by Franklyn Nwaete:
The Hon. Minister of State, Education, Prof. Viola Onwuliri, has described the Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, as a selfish man who does not allow Wealth Creation and as such has not empowered any Imolite since becoming Governor.
Speaking while addressing the Imo State council of Traditional Rulers Meeting at the Palace of HRH, Eze Dr. Cletus Ilomuanya, who is the chairman, Imo State and South – East councils of traditional rulers, which had in attendance over 200 (two hundred) Imo state traditional rulers, Prof Onwuliri said that part of the reason why Imolites have vowed to push out Rochas, outside are because of the substandard works he is doing, most of which have collapsed, is his inability to empower non – members of his family. A situation she described as most irresponsible. She told a bewildered gathering that only one contractor, was engaged by Rochas to do a Federal Government job of 305 Twin Primary School building, which costs about N40.5 million, whereas he could have engaged more Imo contractors so as to help circulate money, and wondered why he should do so, at this point, shouts of Rochas Ka O puo rendered the air intermittently as the Minister spoke.
Prof Onwuliri who said she never led the widows protest as she was away in Abuja, attending federal Executive council meetings, wondered how she would have also attempted burning down Government house owerri, when PDP will take over the place come May 29, 2015 as funds to be used in re – building it when burnt, would be channeled to take care of the welfare of Imolites. She went further to ask the traditional rulers, who listened with rapt attention, whether it was rightful for the governor to have attacked the widows, with shouts of No, echoing spontaneously in the palace, The Education minister told the traditional rulers that it was the sports commissioner, Comrade Kenneth Emelu, Chief Chidi Ibe, information commissioner and Imo Subeb Chairman Chief (Mrs.) Gertrude Oduka that led, what she described as despicable attack on peaceful and defenseless widows, describing the leaders of the attack as cowards, and challenged them to bring evidence that the widows were carrying coffin, an allegation she said was employed by Rochas to defend his attack on the widows when Imolites rose in condemnation of it.
On President Goodluck Jonathan’s achievements in Imo State since assumption of office, Prof. Onwuliri told the traditional rulers that the biggest Agric Silo, which is One hundred thousand metric tones is sited at Ezinachi Okigwe and has just been completed, as it will serve not only Imo, but the whole of South – East and will employ over 2,000 Imolites, that also key federal ministries like Power, Aviation, Health, Finance, Education including the secretary to the federal Government are occupied by Igbos, and Imo State alone has seven (7) Ambassadors, to India, Singapore, Hungary, Romania, Framkfort Germany, Liberia and that President Jonathan also approved and saw to the setting up of an embassy in the vatican, which is the first of its kind in Nigeria.
On the Education sector, where she is the minister of state, Prof Onwuliri informed them that President Goodluck Jonathan has released a total of N6 billion as intervention fund to Imo State University in the past one year through Tetfund, that 4.5 billion was before she moved to the education ministry and 1.5 billion after she moved, that over 3million text books and classroom desks have been distributed in Imo State through the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), thirty thousand Imo teachers trained by the federal Government under President Jonathan at the cost of N700 million, Imsu new law faculty building was built by the federal government, as well as a hostel, in Imo Polytechnic Umuagwo, a new e-library, Senate building, TVET Programme building, and an ICT centre were all built by President Jonathan, whom she described as a leader who does not discriminate against federal and state owned institutions in distribution of amenities. She also announced that the vocational skills school at Mgbee, Orlu, is being built by the federal government.
On the foreign scene, Prof. Viola Onwuliri, who is a former minister of state foreign affairs, told the Imo Traditional rulers, that President Goodluck Jonathan is a man with kind heart as he has helped release a lot of Nigerians in Jail abroad and ensured that others on death row have their death sentences, commuted to life jail and it was under him that Nigeria won a seat at the united Nations Security Council, of which achievements, she assured that President Jonathan would consolidate on when re-elected.
She thanked the traditional rulers for their sincere show of solidarity and support to the transformation agenda of the President Goodluck Jonathan administration and thanked the chairman of Imo State council of Ndi – Eze, HRH Eze Dr. Cletus Ilomuanya for giving her the opportunity of letting the traditional rulers know the truth about federal governments achievements in Imo State, a step forward in saving them from lies and deceit, which Rochas Okorocha is noted for as he has continued in vain, to deceive himself that Jonathan has done nothing in Imo and urged them not to relent in their support.
In their responses after the address, the Imo traditional rulers who were all short of words as they were over – whelmed by President Goodluck Jonathan’s record in Imo State assured the Education Minister, that they will never fall into the antics of lying and deceitful state administration. They also condemned some of their members who went into an exercise of land cleansing, when in Igbo culture, it is not the role of Ndi – Eze to do so and apologised for the embarrassment such action might have caused her.
Earlier in his welcome speech, Eze Cletus Ilomuanya thanked Prof. Viola Onwuliri for her doggedness in liberating Imo State from being strangulated by state orchestrated lies and deceit.
The high – point of the occasion was the cleansing Prof. Viola Onwuliri’s hands and legs, the abuses. Embarrassments, lies and propaganda she has suffered in the hand of Rochas Okorocha’s.
