The second leg of this work will look at Okorocha’s achievements so far vis-à-vis his intention to have a second missionary journey come 2015. Last week I tried to compare and contrast the recently concluded Ekiti governorship election and its possible effect in the next governorship election in Imo.
That write-up generated reactions which will be stated later.
However, irrespective of the party platform of any candidate, one strong point the governor and his propagandists have always employed as a weapon to gain public acceptance is Rescue Mission achievements in the past three years.
On gaining the mandate of the masses, Okorocha became in a hurry to develop the state in order to respond to the demand of impatient Imolites who wanted him to change the tide at the exit of his immediate predecessor, Chief Ikedi Ohakim.
Without recourse to due process, Okorocha who openly confessed that his is averse to red tapism and bureaucratic bottlenecks associated with official laid down procedures in government offices, commenced massive road construction and other developmental projects meant to truly change the face of Imo. That process has given rise to several road networks in the state capital the suburban areas like Orlu and Okigwe, and some rural areas. In Owerri, the state capital for instance, roads are abound from New Owerri to old the town courtesy of three new cross over roads from New Owerri (Concorde Area) across Nworie River to old the town. In reserved areas of Aladimma and Ikenegbu parts of the town, asphalted roads have made movements for residents easy. In the local areas, few towns and communities can be said to have been touched by the Rescue Mission Road Revolution Project.
Another strong point where the governor has received kudos is the education sector. Apart from the teachers of Primary and Post primary schools been in cloud nine for having nice time with the government, the Rescue Mission government of Okorocha embarked on what it called Free Education from primary, secondary to tertiary institution levels. Even as there are reservations about the exercise since the Universal Basic Education, UBE guarantees free education from primary to junior secondary school stage, Okorocha scored a point by going further to allow senior secondary students attend schools free, while Imo State indigenes in state-owned tertiary institutions in the state enjoy a leverage for tuition fee.
Another style was added in the Free Education programme when payments of stipends, provision of foot wears and tables for pupils were also introduced. In infrastructural development, Okorocha showed he is in love with “block and cement jobs” with numerous structures sprouting in all corners. First the Rescue Mission started with reconstruction of the Commissioners’ Quarters, Government House and others including Government Lodges, Ikemba Centre, Bongo Square before delving into Construction of Heroes’ Square, Freedom Square, and International Conference Centre etc.
Mention must also be made about the ongoing building of 27 general hospitals in each of the LGAs in the state after the existing structures and functional hospitals were grounded.
Undoubtably, these numerous projects which have changed the landscape of Imo in the past three years engineered adherents of Rescue Mission to constantly claim that Okorocha’s records have surpassed the 12 years PDP spent in office since Nigeria’s nascent democracy debuted. This belief could be the reason why Okorocha reportedly said PDP people drank Moet and Hennessy in Govt House for 12 years.
The focus of this work is not necessarily to judge Okorocha’s 3 years with PDP 12 years as there may be a common forum to engage in the discussion. I am only attracted by one common mantra that has been used to either challenge or rubbish whatever claims Okorocha may have recorded. The mantra is “Ikiri Ka Onye Oshi Mma”. I have tried to decipher reasons why the mantra is gaining prominence among Imolites despite the avalanche of achievements the present administration claims to have recorded.
A school of thought believes that the “Ikiri Ka Onye Oshi Mma” came up because each of the claimed Rescue Mission monumental achievements and records has K-leg.
Ikiri can be said to be the substitute name for the former governor but I can not say next person who is identified with the name. I can only confirm that Imolites are familiar with the song and keep singing Ikiri Ka Onye Oshi Mma mantra. In one of the public functions attended by Ohakim, Ikiri ka Onye Oshi Mma chorus rented the air and the bemuse former governor could not resist to join the choristers and climaxed the scene with scintillating dancing steps that corresponded with the genre os the music.
Keen observers of politics in Imo are worried why opposition against Okorocha is increasing daily despite his acclaimed successes so far. Several factors can be held accountable for the Ikiri Ka Onye Oshi Mma which invariably will be a determinant factor should the Imo governor seek second term like his APC counterpart in Ekiti state.
The reaction from the populace in Imo is that majority of the road projects constructed by Rescue Mission in the state are sub standard and half baked created for unrequired effects. It is a common parlance to hear people on the streets brand the new roads as “china roads” adding that is more of waste of public fund since it will not last and stand the taste of time. This feeling may be borne out of the recent “patch-patch” works done on some of the new roads that are already wearing sore looks months after completion.
Okorocha is accused of being insincere in his Free Education programme which many feel is geared towards seeking cheap popularity at the expense of cherished qualitative education Imo had been known for years ago. Except for the SSS Students, Free Education had been existing before 2011 under federal government programme. The extension of the free education to Imo students in the state owned higher institution has been receiving critisms buoyed by irregular payments of stipends to primary and secondary school students.
According to some of the beneficiaries, the exercise is not entirely free as they have to pay another sum of N20,000 to complement the school fees including other subtle levies by the respective school managements to recoup the money government may have lost through non-payment of school fees. The levies which was not in existence in the past acted as school levies.
To worsen the case of tertiary institutions student, admission into the affected schools was restricted to indigenes while non indigenes gain majority percent of the total admission quota. The implication is that school fees of the state owned schools like Imo State University (IMSU) and Imo State Polytechnic (Imopoly) sky-rocketed than what the Rescue Mission government met it in 2011. Apart from lamentations from non indigenes who accused the state government of using them as sacrificial lamb of the free education, Imolites in Federal institutions like Federal University of Technology, (FUTO), Federal Polytechnic, Nekede, (FedpolyNek) and other parts of the country took a swipe at Okorocha for adopting the segregative approach to implementation of the Free Education.
Various students’ bodies had advocated for a bursary system than apartheid-like type of Free Education that favoured only students of Imo origin in institutions if the state in Imo against undergraduates of Imo origin scattered across the federation as practiced by other state governments. Perhaps, the realization of these loophole may have incensed Okorocha to consider doling out N300m to undergraduates of Imo irrespective of school which may serve the bursary purpose.
The state civil servants will also wait for 2015 election to draw their pound of flesh from Okorocha for slicing part of their monthly salary for the free education programe. While some are aggrieved that their tampered salaries are attempts “to rob Peter to pay Paul” under free education guise, others are peeved that the state workforce is shouldering the famous free education of the state government.
Still under the free education policy, the importation of school uniforms and other school items from China indeed has rubbed off any gain the free education may have attracted to the governor. His recent announcement begin to patronize local manufacturers can be taken to be an after-thought considering that numerous roadside artisans could have conveniently provided the imported items, thereby improving the local economy. The home bred tailors, textile dealers, and desk makers may request Okorocha to also import Chinese to cast their votes for him in next general election.
Suffice it to note that in states like Rivers and Osun where government provides school uniforms, the items are sourced locally and used as empowerment to the masses and homes based enterprieses.
Consequently, the multiplier effects of the Free Education policy in Imo are reduction in quality education provided by the state. Before the advent of Rescue Mission government, one of the hallmarks of the state foundly called Eastern Heartland is qualitative education where schools in the state occupied vintage positions in the education sector. However, the coming of Okorocha witnessed downward trend with other neigbouring states like Abia and Anambra taking over in terms of national examinations like WAEC, NECO, and JAMB, while professional courses in IMSU like Law and Medicine suffered hitches with the institution failing to admit fresh students in the above mentioned courses. Imopoly was worst hit when it gained national attention after fresh graduates of the institution were disgraced and sacked from the NYSC Orientation Camps across the country following complications arising from the results they took to the camps and NYSC records in their call up letters. While the public officers of the state feasted in the success of the balkanization of courses which they easily and quickly ferried from the ImoPoly main campus at Umuagwo, to their zones, of clannish interest, the fortunes of the school detoriated as the institution was for the first time bared from admitting HND students for some courses on 2013/14 session because of accreditation lapses. The story continues next time.
