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| #ROCHASMUSTGO: How Gov. Okorocha used PENSIONERS as object of deceit and caricature |
#ROCHASMUSTGO: The genesis of his problems with Ndi Imo
Soon after the Ilomuanya saga, Gov Okorocha Verbatim gathered summoned
all the Imo pensioners to the Dan Anyiam Staduim, after
which he announced that he has paid 12 years arrears of pension owed
them by previous governments.
Verbatim was however told that the
governor only paid one and half years pension arrears to few cadre of
the pensioners and the others asked to go to their respective sub
treasuries for payment - which till date has never been paid. The suffering which the old and feeble
pensioners, most of who were sick and had to be carried to the venue
as well as the traffic jam, which the large crowd of pensioners caused on the
popular Wetheral road that passed through the Dan Anyiam meeting venue
did not go down well with some individuals who told verbatim that the
governor should be careful before he disappoints the Imo people. They
were angered the more when it was revealed that only one and half
years arrears were paid to few pensioners as against many years Okorocha claimed to have paid. By August 2014, Gov Okorocha confirmed he has not paid the arrears blaming it on suspicious situations he promised to investigate (See video below). Yet again, he promised to have signed for the payment of 10 years gratuities and subsequent payment of two month pensions till he clears the arears - that is few months before the expiration of his tenure. You do the mass.
Critics who spoke to
Verbatim said they were only waiting to see how Okorocha will pay the
12 years arrears of pensions which would have implied that the
previous governments of Achike Udenwa who ruled for 8 years and Ikedi
Ohakim who ruled for 4 years never paid any pension to pensioners.
Most pensioners Verbatim was told have not forgiven the governor
for putting them through such hardship. Even as it stands now,
Verbatim was told that the State government is owing pensioners,
particularly primary School teachers especially the SPEB and SUBEB
teachers over 13 months pension arrears. Some of these retired
teachers told Verbatim that the government even issued them with a dud
Diamond bank cheque for one of the months owed them adding that the
government retrieved the cheque two months after and issued them with
another which they cashed. The pensioners told Verbatim that the banks
never had any answer as to why the cheque could not cash but rather
encouraged them to be throwing in the cheque from time to time which
they told Verbatim put them through a lot of hardship and risk.
The second blunder Verbatim was told was the appointment of Transition
Committee chairman for the 27 Local government areas of the State, which did not go down well with most people who believed the governor
when he said during his swearing in ceremony on My 29th, 2011, at the
Dan Anyiam stadium that he will not rule with TC chairman but will
immediately conduct local government elections so that the local
government chairmen will have a sense of independence and as such give
good leadership to their people.
Information reaching Verbatim reveal that most people in the state are
not happy with the governor who they believe play with their
intelligence and make them a lot of empty promises, which they say they
least expected from him.
For instance, Verbatim investigation reveal that Governor Okorocha on
assumption of office promised a massive infrastructural revolution in
the state. This Verbatim gather he commenced with the construction of
the Owerri city gates and the construction of 19km roads in each of
the 27 Local government areas in the state along with the construction
of a modern pre-cast classroom in all the political wards of the
state.
However Verbatim investigation reveal that the city gate projects were
suspended as the governor denied any involvement in their awards,
leaving the contractors most of who borrowed money from banks to
execute the projects stranded and indebted to the banks.
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| Behold Rochas Okorocha's 'WONDER' roads in Imo |
Opposition in
Imo told Verbatim that they are surprised that the governor could deny
knowledge of the city gates and their awards after boasting that he
will use the city gates to further beautify and secure Owerri, the
capital city of the state. They also condemned the roads, which
Governor Okorocha’s government constructed saying they are two
substandard and are already being washed off. Eze Ilomuanya, during a
recent interview with Verbatim said the roads which Governor Okorocha
claims to have done are too thin and cannot survive heavy traffic on
them.
Former governor, Ikedi Ohakim told Verbatim that his government did
more quality and longer roads than the Okorocha’s administration have
done and referred to the Okorocha’s roads as “China Roads”. Verbatim
inspection of some of the roads done by the Okorocha administration
reveal that most of them have started developing big potholes, while
some were abandoned by contractors who claim they are being owed by
the government. Some of the contractors who spoke to Verbatim said
they are not happy with the government for refusing to pay them after
they obtained loan facilities from the banks to execute the projects
which they say gave him the fame and bargaining power which he has
always flaunted at the opposition. They told verbatim that they at a
stage planned to simultaneously withdraw from their individual project
sites to compel the governor to pay them. This they said would have
saved them from their current situation as most of them have died out
of frustration, while some have gone bankrupt.
Critics of Governor Okorocha blame him for shortchanging the
contractors who he deceived into moving into sites without funds and
without following due process and wondered how he could have achieved
a standard asphalt road with drainage on both sides with N60,000.000.00 (Sixty Million Naira).
Verbatim was told that most of the contractors worked only with
authorization letters for the contracts and were never issued with the
proper contract award letters which was the excuse employed by the
government to deny them payment. Verbatim also gather that most of the
contractors were denied payment as their roads were classified as not
captured in the government records which many believe was another ploy
to excuse the non-payment for the work which they have so far done.
As it stands, Verbatim was told that most of the contractors are still
being owed.
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