when Okorocha became governor of Imo State he turned to something else. He went about telling Imo people lies upon lies, defending his failures and deceits with pride. The first thing that he did when he came into power was to loot N26.27billion naira left behind by former Governor Ikedi Ohakim. The Second thing that he did was to borrow n45billion naira and n28billion naira loans from banks with Imo LGA allocations as collateral for three years, the money which he squandered. Okorocha is just a political opportunist looting Imo state dry . He does not have the passion to do things for the people . He never had . He’s a stone-cold unapologetic ambitious man who is milking Imo state to finish.
There are many reasons why he does not deserve re-election. There are millions of voters in Imo State who are waiting to kick him out in 2015. Anglicans and Catholics will never vote for him again. I doff my hat and salute the Christians in Imo State, who stood by unborn children whose death warrant Governor Rochas Okorocha and his cohorts assented to. It is disheartening to see a governor legalize abortion in his state.
Imo youths cannot vote for him again .He has failed to give them jobs. The 10,000 legally employed Imo civil servants that he unjustly sacked in 2011 and their families and friends of their families, workers of Imo State origin too who were sacked in the Abia State civil service for two years now that he has done nothing to alleviate their suffering despite their entreaties will not vote for him again. Imo Civil servants that he has refused to pay the 18,000 naira minimum wage will also not vote for him again.
Instead of sitting down in Owerri and create jobs for Imo Youths, Okorocha is spending millions of naira junketing the globe and entertaining his friends and political associates in Nigeria and abroad leaving Imo State youths without jobs. If Okorocha is not in Kaduna attending meetings with some Boko Haram Governors he will be in Ibadan hosting birthday parties or he is in USA meeting his fleshy needs, things that has little to do with Imo state administration. The only sign of youth employment in Imo is the blaring of siren by the governor’s children, his maids, his in-laws and few hangers on who feed fat on the allocation of Imo State.
Annoyingly, early this year and close to three years after he sacked 10,000 Imo state civil servants the governor advertised the availability of 11,000 jobs via IMO YOUTH MUST WORK programme but didn’t explain where the money to pay the workers will come from since he gave lack of money to pay workers as the reason for sacking the 10,000 Imo civil servants in 2011. Where is the 11,000 jobs opening when the same government cannot pay its civil servants well, again where is this job opening when Okorocha has not built one industry or rehabilitate existing ones.
I can tell that the millions of people in Imo rural areas that he has abandoned will never vote for him again. We all know that it is close to three years of his government and yet democracy does not exist in the 27 local government councils of Imo state as provided for in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria whereas neighboring states have elected men and women in their councils. The result is a comatose Imo LGA’s begging to be attended to. Lack of basic amenities has made these LGA’s a ghost environment.
How can a man who was elected democratically but has been operating the LGA in Imo state with Sole Administrators ask Imo people to re-elect him when he has deprived the same Imo people democracy in their LGA’s. What moral right does he have to ask Imo people to re-elect him when the same Imo people are seeing him using Imo LGA monies to fund his private concerns and award inflated contracts to his companies and cronies. He has told Imo people that they have no right to elect their leaders in the LGA’s and they have no right to elect their town union officials and youth leaders at the grass -root. He is saying “Imo people shut up”
He has also used his brand of military rule to persecute the people of Owerri zone demolishing there houses and shops here and there. Even Oguta State Constituency in Imo State has not produced its representative to the Imo State House of Assembly since after the 2011 general election close to three years now. Owerri people also are itching to occupy Douglas house. How can Ohaji/Egbema as well as Oguta vote for him when he has been looting the 13 percent oil derivation funds of Imo oil producing areas. ISOPADEC, the commission charged with development of Imo oil areas is in comatose. Schools, water, electrification, roads and hospital rehabilitation in Ohaji/Egbema/Oguta which form part of the duties of ISOPADEC remain in their same dilapidated state. There is also the N400 million naira Imo flood victims relief fund given to Imo State by the Federal Government which has developed wings. I tell you the 2015 election in Imo will be an election that will rescue Imo State from Mister Rescuer.
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Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija
My people, my people. Vote for Rochas
His Excellency Rochas okorocha is the best governor so far. So Mr man, u re taking rubbish
Okorocha is the listening governor, he is the best eastern governor. pls Mr. foolish writer keep your critics to your ground children if you will even see your grand children, thank God imolite knows the truth. His Excellency is the best he is good to go.
2015 election is fast approaching so one is not surprise at the propaganda and pull him down campaign going on against notable politicians. Politics, as we know, is generally assumed to be a dirty game. Indeed, it is dirty in so many ways and senses to the extent that most politicians and their gullible followers often pretend against positive steps of distinguished achievers as a means of giving a dog a bad name in order to hang it.
Owelle Rochas Okorocha the governor of Imo State is at the receiving end of so many media propaganda by people who want to see him out of government house Owerri in 2015 by all means. The latest propaganda against Rochas is that he took a loan of 73 billion naira from banks using Imo LGA allocation as collateral.Others say he is mobilizing miscreants to take to the street to protest against FG. That each recruited youth are paid N5,000. These are all lies.
The way these propagandists throw out falsehood and denigrates truth baffles me. They have embarked on mission of massive misinformation against the Imo governor because they cannot fault his programmes for Imo state. Why will Okorocha mobilize anyone to protest for him? The people love him and if the people choose to take to the street to protest on behalf of their Governor , so be it.
Okorocha requires no introduction as a leader who is diligently and humbly serving his state Imo. The ascendance of Okorocha to Douglas House Owerri as governor of a politically sophisticated state as Imo in May 29, 2011 is divine and spectacular. His achievements in office so far are also spectacular.
His leadership in Imo so far has impacted tremendously on both the state and her people. Such positive impacts include the areas of road networks, free education from primary to tertiary schools, rehabilitation of public utilities, peaceful co-existence in the state, security,health, agriculture, youth empowerment infrastructure improvements and societal re-orientation. Henceforth, on weekly basis, I will pick on one area of achievement of governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State. I will talk about education this week.
Naturally, as human being, Governor Okorocha like any other politician has his own weakness because no one but God is infallible. But whatever is Okorocha’s undoing, the fact still remains that he is doing his best to take Imo State to a greater height. A man that has declared free education from primary to tertiary school in his state so that the children of the poor can go to school should be commended. Education is very important. It helps us gain knowledge, information and interpret things correctly. Education teaches us how to lead our lives by mingling in the society and turning out to be good citizens. It makes us capable of interpreting rightly the things perceived. Education teaches us right behavior and makes us civilized people. Education is important because it equips us with all that is needed to make our dreams come true. The notion that an investment in education and human capital promotes economic growth can be traced to Adam Smith (1776), the Scottish philosopher in his famous study of what constitutes the “wealth of nations”, the modern history sourcebook.
Are you aware that the man Okorocha Increased subvention to Imo State University from 57.56 million(fifty-seven million, five hundred and sixty thousand naira) to 100,000,000(one hundred million) naira monthly? Are you aware that the last administration in Imo State fixed school fees in Imo State University at 150,000(one hundred and fifty thousand naira) but when Okorocha came in he reversed it? Are you aware that the man Okorocha provided N100,000,000 (one hundred million naira )for the accreditation of courses in the Faculty of Engineering and Nursing Science in Imo State University? Are you aware that he released N138,000,000 (one hundred and thirty-eight million naira )for payment of arrears of CONTISS/CONUAS (Academic & Non-academic) staff
entitlements in Imo State University, Owerri ? Are you aware that Imo state government under Okorocha has distributed thousands of school desks to secondary schools in Imo State and has also renovated several schools in the state? Are you also aware that Governor Okorocha is building several modern secondary schools in the state? Let’s give him some credit so that he can do more.
Are you aware that Okorocha established Imo College of Advanced Professional Studies? He also secured approval of N922,000, 000 (Nine hundred and twenty two
million naira) from the Education Trust Fund (ETF) to be used for
projects in Educational Institutions in Imo State. Are you aware that Owelle Okorocha Commissioned a well-equipped Information Communication Technology (ICT) Laboratory at Girls Secondary School, Ikenegbu, Owerri. He also secured approval for the establishment of National Teachers’Institute (NTI) Study Center in Imo State. 450 million naira grant has also being released to the missionary schools in the state. To make things easier for parents and guardians, the state government is also providing school desks, uniforms, sandals, books for Imo pupils. Allocation of impress is made to the authorities of all primary and secondary schools in the state for the purpose of carrying out routine maintenance in their respective schools
Hatred, manipulations, mischief, ill-feelings, evil machinations, vendetta and gossips from people like Mr Kenneth Uwadi against the Imo governor cannot erase these solid achievements. Uwadi Kenneth is hiding under the façade of being a reporter with the City News to unleash his political vendetta against Okorocha’s government. Okorocha is a listening governor, whoever has ideas on how to develop the state should come forward. Critics could always have says while the truth will eventually have its way. Next week we will talk about Okorocha and security in Imo State.
Obinna Emeka lives in Owerri and can be reached at [email protected]
Nigerian women NEED safe and legal abortions performed by competent doctors. If nothing else, as far as abortion is concerned, Rochas did the RIGHT THING!