Rochas and his expired antics in Imo

Rochas and his expired antics in Imo

Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo state to me is amusingly a wonderful person. Wonderful in the sense that he is an ardent believer in deceit and art of skillfully charming people out of their senses and sensibilities with very broad smiles and very passionate and humane verbal utterances when his mind is actually sadistic and luciferic.

That is why he has successfully hypnotized all that has had dealings or transactions with him in the past including the Red Cross, the National Airspace Management Authourity, NAMA where he was sacked as its Director General by President Obasanjo and a lot more.

It is only a very tiny fraction of the enlightened and also those he had beaten or bitten that know him and his antics well. I fortunately belong to this group of people that know him well just because I took the pains to recreate my passion of understudying this self acclaimed rescuer of the people not out of bias though but in my usual manner of studying the lives and activities of patriots. My findings about Rochas shocked me and I do know it will also shock every reader of this script especially when the person involved is the same man that told us that he will only go for one tenure as a demand for two tenures proves inefficiency and weakness.

I can not possibly go into a very detailed x-ray of the man as I found out but I am duty bound to go into the specifics for the sake of our dear state to corroborate the facts which a lot of people have also individually gathered about the self acclaimed messiah. I am happy that so many Imo indigenes have began to understand the man Rochas and his gimmicks which was revitalized by the mass exodus of his strong party men and even appointees who for one single reason, GREED which they accuse the governor of left the Rochas camp and the APC. Almost all of them have found succor in the PDP which they have come to realize is a very safe sanctuary and also a party that cares about the welfare of the people with a very strong emphasis on practicing pure and real internal democracy. They are even the ones doing the real damage to Rochas as they reveal very privileged information on the man who they had diligently served or the friend who they had deserted because of his selfishness.

To start with, it is no more news that what exists in Imo today is not government of the people, for the people and by the people but government of my family, for my family and by my family. Yes. That is why all the members of the Okorocha’s nuclear and extended families are directly and outspokenly involved in the state governance. They make decisions, influence decisions and make money at the same time in addition to the power which they brandish. Eze Cletus Ilomuanya in a recent interview on a national magazine wondered how the brothers of Okorocha who before the 2011 elections that brought in their brother as a governor could not boast of anything tangible have all suddenly become wealthy with mansions and other properties scattered all over the state.

This is probably why some non indigenous contractors were forced to pay millions of Naira to the brothers and sisters of Rochas to get roads. Ugly enough, most of them who paid about 10 million Naira for six to eight kilometers of road were shortchanged and given four kilometers or even three with impunity without any explanation or refund. That may be why some young men are trying to break into the Rochas power block by marrying his daughters and relatives since every relative, by blood or marriage is accommodated and given very plum things to do for the state, whether experienced or not.

Now to Rochas and his achievements. The man has been boasting that he has done what the two immediate past governments in the state could not do in twelve years in only three years. Initially many believed him but that belief had waned as the people have found out that what they were given were substandard projects that only put so much millions in few very privileged pockets including the governor himself.

I am surprised that an individual believes he can win the peoples’ heart with roads that were abandoned or even those that collapsed in only three years when those that were done by former Governor Sam Mbakwe in the 70s are still smooth and strong and can even stand for two more decades.

I am not condemning the road projects but I am strongly opposed to anything substandard, afterall what is worth doing is worth doing well. The most annoying part of it is that majority of the contractors who handled these projects and others that the governor brags with are still being owed with no hope in sight even after paying huge sums to get the roads and after borrowing from banks to execute the projects. Most of these contractors most of who are young men have gone bankrupt while a number of deaths have been recorded out of frustration. The abandoned owerri city gate contractors are also victims of the non payment which a lot of people have termed fraud, wickedness  and insensitivity. A non indigenous contractor was boldly saying at a function that he followed the broad smiles of Rochas to Owerri and only got bitten. Many people do not know this much. I have a few questions for the few who still feel excited about the roads. Are the roads up to contemporary standards. Are you still enjoying them and how long do you think they will last. Do you realize that the roads are all smeared with the sweat, agony, frustration and even blood of the most unfortunate contractors who were deceived to move into sites without mobilization and the proper documents. These are questions we must all ponder over before we rate or applaud the governor for the roads which to me are not even issues to be discussed as they lack the merit because it is bad to rob Peter to pay Paul.

To some people, the ease with which the governor duped the contractors is a pointer to his style of business and transactions and also shows how the state is being governed.

I advise Imo indigenes to be careful as I pray my fears do not come to pass but am afraid the projects in the state are all very substandard. I pray the collapse of the Imo film academy two days after commissioning  does not repeat itself else where especially in the pre cast classrooms and others all over the state where many believe standards were compromised to maximize profits. Unfortunately, few people are still happy and excited about these projects.

Few people are still basking in the euphoria of the so called free education which the messiah governor gave to students of the state without pausing to ask how. As a matter of fact, education up to the secondary school level has been free and supported by the federal government under the universal basic education programme. It is sad that most people do not know this and rather believe Governor Okorocha gave them the privilege of free education. Come to think of it, has any one asked where the entire allocations to the local government areas in the state from the federal government go to. This monies are over 3billion Naira monthly. Therefore, what can one not do with such amount of money.

However, the so called free education is lopsided and ill patterned as only few Imo indigenes in the state owned Imo state university and the state polythechnic at Umuagwo benefit from it. Other Imo indigenes in other institutions in the state like FUTO, ALVAN, FEDPONEK and even those in other institutions across the country are left out. Funny enough, the so called free education still encourages students to pay heavy acceptance fees and others when every bill should have been picked up by the government that enforced it. Funny indeed.

Chief Athan Achonu, in a recent interview faulted the governor for taking food out of Imo people’s mouths but most people may not understand what he meant. Yes, how can  the so called prudent and ever patriotic Governor Okorocha pay billions of Naira to an Asian company to produce uniforms and shoes for school children in the state when there are lots of professional tailors and shoe makers in the state. Even the products supplied do not even have the touch of better professionals in case  we may want to compare the so called Asian professionals and the so called locals.

However, economic experts have maintained that the people of the state would have one way or the other felt the impact of the billions paid abroad for the production of the school kits had they been produced here.

On the other hand, it is never heard that a government can give dud cheques to old pensioners who served the state with every fibre in them for thirty five years. These ugly trend  happened twice last year. I am happy a lot of wise Imolites kept copies of the cheques before they were cunningly retrieved by the government. Most people do not know this much but intelligent Imolites are wondering where the state will be in the next four years under Okorocha who they argue has skillfully introduced all kind of scam and fraud in governing Imo state while still claiming to be a saint and a messiah. Unfortunately few people still believe he is one. Only God knows the amount of penury and hardship which the pensioners who are being owed arrears of salaries are currently passing through under the messiah who even told us he had paid all pensions and arrears owed pensioners in the state even by previous administrations in the state. As a matter of fact pensioners are still being owed in the state at the moment. Most people do not know this much.

If Rochas was actually the saint he claims to be, his lieutenants and appointees would not have left him the way they have done. His old appointees  like the former transition committee chairmen would not have been abandoned in abject poverty after serving him diligently. Many people may not believe that he shortchanged them in every payment due to them, like salaries, security votes, furniture allowance and even severance allowances. Total money removed from these payments with impunity which are not accounted for have not been traced while the owners who are scared of victimization have been crying out in secret.

The mere fact that he dumped them after  using them to stabilize his government at its inception shows nothing more than selfishness and callousness. It will be worthy to mention that he had even derobed them of every relevance they once had in the party which did not come as a surprise to most people who know he does not want to empower or position anyone for fear of likely rivalry or competition in the future.

Let us however remember that Rochas promised not to use appointees for local governments but his summersault and appointment of TCs shows a man who can very easily and shamelessly swallow his spits and words which we have been witnessing in the state under him.

Almost every one knows that Arch Bishop AJV Obinna of the Owerri arch diocese contributed so immensely to installing Rochas by convincing Imo indigenes to vote for him especially when the immediate past governor , Ikedi Ohakim was being crucified for molesting a catholic priest. Almost at the early stages of his government, he fell out with the arch bishop who he apparently had a good relationship with over some monetary issues. He even almost accused the arch bishop of embezzling several hundred millions which he released for Oguta youths. The tension then was high and people started wondering if Ohakim who was accused of flogging a priest was not better than Rochas who was trying to call an arch bishop a thief. I know many people have not forgotten this. Since then, the relationship between the two has remained frosty and Arch Bishop Obinna had very carefully avoided him since then and Rochas never bothered.

The major campaign point of Rochas is his call on the PDP to tell Imolites what they achieved for them in the twelve years of their reign in the state. This is a very weak and lame punch because he did not research well before launching the attack. Yes, the PDP can proudly say that they put food on peoples’ tables and that they created employment for the teeming unemployed youths of the state which he cancelled and instead reappointed a multitude that he does not pay. The PDP can tell Imolites that they maintained and sustained state owned establishments almost all of which he has leased to his private companies through fronts. The PDP can also tell the people of the state that they embarked on solid and very economic and relevant projects even with the meager allocations then instead of the unplanned, economically irrelevant and ramshackle projects which he has littered the state with even with tripled allocations from the federal government and also the local government allocations which he has seized from the inception of his government to date. Am sure the PDP can also pride itself for the renovation, construction and upgrading of health centers and general hospitals in the state all of which got brand new 1000kva generating sets and hiace ambulances under the immediate past governor of the state, Ikedi Ohakim. I also know the PDP can also boast that Imo state came first in so many areas like the environment, millennium development goals, MDGs which attracted over $60 million Dollars for the state in addition to providing over 1000 water schemes and quality rural roads also under Ohakim. The PDP can also pride itself for giving the people of the state governments that emphasized on very careful planning and a meticulous use of the state resources that led to the economic boom as witnessed in the state then and the good circulation of money in the state against the clueless and aimless government which Rochas has brought into the state. The PDP can also brag that it gave the people of the state a good and qualitative education which was proved by the WAEC and NECO results as against what obtains now where Imo has been thrown to the back seat educationally despite the much celebrated but deceitful free education programme which Rochas claims to have brought. Honestly, the PDP can pride itself with a lot of things especially the election of Honourable Emeka Ihedioha, for the governorship election which has sent jitters down the spine of Rochas who knows the game is up for him going by the antecedents of Hon Ihedioha, his mastery of the game of politics and the very genuine and sincere followership and goodwill which he enjoys . He is also worried that the people are most rapidly getting to know the kind of person he truly is and his realization that the day of reckoning is almost at hand is quitely choking him and his few remaining foot soldiers and have pushed them into unguarded and misconstrued statements which are exposing him to more ridicule and embarrassments.

By Ugo Great.