FORMER GOVERNOR OHAKIM OF IMO STATE
I will never forget my friend Jenifer. I have told
you this story before. Situation demands that i say it again. I remember the
first day when she walked into my room drunk. That was in 2012. She sat down.
‘I've come’ she said, ‘to tell you the latest news about Rochas Okorocha ,your
Governor in Douglas House, Owerri. He is sacking more workers. After the 10,000
workers, he has sacked another 30,000 workers ’
Everybody knows Jenifer in the neighbourhood. She
was among the 10,000 Imo State Civil Servants popularly known as Ohakim 10,000
jobs that Governor Rochas Okorocha sacked on the 6th of June 2011. Today, she
hates Rochas with a passion for making her and her sister unemployed. She took
up the vodka drinking habit when she lost her job. She has dark skin, tiny
boobs, long shiny dark hair, and brown eyes. She looks very athletic. Her cloth
hugs her body; the lightest of cotton.
When Jenifer told me that day of another mass sack
in Imo State, it shocked me. I quickly made phone calls and discovered that the
news was true. Jenifer pulled her hair up and piled it on top of her head. She
let her eyes look at my eyes, and then she dropped her hair and let it fall
down in front of her face. When I saw Jenifer in that mood, I felt her pains of
unemployment and the sadness was so great. Today Jenifer is still drinking. She
and her sister are still unemployed.
On that first day that she entered my room, i stood
up , touched her wrists and hands. I felt sorry for her. Okorocha overlooked
the fact that the average Nigerian worker has four dependents – at least two
living with him and he removed food from the table of the masses that voted him
into power. Jenifer walked away from the mirror and said something that is true
today. ‘’This is not what we bargained. All the things we were told during the
election, all the love we chased, all the good campaign promises, what happened
to them?’ ‘We now have an Imo state of unemployed youths; Imo state were
minimum wages are denied workers, Imo state were workers are owed salaries, Imo
state were the people are being denied employment in spite of their potentials;
Imo state of escalating executive lawlessness, Imo state were LGA funds are
looted, Imo state of disregard for constitutional rights. Government in Imo
today is Owelle only . Those in government today are suffocating. The teachers
are suffering. The civil servants are suffering. Business men are suffering.
Even the traders are suffering. What we have now in Imo State is the more you
look the less you see’ she said
Just like Jenifer pointed out, politically,
economically and socially, the government of Owelle Rochas Okorocha has shown
inability to move Imo State forward. With Imo’s huge resources and financial
allocations from FG the present state of socio-economic and political paralysis
and unimaginable underdevelopment and mass misery of the vast majority of
Imolites in all the LGA’s and sectors, provide an irrefutable proof of failure
of the rule of Governor Okorocha.
For example, pension in Imo which previously is
automatic for any worker that has worked for a certain period is now a cash pot
for some capitalist thieving elements to embezzle and become financially
bloated while thousands of Imo citizens entitled to pensions in Imo live or die
in penury due to a backlog of unpaid pensions under one spurious excuse or
another. The governor recently said he is going to pay pensioners but na so we
dey always hear. Retired workers of Imo Broadcasting Corporation are still
crying. Retired primary school teachers are crying. Staff of General Hospitals
and Imo Transport Company are crying. I can go on and on to mention them.
Youths like Jenifer today, are completely without
jobs. Governor Okorocha sacked 10,000 Imo graduates in the civil service and
another 30,000 workers in our LGA’s . Why,why, why? Today he claims to have
employed 15,000 teachers and 25,000 public servants when it is all scam. The
great improvement, which the Imo working masses had previously got in the last
administration vis-à-vis their working conditions have been drastically
rendered ineffectual under the current and vicious neo-liberal, capitalist,
anti-poor policies and practices of Okorocha.
He is not interested in genuine effort at developing
public infrastructures or the economy through which millions of jobs can be
provided. To him, economic growth is defined by the amount of billions that he
can amass so as to compete with elements within his class. For me, Imo with its
allocation and mostly untapped wealth, can guarantee decent and secure jobs for
Imolites without tears. I cry for the members of the House of Assembly Service Commission
that Okorocha sacked. I cry for the members of the Civil Service Commission
that he sacked. I cry for the members of the Local Government Service
Commission, Local Government Development Areas, Judicial Service Commission and
Imo State Council of Traditional Rulers that he sacked. These are statutory
commissions with fixed tenures that he illegally dissolved before the
expiration of their tenure of office. I also cry for the 10,000 workers, people
like Jenifer.
Okorocha’s government has also earned its name in
the corruption hall of fame. His government’s corruption is gargantuan. Aside
superintending over massive looting, the Okorocha’s government has openly and
unashamedly associated with every tom, dick and harry in the corruption
business. Financial scam is now everywhere in Imo State. What happened to the
N13.3 Billion Bond Proceeds out of the N18.5 taken by the Imo State Government
during Ohakim’s regime? What happened to the N3 Billion SUBEB project account?
What is happening to our Sure-P funds? What happened to the N2.5 Billion Local
Government Joint Project Account? What happened to the N3.6 Billion left in
JAAC Account by the previous administration? What about the N488 Million in VAT
account? Who squandered the N132 Billion Local Government Allocations for 27
Local Government Areas in Imo State from May 2011 to December 2013? Who
squandered the N16billion ISOPADEC funds? Who squandered N670 Million Imo
children funds? Who squandered the flood assistance funds of Imo State?
Where is the money stolen in Connivance with Jpros
Company Limited from the Construction of Warehouse-Orlu-Road Junction? Governor
Okorocha’s administration paid JPROS a total of N1.35 Billion Naira for the
above road. Where is the N458 Million Naira laundered to Dubai and Lebanon with
the connivance of the Governor’s former Special Adviser on Project Monitoring
and strong political associate Prince Macdonald Akano and Mr. Joseph Dina of
JPROS International Limited? I can go on and on.
Today he claims to be paying monthly stipend to
pupils and students in all the public schools in Imo State when the payment is
occasional. He claims to have spent millions of naira procuring free school
uniforms, bags, sandals, desks, books etc for pupils and students in all the
public schools in Imo State but provided only few uniforms and canvass to few
wards. What about the sale of ADAPALM to Roche Group(his company), the sale of
Imo Transport Company (I.T.C.), Concorde Hotel, Children’s Park (opposite
Concorde Hotel Owerri), state General Hospitals etc for many years.What about
the Sale of Imo Road Maintenance Agency (IROMA) graders, bulldozers,
pay-loaders etc to himself . What about the alleged auction of world-class
Printing and Sword Machines worth over 200 million naira belonging to Imo
Newspapers to his private printing press in Lagos. What about the borrowing of
many Billions of Naira from banks and denying that no money was borrowed?
My brothers we must get Imo out of this one chance
vehicle. The people of Imo must first and foremost remove from power this
ruling capitalist thieving elite and in his place institute a workers and poor
people's friendly government whose central strategy would be based on the
mobilization of Imo's human and natural resources to meet the needs of full economic
development and decent living for all Imolites and not just for a few thieving
capitalist elements. We need someone to proffer genuine anti-capitalist,
pro-masses economic and political alternatives to the ruinous policies of the
present capitalist thieving cabal in Imo State.
Who is the popular candidate with grass root support
that will help us out among the lot? I will desire that all aspirant will
engage all Imolite as Ohakim is doing. It is better we pick Ohakim from this
point, give him all our expectations of responsible future leadership in Imo
State.Let us give him an audience and hear him. He has realised that power
really belongs to the people and is ready to lead the people with uncommon
service. Imo must learn forgiveness from Ekiti so that the fresh air in Ekiti
can get to the virulent section of the South East. Yes we needs someone that is
more popular at the grass root than the lot and only a popular and experienced
candidate can defeat a sitting governor. Let’s take the step to support Ohakim.
As I said before it is better to bring out the diamond in Ohakim. Imo state
need strong leadership-Men and Women who are simple,wise,humble, creative and
above all courageous. Let’s Bring Back Ikedi Ohakim to give our youths jobs and
to make Imo better.
-Kenneth Uwadi, Mmahu-Egbema, Imo State, Nigeria
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