As a commentator on public issues with bias for matters affecting Imo State, I have tried to refrain from delving into affairs of governance to avoid discussing the style of governance of the state governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha.
Since partisan proclivity has beclouded the normal reasoning of a marginal group who does not see digest the actions of the governor that is beginning his second term sojourn in the in office after the 2015 election, engaging in a discourse about the activities of Okorocha, therefore is of public interest.
As a witness to political campaigns of candidates who sought the votes of the masses for elections in the concluded 2015 elections, I have embibed patient to allow Okorocha kick start his second missionary journey programs before having a stake. However, while I play the waiting game, unfolding developments tend to force me out of my cocoons to have my stake.
Had it been Okorocha was a neophyte in Douglas House, as the Imo State Government House, Owerri is called, I will have reserved my commentaries for now. But having spent the last four years in the same office, the governor cannot be said to be suffering from either stage fright or teething problems bequeathed to him by any predecessor. For the Imo State governor, he is on continuity race on a familiar terrain.
Ironically, the Okorocha has not had a smooth run since he took oath of office to continue from where he stopped as at May 28th 2015. Keen observers of Okorocha’s excellency status in Imo from 2011 till now, no doubt will reveal that this could be the worst moment he has experienced so far in office as number one citizen of the state. Apart from the all important historical handshake with USA President, Barrack Obama, supervised by Nigeria’s head of state, Muhhamadu Buhari, during his official visit to the country, which interestingly won vintage billboard spaces in Imo, and pockets of globetrotting escapades, the home front has been thorny for the governor who derives joy in calling his constituents “my people, my people” and getting “my governor, my governor” choruses in response.
Interestingly, Okorocha will fail popularity contest in Imo now if he is challenged in the public by those who sought to shove him aside during the April 11, 2015 governorship election in Imo, enter into voting bout now, if current trends in the state is anything to go by. The unpalatable responses Okorocha will get,even from his die-hard followers, should he recite “My People, My People” in the public, will be unprecedented and astonishing. The governor’s inability to confront and address protesting workers of the state who are owed several months of salary arrears speaks volumes of his utter disconnect and fading popularity in the state.
Okorocha or his aides who dared to come out and address protesting workers would have faced the wrath of hunger stricken workers and retirees who held the state to ransom for a greater part of Tuesday, while protesting state government’s non challant approach to their monthly pays.
Instead of waiting for the coming and implementation of the expected “job, job, job, factory, factory, factory” Okorocha bombarded Imo people during pre-election rhetoric, periodic street protests, gnashing of teeth and associated tears of regret have turned out to be the people’s dividends ninety days after the second term commenced.
For the first time since Okorocha came into power, workers trooped out en masse to protest against non payment of salary arrears. The workers regular white and black uniform changed to mournful black and black as the carried offensive placards again and marched through major roads in the state capital. At the popular Warehouse/Orlu road Roundabout, the aggrieved workers made good use of one of the elephant projects of the governor dubbed “Freedom Square”. The bogus project without economic value and lying waste in the heart of town came alive mock coffin with hordes of protesting workers wailing at the Freedom Square for their payment.
The offensive placards further show that the people, especially the workforce have lost faith in the style Okorocha government. The protest, an extension of the one week warning strike amongst other things protested alleged obnoxious practices of the state government against civil servants in the state workforce.
The organized labour in a statement to the media accused the Okorocha led government of inducing members of the Imo State House of Assembly to allegedly repeal and or amend the extant laws establishing parastatals in Imo State for purposes of commercializing the said parastatals.
While noting that the present administration had privatised money-making state owned establishments like the Imo Transport Company, ITC,Imo Palm, Concorde Hotel,etc and these parastatals have ever remained moribund and not even able to pay workers salaries contrary to the situation before in these agencies before their privatisation.
In response to the thunderous strike, the state government in its usual defence mechanism blame a shadowy opposition for the actions of the workers. The preponderance of Okorocha’s media team to always blamed the opposition when found wanting indicates that the Rescue mission government of the governor may have lost focus in responding to the needs of the people.
Imolites have noticed that instead of tackling issues raised against his government, an unknown and yet to be identified opposition becomes the culprit that shares the blame. The tradition of buck-passing blame of government misfortune in the hands of the electorate has become stock in trade of Okorocha’s defenders. Months after elections have been concluded, Okorocha and his aides seem to be living in the past and haunted by opposition. Rather than appear as an image laundering devise for the governor, Okorocha’s media team’s tactical approach of using the opposition as escape route for blame is not only defeatist but also counter productive and another of the governor’s surreptitious approach to insult the sensibilities of the mental phyche of the people.
Will the said opposition said to have motivated the workers to go on street protests when the organised labour revealed that the commercialisation exercise embarked upon by Okorocha “had already consumed more than 2000 jobs, thereby putting the affected persons and their families into harsh economic situations?”
Does the governor’s mouthpiece think that the workers need to be induced or coerced into protesting against plans that the “Imo State House of Assembly has taken steps towards repealing the harmonization of the law officers with magistrates in Imo State Edict No 1998 to justify the reduction of salaries and allowances of law officers in Imo State Ministry of Justice?
Does Okorocha’s spokespersons think that Imo workers are zoombie playmakers to dance to the tune of the said opposition when salaries, allowances of health workers, Imo Assembly and LGA workers have been drastically reduced? To the organised labour in Imo, ” reduction of allowances of workers are equally part of the bills tabled before the Honourable House of Assembly members for expeditious action”
More so, as senior citizens, retirees owed more than 12 months pension arrears do not need to be in grave to be reminded by any person that non payment of their arrears is an ominous sign of imminent death should Okorocha withhold their pensions.
Okorocha and his co-travellers should also be aware that their preference to shift blames gives the opposition larger than life status. Is not incontestable to state that the blame game which gives the opposition the upper hand indicates that Okorocha’s popularity is gradually diminishing in the state. It further shows that Okorocha may have lost grip of the people if the opposition will have the capacity to mobilize and throw out on the street workers in the state.
I expect the government officials to devise a means of responding to challenges thrown at the Okorocha government than putting blame on the doorstep of the opposition.
