₦airaland Forum

Even though the author is looking for exemplary leadership like Fashola that the Igbo so desperately need, I think we Igbos should look to our past leaders like Sam Mbakwe or Michael Okpara.

ChinenyeN:
This is how I see it. The Igbo do not owe any of the 'minorities' anything. Plain and simple. This is what they chose for themselves. So they should solve it by themselves. The Igbo are not a 'big brother' to any of these 'minorities'. Plain and simple. There is no such thing as 'big brother' in the east. It has always been 'to each his own'.

Most importantly, the Igbo should close their eyes and ears and even more so, their minds, to these 'minorities'. Its as simple as that.

These words are words of wisdom! 

To each his own!

Owelle Rochas Okorocha and a New Igbo Order
By Chinedu I Ikegwoha

That the Igbo nation is in dire need of a leader is not in doubt. What is in doubt now is who that leader will be. To make this point graphically clear, the last time the Igbo people were able to rally behind ONE leader was during the 1960s when they rallied behind first Nnamdi Azikiwe and later Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu. But we find that in the intervening period since then the Igbo nation has been in disarray. It has been a case of many chiefs and not enough Indians. Take for instance the various presidential elections since 1999 and though the Igbo have not produced a President of Igbo extraction for the Nigerian nation, she has actually produced more Presidential candidates per capita than any other ethnic nationality in Nigeria. This act of shooting without aiming is the fall out of a lack of leadership. That is the problem. What is the solution?

https://pingy.us/images/rochas.gif


Leadership according to John Maxwell the world's foremost leadership exponent is all about influence and influence comes about when one takes upon himself a responsibility and fulfills the challenges of that responsibilty. And we see this in modern Nigeria with say a gentleman like Raji Fashola. Here is a man that was unknown to the Nigerian nation and the Yoruba ethnic nationality before 2007. He rode on the back of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu to become governor and immediately took on the responsibilities that come with the office of the Governor of Lagos state to heart. In every area, be it infrastructure, revenue generation, beautification of the environment and dealings with the Federal Government, he lived up to his responsibilities and won over the affections of friends and foe alike and became the embodiment of the scripture that "when a man's ways pleases the Lord He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him". Fashola used his responsibilities to demonstrate his abilities and today the word on every Nigerian's lips irrespective of ethnicity and religion is why can't this man be President?

It is to Fashola's credit that even a man who is as overbearing as Baba Obasanjo has till date not found any opportunity to find fault with Governor Fashola. And just like a ripple created by a stone thrown in a river, his influence continues to grow. And grow. And grow.

And today I ask Ndi'Igbo, where are our own leaders in the mould of Fashola? I ask this because in 2015, the race is not going to be to those championing power shift or zoning because as was demonstrated by first the victory of President Goodluck Jonathan at both the PDP primaries and the General Election and the rise of Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, zoning and power shift are a relic of the past. They are no longer relevant.

2015 will be an all comers affair and competence and accomplishments are likely to count more than party and god fathers. So bearing this in mind, what is Ndi'Igbo doing?

As Fashola has proven, you do not need a second term to show the world that you can perform and in so doing explode your influence. Any leader that wants to perform would have performed in his first term. So Ndi'Igbo can appreciate the good that has been done by the governors of Anambra, Enugu, Abia and Ebonyi, but it is clear that they are no Fashola's and are not likely to inspire the sort of nationwide excitement Fashola is likely to inspire if he decides to seek the office of the Presidency in 2015.

That leaves Owele Rochas Okorocha. And the fortunate thing about Owelle Rochas is that even before he became governor, he had already built a platform through his philanthropic activities whereby he projected to the Ndi'Igbo and to the Nigerian nation that he had the altruism and charisma needed to inspire the type of mass following that first Nnamdi Azikiwe and later Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu inspired.

But that was a beginning. Now how do we progress from there. How do we help Owelle to become a success as governor in Imo. and then project himself to the rest of Nigeria as one who can be President because of his competence and ability and not because he is Igbo. One word will suffice. Owelle needs to deliver.

He needs to take the Raji Fashola template and replicate it in Imo state and even do better because unlike Fashola, he does not have a snoopervising god father like Tinubu looking over his shoulders.

Owelle, you can do it. No need to re-invent the wheel. How has Lagos under Fashola gone from a monthly allocation of under 2 billion a month to almost 20 billion every month? How has Lagos managed to increases capital expenditure to the point where it spends more on capital expenditure than the Ghanaian government as well as attract private and venture capital finds to infrastructural growth? How has Lagos been able to clear up densely populated areas and beautify its environment? Owelle can get the answers to these and many more questions by getting Imo indigenes who are entrenched in the Lagos geo political economic structure to come on board. And this is where he needs to display leadership and forego any personal animosity he may or may not have or any party affiliations and work with the likes of Leo Stan Ekeh, Festus Odimegwu and Tony Ezenna to bring what they know about the transformation of Lagos under Fashola to bear in his administration. There is no shame in it. Success is worth copying.

If Owelle can do this and make Imo a kind of Lagos, that is a home for all where anybody of Igbo and eventually Nigerian origin can come in to the state and access social services without the need of presenting indigene certificates and such like he will find that his ability and responsibility coupled with his innate charisma and generosity will begin to be projected far beyond the borders of Imo and that is the the time when first the Igbo nation and then Nigeria will believe, I mean really believe and buy into the idea that the Project for a Nigerian President of Igbo extraction is desirable because of what Owelle Rochas would have done by 2015.

It is doable. It is desirable. And it is Owelle Rochas's for the taking. His fellow Southeastern governors have been tried and tested and have been found to be, well you know the verdict as well as I do. So if four out of five have already been known, he has the opportunity to stand out. I for one believe he can do it if he will start now to replicate the Fashola template.

http://www.nigeriavillagesquare.com/guest/owelle-rochas-okorocha-and-a-new-igbo-order.html

kasiem:
Alj-haram,
counter my excuses instead whinning like a cow that is in heat period. I pointed it out to u, how rochas slashed the salaries of this officials. Do u prefer ghost workers to this officials?

Do not waste your breath arguing with him.

[quote author=anointed_f link=topic=677163.msg8754044#msg8754044 date=1311173854]I have been hearing and watching his philantrophic activities since 2002 and[b] free education in one of his school at Ibadan.[/b] I am not in doubt of his ability to deliver. The guy has the stuff.[/quote]Many people do not know that this man has used his money to help many areas of this country.

pynkspyce:
well @ least he paid them. Something his predecessors have been unable to do.

Gbam!

I am becoming numb to this ongoing violence that is happening within their region.

kasiem:
Ezeuche, stop denigrating your self with the response u give fo, ols like seanet. Let him tell us about ajimobi, amosun, aregbesola et al. Rochas has agreed to pay minimum wage, he has disbursed funds to help in building schools and health centres in all the areas of imo state, he has slashed the school fees of univesities in imo state, he has paid up the money owed pensioners. All this things were done in the space of months. So, what's the bickering all about?

That is true. But we must defend Okorocha from this unfair criticism. They are forgetting that this man has done more for Imo state in just a few months than Ohakim did his entire tenure.

Seanet1000:
Since Air Nigeria is the only one plying the route, you will have to go through Lagos if you want to use delta or british airlines.

Delta flies straight to Port Harcourt. Lufthanza and Air France as well. No need for me to take Air Nigeria.

The time has come for a Sovereign National Conference so that we can have a national dialogue. I do not think Goodluck Jonathan would support this, because this could decrease his party, but the time is now.

Seanet1000:
GBAM!! Very stewpeed for anybody defending this.

Like you were defending Fashola over the flooding crisis in Lagos?

Seanet1000:
By the way ezeuche, when is your governor going to appoint a special assistant on borno, kano, delta,cross  rivers, kogi, kwara, benue, jigawa, enugu, edo, osun, ogun, sokoto, katsina, abia, akwa ibom, bayelsa, ekiti,abuja, niger, pleateu, oyo, anambra and maybe Gabon? at least he has appointed the special assistant on Lagos(maybe to get study materials from Fashola school of governance)

He only appoints special assistants to states with high Igbo populations outside of Igboland. Lagos was an obvious choice. Do you understand?

kasiem:
It's quite obvious that lagos harbors most of the igbos, since his gov't is fashioned in line with the interest of the masses, he has to put in place measure to ascertain the needs of his people. So, it's not a vacuous step to appoint a person through which u can connect to that people. Okay, are we saying that if we had gotten a special adviser on northern affairs, our governors will be delaying on taking actions in light of killing of their citizens? Since lagos harbors highest number of imolites, there's need to pay adequate attention on that place.
On uche's appointment, he said that it'll help in jettisoning the cost of hiring m.c's anytime the gov't have functions. Also, uche will help in building new talents in his area. Reminisce, rochas minimized the salary of all the appointed officials to cut spending, and his deputy was made the commissioner for works. So, dont miscontrue rochas as the extravagant type, cos he's being remoted by any god-father.

Thank you!

I rather fly with Delta or British Airlines.

[quote author=erotic_me link=topic=716117.msg8753544#msg8753544 date=1311169055]Does anybody care to expantiate about d Nkiru Sylvanus situation?[/quote]Does it matter that she got a position? As long as she performs well at this assigned position it should not matter.

Okorocha will surely deliver‎

–Prince Ukeje, Ohaneze Chieftain
By BROWN CHIMEZIE
Wednesday, July 20, 2011

As the governor of Imo State, Owelle Rochas Okorocha releases programmes aimed at developing the state and engendering good governance, Prince Charles Ukeje, President South East Cooperative initiative has declared that going by strides Governor Okorocha has taken so far, the governor would implement all his campaign manifestoes.

According to him, the governor being a philantropist who has invested heavily in human development, would do more in delivering democracy dividend to the people.

May we know you
I am prince Charles Ukeje, Vice President Ohaneze Lagos State, President Imo natives in Ohaneze, and President South East Consultative Assembly (FICA), Lagos State.

You predicted correctly that Rochas would win. What gave you the confidence?
You will agree with me that a good product markets itself. Rochas is a good product. In the whole wide world, only two creatures can see their back without turning their heads, the rabbit and the parrot. All other creatures must turn their heads before they see their backs. Rochas is such a rare creature. He understands the challenges facing Imo state, deeply. He has the character and the principle to succeed. He cannot be overwhelmed by these challenges as every leader that came after Mbakwe has. As somebody who has performed wonderfully well outside government, we knew he would perform wonders in government.

When he came out, we knew it would be an easy ride and predicted so
Then, I told you that Imo people would vote personality and not political party. And that was exactly the case.
What agenda are you setting for Rochas?
A Chinese proverb says that the best time to plant a tree is 100 years ago. It equally says that the best time is now. Rochas is now effectively in control. He is ready to tap from the abundant human capital in Imo State. We are sure he is ready to partner with NGOs and other stakeholders to deliver democracy dividends to the people.

For example, to make the Free Education policy more effective, the government needs to partner the private sector to build more and affordable hostels. Again, the government needs to restructure and re-organise its revenue gathering outfits to reduce leakages caused by fraud. It needs to appoint trustworthy Revenue agents for the state.
Until Governor Peter Obi came on board, few knew that enormous revenue could be harnessed from motoparks.

What role did Imo Natives in Lagos play in the victory of Rochas Okorocha?
As you already know, the views of Igbo residents in Lagos are taken very seriously at home. Imo Natives in Lagos under my leadership, mobilized Imo stakeholders in favour of Rochas. Imo Natives in Lagos also printed fliers and handouts and sponsored Imo indigenes to go home and distribute them. Our people, through these materials were able to change their minds in favour of Rochas at the last laps of the campaign. The Southeast cooperative Initiative equally played a crucial role in delivering victory to Rochas.

Federated Igbo Consultative Assembly, which has me as their Board of Trustee (BoT) chairman, also played a very important role in delivering victory to Rochas. We are not ready to stop here.

So far, how would you describe Rochas policies?
The impact of Rocha’s rescue mission is already being felt. Within few days of his inauguration as governor, he declared free education in primary and secondary schools. He became the first governor in Nigeria to cut down state security votes from 6.5bn to 2.5bn Naira so as to adequately finance education.

You would also recall that he reduce tuition fee paid in Imo state University from 150 thousand naira to 50 thousand. And recently, he disbursed money to local governments so as to rehabilitate schools in rural areas.

So, for a governor to take such steps within few months of his administration indicates that he has genuine interest of the state at heart.

http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2011/july/20/national-20-07-2011-0025.html

Who cares? The man is already changing the state. Ride on Rochas.

We need to learn to ignore alj harem. No matter how annoying he can be.

The North fails us again. . .

The only way there will be peace on Nairaland is when clowns like alj harem are banned and forbidden to discuss topics that involve the East.

[quote author=alj_harem link=topic=716755.msg8750753#msg8750753 date=1311136381]good biafra had supporters from minority ethnic groups even yorubas such as banjo, wole but certainly not the majorities[/quote]Stop commenting on things you know nothing about. 

Soon I will start insulting you in Ibibio.

[quote author=alj_harem link=topic=716755.msg8750746#msg8750746 date=1311136214]good song, who sang it[/quote]You do not know Rex Lawson?

He was a Kalabari (Ijaw) who supported Biafra.

[flash=400,400]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GN3Odkz60NI[/flash]

Enjoy a non-Igbo sing about Biafra.

All hail Rex Lawson and all the groups that supported Biafra.

alj harem and jason - STAY OUT OF EASTERN AFFAIRS.

Is it that hard for you people to listen?

You would think all the minorities would have supported Biafra, because they were being massacred alongside Igbos. 

I already mentioned how my mother's family was forced to flee Lagos for England, even though they were not Igbo.

My Igbo brothers are right. Any topic that deals with Igbos the Yorubas continue to worry about other people's business.

They should worry about their own land and how they have people who rather be Northerners than Yorubas which is PATHETIC.

[quote author=alj_harem link=topic=716755.msg8750648#msg8750648 date=1311133937]PLEASE I BEG YOU SAY THIS IN BALYSEA OR RIVERS STATE

PLEASE BIKO do it

the only igboid group in rivers is ikwerri and they are not claiming igbo, until proven otherwise[/quote]PLEASE SHUT UP!

What about Ndoki?

What about Etche?

What about Ndoni?

What about Egbama?

What about Ogba?

[quote author=Chyz* link=topic=716755.msg8750625#msg8750625 date=1311133400]No he went back to Igbos because of regret. He finally understood that he jumped the gun and that he was wrong. Neighbor? Because geographically we are closer? haha. . .If he had the money during and after war time to fly to all of those Western cities then location was never a problem. He could have taken himself to the yorubas and stayed away from the Big Ban Igbos.

He wanted true federalism, which he would have gotten had Biafra been a country. Take a look:


BIAFRA’S PROVINCES & ADMINISTRATORS

   Aba

   Mr. Moses Onwuma*

   Abakaliki

   Mr. Samuel Mgbada

   Annang

   Chief Ekukinam Bassey

   Awka

   Mr. Paul Nwokedi

  Calabar

   Prof.  Eyo Bassey Ndem

   Degema

   Mr. S. N. Dikibo

  Eket

    Mr. S. J. Edoho

   Enugu

Mr. Christian Chukwuma Onoh

Nsukka

 Mr. Frank Onyeke

Ogoja

Mr. Frank Ugbut

Oji River

Dr. Godwin A. Odenigwe

Okigwe

Mr. Sam I. Mbakwe

Onitsha

Mr. R. I. Iweka

Opobo

Dr. S. J. Cookey

Orlu

Mr. R. I. Uzoma

Owerri

Mr. Duke Njiribeakor

Port Harcourt

Mr. Emmanuel Aguma

Umuahia

Mr. Simeon Ojukwu

Uyo

Chief J. Udo-Affiah

Yenegoa

Chief Frank Opigo

http://www.kwenu.com/biafra/biafra.htm



Every province was headed by the tribal people of that province, true federalism.[/quote]This deserves a repost. The minorities would have been free in Biafra.

Good job Bliss4Lyfe.

[quote author=ekt_bear link=topic=716755.msg8750619#msg8750619 date=1311133209]Hehe

Alex101 and Bliss4lyfe running from pillar to post.

Let me repost:

Face Saro Wiwa's accusation!  [/quote]The same man who feared an "Igbo Empire" was the same person begging for their support to spare his life.

Chickens coming home to roost?

bashr4:
you dont have to be harsh about that , insult the man but not the new generation ogoni people that had nothing to do with it.

back to topic , now we know it was ken sarowiwa that sold ogoniland to danjuma obj and co, i ised to think the FG took it by force.

Stop being so weak. The same generation were fed the same lies and are no different from their parents generation.

Was it not the same Ken Saro-Wiwa who mocked the Ndigbo with his radio programs daily?