By Morakinyo Olugbiji
[wysija_form id=”1″]March 16, 2015 – Imo state governor, Rochas Owelle Anayo Okorocha in my opinion, has been one of the most talked about governors in the social media for a while now. I started taking a keen interest in Okorocha from the time he first came out to show an interest in becoming Nigeria’s President. Then, NTA network used to feature a documentary about his impressive achievements; how he has been funding children with Down Syndrome, putting them in a jet for excursion.
I don’t know if he owned the jet but he is believed to have made his wealth in business, way before entering politics. So, the documentary showed how this man had been sponsoring the education of thousands of students, contributing to different Imo communities, and what have you! Just like myself, I’m sure millions of viewers then couldn’t have helped but like this man. Infact, my total conclusion of Okorocha at the time was that this man must simply be God’s gift to mankind.
But no sooner had he become a governor than I started hearing and reading all manners of hate reports about him. How did such an ‘angel’ come to be this ‘evil’ as one Lagos-based, Imo-hailed dude referred to him in a tweet the other day? I wouldn’t know if this dude has stepped his feet on the soil of his state in the last three years, or just drawing his assertions from some of the online reports out there as it’s the case with many people like him.
Is there even any politician that hasn’t been tagged evil? Even governor Fashola of Lagos State for hugely transforming Lagos State won more enemies. But I want to believe Okorocha’s case must be different for there to be so many pull-him-down reports against him in the media. I just came back from Imo state, and like my past trips, first-hand experience and conversations with a cross sections of Imolites; from my cab man to the market women I met, to the youths, it dawned on me why Okorocha has continued to be tagged ‘evil’ and I can’t but agree with all the online reports. ‘Evil’ is an understatement, Okorocha is the ‘devil’ himself! Let me explain the ‘evils’ he has meted out to the people of Imo state.
How can Okorocha just come from nowhere and declare education free for Imo indigenes up to the tertiary level? Where in Nigeria is that done? Okorocha said, “let education be free so that the children of the poor can be educated and know their rights”. Past administrations in the state for instance fixed school fees in Imo State University at 150,000(one hundred and fifty thousand naira), Okorocha came and reversed it and now it’s totally free. Does he realise how much some people are losing as a result of that evil decision of his?
So he thinks, he can just become the Awolowo of the Igbos overnight? In a state where past administrations have commercialized education at the detriment of the Igbo child and consistently increased tuitions arbitrarily, he thinks he can just come like that and change the status quo? His over 305 precast schools built in all the wards in Imo state, aren’t they too sophisticated for the average Imo youths?
Even GEJ reportedly attested to it when he once landed in one of the schools in a chopper and asked, ‘is this Imo state university?’. Every student is even entitled to free uniforms, books, sandals, modern desks, and is even paid a stipend for coming to school. Oh, there is even Rochas canvas also free for students?
Mehn, Okorocha see what you’ve caused? You are ‘evil’ for making past administrations look stupid, and exposing ahead intending candidates with ulterior motives! Why won’t you be at the receiving end of so many media propaganda by people who want to see you out of government house in Owerri by all means? Why won’t members of the oppositions be feeding the public lies about you, and many are already relishing the lies and brain-wash like fresh pepper soup? Nna, mehn, You are not a sharp guy!
And this Okorocha thinks he can even turn Imo state into a Mega City! Many people have a perception of the Eastern states generally as just villages filled with beautiful “yellow pawpaw” damsels, now who asked Okorocha to develop all those magnificent structures currently sprawling the nooks and crannies of the state?
Dilapidating and collapsing public infrastructures that have been abandoned for years have also been given a new life, while some have been bluntly replaced with very monumental Roman-like edifices; for instance the Freedom Square and the Imo Hall of Fame. Biko, na enabling and business-friendly environment Igbo people wan chop? This man is fast converting Imo state into a tourist haven, and he needs to stop already, otherwise he’ll continue to be ‘evil’.
Even the government house which should serve as one of the glories of the state, which past administrations ignored for many years with dilapidated, uncompleted structures , and no one lived there; now looks like a small London! Does the government house belong to Okorocha’s father?
Why can’t he just leave it the way it was. After all, as the saying goes; Government is like soldier go, soldier come, the barrack remains. And have you seen that breathtaking chapel he built for worshipping God in the state house?
Only in Imo state! Now you know that Okorocha is undeniably the devil incarnate. Who asked Okorocha to dualise Imo roads. Who send am? In Imo state, over 600 kilometres of rural roads network have been dualised. Imagine creating the Akachi dualised road with a bridge, where everybody thought impossible, also 6.4km road from Douglas road to Naze junction?
Some of these road networks, hitherto had become death traps decorated with potholes, gullies and ditches since built during the Sam Mbakwe administration more than 33 years ago, and past administrations pretended not to see all that even as Imolites and visitors died in accidents on these roads everytime. Flood over-ran several areas in Imo state due to lack of proper drainage system. The gutters were full with debris and over flowing, Imo state was fast becoming a desert, but see what this evil Okorocha has done to Imo state now?
And Instead of him, like most Nigerian governors to concentrate on the state capital, Okorocha is not focusing on Owerri alone which him don turn to Lekki finish, him still dey extend his evil projects to villages like Orlu. Practically, every street in Orlu is now dualised with street lights. Okorocha has even dualised the road from Owerri to Orlu, and even from Orlu down to the boundary with Anambra state. This is being done by Okorocha even though this is a federal road. The past administrations were smarter. They didn’t even touch the roads within town, let alone touch a federal road. Now tell me, why won’t there be a massive misinformation and pull-him-down campaigns against him? Is he a learner? Doesn’t he know that the phrase ‘politics is a dirty game’, takes its deepest root in Nigeria?
For crying out loud, who asked Okorocha to help Imo state manage its revenue? When this man got into office, he met over 200 Imo state local government accounts in existence and reduced it to just one, now yielding over N17billion.
Okorocha why? Same with his heartless cost-saving mechanisms which ensures that Imo state saved N7billion after paying over N34billion in salaries and pension. The facts are everywhere! As if that one never do, this evil of a governor fearlessly put a stop to constructions of one kilometre of roads at N120million Naira to around N60-70million on even better road projects.
And you say that there shouldn’t be elite conspiracy against him, when he has refused to share with them the resources of the state the way it was previously being shared? Okorocha is not a sharp guy at all, doesn’t he know that this is naija! Why won’t he allow people chop and clean mouth? It was obvious from his first time in office that this man was set to spoil things for others. Security vote is where most, if not all governors steal from majorly.
Once the month ends, it’s gone. They will claim it was spent on keeping the peace in the state and also protect lives of public officers. This money na the fringe benefits of many naija governors na .
Issues of security are not really questioned, but this ‘Maga’ called Okorocha forfeited N4billion naira of his security vote, and then dedicated it to free education in Imo state. Choi! E be like say dis guy no need money o? Him be Igbo Messiah? Abi him be Bill Gate? Wetin be all dis over concern about the Igbo people sef? Is it not these same Imolites, while most are praising his massive achievements, some of them will help in echoing the hatred, manipulations, mischief, ill-feelings, evil machinations, vendetta and gossips by those who don’t want the development of the Igbo race. Okorocha, you are on your own o.
Okorocha’s ‘oversabi’ too much sef! He always seem to feel that he knows more than every other past governors in Imo state. How can he say that N18,000 national minimum wage cannot sustain a worker, and decided to increase workers minimum wage in Imo state to N20,000 and even announced free medical care for the workers. Arrant nonsense!!! Are Imo workers his family members? What’s his business if many Imo workers have high blood pressure and high blood sugar level? He won’t mind his business. Now, see how corpers are always jostling to get posted to Imo state, because they know that this evil governor pays the most attractive state ‘allawee’ in the whole of Nigeria.
Wetin corpers dey do sef? Have you also seen the 27 general hospitals Okorocha constructed in each 27 Local government areas of Imo state? Why didn’t previous governors do that, na only Okorocha waka come? I say this man is evil and heartless! Just about four months ago, he commissioned the Ochiedike Dialysis and Diagnostic Centre in Owerri and declared free tests for prostate and breast cancer. For that gesture alone, all women especially, should come together and protest that Okorocha is ‘evil’!
Why must the majority of the projects being carried out in Imo state be given to indigenes and all the manpower coming from indigenes, instead of expatriates? Even a few foreign contractors getting the jobs are mandated to use indigenous labour! Why? Okorocha what have you done?
Must Imo youths get paid? Must you employ the services of the artisans in the state. What’s your problem? Why can’t you just leave the youths to grumble like they have been doing in the past. You even set up the Imo Film academy so that you can promote the talents of the youths. What a waste!! What talents have Imo youths got? Hmmn, tell me! This is not the Imo they used to know, why don’t you just leave the youths alone and let them be as they were before you became a governor.
Let them continue to swoon in abject poverty, want and deprivation. All these youth empowerments will only ensure that you remain an evil governor; you know how powerful and influential these propagandists are. You know how good they are at throwing out falsehood and denigrating the truth? Shine your eyes Okorocha.
Shuoo! What’s the noise about Imo state fast becoming a mega city of sorts under Okorocha? What’s the noise about the huge transformation bringing about economic development of Imo state? What’s this noise about a higher number of people coming into Imo state in terms of vehicular traffic, in terms of migration of businesses from other parts of Nigeria and the world into Imo state? Oh wow, Imo state is now fast taking the shape of the heart-land of the East that it was meant to be.
Truly, this Okorocha is evil as they call him and I don’t think Imolites need such an evil person. Imo people do not deserve an evil governor like Okorocha at all. Thank God this Okorocha is not the President of Nigeria, is this how this evil and heartless man will just be transforming everything like say tomorrow nor dey?
Please Imolites, I’m begging you, do not vote Okorocha again. I repeat, do not vote Okorocha! Let all these things stop! Imo state must go back to the condition it was in the past before Okorocha became the governor. The next time I travel to Imo, I want to be stuck in traffic for hours on the roads from the airport because of bad roads everywhere, I want to see dust all over the town. I Want to see anger and sadness in the faces and expressions of the people. I want to hear complains from the cabman about how the new governor has abandoned the people; I don’t want the common man to sing praises of any governor to my ears like they are currently doing Okorocha.
I want the next youth I chat with to tell me that he wants to come to Lagos to hawk pure water in traffic because he can’t afford tuitions, instead of telling me he dreams of becoming a graduate because there is now free education in his state. I want to come back to Lagos and yab my Igbo friends that their state is devoid of any modern development. I want to go back to the concorde area and see it look like the old Ajegunle in Lagos. Please, every parents in Imo must start paying their children’s school fees like before, no more zero percent tuition. Okorocha E don do!
No more city schools, they are too beautiful and sophisticated for Imolites, we must return to the old days of students and pupils sitting on the floor. To hell with free university education too, university education is not for a poor man. Okorocha must go by force or by fire. I don’t want to see more architectuaral masterpieces anymore in Imo state; the erection of the beautiful magnificient government buildings have to stop, why can’t Imolites make do with regularly structures, a good governor can even start erecting public utility structures with Bamboo; after all, na East.
I particularly hate that evil world class Freedom Square;it’s too ugly. Please, we must not vote Okorocha again. He is clueless, infact he is doing nothing in Imo state. And oh, he dumped APGA? Mtchewww, and someone will say he shouldn’t be tagged evil.
Follow the Twitter hashtag #OkorochaIsEvil, and see many more reasons why Okorocha is evil.
