Rochas Okorocha has killed me

Jenifer walked into my room drunk. She sat down. 'I've come' she said, 'to tell you the latest news about Rochas Okorocha ,your Governor in Douglas House,Owerri. Have you heard that he has embarked on another mass sack of Imo State Civil Servants, claiming that he is redeploying them to their LGA's? ' She asked me. 'The news is that all workers in Owerri from level 9 to level 1 are going home' She cried.
Who doesn't know Jenifer in the neighbourhood? She was among the 10,000 Imo State Civil Servants that Governor Rochas Okorocha sacked on 6th June 2011 for no good reason. Today, she hates Rochas with a passion for making her unemployed. She took up the vodka drinking habit since she lost her job in the Imo State Civil Service. 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.
'Okorocha wants to downsize ministries. He said that each ministry will now have just 100 staff. Government House 100 and very big ministries 200 staff.He addressed Civil Servants at the State Secretariat. He was booed. The workers booed him, showing him shege'
I sat on the chair speechless, watching Jenifer arrange her long shiny dark hair before my sitting room mirror. The news of another mass sack in Imo State shocked me. I quickly made phone calls and discovered that the news is 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. Each time I see Jenifer in this mood, I feel her pains of unemployment and the sadness is so great.
Another mass disengagement of Civil Servants in Imo State in less than one year?.This is in continuation of the anti poor, anti workers policies of Governor Okorocha. When he was campaigning for the peoples votes,he ran, promising to be a 'Jobs Governor,' because he wanted Imolites to believe that he would make real progress putting people back to work. Nearly one year later, we have made no progress on jobs and he not only has no answer on giving people jobs, he don't think it's his job to offer one. He is not creating jobs but is busy putting Imolites out of jobs. He has so far sacked more than 16,000 Imolites. He is now sending more persons home in the name of redeployment of Civil Servants to Communities to serve in an illegal Community Government Council.
The action of the Okorocha government is becoming more barbaric given the fact that in Imo State the Civil Servants constitute the largest proportion of salary earners with a large population of dependants. However, the criminal silence of NLC in Imo state further reveals the real face of the current Imo NLC chairman as inhuman and anti-workers.
I hold the strong view that the government can afford to pay minimum wage to workers across Imo and in fact, implement more pro-masses policies without tears. Another mass sack of workers is a sorry development, especially because Imo is fabulously blessed with abundant human and natural resources, and remains a potential pool of the best of what humanity is blessed with if concerted effort is made to develop these huge resources. I am of the opinion that to further reduce the strength of the Civil Service by sacking workers on the basis of right sizing is simply unacceptable. We say NO to this. Even the few available workers in the Civil Service are simply not even enough.
I stood up , touched Jenifer's wrists and hands.I feel sorry for her.She was sacked months ago now her sister is about to be sacked. Our governor probably overlooked the fact that the average Nigerian worker has four dependents – at least two living with him.Why is he removing food from the table of the masses that voted him into power?
Okorocha should go for policies in Imo that will place giving the people jobs as his highest priority. We need reform to encourage a strong business economy and create jobs. This reform needs to reach every corner of our state, into every industry and every business large and small so that we can achieve a technological, industrial, and agricultural business renaissance here in Imo state.
Jenifer walked away from the mirror. 'This is not what we bargained' she said. All the things we were told during the election, all the love we chased, all the good campaign promises, what happened to them?' She asked.
' No be small thing-o' I said 'While the rank and file workers in Imo state are being asked to go home ,the governor continues to enrich himself more and more at the expense of the citizens. If one were to count the amount of overseas trips, times the amount of out of pocket allowances that Okorocha receives plus what is going on in our LGA's in the name of caretaker government, it exposes the ugly underbelly of what he means when he said he was on a rescue mission.He is really rescuing his pocket.'
'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'
Well, I'm going.I am angry.I hate Okorocha with a passion.' She said .
I got up and walked her to the door. Just as she was leaving, she said, 'Mr Uwadi, please buy me the rice you promised me, Mama Gold rice-o .No, I want Caprice, Caprice rice seems to be better'. I watched her walked away. See how Owelle has turned this young graduate into a beggar.There are many Jenifers' made unemployed by Rochas out there in Owerri. Save us O God.

OKOROCHA AND HIS PRAISE SINGERS

 


I read a Sun Newspaper article written by Godson Offoaro were he said that Rochas Okorocha the Governor of Imo State ate his lunch by wrestling power out of the hands of Ikedi Ohakim. I 'do bale' at Offoaro's style of trying to get another lunch pack, this time from the Prophet of Rescue, the man with shinning white buba and red cap by speaking sweet talks and shouting 'Ranka dede'. With the confidence of his gift of the pen, Godson Offoaro with the spirit of 'any government in power' invoked the highest hypocrisy by trumpeting and advertising sham accomplishments of the Imo State Governor. One of Okorocha's accomplishments according to the gospel of Offoaro is the tarring of roads. Missing in his claims is the poor quality of the roads that Okorocha has tarred.
Offoaro failed to tell us that our Governor poured 'coal tar' on sand to give the appearance that roads have been tarred. He failed to tell us that Imo State has a proper way of awarding contracts such that it must take a tender board to put up adverts for contractors to apply. He failed to tell us that Okorocha did not follow due process of putting up invitation for tender in awarding the so called road contracts. He failed to tell us that contractors were not invited, screened or shortlisted for the road contracts. He failed to tell us that the contracts were awarded to friends and relatives as their own share of Imo State cake .
Going against the law in other to compensate friends and relatives will end up inflicting more harm than good to the scheme and system of things. Why must we be pouring 'coal tar' on sand in Owerri when the rural areas where over 90 percent of 'Imolites' are living are not accessible? .It is only a professional sycophant that will feel duty bound to cheer a Governor to failure because of a lunch pack. Reading Offoaro , you will think that there were no roads and services before Okorocha came to power.We all know that Okorocha is currently battling to resuscitate his dwindling popularity. We all know that he has contracted many Spin Doctors to build fake mass support for his deceitful activities. But no amount of spin from his Spin Doctors will disguise the fact that he has not performed well so far.
Can the Spin Doctors erase the fact that Okorocha is looting our LGA funds? Okorocha sacked democratically elected LGA Chairmen and Councillors and appointed Sole Administrators for our LGA's. The Sole Administrators are his agents for diverting our LGA funds for his personal use. Today, the Councils in Imo State are dysfunctional. Nothing is happening in over 90 percent of Imo State Councils. Our LGA funds are held hostage and we are deprived the opportunity to function democratically. Instead of conducting Council election in Imo State our Governor says he is into LGA reforms and that our LGA's will soon be called Committee of Government Councils where each Council in Imo will be headed by a Traditional Ruler and members will be LGA Sole Administrators,Town Union Presidents,Women Leaders and Youth Leaders .
Okorocha's praise singers should please tell him that we don't need his unconstitutional Committee of Government Councils.We need LGA election in Imo State.They should tell him to stop looting our LGA funds. He must hands off Council funds so that our Councils can begin to thrive as expected. Unless our LGA's are free to govern self, we have no grassroots democracy. We must permit the LGA's to elect their own leaders, who in turn can embark on developing their areas. We must stop denying the people governance at the third tier.
Only a professional sycophant will sing the praise of a Governor whose policies have been changing like the British weather. Okorocha has made so many promises that he did not fulfil. For example,he promised to pay 20,000 naira minimum wage to Imo State Civil Servants instead of the Federal Government approved 18,000 naira.He has since failed to pay the 20,000 naira minimum wage.During one of his showmanship events in Owerri recently, Okorocha with his gift of gab spoke to Civil Servants of the State telling them that Civil Servants in the State can beat their chest that their salaries come to them by 25th of every month and their 20,000 naira minimum wage has been paid,The Governor was interrupted with shouts of No! It is a lie! The Civil Servants shout Rochas down for telling lies yet professional sycophant are praising him.
Only a professional sycophant will sing the praise of a Governor who has crippled all Ministries, Department and Agencies of government in the State by starving them of funds. Okorocha directed all Ministries in the State to generate money to run their Ministries themselves which has resulted to over taxing of Imo people. Okorocha's government now churns out multiple taxation and harsh levies on Imo citizens using indecent task forces and unethical conducts. The question is whether the Ministries can really fund themselves. LGA's cannot even generate enough revenues to run their affairs not to talk of Ministries. What is happening to the allocation of the State? Who is looting what?
Only a professional sycophant will sing the praise of a Governor who since he came into office has not being able to create jobs for Imo youths rather he sacked 10,000 Imo State graduates in the State Civil Service. Okorocha has no reason to sack the workers other than he is anti-people and anti-workers .When decisions made and actions taken directly deflates job creation, the result is always more problems for the citizens .Imo State is regarded as the 5th richest state in Nigeria and it is not difficult to pay salaries to the 10,000. Tell me why we can't help these poor youths.
The same man who told us that Imo will have problems in paying salaries to the sacked 10,000 workers is the same man that is now boasting everywhere that Imo State has money and went ahead to declare free education for tertiary schools in Imo state. Governing Imo State is not Rochas Foundation, neither is it Baba Sala's nkwobi and pepper soup joint were we dish out alms to the poor. Promising free education to Imo tertiary students is playing to the gallery. Free education for Imo tertiary students as announced by Okorocha few days ago is another Nollywood drama.It is another deceit. I say so because Okorocha will never sustain the free education for tertiary schools. He knows that sustaining the free education policy in tertiary schools in Imo State will make Imo to run into difficult financial circumstances. What Okorocha should have done is to reduce tuition fees. The Governor is responsible for the State's fiscal health, and cannot afford to run negative balances. He must restore taxpayers' confidence that their naira are being used wisely and in the best interests of all people.He should be honest to the people and stop playing to the gallery.
The professional sycophants should tell Okorocha to sack his present cabinet if he wants to succeed. The fact of the matter is that Okorocha's cabinet which is his toolbox has unfit tools in it and he needs better tools. His unfit tools are the cause of his administration's political missteps. He should do away with the unfit tools in his toolbox and get better ones. Some of those in his cabinet are spent forces. They have no ideas on how to lift the state to an enviable height. I am of the view that his cabinet is overdue for a shake-up. Sacking his cabinet has become very imperative in order to inject fresh blood that will correct all his administrative missteps.
What is the Commissioner that collected 5 million naira bribe from his classmate as reported in the media still doing in government. What about the Commissioner that was slapped by a sex hawker at a high flying night club in Owerri.What about those that advised Okorocha to relocate IMSU sited in Owerri to of all places,Ogboko his village in Orlu zone.Okorocha should surround himself with people with sound ideas of how to put 'Imolites' into jobs; people who have the passion and capacity to develop the state; people who can look him in the face and challenge him on the workability of the state, people that will remind him that the sycophants around him will not remember him beyond the present if he does not leave behind concrete and credible achievements.

OKOROCHA WHERE ARE THE JOBS IN IMO STATE

 


The Supreme Court has given its judgment on the Imo State gubernatorial election petition and OwelleRochasOkorocha is still the occupant of Douglas House Owerri.The Supreme Court had upheld Okorocha's election upon the technical claim that the appeal elapsed the required 60 days as provided by the law.The governor and his cronies celebrated the Supreme Court victory .They shouted in boyish delight, popped Champaign bottles and danced in government House Owerri. In hoarse macho voices, they sang victory songs.
In his victory speech, our governor jumped up, boxed in and 'talk the talk' about how he is making Imo State an El Dorado and described his victory as a victory for democracy and a victory for Imo people. He banged his fist on the table and beat his chest about how he is making Imo State a model State and asked critics to give him a breathing space to work. He lambasted critics saying that they are sponsored to paint his administration black. ''If they have some criticisms why don't they watch me for four years'', he said.
I have been smiling many, many times ever since I heard this information .For me it is good governance that I am fighting for. My interest is human progress and the progress of Imo people. The wake-up call to vigilance cannot come at a better time than now. Every high profile public servant is like a gold fish. He has no hiding place. His actions will be scrutinized every minute. Like Dr EmenikeNwankwo once said “ Our duty is not to support Okorocha the man no matter what. Our duty is to support what is good for Imo people .If he moves along the line of making Imo what we expect, we will give him our full support''.
Okorocha cannot claim good governance when he is not creating jobs.He should not expect praise when he is sending the people out of jobs. Imo State unemployment rate is high. Thousands of Imolites are willing to work but are not employed.Unemployment is the number one issue in Imo state today. In an SP poll, 89 percent of Imo citizens cited unemployment as the state's most important problem. Imo people need jobs. That is how they can put food on the table. Every day, thousands of our unemployed brothers and sisters , including those who lost their jobs due to the sack of the 10,000 jobs, scan the pages of newspapers and websites for job advertisements. Why can't we create jobs in Imo State ? Unemployed graduates, unemployed construction workers, unemployed engineers, unemployed teachers, unemployed security guards, unemployed cooks, unemployed waiters and those desperate for a job in Imo can no longer wait. Job is number one priority in Imo State and Okorocha cannot continue to confuse Imo people with some false claims and abracadabra.The question remains where are the jobs in Imo State?
He should stop being over desperate for people's applause and give the people jobs. He sacked the beneficiaries of the 10,000 jobs. Heshould recall the sacked 10,000 legally employed civil servants in Imo state.His inability to create jobs for Imo youths is unacceptable. We want to know how many graduates in Imo State owe their jobs to his efforts. We want to know what new facilities are underway to serve as a job base for the people of Imo State.We what to see him build industries, schools, bridges, water systems, electricity networks and other projects in our LGA's that facilitate job creation.We want to see him build good roads in our LGA's not the coal tar that he is pouring on sand inOwerri in the name of roads
He should stop making unimaginable promises that we know he cannot fulfill . He should stop the window dressing to attract undeservedapplause.He said he will give scholarship of N25,000.00 per annum to every primary school pupil in the state; N40,000.00 scholarship to every secondary school student in the state; N60,000 scholarship for every OND student of the state Polytechnic; N80,000.00 scholarship per annum for every HND student and N100,000.00 scholarship for every Imo State indigene studying at the Imo state University in addition to receiving tuition free.
According to a Professor at Imo State University, out of over 35,000 student enrolment at the Imo State University, about 31,500 are indigenes of Imo State. It will cost the state about N3.5 billion to offer scholarship to the University students as proposed; N416 million for Polytechnic students; and N21 billion for primary and secondary school students, each year.This comes to about N24.9 billion per annum. The average annual income of the state is N 34 billion. Can you see the abracadabra? How will he sustain the free education? Why does he believe that Imo people are this daft?
We are not comfortable with the directive that the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in Imo State should engage in commercial activities in order to generate their salaries and allowances. Subventions to the MDAs in Imo state have been completely withdrawn which has resulted to over taxing of Imo people. Imo government now churns out multiple taxation and harsh levies on Imo citizens using indecent task forces and unethical conducts
We are not comfortable thatOkorocha has not paid Imo State Civil servants the so-called N20, 000 minimum wage. My sources told me that Imo Civil servants are receiving only N11,000 salary for grade level one.Imo workers are afraid to voice out this truth for fear of victimization. We have not seen any movement by Labour Union in Imo State to address the challenges faced by workers in the state. This is totally unfair and shows that Labour in Imo State has no sense of concern about the plights of workers in the state. Itshould pain and worry NLC in Imo state that workers are hurting.
We are not comfortable that he has not redeemed his N100million development fund to each of the LGAs in Imo. What about the N1billion that he also promised to each of the LGAs? He has so far not redeemed these pledges to the LGA's. Where will he even get the money from? Was it budgeted for? He talks too loudly and too often without fulfillment.
We are not comfortable that no development is happening in over 90 percent of Imo State Councils. Why are our LGA funds held hostage and why are we deprived the opportunity to function democratically at the grassroots? Why can't we have council election in Imo State? Why must we be deceiving Imo people every month about the allocation given to LGA's. Do the LGA's really receive the advertised amount? He should conduct council election.Who is fooling who? Save us o' God.