For more than one month now, Imo State has been in the news. For the first time in the last Eight years, national Commentators are focusing their gaze on Imo State. Imo has been on the Internet frequently these days, while the Print Media are jostling with stories pouring out from the State.
In all these frenzy, the sum total is that Imo State, under the leadership Governor Owelle Rochas Okorocha has attracted odium to the State, if we judge from the commentaries flowing from the Media.
However, in normal clime, such discussions about Imo State ought to have served as a sober reflection to those who are presently incharge of Imo affairs, who these write-ups are being directed at.
But unfortunately, Imo people, political pundits, the Media and other Commentators can shout themselves hoarse, but as far as Governor Okorocha is concerned, he has a mission which by his own postulations and actions are meant to put Imo on utopian height. Therefore, it does not matter what the public opinion holds about him and his administration.
For sure, every administration and leader have their plans for the people. In order words, what obtains for instance in Enugu State cannot be same in Imo, since leaders and administrations are not the same in every given society.
Therefore, in the case of Imo State, it has the type of administration it put in power, and must accept it, hook line and sinker.
Today in Nigeria, the story about Imo State dwells more on unveiling of Statues and visits by Foreign Presidents, who are in the State courtesy of “Rochas Foundation”, a Non- Governmental Organization (NGO) floated by the sitting Governor of Imo State, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, even before he became a Governor.
However, recently, developments show that the Governor is now more occupied with activities of his Foundation, than leading Imo State which put him in office.
The Governor acts as if he has down much for the State and its people, and therefore needs to face the work of his Foundation.
Governor Okorocha since four months now behaves like he has completed in four years all that he wanted to do for Imo State in Eight years, and therefore has regretted, and therefore has to slowdown and while-away his time on other personal matters, while the time for him to quit office arrives.
Presently, what Okorocha has been doing in protocol terms, are just called ceremonial activities, while the serious matter of Governance has been on standstill.
Imo people would recall that before Okorocha began the latest fad of receiving foreign Presidents and unveiling of their Statues, the State was just coming out from the hang-over of the Governor’s stupendously celebrated birthday, which stopped all actions in the State, including administration, for two good weeks.
Within this period, Agencies, Ministries and Departments of Imo State were grounded, as the official duty for all Government functionaries became the Governor’s birthday, which ought to have been a private affair that would last just for three hours, like in the case of Chief Achike Udenwa and Dr Ikedi Ohakim, when both men where Governors of the State before Okorocha.
As Okorocha celebrated, there was “public holidays” because Government affairs ceased. A retired Uncle told me he went to transact business in a Ministry, and was told to come back after two weeks, as the Governor was celebrating his birthday.
As a senior Journalist who has traversed every part of Nigeria, I have never heard of any State Governor in Nigeria, whose birthday was celebrated on Prime-Time Media, except that of Imo State.
Now, the common norm in Imo State is the issue of Statues, which has attracted the President of South Africa and that of Liberia.
And according to facts available, more Statues would be soon unveiled, as they have already been erected, waiting to be “dis-virgined”.
Therefore, at what cost would Imo State and its people gain on these Statues that ground the State to a halt each time one of them would be unveiled?
According to Okorocha’s Minders, Imo State stands to gain enough from these “August Visitors” and their Statues in Imo. Then, we ask, how?
Since Imo State is not a constitutional entity of itself, whoever is travelling to South Africa or Liberia as an Imo indigene cannot and will never enjoy a prefential treatment on account of being an Imo Indigene, because his/ her passport bears “Nigerian” not Imo State export to Liberia? Imo economy is more buoyant than that of Liberia that is just coming out from a drastic civil war.
Indeed , it is just any body’s guess to harzard how much it could take a poor State like Imo State to host a President of a country, no matter how small or poor such country is.
For Imo State to host President Mohammed Buhari, who is Nigerian President, and just air-lifted from Abuja to Owerri runs into hundreds of millions of Naira.
Therefore, for Imo State to host a President of African country is not just a child’s play. Since that President is coming on the invitation of Imo State, it means the State would bear the entire burden.
This includes security, Transportation, accommodation and feeding of that President and his large entourage, for the days they will spend in the State.
In full reality, with the economic disturbing situation of Imo State now with abandoned and yet to be completed roads scattered in the State capital, non -payment and half payment of workers salaries, unpaid backlog of pensioners, unpaid contractors and other sectors begging for attention, has the State the leisure to embark on such frivolous ventures, like hosting of Presidents with her little scarce resources?
We are told that the visits of these Presidents were simply private and on the account of Rochas Foundation. But how much is Rochas Foundation? What is the difference from a constitutionally sworn-in Chief Executive and his private Foundation, when he still sits in office as an elected Government official of a State?
Foundations are usually self-funded. But in what is playing out now in Imo, we are confused how to separate Okorocha the Governor of Imo State, and Okorocha the owner of “Rochas Foundation” whether he is the one signing the various Memorandum Of Understandings (MOU) or any of his children.
For starters, Governor Okorocha of Imo State is not the only sitting Governor in Nigeria that has a Foundation. So, how many times do we hear about such Governors and their visiting foreign Presidents, since they were sworn-in as Chief Executive of their States, who ought to obey the spirit and letters of Nigerian constitution that says an elected officer ought to cease to work for any other company until his tenure runs out.
If Zuma and Sirleaf came to Imo State on the accounts of Rochas Foundation, what was the Governor doing escorting and honouring them with Imo merit Award on the roof of Imo peoples funded Auditoriums and initiating them into Imo Hall of Fame and not Rochas Foundation Hall of Fame?
I had written it before that those around the Governor are not helping matters by telling him the truth and lose their jobs. It is better to stand on truth and lose your job than gain on the altar of falsehood.
Our beloved Governor has missed it, by not even gauging the spirit and mood of the people he is leading. Imo masses are angry. A lot of wastages have been recorded by the present Imo Government which would have created a lot of impact on the masses, and at the same time a plus to Okorocha’s administration.
Many Governors have been inviting President Mohammed Buhari to visit their States and commission projects. Imo State as the only All Progressive Congress APC controlled State in the Southeast ought to have been frequented by Buhari.
Rather than invite Buhari which would have attracted the State a lot of goodwill from Abuja, the Governor invites s of African countries that have nothing to offer Imo State.
Buhari just visited Enugu and Ebonyi States where he commissioned State-of-the-art projects, including a fourteen kilometer flyover built by Governor Umahi of Ebonyi State in two years. Why was he not in Imo to also Commission some projects?
These are the type of outings Imo State under Okorocha desires. The Governor still has a lot begging to be done before 2019 and therefore should do away with these visits that has no economic value to the State.
Imo needs reinvigoration following some actions of the Okorocha’s administration, which if really directed would have brought tremendous changes to the State.
At least for now, Imo needs Billions of naira to put all the roads in the State capital in order. The new Hospitals need to be completed. There is no public water in Imo since 2011. The State can even build its own power generating station if it has the will.
The demolished markets ought to be rebuilt. These are serious challenges.
And for the uproar trailing the Statues in Imo State, it is natural in a democracy where the people must express their opinions. The Statues are also Okorocha’s personal ideas as a Leader, whose position has a tenure. Therefore, the Statues could be uprooted whenever Okorocha leaves office, just as he pulled down some structures erected by former administrations. Nothing lasts forever, including elected offices.
