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Is Okorocha Becoming A Disappointment? - Politics - Nairaland

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Is Okorocha Becoming A Disappointment? by Nobody: 9:47am On Jan 03, 2013
January 3, 2013 by Bayo Olupohunda

‘Never judge a book by its cover’
— Popular saying

My affection for, and bond with, Imo State and its people run deep. In providing the background to my fated encounter and love for a state which I consider the pride of the Igbo nation and the country in general, permit me to make a useful digression. This aside will provide the context to why the people who are among the best educated, open-minded and sophisticated people I have ever met deserve the best than the present crop of leaders that have governed the state since the pioneering and visionary leadership of the Second Republic governor, the late Sam Mbakwe. Mbakwe, for me, is unarguably the father of modern Imo.

In the 1990s, after graduation, I had received my mandatory National Youth Service Corps call-up letter with apprehension. I had been posted to Imo State. I stood rooted on the spot in my university’s Students’ Affairs office in Lagos, confused, sad and dejected. Here was I, born and bred in the South-West with a call to serve my country in the South-East. My situation was not even helped that prior to that time, I had not ventured out of the South-West. So most of what I knew about the history and idiosyncrasies of the Igbos were from the history books.
Nonetheless, I headed for Owerri,the capital city in one of the longest road trips of my life. But the rest is history. My one year sojourn in Imo and the adventurous foray into the vast heartland remain the best moments of my life. My primary assignment with a local newspaper in Owerri afforded me the rare opportunity of visiting virtually all the local government areas and other states. The fond memories still endure and are deeply etched in my subconscious. Today, I still reminisce on the good old days in the Land of Hope now called the Eastern Heartland. The hospitality, tolerance, openness and worldview of the average Imo indigene distinguish them from others. Since then, Imo has become my adopted home.

Owerri bears all the imprints of a modern state capital. The inner city roads that connect the streets built by Sam Mbakwe are asphalted and clean. The interstate roads that link Owerri with major towns and neighbouring states are well-networked. The houses are planned. I remember strolling with fellow corps members on broad roads such as Amakohia, Douglas, Wetheral, Royce and Okigwe. The residential estates such as Aladinma, one of the many in the town, are also well-planned.

An average Imo is crazy about education. This explains why Owerri alone boasts a dozen higher institutions of learning. We walked freely in and out of the Government House without molestation (even under the military!). The serene areas around Alvan Ikoku, Shell Camp, Police Headquarters and Government House and the massive Catholic Cathedral were tourist attractions. Though I had arrived in the thick of military dictatorship, the enduring traces of good leadership which Mbakwe provided long after the thieving buccaneers came to wreck the state still endured. Like many other states in the federation, Imo, also bore the brunt of the long years of military brigandage. The military years are best forgotten. Those were the years when civil servants in the state were owed for months. All the good works done by the Mbakwe regime were left to rot. Concord Hotel, the Aluminium Smelter Plant Inyishi, the Paint factory in Abor-Mbaise, Avutu Poultry Farm and the Amaraku Power plant all became moribund.

I have visited the state in the last few years of democracy and recently during the incumbent, Rochas Okorocha’s leadership. In2011, I was shocked that the two terms of former governor Achike Udenwa could not restoreeven Owerri to its former glory. The state of infrastructure was ina sorry state. Roads within the metropolis and those connecting the hinterland were impassable. The waterworks had dried up. I was especially scandalised by thestate of inner city roads especially Okigwe Road and the agonising hours it took to navigate the Nkworji-Mbieri enroute Mbaitoli, my host’s village. The Ihedi Ohakim years did not fare any better. Apart from the much-vaunted beautification project, his tenure was largely defined by its many controversies.

Thus my joy knew no bounds when the current governor, Rochas Okorocha, was sworn in May 2011. His emergence was particularly inspiring, given his projected national image as a man that cares for the plight of the common man through the charity he founded. I tuned in to the TV to listen to Okorocha’s agenda to transform the state. His many speeches on national platforms portrayed him as a leader who will make a difference having been established in business and public altruism.
Re: Is Okorocha Becoming A Disappointment? by Nobody: 9:52am On Jan 03, 2013
CONTINUED:

Sadly, my joy has turned from disappointment to despair. I had dismissed the criticisms of the incumbent as one of the many antics of disgruntled political opponents until my recent visit. I had expected the city to be turned into a huge construction site. But nothing has changed. It appears the situation has even gone worse.

To me, Imo is a classic example of expectations gone awry. What struck me during my last visit about Owerri is the filthy environment. Mountains of refuse dot the landscape. What does it take to remove garbage in a compact city like Owerri? The roads in the capital and its environs are in a state of disrepair. Apart from the Government House, other parts of the city cut a picture of neglect. Okigwe Road leading to Orji is in a parlous state. Roads leading out of the state are either neglected or haphazardly done.

Now my joy of a new Imo has been dashed. Governance in the state has degenerated into chaos. Executive recklessness that defined the Ohakim years has found its way into Okorocha’s government. Hardly a day goes by without news of abuse or the other involving the governor and his aides. If they are not allegedly beating up an opponent, the convoy is ramming lesser mortals off the road. For me, it does not matter who is in the right or wrong.

The governor has built a name over the years that should not be associated with any form of impunity or rascality whatsoever.He should be a peacemaker, bridge-builder and rallying point for leaders in the South-East.

A worrisome trend is his quixoticideas and approach to governance. In Imo, the lines between philanthropy and governance are blurred. Why, for example, will the governor declare a two-week holiday thereby shutting government business down? Even Barack Obama had to interrupt his holiday to attend to the ‘Fiscal cliff’ imbroglio in the United States. The state needs every second of serious governance to revive moribund industries, address distressing poverty, infrastructural decay and the growing crime rate. Why, for instance, would the governor descend so low on national TV sharing rice, money and Indomie personally? Why waste state money so frivolously in the name of bonus? The governor’s so-called Imo Rescue Agenda is at best Utopian. Instead of the white elephant agenda, Okorocha should address concrete issues such as education, roads, urban renewal, potable water and health care. Job creation strategy must include efforts to revive moribund industries, attract newinvestors and encourage local production. The people of Imo did not vote for the governor to be more of the same. They voted for him to make a difference in their lives.
•Ms. Adamolekun is the National Coordinator of Enough-is-Enough, Nigeria

http://www.punchng.com/opinion/is-okorocha-becoming-a-disappointment/

8 Likes

Re: Is Okorocha Becoming A Disappointment? by DuduNegro: 9:53am On Jan 03, 2013
Rochas is either using some controlled substances or he is mentally disturbed and suffers from schizophrenia.

3 Likes

Re: Is Okorocha Becoming A Disappointment? by seanet01: 10:03am On Jan 03, 2013
I dey laugh o
Re: Is Okorocha Becoming A Disappointment? by Nobody: 10:08am On Jan 03, 2013
Rochas Okorocha is a very likeable person, powerful orator and I sincerely wish he could succeed as governor of Imo. However, so far he has disappointed persons like me.

In my opinion, many of his policies and actions are thoughtless, overly populist and unsustainable.

Many look at the beautiful and powerful speeches he gives every now and then but some of us look deeper than that.

Anyway, he still has lots of time to make amends

3 Likes

Re: Is Okorocha Becoming A Disappointment? by PaulJohn1: 10:21am On Jan 03, 2013
Sincere 9gerian:
... Instead of the white elephant agenda, Okorocha should address concrete issues such as education, roads, urban renewal, potable water and health care. Job creation strategy must include efforts to revive moribund industries, attract newinvestors and encourage local production.

How come this forum was flooded with Rochas this and that throughout last year. With praises from threads created to display pictures of noticeable development(I.e. Construction of roads, bridges, schools ....) in the state plus the ones telling us how he subsidized or made education free in the state up to the tertiary level.
He Was even rated one of the best governor in the country by his people on this forum.

Are all these false or the writer is a paid fellow to castigate is work? What's up?

6 Likes

Re: Is Okorocha Becoming A Disappointment? by Nobody: 10:23am On Jan 03, 2013
So what's the sole aim of the thread? To discredit the good works of Rochas? Sincere Nigerian aka Beaf, what joy do you derive trying to discredit governors who are not PDP members? It was fashola of ACN, now Rochas of APGA, so who's next on your list? Smh

13 Likes

Re: Is Okorocha Becoming A Disappointment? by Nobody: 10:26am On Jan 03, 2013
Sincere 9gerian: Rochas Okorocha is a very likeable person, powerful orator and I sincerely wish he could succeed as governor of Imo. However, so far he has disappointed persons like me.

In my opinion, many of his policies and actions are thoughtless, overly populist and unsustainable.

Many look at the beautiful and powerful speeches he gives every now and then but some of us look deeper than that.

Anyway, he still has lots of time to make amends

better look deeper at your master who cannot speak coherently in public or private

shameless bootlicker - your disappointment threshold is in the stratosphere - i guess jona cannot disappoint you until you dont get salary

5 Likes

Re: Is Okorocha Becoming A Disappointment? by Abagworo(m): 10:47am On Jan 03, 2013
Rochas is doing well by my assessment based on the last time I visited Imo. He may have made some populist moves but anyone that denies the visibility of his governance is lying. The writer should visit Imo again. My only reservation with Rochas government is the quality of roads which I've hammered on severally. My visit to Orlu last year forced me to open a thread. Orlu was formally a roadside town but Rochas government is almost transforming it. Most Imo citizens on Nairaland that traveled or live in Imo should update us.

1 Like

Re: Is Okorocha Becoming A Disappointment? by NoiseMaker1: 1:01pm On Jan 03, 2013
Who cares to read this long story? Pls summarise it 4 me pls pls pls pls pls

3 Likes

Re: Is Okorocha Becoming A Disappointment? by otokx(m): 1:12pm On Jan 03, 2013
i can only talk about the area of Port Harcourt i live in
Re: Is Okorocha Becoming A Disappointment? by dabrake(m): 1:12pm On Jan 03, 2013
I was at hte verge of hating rochas
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Not till I saw that this thread was created by sincere 9jerian(trying to kill the 2015 fans favourite)
I just hope someone won't show me this as I've already seen it.
January 3, 2013 by Bayo Olupohunda
Re: Is Okorocha Becoming A Disappointment? by Kabikala(m): 1:14pm On Jan 03, 2013
The author of the article was listed as Bayo Oluphunda at the beginning, but as Ms. Adamolekun at the end. Which is which?

I however share the author's concerns about Rochas' unimpressive performance as well as his impulsive approach to governance.
Re: Is Okorocha Becoming A Disappointment? by Afam4eva(m): 1:16pm On Jan 03, 2013
Sincere 9gerian: Rochas Okorocha is a very likeable person, powerful orator and I sincerely wish he could succeed as governor of Imo. However, so far he has disappointed persons like me.

In my opinion, many of his policies and actions are thoughtless, overly populist and unsustainable.

Many look at the beautiful and powerful speeches he gives every now and then but some of us look deeper than that.

Anyway, he still has lots of time to make amends
One cannot hear Rochas talk and not believe him. He has sweet mouth that can sway even a doubting Thomas. I don't think it's time for me to judge him yet as he's still pretty new in office. I'm waiting for him to spend at least 3 years or his first term, then i can know whether to commend or lambast him. I know he's a good man, but i hope he's a good administrator and technocrat. Only time will tell.

Meanwhile, i think the title of the article should have been "Is Okorocha becoming a Dissapointment to Owerri?" because it seemed the article was just focusing on Owerri. Owerri is just one of the many towns in Imo state. Though i would want a special attention to be paid to Owerri.
Re: Is Okorocha Becoming A Disappointment? by Eltonluigi(m): 1:17pm On Jan 03, 2013
1st page!
Re: Is Okorocha Becoming A Disappointment? by Dede1(m): 1:23pm On Jan 03, 2013
Is Okorocha anything beside disappointment?
Re: Is Okorocha Becoming A Disappointment? by greaterlove(m): 1:28pm On Jan 03, 2013
Sincere 9gerian: Rochas Okorocha is a very likeable person, powerful orator and I sincerely wish he could succeed as governor of Imo. However, so far he has disappointed persons like me.

In my opinion, many of his policies and actions are thoughtless, overly populist and unsustainable.

Many look at the beautiful and powerful speeches he gives every now and then but some of us look deeper than that.

Anyway, he still has lots of time to make amends
I understand where you are coming from, if you have met rochas before he became governor you wont be surprised by his actions now. He has been given four years i only pray he uses them well.
Re: Is Okorocha Becoming A Disappointment? by ubcandid(m): 1:29pm On Jan 03, 2013
berem: So what's the sole aim of the thread? To discredit the good works of Rochas? Sincere Nigerian aka Beaf, what joy do you derive trying to discredit governors who are not PDP members? It was fashola of ACN, now Rochas of APGA, so who's next on your list? Smh
the biggest problem of Nigeria is we Nigerians our self, we fail to take the bull by the horn always having blurred visions and failing to see through.we live in a country where people take ur full rights and when they randomly decide to give you a tip of what should actually belong to you we all start rejoicing. if Esau knew his stand in his fathers house he would not have sold his birth right to his younger brother because he was the first son of that house and the food he begged for came from his fathers farm of which he was entilted to.
we need a mentality revolution and renaissance in this country, we are not been slaved physically but abstractly, our minds are in slavery.read the lady's report again with a critical mind and try to deduce her points, rochas is using the governorship position as a means to an end which is the PRESIDENCY and its making him have misguided priorities.
Re: Is Okorocha Becoming A Disappointment? by 80million1: 1:30pm On Jan 03, 2013
*speechless*

Maybe we ask the gods?

Okija Juju, where are you?
Re: Is Okorocha Becoming A Disappointment? by Vykiano(m): 1:31pm On Jan 03, 2013
Hi

H

A

T

E

R

S.....

2 Likes

Re: Is Okorocha Becoming A Disappointment? by Dede1(m): 1:33pm On Jan 03, 2013
#80million:
*speechless*

Maybe we ask the gods?

Okija Juju, where are you?

Okija juju has already spoken and Rochas Okorocha is at the receiving end.
Re: Is Okorocha Becoming A Disappointment? by xtianh(m): 1:34pm On Jan 03, 2013
the writer of this thread is either blind or suffering from astigmatism please you need corrective lenses. These your thread can only decieve those who has never vissited imo in there whole life. The Okigwe orji road is being managed and maintained by FERMA and right now is under rehabilitation, my view here is of eyewitness. Rochas is gradually transforming all the 3 senatorial zones of which Orlu and okigwe towns are the major beneficiary. I am an indigen of one of these towns and things cannot be going wrong in my town then i wil be here to defend the government.

1 Like

Re: Is Okorocha Becoming A Disappointment? by cripnip(m): 1:40pm On Jan 03, 2013
first of all, attention span online is low. be careful when you make long posts
secondly, I don't know about Rochas now but he didn't pay me when I was a corper there (He never has, seems he never will too)
finally, he is the king of propaganda! If he were president, nothing will be happening (like now) but we will still be happy!

1 Like

Re: Is Okorocha Becoming A Disappointment? by Nobody: 1:41pm On Jan 03, 2013
Maybe he has no manifesto when contesting,so definitely,he would be visionless,and thoughtless in his administration.

1 Like

Re: Is Okorocha Becoming A Disappointment? by ConcernMan: 1:45pm On Jan 03, 2013
This publication is callous and mischievous. I'm very sure this article was sponsored by PDP
Re: Is Okorocha Becoming A Disappointment? by xtianh(m): 1:45pm On Jan 03, 2013
The poster should tell us more about his own state of origin so we can see how the state is fairing.
Re: Is Okorocha Becoming A Disappointment? by princenayo: 1:58pm On Jan 03, 2013
Though Rochas might not be the best Imolites could get, but he is the best so far compare with the last two governors since 1999, because throughout the four yrs of Ohakim's administration I could only found a beautiful governor's office and the clean and green initiative , nothing else. I rest my case.
Re: Is Okorocha Becoming A Disappointment? by Willy7(m): 2:01pm On Jan 03, 2013
When i saw the name of d poster here,i knew where d propagander was heading to,so i didnt bother reading all,just few lines.I'd like this poster (Insincere Nigerian) to please take a good and hard look on his conscience,all the pdp governors and GEJ and tell us in truth what strides they've made to better d lots of this Nation.I know he is used to spaming threads with some ghost projects and ghost accomplishments of his paymaster,but this time let him search his conscience if he still has one and swear on d life of his unborn or born children that pdp is not d worst thing to have happened to this country from 1999 to date.They greatest disappointments in Nigeria are GEJ,T.A Orji,Elechi,Uduagan,and guess which party has all these people?PDP. Even d worst governor in ACN is better than all d governors in PDP,except for maybe 2 governors Akpabio and Amechi.So dude remove d wood in ur eyes before talking about d dust in ur neighbor's.

2 Likes

Re: Is Okorocha Becoming A Disappointment? by ujchief(m): 2:03pm On Jan 03, 2013
...
Re: Is Okorocha Becoming A Disappointment? by Caesar1988(m): 2:16pm On Jan 03, 2013
Sincere 9gerian: January 3, 2013 by Bayo Olupohunda

‘Never judge a book by its cover’
— Popular saying

My affection for, and bond with, Imo State and its people run deep. In providing the background to my fated encounter and love for a state which I consider the pride of the Igbo nation and the country in general, permit me to make a useful digression. This aside will provide the context to why the people who are among the best educated, open-minded and sophisticated people I have ever met deserve the best than the present crop of leaders that have governed the state since the pioneering and visionary leadership of the Second Republic governor, the late Sam Mbakwe. Mbakwe, for me, is unarguably the father of modern Imo.

In the 1990s, after graduation, I had received my mandatory National Youth Service Corps call-up letter with apprehension. I had been posted to Imo State. I stood rooted on the spot in my university’s Students’ Affairs office in Lagos, confused, sad and dejected. Here was I, born and bred in the South-West with a call to serve my country in the South-East. My situation was not even helped that prior to that time, I had not ventured out of the South-West. So most of what I knew about the history and idiosyncrasies of the Igbos were from the history books.
Nonetheless, I headed for Owerri,the capital city in one of the longest road trips of my life. But the rest is history. My one year sojourn in Imo and the adventurous foray into the vast heartland remain the best moments of my life. My primary assignment with a local newspaper in Owerri afforded me the rare opportunity of visiting virtually all the local government areas and other states. The fond memories still endure and are deeply etched in my subconscious. Today, I still reminisce on the good old days in the Land of Hope now called the Eastern Heartland. The hospitality, tolerance, openness and worldview of the average Imo indigene distinguish them from others. Since then, Imo has become my adopted home.

Owerri bears all the imprints of a modern state capital. The inner city roads that connect the streets built by Sam Mbakwe are asphalted and clean. The interstate roads that link Owerri with major towns and neighbouring states are well-networked. The houses are planned. I remember strolling with fellow corps members on broad roads such as Amakohia, Douglas, Wetheral, Royce and Okigwe. The residential estates such as Aladinma, one of the many in the town, are also well-planned.

An average Imo is crazy about education. This explains why Owerri alone boasts a dozen higher institutions of learning. We walked freely in and out of the Government House without molestation (even under the military!). The serene areas around Alvan Ikoku, Shell Camp, Police Headquarters and Government House and the massive Catholic Cathedral were tourist attractions. Though I had arrived in the thick of military dictatorship, the enduring traces of good leadership which Mbakwe provided long after the thieving buccaneers came to wreck the state still endured. Like many other states in the federation, Imo, also bore the brunt of the long years of military brigandage. The military years are best forgotten. Those were the years when civil servants in the state were owed for months. All the good works done by the Mbakwe regime were left to rot. Concord Hotel, the Aluminium Smelter Plant Inyishi, the Paint factory in Abor-Mbaise, Avutu Poultry Farm and the Amaraku Power plant all became moribund.

I have visited the state in the last few years of democracy and recently during the incumbent, Rochas Okorocha’s leadership. In2011, I was shocked that the two terms of former governor Achike Udenwa could not restoreeven Owerri to its former glory. The state of infrastructure was ina sorry state. Roads within the metropolis and those connecting the hinterland were impassable. The waterworks had dried up. I was especially scandalised by thestate of inner city roads especially Okigwe Road and the agonising hours it took to navigate the Nkworji-Mbieri enroute Mbaitoli, my host’s village. The Ihedi Ohakim years did not fare any better. Apart from the much-vaunted beautification project, his tenure was largely defined by its many controversies.

Thus my joy knew no bounds when the current governor, Rochas Okorocha, was sworn in May 2011. His emergence was particularly inspiring, given his projected national image as a man that cares for the plight of the common man through the charity he founded. I tuned in to the TV to listen to Okorocha’s agenda to transform the state. His many speeches on national platforms portrayed him as a leader who will make a difference having been established in business and public altruism.
i bet u,dis is absolute non sense....No time to read ur rubbish write up...but d topic shows how idiotic u r...ur dad is a disapointment to ur mum....
Re: Is Okorocha Becoming A Disappointment? by johpeace: 2:17pm On Jan 03, 2013
To the Writer,
I thoroughly read through your write-up.It actually shows that you know much about Imo State.However,since you aint resident here,its obvious that your submission on the present administration in Imo is rather scanty and incomplete
Re: Is Okorocha Becoming A Disappointment? by REVOLUTNIS: 2:34pm On Jan 03, 2013
Like president Jonathan rightly said that our problem is not corruption but our attitude towards life and fellow Nigerians. I visited home during the holidays and took time to drove around Owerri Municipal and neighboring communities, i couldn't believed what i saw. Owerri changed from what i used to kn it b4 to an European city. i felt i was still in Oslo when i walked some streets of Owerri. I saw so many road and building construction project going on specially in Owerri town. I saw some white folks walking freely on the street, i was like whaoo! is this Owerri? I have often believe any story i read on this forum Nairaland, but since i came back i disregard and make a joke of any thrash drop here. Nairaland is now a dumping ground where anybody comes in and drop bullshit and haters will pick it up and starts commenting ignorantly. go to Imo State and see for urself. We MUST change our attitude for this country to move forward. we don't like to patriotically commend some of our leaders who are doing well, all we do is to curse and abuse everybody in the name of trying to change the system. Rochas Okorocha has a vision and people oriented manifesto that will transform Imo and the nation to European country. Haters, shield ur sword and wait if God will grant u mercy to be alive to the next 2years u will see what Imo State will become. Long live the people's Governor, Rocha Okorocha, Long live Imo State, Long live Igboland.

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