Having just listened to His Excellency, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, Governor of Imo State, south east, Nigeria, address his people and, by extension, the whole country, on the recent statements credited to both the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and subsequent reaction from the Arewa Youth Forum, that have literally heated up the Nigerian polity, I must confess, I enjoyed the speech and the position the governor took on most issues that reflected in the speech.

I am not sure if I fully agree with him over the comment: Igbos need Nigerians more than they need us…” To my mind, Igbos need Nigerians as much as Nigerians need them.

And, this does not, in any way, water down our avowed commitment as Nigerians. A clear point of dissension from the Governor’s speech was his repeated use of the word Igbos instead of Igbos.
But this mistake is not potent enough to detract from what ordinarily represents a fine speech, from any Nigerian leader, at any level, in recent times. On this score, I congratulate him.


Coming from Ihiteowerri , in Orlu Local Government Area of the state, where the governor was nurtured during his formative years, by his aunt married to the Ezerioha dynasty, I do not nurse this feeling that the Governor owes my community dividends of democracy any more than other communities in Imo State deserve.



The Governor that Imo needs, to my mind, should not be a partial governor that is bent on developing one zone more than the others.
Every part of Imo State deserves to be developed and the government under the governor’s watch has to champion this cause and be seen to be doing so.
To some extent, he deserves the people’s support in many ways. The people can do this through constructive criticism and constructive praise of the governor and his government.

I have heard stories about how the governor has deviated from his thrust early in the life of his administration.
I can testify that some areas in Orlu Local Government Area, are wearing a new look, as stories from my friends in other areas also confirm.


The inference I make from all this is that it is either what the Governor is doing is not properly articulated and strategically explained to the people, using all media at its disposal or there are some Imo State indigenes, who, for political and apolitical reasons, have sworn never to see anything good about Owelle Okorocha and his government.

I am beginning to see sense in the statement made recently by the Speaker of the Imo House of Assembly, Acho Ihim , that the governor should put all projects on hold and commission the ones already completed. I should hasten to add he should bring these to the door-steps of Imo State indigenes, using various media of mass communication.

Returning to the Okorocha speech, I monitored on Channels Television this afternoon, the fellow that delivered that address did so with boldness, with conviction and apparently with a high sense of responsibility.

If that is the Okorocha that is still on the saddle in Imo, I think, many of those who are criticizing him without cogent reason need a rethink. Okorocha, on his part, must realize that when the chips are down, it is his achievements that will speak for him while his failures will condemn him.

He should use the last moments of his administration to work harder and etch his name on the sands of time in Imo and ensure he puts the right machinery in place to ensure both he and his administration enjoyed the right perception in the minds of the people. I wish him the best as his te nure races to an end.

CC: Mynd44. Lalasticla

SOURCE: http://www.naijanewspapers.com.ng/2017/06/story-is-owelle-rochas-okorocha-largely.html