Okorocha’s Appointees and History On Easter Sunday I was at St Mary Anglican Church, Ukpo, Dukunofia LGA, in Anambra State when a message came to my handset. I had accompanied to Ukpo on Saturday a child-hood friend, who went to “do Easter” with our Big friend, Leader, prominent Igbo son and Business mogul, Prince Engr Arthur Eze. We spent the whole of Saturday with him and hoped to return very early Easter Sunday, only for our host to request that we must accompany him to church on Sunday, after which we can go. So, who are we to decline such a request from the Elder! I was sitting beside the Eze Na Ukpo when I received the message, and stepped outside to open my mail and it read “Headline News! Rochas appoints wife as Chief of Staff. We must all rise and rescue Imo State from this emperor now”. I was jolted. After the service I discovered that all of us there from Imo State got the same message from a coded number. I immediately rang a close pal in Imo Government who told me nothing of sort happened. I began to wonder why any body or group could have contemplated such a thing and if the Governor can appoint his wife as Chief of Staff. One of the Senior citizens in our midst said it was possible, following Okorocha’s antecedents in making appointments without minding whose ox was gored. But this fellow was pained that Okorocha has destroyed the usual trend of Imo Governors consulting before making appointments which he said prevents appointments being lopsided, and touching all the political cells in the state, which breeds corporation and understanding among the political groups and the Government in power. Talking about appointing relations, friends or business partners into Government in Imo, it was the past Governor, Chief Ikedi Ohakim who introduced the modus by appointing his blood brother, Sir Emma Ohakim, as the Chief of Staff. On many occasions, Ohakim was asked why he appointed his younger brother Chief of Staff and his reply was that Emma was not only qualified, having been an astute Banker, but is painstaking and prudent in managing men and funds, and would be careful in running the office so that both of them will not end up in jail after serving in Government. That was why many people hated Emma Ohakim because he was not ready to be stampeded at anytime without following due process. Therefore, those who had no patient could not work with Emma and despised his style, which of course was the best option in managing public office. And Ikedi Ihakim has been vindicated, because if not for a careful prudent and painstaking Chief of Staff who followed due process, all the petitions from the present administration against Ohakim would have landed him in jail as he earlier feared. But will EFCC arrest a person nothing was found against? That brings me to the present administration. Governor Owelle Rochas Okorocha has elevated the trend of appointing relations and close allies to disturbing level. What Ohakim started with decency, Okorocha has now entrenched into a norm, so much so that if his successor comes into office and decides to up the ante, he or she may end up inviting the entire kindred, inlaws and friends to come and occupy Douglas House, and nothing will happen. When Governor Okorocha arrived Government House in May 29, 2011, he came with his own entire paraphelenia of aides. Right from the protocol, Media Departments and even Drivers, Cooks and Labourers. I am told that all those people have since been absorbed, joining the existing staff in Government House. But gradually, all the staff employed right from the Gov Evan Enwerem era were quietly shoved off from Government House with only a sprinkle of drivers retained, while the rest are either in the pool, or sent to obscure offices. Ohakim appointed one non Imo born Commissioner into his cabinet. Today over ten non Igbo born senior appointees dot Okorocha’s administration. And they are holding sensitive posts. These include those from Anambra, Enugu, Abia, Plateau, Kaduna States etc. Governor Theodore Orji of Abia State threw out Imo indigenes from his state, but Okorocha appointed over six Abians as Special Advisers. And these appointees from other states every month take home their salaries to develop their areas, which of course is the normal thing. These include Nkiru Sylvanus whose kidnap incident brought a lot of odium to Imo, when it is even realized that the chap allegedly fingered as the “insider” is not also from Imo State, and works in Government House. We are not saying that some of our brothers from other states cannot be accommodated here, but the issue is that it should not be to the detriment of the “Landowners”. It may be true that Governor Okorocha was not given a chance during the 2011 election, and therefore the reason many “prominent personalities” did not join his train. In this circumstance, the Owelle worked with the man-power available then at his disposal which mostly came from Rochas Foundation, Agenda Group, his family, inlaws, friends etc? However, having now become the Governor, it is not a crime if he looks beyond these Groups and fish out qualified people of Imo extraction elsewhere to propel his administration. He must not stick on these people even when they don’t have the qualifications simply because they were those who stuck with him when it mattered. If it were the norm, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala would not have been at Aso Rock today. However, we are not saying that those who work should not “chop”. But there are other ways the Governor can “settle” them. I think it is in a bid to remain with these people that Gov Okorocha appoints a man as a Sole Administrator of a Local Government, and yet the wife is a Special Adviser to the Governor. From one family! It is politically suicidal for such Leader who makes such appointments. In this clime political appointments are used to settle loyalists quite all right, but it must also be in tandem with existing factors, like geographical spread, and zoning. In Imo presently, I think Governor Okorocha does his things without consulting any body, which is quite improper. Because, if he does, there would have been no way all these anomalies that abound in the state should have been the case. Recall that the former Deputy Governor, Sir Jude Agbaso was a commissioner, the uncle a commissioner and the wife an SA. The Leader, such as Governor hold power in trust of the people. Therefore, a good Leader must always consult and listen to what people say about his administration. But who are these people? They are the common man and woman, the down trodden who stood in the rain and sun to make sure that Okorocha won his election in 2011. Today these people have been alienated from Okorocha. They cannot even peep into the Government House as before, because the place has been barricaded from prying eyes of the masses. They cannot reach the man who visited the Akara, pure water and roast corn sellers before. See what power can do to humans? That is why you don’t condemn any one in power till you taste it. Okorocha is building some roads and erecting structures. But the only thing that must compliment these efforts is for money to be in circulation so that the people can have access to the good things of life. Imo people continue to complain about why money suddenly became scarce in the state, and the Government says it is because of the various constructions going on. Pray, during the Ohakim era, were there no constructions, like the over-head bridges and roads, yet people could easily enjoy themselves.
