₦airaland Forum

PROUD-IGBO:
^^^Thanks bruh. If that Ohakim had been put under this much pressure in his first year in office, then maybe Rochas would have been able to focus on less areas of intervention.

I'm also a bit frustrated at the pace of development in Imo, but i'm also aware of the situation of things before Rochas took over, and the paucity of funds he has to work with (that's why i ignore peeps that compare him with Amaechi and Akpabio); why i'm cutting him some slack (well at least until his 3rd year in office) is b'cos his heart is in the right place and i believe he means well for Imo state.....he just needs to focus less on handouts and welfarist schemes, and focus more on things that impact more on the majority of Ndi-Imo; like 'quality' roads, schools, urban regeneration, hospitals, and attracting investors to set up factories and industries.

It's ok to criticise provided it's done constructivley.

Your first paragraph just summarizes my aim.
It's very impt to keep up the demands for good governance. Not just to slouch because of a few 'flash in the pan' projects.
If Ohakim had been attacked this way from day one, we wouldnt have had a self proclaimed IKIRI.
Am yet to see a credible contractor handling any of the road projects.
And pls when it comes to funds, Imo is the richest in the south east and Enugu was in a worse state when Chime took over!

BlackPikiN: Ohakim spent 4yrs!!
This is Rochas first yr.

That is why the comparism shldnt come up yet.

PointB: I get your point, but I doubt if the 'average' Owerri man has a car. If that is the case, they clearly do not represent the majority. Policies should target the majority, not the few.

I also doubt if owerri (the capital) is as flooded as you portray it, perhaps the hinterland. So would suggest that though, his educational policy is targeted at the average Imolite, I would however like to see decent road (with drainage)into the hinterlands, and of course moves to bring in more investments to the state. But I wouldn't agree to government building factories or running businesses by itself. Private business ownership is what should be encouraged.

ALL major roads are not flooded(that will obviously mean a state of emergency being declared), though a good number do get affected(Okigwe rd etc).
However, woe betide u if u turn off those roads. If u dont live close to them, u'll literally need to swim thru to get there.
That is one of the reasons why housing is unnecessarily expensive in Owerri, because there are few places that afford a passable thoroughfare to get to those major roads.
Believe me even those on foot find it hard navigating thru those roads esp the laterite infested ones.

Abagworo: A lot of ongoing work is on in Imo but my fear remains if they will end up being abandoned. Go to Orlu and you will be surprised as well as disappointed. ROCHAS needs to FOCUS ON FEW projects TILL they are COMPLETED before moving to others. Rochas has done more in Imo State than any other Governor before him. Those talking about concorde area are quite wrong. It wasn't done by Mbakwe but Achike Udenwa and now Rochas has transformed and expanded it. That area was bush as at 1999 with concorde hotel as the only building and no good roads. That Secretariat was constructed by Udenwa administration and not Mbakwe while the hospitality industry also witnessed the surge during Udenwa and continued till now. No hotel or nite club was there before 2002. Rochas has constructed at least 3 new dualised roads in that area. I also saw a dualised road near old Imo hotel done by Rochas. There's one in my earlier post done by Rochas too on the Onitsha road. NDDC is also complementing by constructing a lot of roads in the new Owerri and MCC Uratta new area.

God bless u for ur understanding!
Projects are done in phases not all at the same time. That is the major problem Rochas is having now.
But i must quickly disagree with u on Rochas doing more than the previous governors. He is yet to surpass Ohakim not to talk of others.
Lets learn not to stretch the truth esp with govt, it inevitably comes around to haunt us.

Cyberknight: More and more misleading pics, nwanne. The second picture in this set is Wetheral Road, one of the oldest roads in the city which was actually constructed during the colonial era (and that is why it is still in wonderful condition, with excellent drainage and so forth, because in those days things were bulit to last). The green road sign up there was placed there during Ohakim's tenure, and so Rochas has nothing to do with it. The third picture in the series is of the road to Concorde Hotel area, which again was an old road constructed during Mbakwe's era. All that was done there is landscaping. Try and be balanced. Dont you have any pictures of Prefab, Akwakuma, Ikenegbu extension or Federal Housing to show us? The areas which are now like the kind of areas CNN uses when they want to advertise for aid for Africa?

Nwanne m, u seem to be the only one who shares my frustration here.
The earlier these imolites end this camaraderie they are keeping up with their government the better for them.
I will keep saying it now is the time to shout out for democracy dividends!
Ask the average Owerri resident his wish frm the govt, he will tell u he prays for the day he'll stop changing his SHOCKS 2x a month and stop SWIMMING to work in his car.
The govt is busy constructing monuments eg at control(Assumpta rnd abt) when there is a giant crater developing infront of that place.
Pls show us pics of Rochas achievements!

Seriously, anyone who can afford it shld say a prayer, get to the nearest airport and buy a flight ticket.
Those roads are death traps.

Olodostein: I thought you went for brain sugery. It is very clear that it was unsuccessful.

Listen man ... Back off OR..... Don't let me start digging the psychological, social, moral and philosophical decay of you lot.

A piece of advise for your folks. Employ an environmental scientist and let him or her do a study for the next few years and lets see the result. I won't tell you how the rate of cancer and other fatal illnesses is on the rise in your back yard; which you lack the facilities to diagonize.

Do you think building archaic polluted factories here and there is 21century development ?

We don't want that kind of self centered rash and visionless development in our land....... This is why getting educated is far better than love for extreem materialism at a tender age.

Haven't u realized that this kind of threads give him a constant hard on and he is just baiting u guys.

chino11: I don't care where you are related to, the fact is that we Anambrans are not in any way related to any part of imo state. All of you in that imo state, whether owerre, njaba, orlu, ikeduru you people are same and one people, we Anambra people has nothing in common with you lot. We are a monolithic state in the SE.

Chai! O gini?
This is so not true and u know it.
No need to be divisive.

Nightshift: Enugu has always been blessed with great radio voices . Personally, the best radio crew in Enugu were those at the former ESBS 'Sunrise 96.1 FM'. Chuzzy Iboko (known as Mr C.), Mike Anene, Rosemary Azinge, Gboliwe Iwuobi, Ik Agu and co were the best Coal City radio crew ever. Anthony Okofuu and Barikomo Ador were equally a great duo at Radio Nigeria Enugu as well. On Igbo language programmes on the 2 stations , i will never forget ' Önu Ökwa' Linda Mmenakaya dishing her Özi ekene requests, Ichie Onwuagba Onwuagba, Nduka Obikwelu, Nath Obigbo, Okechukwu Okereke, Dumeh Nnamoko, Jevas Chukwuemezie, Chukwuma Ogbonna, Paddy Ekeh. Pete Edochie was presenting 'music of the masters' every Sunday for 2hrs on ABS 1 Enugu. Emmanuel Udokwu, Chinwetalu Agu and Patience Ozokwo were all doing plays and programmes for both radio stations .

Wow! what a trip down memory lane, golden times indeed.

chino11: Then your governor should build his own Port so that investors will come and you fools will invest in your place..we don't need you ediots on our soil because we are not in yours. Imo state is the only place you will find the cheapest LovePeddler, they will even be dragging you as you pass thru the state.

Your governor should start developing the state instead of talking everyday. Most of the people selling fake drugs in Onitsha are all from Imo state. Go to Head Bridge and find out.

Pls soft pedal. no need to derail the thread.

Ricky_Ross: Tony Ezenna has a plant in Onitsha because of the port, and not because of anything else.
Onitsha is the DIRTIEST city in Nigeria by far, give me free land I will not build nothing in onitsha or aba bc these dirty cities are for animals only.
You are right owerri has been over run by armed bandits and kidnappers, and we all know these criminal elements are from Anambra. The kidnappers they arrested in Imo state this month are all from Anambra, especially Aguleri and Nnewi and Ekwulobia? DEM SWEAR FOR YOU PEOPLE??
The cheapest whooores are found in onitsha and not owerri. There are prostitutesss in owerri but they are mostly poor students and many of them are from Anambra as well.

Damnn! this guy Chino really got under ur skin. lol!
If Onitsha is the dirtiest city then i guess Aba is a big refuse bin.

Okija_juju: [b]Lets leave Rochas out of this dicussion.. We are talking about working governments not propagandist..

If all you did was drive from Port-Harcourt to Enugu upon arrival, then I will forgive your analysis.. However, ask anybody who knows Port-Harcourt before Amaechi and now, Nna, even 7-up sef no clear like am.. The city is so over-crowded that atimes I thank God its not legal to carry firearms, alot of Niggas would have died.. However, have you heard of 'THE GREATER PORT-HARCOURT PROJECT'?! Its no jokes, its real.. The government is opening up 5 new cities around the Present port-Harcourt. I have been itching and waiting to lay my hands on some of the lands when they come out for sale.... All roads constructed by Amaechi all come with under ground drainages, Schools are top class in infrastructure (he is still working on the teachers), housing and urbanization, the Rivers State Mono Rail Project, Electricity projects, Ultra Mordern Markets, e.t.c.. I am a big critic of government, but in Amaechi and Apkabio, I cant find any blemish...

_{NNA, this thread is about discussing Rochas' f`uck ups and pissing all over him.. Names like Amaechi and Apkabio should not be found in threads like this.}[/b]

I know PH, Owerri and Enugu well enough.
Amaechi has done some positive things (education and health esp), believe me so have Elechi and Orji.
Akpabio and Chime shld not be brought into this discussion.
I wish for the greater PH city project to succeed but right now it reeks of 'WHITE ELEPHANT'.
Back to Imo.
Now is the time to pile on pressure on the govt thru constructive criticism, not blind praise singing.
Imo is in it's worst state. Owerri is cut off from its environs. I hear Okigwe to Owerri is a federal road (not sure). But Akabo abt 4 mins frm Owerri is impassable.
Pls show us more pics!

Cyberknight: Precisely. Well said. In truth, the blame for the awfulness of PH, Owerri, Lagos or any other city cannot necessarily be placed on the head of the incumbent governor (with an exception made for the Abia state governor for Aba), because generally speaking its a cumulation of neglect, theft, poor planning, etc that borught these cities to the low levels that they are at currently. However, in Owerri, the governor does bear the responsiblity for the current state of the town, for while he met it in a bad condition last year, as at now it is worse as a consequence of his acts.

Gates are being built all over the main roads; the question is for what? Apparently to reinforce security. For those who live in Lagos, imagine building street gates along Adeniran Ogunsanya, Bode Thomas or Masha, for example. They broke down all the street gates that estate residents had painstakingly built up over the years to protect themselves and now crime is rampant. I agree that street gates are not necessarily a foolproof form of protection, but goodness knows that they at least deter the amateur criminals from petty crime.

Enough has been said about the roads, people are weeping in Owerri, literally.

And then there was the plan to shut down the civil service. Yes, believe me, the governor said that the civil service is a wasteful instituion, the source of much corruption and waste in the state, and that the government would stop paying civil servants' salaries and that each ministry would have to generate revenue to pay its staff. Sounds unbelievable, but true. So how is a modern institution supposed to function without administrative staff? Blaming the civil service for corruption and waste is pointless, everybody in Nigeria steals, both political office holders, govt employees and anyone who can put themselves in any position to make an extra buck. But how, how can one conceive of running an organization, any organization, let alone one as complex as a givernment, without administrative staff? And just how are ministries supposed to be self sufficient? The civil service is not a business, it is a necessary part of government, as we all know.

The sad fact is that the Imo State government is drifting, doing nothing at all, and has descended to the level of the worst government of all, that of Ohakim.

Thank u for ur unbiased remarks!
We are getting used to poor governance that we now hardly know right from wrong.

Okija_juju: Flyover collapsing?! 'Odili Government"... TIMARIV ridden?!! 'A worthwhile nuisance'.... Crime Strangulating?!! "Now you are just talking shiit'... Polution Choking?! 'Now you've started manufacturing shiit'.... Slum Swallowing?! 'Now you've started selling shiit'.. River State (Port-Harcourt) may be an under-achieving State, but My brother, IMO state and Rochas dont even measure up to either Obio Apkor Local Government Area or even Omoku Township..

Enjoy the rubbish that is Rochas.. Commissioners lodge! With State money!! While the civil servants proper and the citizens live in squalor. I have been to IMO state! Barely two months back.. If what I saw is the definition of 'a Working Government', then Imo States problem is not the government but the people..

LoL! at ur analysis.
It's clear for all to see that anyone who has stepped into PH will attest to what am saying.
Am not heaping ALL the blame on Amechi cause he seems to be struggling along making snail strides in the right direction (to whom much is given...). But he needs to do alot more.
PH is an overcrowded, disaster prone city, with purgatorial traffic that keeps u on the edge!

If u read my previous posts. It's clear that i'm very umimpressed with Rochas' performance.

afam4eva: Whenever i think of Anambra, what comes to mind is Onitsha and Nnewi. Why can't those towns/cities be turned into economic giants by putting in place the necessary machinery to put these towns in a pedestal that will make it compete with any major city in Africa or the world. Onitsah and Nnewi are underutilised and the human resources of Anambra is also under-utilized. By now Anambra should be the pride of not just Nigeria but Africa. That's why we need to vote in someone like Chukwuma Soludo into the governorship seat. Because it's a shame that an Anambra will expect accolades for building some rural roads and abandoning the majore cities and towns.

I mostly agree with u! But u have to appreciate also the unique make up of Anambra that makes rural roads SO important.
Anambra has the 2nd smallest landmass and the 2nd highest population density in Nigeria after Lagos. Towns merge imperceptibly with one another and are mostly semiurban.
Nnewi for eg merges with many surrounding towns like Ozubulu, Nnobi etc not to talk of Onitsha.
It is because of these so called 'RURAL' roads which provide ease of movt btw these towns that make Onitsha and Nnewi marginally habitable as pple can easily commute frm their indegenous towns.
Otherwise, I wonder how Onitsha and Nnewi would be.
Remember, Awka is still there begging for attention (albeit hardly getting any).
I wonder if the resources are enough to go round.

afam4eva: I know the potentials that Anambra possesses and i always score the Omanbala government using those variables and if they fail to tackle those problems, it means they've failed in my eye. It doesn't matter the number of rural roads that they've constructed. I keep saying that Anambra is the lifeline of Ala Igbo but the government have failed to solve the most important problem bedeviling that state. That does nit mean i hate Anambra.

Pls enlighten us further on THE most important problem.

berem: you are right! Orlu road needs to be decongested.too much of government establishment on that axis.don't forget the police barracks,a high court and the populated shell camp which houses Alvan lecturers (old comissioners' quarters).the traffic situation was terrible 4years back when I was residing in owerri.I don't know the traffic situation presently.

Traffic is 2x as bad now!
The town is becoming more congested because of lack of bypass roads.
The state Owerri is in now cannot attract any major investment.

Okija_juju: WTF!!!!!!

Where did you see any new projects in Owerri on your drive biko?! Nwokem talk the one you see o!!

I drove to Owerri from Port-Harcourt and the first thing you notice at the boundary between Port-Harcourt and Owerri is 'The good well tarred dual carriage road with street lights ends at the boundary between both States. IMO State looked like an abandoned project.. I kept switching from lane to lane during the drive through to Owerri.. The bridges/flyovers I saw looked like they were built and abandoned by the previous administration and its still the same.. The road at some point almost destroyed my car.. I dont know the names or roadsin Owerri, however, I think a school of health or something like that was on that road...

PH- 1st, Enugu- 2nd & Imo... last.

PH first?!?
Are u referring to another PH (perharps Philly or Phoenix) or to the run down overcrowded, flyover collapsing, TIMARIV ridden, Crime strangulating, pollution choking, slum swallowing, PORT HARCOURT?
Haba! nawa u no even talk Enugu.

Abagworo: The city itself has expanded by what I've seen recently. It is no more as compact as you think. Amakohia and Akwakuma are not decent by Owerri standards but is the typical of most other Nigerian cities and mind you they alongside Orji are populated villages that somehow joined the city. The population of the villages in Imo State has increased also and not only Owerri.

.

Abagworo: The city itself has expanded by what I've seen recently. It is no more as compact as you think. Amakohia and Akwakuma are not decent by Owerri standards but is the typical of most other Nigerian cities and mind you they alongside Orji are populated villages that somehow joined the city. The population of the villages in Imo State has increased also and not only Owerri.

Amakohia and Akwakuma have long been part of Owerri and World bank is presently in the same state with them in terms of roads.The govt house is arguably in Amakohia (shell camp)
What am trying to say is that, there needs to be an urgent replanning of Owerri with purpose built residential layouts catering for all income groups which are linked to the older parts of the city.
The govt house shld be relocated with the police command near it to New Owerri axis to decongest that area that already has Alvan, and FMC struggling for space on the pseudo dualized Orlu road.
Owerri has a lot of potential to grow but it seems the govt is not putting its priorities right. It presently has its hands in too many pie and is confused.

Abagworo: The population of Owerri has doubled in the past 2 years. As at 2009/2010 there was no traffic in Owerri and no hawkers and no much hustling and bustling except the Douglas area. Owerri is now over-populated and housing has gone the way of Port Harcourt and Abuja. Rochas should try and face that Ohakim's planned ring road. That's the only thing that can forestall total gridlock from happening in the next 2 years. I wonder what swelled the Population of Owerri at that rate.

DOUBLED! Hell No! Increased yes, just like many other cities including Enugu and Awka.
But they seem to be coping better esp in terms on housing and roads why?
You have to remember that the surge in traffic also seen in Owerri has alot to do with the state of Enugu PH expressway which has failed.
So that virtually all vehicular traffic going to Enugu/ after Okigwe frm PH Elele axis passes thru Owerri.
The truth is that Owerri is very compact and there is an urgent need to expand it.
Perharps toward Avu.
The good part of New Owerri(and essentially Owerri as a whole) is concord boulevard, that's all. There is no liveable layout with decent roads.
World Bank is a mess. Amakohia and Akwakuma are slums.
Aladinma and prefab are fast deteriorating.
Graceland is expensive for no good reason.
The government needs to focus on ROADS and HOUSING.

cjrane: OMG!Almost the same thing happened to me!!!
I was in Ibadan on saturday to return on sunday.I boarded "Bob Izua motors" bus on my way to lagos.

Before the bus departed the park, a shoot-out broke out at the popular Iwo Road Total Motor Park in Ibadan!
A group of OPC members started shooting sporadically in broad day light and while everyone one ran for cover(including police men), our bus driver refused to move despite all pleas from the passengers because the bus wasnt full yet.


When the shoot-out subsided; i saw a young man(GUY A) carrying another guy(GUY B) in his arms (the guy he was carrying was obviously wounded).
Okay... watch... they were going to seek for medical attention... as soon as they crossed the road, some OPC members attacked them; the GUY A, ran away dropping the GUY B on the ground....

RIGHT IN BROAD DAY LIGHT, THESE OPC MEMBERS USED THEIR MACHETE TO CHOP THE GUY B'S LEG OFF... THEY KEPT ON CUTTING AND CUTTING AND CUTTING AND CUTTING HIM SOME MORE TILL THERE WAS BARELY NOTHING LEFT..... it was really gory. Then a thought crossed my mind; is this not the same OPC that claims they are fighting for "emancipation of the oduduwa republic">huh

After the experience i suffered on saturday, i don't think any part of Nigeria is ready for secession yet.
Im still shocked at what these guys can do now. CAN YOU IMAGINE WHAT THEY WOULD DO IF THEY CONTROLLED A COUNTRY (ODUDUWA).

Chei, in my own case, they even chopped of my left leg when i tried to stop them from molesting a 9 year old fulani girl

Bwuhahahahahaahaha!!
Chei! I've been laughing for the past 15 minutes.
U just made the OP look incredibly stewpid!

I just landed at the Lekki Epe international Palmport
Eko o ni baje o!

Ikenna351: Apologise to who and for what reason? For mentioning shops with Igbos or for trying to correct him for saying all Yorubas employ only yorubas, using myself and my office as an example?

What is it with everyone about Igbos and shops? Is it not a fact anymore that its what Igbos are known for? Have you forgotten that Onitsha Main Market is used to be referred as the biggest market in West Market?

Fine. Let me break it down for you. Name all the big markets in Lagos. Go and do headcount there and come back and tell us, out of all the shops there, how many are owned by non Igbos. I stay in Abuja. I can tell you most of the shops in Wuse market, if not more than half, are own by Igbos. We are not even talking about Utako and Nyanya markets. What about Kano and other northern states? Like I said in my first post here, lets not go there.

Igbos are good in trade: buying and selling. All those storey buildings in Onitsha were not built by govt, but by individuals, what they made from Onitsha main market. Onitsha is what it is because of the Onitsha Main Market. We are good at it and am proud of it. If you are not, thats not my problem.

90% of Igbos that own shops employ their clan, village, town or state boys or girls to help in running the shops. Some are taken to come and learn trade (as apprentices) and would be settled after some years to start theirs. I grew up in the East, incase you want me to enlighten you more.

I dont want to derail this thread more than i have done. But i just needed to let you know that using shop for Igbos as an example was ok, because thats what we are known for, and there is nothing wrong with that. Besides, that am an Igbo does not mean i must paint everything about us, the Igbos, as perfect. We have our flaws, issues. Every tribe does.

Ikenna.

Pls what is the level of manpower required to run a "SHOP" vs a "BUSINESS".
Don't u see that by the use of the former(shop), as referred to in our local context, a ceiling has been put to the nature of "business" being run and thus the subsequent manpower required?
Eg an electronic shop, a motor parts shop etc . How many pple are needed in such a shop and how feasible is it then to employ other ethnic groups.
Vs a "business enterprise" which maybe of any scale.
That is the simple reason Okija Juju referred to it as ethnic profiling by the discriminatory use of those terms. U shld have stuck to shop or business in both egs. if u wanted to be sincere.
However u unwittingly or more likely purposefully chose not to.

Funny how things can change in just a few months.
This is an old thread but presently there is sincerely no way one can begin to compare both.
Owerri is just a small run down town, that needs an overhaul of its infrastructure esp roads. Apart from Concord boulevard, evry other part of Owerri is just prone to annoying traffic and bad roads.
Enugu on the other hand has a good road network which makes movt so easy.
And that,s just roads.
Not to talk of security, shopping, recreation.
Enugu trounces Owerri in ALL aspects.

Did they really have to slap the handcuffs on, just to lead her away?
Pls i need to know if this is a civil or criminal offence.
Does this deserve deportation or is it because they are Nigerians?
Remember these people have spent 3 YEARS already in Canada without any bad record.
If we dont know the details of the Canadian law on such an offence then one can't really blame the authorities for whatever action they take.
However,if there are other options of punishment, then deportation is way too HARSH.
If the authorities go through with this considering the number of years already spent by the students, i'll advise prospective foreign students to look elsewhere.

logica: Eh ehn. Employ marketer now. Sebi you sabi. Generate traffic pass Google. What's stopping you?

Dude, traffic determines the performance of a website. We are not talking of aesthetics when they say "best". Best is simply short for "best performing". Or you expect people to rank sites by how aesthetically pleasing they are?

Kudos to Ekiti, but please bury that shallow arguement about "best" site being equivalent to traffic or else poorn sites would be considered the "best" sites.

Vultures and chicken which is easier to come by?
Am just curious.
If i get some vulture hatchlings and breed them with fresh meat till maturity, then put it up for sale as EXOTIC MEAT (point and kill vulture). Am sure i will get customers!
Just curious.

BB - unlimited data plan〓 CRAPPY PHONE.
Till then (unlimited data on other phones) we just have to stick with the CRAPPY PHONE.

afam4eva: Someone just takes a picture of a particular place in Aba and uploads it as a true representation of Aba. Yes, we know Aba is bad but not this bad and not everywhere. When i went to Aba 3 years ago, i was trying very hard to find the dirty Aba i kept hearing and seeing all over the internet but i couldn't find any. Even Ogbor hill that seems like a middle to lower-class neigbourhood is not that bad.

Am not sure it's Aba u visited.
Aba is in an unimaginably bad state.
Granted that it's not the capital does not give that clueless puppet T(hieving) A(***ole) Orji the right to neglect it.
Kudos to the lawyers!

afam4eva: You're yet to see a descent picture of Aba because the one's you've seen are the only pictures that can paint Aba as it's known to popular wisdom. Of course, we can't compare the senerity of Aba to those of Enugu, OWERRI, Uyo or Calabar but it has some decent(average) places just like every other average city. Those pictures are not only astronomical but were taken in the eyes of mischief makers with a camera purchased from hell and produced by satan with materials assembled by his demons.

Pls strike Owerri off the list, it's fast deteriorating.

Know a friend going to Lagos today who had to reroute from Owerri to Enugu,so as to join Aero.
He was very lucky to get a ticket for 20k because he knew someone.
On getting to the airport (an hr before departure) he was told how lucky he was as the agent was under intense pressure to resell the ticket for 40k.
And he's meant to leave the country tonite frm Lagos.
I really pity the hundreds of stranded passengers.