When Governor Rochas Okorocha emerged on the Governorship scene of Imo State in 2011, he was welcome under euphoria by the populace, whose only desire then was “change “.The Ogboko Ideato South born politician became an instant hero. The masses beat their chests in jubilation, for their votes have counted as they wanted the Government of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP led by then Governor, Chief Ikedi Ohakim, removed out by any means. It did not matter whoever it was that succeeded Ohakim, provided it was a human being.
Okorocha started well by gauging the psyche of the Imo masses, and exhibited habits that would endear him to their hearts, by playing to the gallery.
The Governor began by dismantling all that were the legacies of his predecessors. Those who suffered pain of being dismantled from the State Capital by the previous Government over their illegal structures, including Comrade Samuelson Iwuoha, were “restituted” by Okorocha who allowed artisans and traders back into Owerri City, with their impunity and littering of refuse everywhere in Town.
Contractors were verbally given go ahead to start work on any road they could lay their hands on in Owerri. Before you know it, all the roads in Owerri were under construction, with laterites poured everywhere. The problem became who to coordinate the legion of “Emergency Road Engineers”.
Suddenly, the din died down, as “contractors” started lamenting of non payment “after completing” their assignments. However, after the first rains, the so called “contractors” could not raise their voices again, as rain washed away all that they claimed were tarred roads.
New gates started springing up all over the routes leading into streets of Owerri. What were they for? We were told they are for the security of all inhabitants living in Owerri.
Unfortunately, these gates have today been abandoned, and are now a living witness of how not to waste public funds.
Okorocha also embarked on construction of Round-Abouts at some strategic roads in Imo State, but if not for the one at Government House by Okigwe and Wethral Roads, all other Round – Abouts constructed by the Okorocha’s administration are still under construction till date because the Government has not found a final solution to those at Emmanuel College, Orlu Road and IMSU junctions. Check those Round Abouts tomorrow and you will see gullies, hindering, rather than enhancing free flow of traffic.
Does it mean there is no qualified Road construction company around that can give a final solution to these craters on these Round- Abouts, no matter how much it takes the Government than these frequent patching that wash away with the next rain?
The J Pros road, which led to the impeachment of Okorocha’s Deputy, Chief Jude Agbaso has remained abandoned. No attempt has been made to complete that road, at least to douse the anger of Imo people over how one “Kora Man” came here to dupe them of their scarce resources with the connivance of Government.
On Monday, Owerri the Imo State Capital was grounded with Civil Servants marching on the streets agitating for unpaid salaries and allowances.
It sounded ridiculous to Lastline, because it was the same Imo Civil Servants who stoutly stood behind the Governor when he unceremoniously dismissed some high ranking Permanent Secretaries , some of them losing many years of service following their sudden sacks.
Today these Civil Servants are lamenting over how they are being treated as if they are not important to the administration, but they forgot that cancer inflicts the body tissue through just one spot, and then goes on to affect other parts of the body system.
When Governor Okorocha demolished the State Library, which produced most of the persent generation of scholars of Imo State, Yours Truly inclusive, what did the Labour do? They simply allowed only the staff of the Library Board to carry their cross.
The most ironical part of the entire drama is that the Okorocha Government prides itself as that anchored on education for all. Now, how do you reconcile a Government that demolished a State Library built decades ago by previous administration with the free Education mantra of the present administration?
And what is on that Library site today? A Church!
How many of Imo Citizens attend that church located at that former Library site? But can you equate the number of Imo children that would have benefited from the Library to those that attend service at the bogus church? Is Imo State not a secular State? So, what concerns the State in construction of churches? God is a personal and spiritual thing. It is your business and therefore Imo State has no obligation on constructing church for anybody, to the detriments of a state library.
Has Labour in Imo State realized that Concorde Hotel, the pride of Imo State that attracted various seminars to the State and boost the State’s economy is now a relic? Has anybody spared a thought how much that abandoned Hotel would have been making for Imo State in the last four years? Concord Hotel has been functioning through Mbakwe’s regime, to Udenwa, Ohakim until Okorocha arrived. Has Labour thought about the fate of the sacked workers and their dependants since that Hotel was shut down?
Has Imo Labour ever asked what happened to Water Corporation along Okigwe road Owerri? I grew up as a child in Owerri and saw that edifice, where as kids we took excursions for tourism.
Today, on that site is a block of buildings said to be a school. Does it mean the Okorocha’s Government has no plan of drinking water for Imo populace? Must every part of Imo State be covered with school blocks simply because the administration is practising free Education? Would these students, their Teachers and parents not drink water? Fella in one of his hits sang that “Water no get enemy”. It is a shame that rather than provide drinking water for the masses, Government is demolishing water projects constructed by old regimes..
As I write, nobody can give the vivid situation of things at ADAPALM, yet we are now talking about more Industries. It is just like a man marrying more wives and making more children when he cannot take care of his old wife and pay school fees of his already existing children.
Have we managed Concord, ADAPALM, and I.T.C well before building new ones?
The other time, the Imo State owned Orient FM and Television Station closed its gates to business as workers demonstrated. The State- owned Newspaper, The “STATESMAN” cannot even compare with the least Imo based Newspapers. Its pensioners are dying every day without their emoluments.
The former site of Orient FM originally allocated to it at Egbu Road by Mbakwe is said to have been converted to what is called “Young Scientists Academy”. After four years, Imo citizens are yet to have a glimpse at a single Graduate of the school.
The other one called ICAPS, which took over the premises of the revered “STATESMAN”, has been abandoned. I still remember the old “STATESMAN” premises with its beautiful trees, flowers, fruits and well tailored grasses and paths. All that has since given way to block of buildings that have no economic value to Imo economy.
Our Local General Hospitals which gave way to the expected Modern Twenty Seven ones are in comatose, while the new ones remain a mirage. My wife died Eight months ago at Orlu Teaching Hospital because of lack of Oxygen. And this is supposed to be a Teaching Hospital.
In the Area of Environment, Owerri, the Imo State Capital which used to be the cleanest city in Nigeria is competing to be the dirtiest in Nigeria. It was in the Network on Radio Nigeria the other day that some strange diseases are hitting Imo due to the filthy nature of the town.
Even security, which Okorocha improved, has suddenly collapsed, as three successive high profile murders have taken place in Owerri just within a space of three weeks now. Four months after Owelle Okorocha was sworn in for a second term, Imo State Governor is yet to submit the list of his Commissioners to the House of Assembly, when even new Governors in other States have since inaugurated the State Executive, reving the engine of administration in those States on.
The Governor needs to organize his administration quick. While things are getting worse every day, those at the helm seem not to bother, because the judge the mood of the day with the rosy environment they found themselves.
It is pertinent to inform the Okorocha led administration of the need to wake up because it has squandered the goodwill and euphoria under which it swept into office in 2011. Even the last election is an indication that the Imo masses are having a rethink.
In this circumstance, if things were the way the Governor assumed they were, there would not have been any reason for the PDP and Ihedioha to take him to the wire before he escaped election doom in the Imo Governorship re-run by the whiskers.
Those of us who live in Imo are experiencing the pinch. Things are getting harder every day that it reminds one of the Shehu Shagari hay days of “Austerity Measure”.
However, let me State it here that Governance is not easy, only that Owelle Rochas Okorocha made Imo people have the false hope that the State is too rich, as he proclaimed at the Odenigbo Ground in 2011, during the Governorship Debate when he was seeking for power seriously.
However, it would sound silly for anyone to think that the Governor; Owelle Rochas Okorocha is not doing anything to remedy the bad situation. He is the Governor and doing his best. But whether his best is not good enough is a different matter. Though many believe that because the Governor will not be facing Imo electorate in 2019, he can afford to sit on his hands; it is not true. No politician can take that “risk”. Okorocha is doing his best but unfortunate his best is not up to a scratch.
The only task facing the Governor now is to seek for astute politicians with the right State of mind to help him steer the comatose Imo Economy to a good ground, while selecting his current State Executive. This is the major issue now as it stands.
Things are not as rosy as in 2011; Imo is in the worse shape ever envisaged in 2011 when Keke Riders swore to commit suicide if Owelle was not made Governor. Now the chicken has come home to roost. He could afford to make various experiments with the calibre of men he assembled then, not now. He needs a careful perusal of the credentials of those that will work with him now, or else with the look of things posterity my judge him wrongly. The last four years was an opportunity to lay a good frame work but he could not because he was too eager to work and took many projects at the same time, and ended up not completing even one. Not even any of the numerous roads he constructed stand now.
Let me State it here that I am no enemy of Okorocha’s administration but only informing on what those sycophants around the Governor can never let him know. I want anybody to prove me otherwise in all that I have stated here. These are glaring issues starring all in the eyes. Except you are not living in Imo.
Imo is in motion without movement. One would be happy if Okorocha writes his name in Gold by leaving behind enduring legacies. Imo still talks about Mbakwe today for his indelible marks. The Imo State Secretariat stands as Achike Udenwa’s edifice. Ohakim can be remembered for the Orji and Egbu roads dualization for their lasting duration.
For four years now, Okorocha has refused to invite the President, or any other senior Government Official to commission any of his projects. Maybe that may be his own style.
Left for me, I would advise the Governor to focus on human development of Imo people now, since he has done enough in physical structures. However, the only problem is that most of these structures have no added values to Imo economy and are already fading away while he is still in office.
In other words, he still needs to leave endurable legacies, like the Flyovers he wants to complete now, but they must endure the times through solid construction.
However, the main matter is how to pay Imo Workers. Imo economy lives on salaries of workers who oil the economy as a Civil Servant state. Traders at Ekeukwu, Relief and other markets depend on Civil Servants; Landlords too depend on them, including a large percentage of Imo inhabitants and their Graduate wards who have no employment.
But all must be patient with Owelle Rochas Okorocha; for how bitter cola sounds in the mount is not how it tastes. This advice is for both the Governor and Imo electorate.
