On Sunday while flipping through one of the national dailies, my eyes caught a fancy that made meaning. In one of the pages of the newspaper that can be said to be the flagship of Nigerian’s daily tabloid, assessment of governors in the country was enumerated and our dear Rochas Okorocha of Imo state was handed average mark. Reasons for the mark are best known to the medium.
However, apparently irked by the average mark, which the Okorocha government felt was inadequate, the Spokes- person and Senior Special Assistant (Media) to the governor drew a flak against the newspaper for underscoring the actions of his principal.
While the highly reputed medium reserves the right to allocate scores to Chief Executive officers of any of the state it has assessed, the governor’s media aide is right to challenge assessors because he is paid for “damage control” and ego messaging. And it is the interesting debacle between the said national daily and governor’s media unit as well as today’s celebration of Democracy day which enable Okorocha’s government to mark three years in office that warrants this piece; Rescue Mission @ 3 the Good, the Bad and Ugly. Recall that last year I did a similar work.
Thursday May 29, 2014 marks the 13th year of Nigeria’s nascent democracy. Another stage was entrenched in the political history of the country when on May 29, 1999, a retired General of the Nigerian Army and former Military Head of State, Olusegun Obasanjo was sworn in as duely elected civilian president.
Same scenario was witnessed in all the 36 states of the federation where newly elected governors took oath of office to be the Chief Executive officers of their various states. In Imo it was Chief Achike Udenwa who was handed over affairs of the state after the last military administrator, Col Tanko Zubairu bowed out from the Government House, Owerri.
Government House, Owerri otherwise known as Douglas House has witnessed civilian Chief Executives in the last fourteen years The latest and incumbent being Owelle Rochas Okorocha. In the pre-election schedules of 2010/2011, the Okorocha campaign slogan centred on Rescue Mission when the Ogboko-Ideato South born politician declared interest to run for governor.
Despite odds staring the face of Okorocha considering his Orlu zone background which truncated the two-time tenure Okigwe zone would have been entitled to and the fact that the philanthropist was a perennial failure in previous elections, his Rescue Mission campaign drive had several followers.
Several combining forces which space may not allow me to explain further found Okorocha in Douglas House as the fifth civilian Governor of Imo state.
On getting the mandate of the masses to be at the helm of affairs, Okorocha’s first step was an ominous sign of what to expect when a directive borne out of over zealousness sealed all accounts of the state and kept the financial status of Imo at a standstill. Reports have it that a letter purportedly written from one of his top aides who was yet to be assigned to an office since Okorocha has not be sworn in instructed banks having affairs with the state to stop further dealings with the out-going regime of his predecessor, Chief Ikedi Ohakim. The action stagnated all government functions and for the weeks the action lasted, Imo was in coma and starved of necessary funds to run affairs of government.
In apparent bid to romance the incoming government and secure fruitful partnership, operating banks carefully obeyed the instructions and starved Okorocha’s immediate predecessor.
Signs that his Rescue Mission is not for Imolites but selected persons who are adherents of Agenda Group; the hate campaign showed when he began to prosecute “Vengeance Mission” Moments after the financial transactions embargo was lifted, Okorocha showcased his intention to deal with those he succeeded. Apart from denying the political appointees of Ohakim their two months salaries of April and May 2011, statutory severance allowances already captured in the 2011 budget of the state were carefully shunned and avoided till date. It would be recalled that following Revenue and Fiscal Commission Mobilization regulation, political appointees of certain categories like commissioners, Special Advisers, Senior Special Assistants and Executive Assistants are entitled to severance and gratuity allowances after serving to a particular period. At the exit of Udenwa regime in 2007, Ohakim who stepped in paid the outstanding and severance entitlements of the ex-governor’s appointees. It was expected that Okorocha would have towed same procedures but the reverse is the case till date Ironically, the April and May salaries of all political appointees were withheld and no explanation has been given regarding to who pocketed them. In furtherance of the vengeance mission, the governor went after perceived political opponents believed to have been part of his predecessor’s structure and creation. In one full swop during his maiden address to Imo people, Okorocha sent packing the democratically elected Council Chairmen and Councilors, Coordinators and Members of the Development Centres that was a creation of the House of Assembly, the executive of the Imo state Council of Traditional Rulers led by Eze Cletus Ilomuanya and more painfully the 10,000 jobs beneficiaries.
Even as the starved appointees were accorded underserved treatment, another stiffer sanctions was placed on them when the governor appointed what could be described as a terror squad to torment the ex-appointees in the name of committee for the recovery of government property. The practice in the past had been for political appointees to go home with their official vehicles after necessary deductions have been made from their pay packages to cover for the cost of the car. But the Rescue Mission whose programme can be said to be for selected group furiously went after harmless appointees by impounding their vehicles. Several top personalities who held positions like the former Deputy Governor, Dr (Mrs) Ada Okwuonu and Eze Ilomuanya experienced hell in the hands of the Recovery committee when the team broke into their respective personal apartments in Enugu and Owerri respectively to forcibly retrieve vehicles.
A particular former House of Assembly member (names withheld) lost the wife’s car to the suspected bandits when the Recovery Committee acting in a Gestapo manner scaled the wall of the ex-lawmaker’s Owerri home to cart away the vehicle when nobody was at home. Several ex-appointees suffered untold hardship and trauma in the hands of government property recovery squad.
However, it will be unfair to state that what pre-occupied Okorocha’s mind moments after he took over mantle of leadership of the state was vendetta agenda. Apparently aware of the onerous task expected of him in delivering democratic dividends following the euphoria that heralded his government, Okorocha also indicated interest to change the face of the state via road revolution and infrastructural development. In response to the wishes of the people who expressed joy in ushering him into office, the governor wasted no time in stating that he will be an achiever.
Okorocha began massive road construction in the state capital and the two other zones; Okigwe and Orlu towns, as well as the rural areas. The Heroes’ Square project was started while the abandoned structure at the old Government House on Concorde Hotel Road, Owerri was not only revitalized and put into good use and named Ojukwu Centre. Since the governor was in a hurry to develop the state, Imo, unarguably is witness great infrastructural development in the last three years. The Rescue Mission has tried in terms of provision of roads. To ease traffic congestion in the state capital, new strategic road networks were opened. From Whetheral Road, another fresh link was opened to connect Aba/Naze Road while road users can also connect the Emmanuel/College/Whetheral Road Roundabout from West End/Nekede Old Road.
From New Owerri, one can now easily access the old city with three new roads moving across the Nworie River.
There is no doubt that the successive administrations had created the Akancha and Yar Adua by pass roads, but Okorocha has done more in road networks. There is no gain saying the fact that a survey in the state indicate that Imo has experienced road revolution courtesy of the Rescue Mission government.
Apart form the state capital, Okigwe and Orlu towns also have a fair share as new road can be witnessed including the rural areas. Even as the new roads are not widespread and a far departure from the acclaimed 17 kilometre roads for each of the 27 LGA advertised to the outside word by the governor and his lieutenants, the recent tour of the LGAs by the governor to assess level of development only ended up-exposing the rot in award and execution of the road contracts. While some LGA’s have had some percent share, others are totally denied the road revolution project thereby questioning the governor’s claims of touching the lives of his people through road projects.
The continuous claims of constructing 17 kilometres of road in each of the LGA’s has ceased from oozing from government quarters following the discovery that most of the earmarked roads ended on paper and reigning talk show aired on radio and TV.
For example, a local government like the oil-rich Ohaji/Egbema can be said not to be included in the Rescue Mission programme since no asphalted road has been recorded in the area since Okorocha came into power makes a mockery of Okorocha’s claims of delivering dividends of the democracy to the people. Remarkable all the roads opened up have turned to a death trap and a cul-de-sac for road users.
Even as one will appreciate the creation of new road network, suffice it to note that the new roads are what people in the street refer to as “China roads” because of poor quality and substandard nature of the roads. A trip to the new roads in the state capital show glaring incompetence and output that the said “China roads” may not stand the test of time. For instance, the new road from Control Post/Bank Road connecting to Akanchanwa was poorly constructed. Dangerous potholes have started developing on a road that is barely a year. The West End/Whetheral Road Roundabout is also a disappointment as rains have started eating the surface thereby exposing the asphalt to corrosion and damage before the project is officially commissioned. What of the Whetheral Road Naze Aba Road by pass where there is constant “patch-patch” work to amend spoiled spots easily noticed on the dual carriage way.
For lack of space, the commentary continues next week. Keep a date.
