Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State
can be described is a unique leader with unique qualities.
To his friends and followers, he is a leader
extraordinary with the passion to serve humanity- a quintessential leader who
posses the charisma to render good governance to the people of Imo State.
To his foes or would I say political adversaries,
he is a leader who knows it all. They
strengthen their argument with comments credited to Okorocha who said he is an
unconventional Governor whose perception about governance is different, in
style and approach. According to them,
this is the singular reason why his Government has made so many mistakes in the
act of governance.
Personally, I will align myself to the
School of Thought that says Okorocha is the only Imo State Governor, dead or
alive, whose approach to issues pertaining to governance in Imo State is
different from the style of his predecessors. His Rescue mission Agenda
anchored on My People, My People slogan indicates that his Administration is
a welfarist one unlike his predecessors who ran policies that are too utopian
for the layman.
While I agree to the fact he is a
leader who has a different perception about governance, it will not be out of
place to say that Okorocha is the first Imo State Governor whose image mirrors
in every facet of our public life. This is why he holds the enviable rank as the first Imo
State Governor whose actions elicits so much attention, passion and concern
from friends and political foes.
In a piece titled Okorocha In the Eyes of Imolites,
published by an Owerri based newspaper, I analysed Governor Okorocha’s
perception rating by various classes of people of Imo State. I said the talakawas
(keke riders, market women who were his major support base during the
governorship election) see him as their messiah. Another category of Imolites
say he is a performing governor, while others argue he is a Governor with no
speech as he seldom makes his speeches from a prepared text. Different strokes for different folks!
For his fellow party men and women who
murmur in silence and shout hosanna when they see him, Okorocha operates cautious
and dry politics because he is averse to the style and mentality of the PDP who
believe in the power of structure and money politics.
The summary of these perceptions is
that Okorocha remains the only State Governor whose brand of governance cannot
be quickly located or placed. Some say he cannot be described as a progressive
or conservative governor. This is why since he was elected Imo State Governor; his
Administration can be described as one that has shown a burning passion to
embark on several projects at the same time.
While I admit some of his policies and
programmes are novel and deserves applause, his Administration presently
strives to differentiate the difference between governance and philanthropy.
According to those who know him, Okorocha is a
leader who applies various unconventional methods to achieve a purpose. And when such methods crumble or get stuck
midway, he is bound to make a detour.
This is said to be partly the reason why some of his aides murmur in
silence that Oga carries a lot of
load on himself or does so many things at the same time. And because he is so
much in hurry to get results, he unintentionally ignores certain basic
procedures in achieving such aims and objectives.
I have taken time to study my dear governor since he cruised to Government House, Owerri in May 2011. Because he was the people’s choice in the last elections, his Administration was confronted with the task and onerous responsibility of offering hope to the hopeless and succour to the deprived. Managing and translating such expectations of the people to reality have been a huge burden for his Administration simply because he underestimated the depth of the problems ravaging Imo State. With rich political experience, but little knowledge of the task involved in governance, Governor Okorocha is in the middle of the sea striving to navigate the boat of governance of the State to meet the expectations of those who voted for him on polls day.
And because he is in a hurry to perform and
afraid of the factor of failure, his Administration have made some policy
summersaults and took actions that are totally out of tandem with laid rules
guiding and regulating governance. While some of those actions might suit his
definition of unconventional governance, it does not satisfy the intellectual thirst
of vast majority of the elites in the State who say his style is not synonymous
with acceptable global norms and rules regulating the business of governance.
I am tempted to liken Governor Okorocha’s
ordeal to that of President Barack Obama of the United States. Obama came to
power in 2008 because he successfully convinced the American electorate that he
possesses the magic wand to change the fortunes of the United States that was plagued
then by economic depression. And because
his ‘Yes You Can’ message was
embedded in his fine oratory power, his message instilled hope in Americans.
This chiefly contributed to his electoral success.
Obama’s performance in four years in
office did not totally convince Americans that he deserved a second term. High
unemployment rates, an economy in deficit were sighted as his undoing despite
recording considerable success in foreign relations. His flaws in these sectors
became the propelling factors that gave the Republican candidate, Mitt Romney,
the boost to pose a ferocious challenge to his (Obama) re- election.
Despite the fact that Obama defeated
Romney at the polls with a slim margin, the results of the election underscores
the fact the vast majority of Americans lost hope in an Obama presidency.
Obama’s ordeal is similar in posture and outlook to that of Governor Okorocha.
The promises he made during the last governorship election appears to be
overwhelming him. This has put him on the fast lane as he strives to carry out
many projects at the same time. This could be responsible for the delay in
completing some of the noble projects he has embarked on. They include the security gates whose carcass
litter at major roads in the state, renovation and construction of roads across
the 27 Local Government Areas in the State which are yet to be completed.
While remarkable success has been
recorded in some sectors such as ongoing construction of General hospitals in
the 27 Local Governments, roads and the security gates which directly touch on
the psyche of the people should have been first line charge of his
Administration. I mean it should have been of utmost priority since security
and roads constitute the major assessment points of any Administration by the
people.
I want to add here that how the
massive roads renovation and construction is managed by his Administration will
determine the fate of his government. It will be a political bumpy trap if he fails
to maximize the benefits or gains of the roads project to his advantage. Like Obama who made remarkable progress in
foreign relations, but slumped on the economy, Okorocha has made progress in
provision of infrastructure in the State but faltered in other areas. He
unnecessarily ignited so much tension in the grassroots with the introduction
of Community Government Council (CGC), a mode of governance that appears alien
to the people.
The Community Government Council (CGC) is one
issue that has put his Administration on collision course with a vast section
of Imolites despite repeated and extensive explanations by his aides that it
will bring governance closer to the grassroots. The free education programme
which is the major thrust of his campaign slogan has continued to receive
several bashing from critics who say that the initiative is not working as
expected. Senator Ifeanyi Araraume, the A CN governorship candidate in the
April 2011 elections recently told Imolites that free education is not working
in Imo considering the fact he pays tuition for some of his relatives in the
Imo State University. The distinguished senator said education is free from
primary to junior secondary schools (JSS) as provided by the Federal
Government.
The importation of school uniforms and
other accessories for primary and post primary pupils is said to be a minus on
the basis that it was not necessary considering the fact that his Administration
should have allowed local entrepreneurs and skilled workers in the State to
produce such uniforms. Those who hold on to this thought say it would have
encouraged our local entrepreneurs to develop.
The return of refuse heaps on the streets of
Owerri is another sore point of this Administration. This is a departure from the past where Owerri
was rated the cleanest city in the Federation. Other nagging problems staring his
Administration on the face are IBC pensioners who are agitating over non
payment of 24 months pension arrears; Imo Transport Corporation (ITC) which is
boiling over a rift between the management consultancy firm and workers, the
proposed relocation of IMSU that is raising dust.
On the political front, some politicians who
are displeased with the conduct of the supplementary election that brought his
government to power have gone to the Courts to challenge his victory. While I
accept the fact that governance has its low and high points, and no man has
monopoly of knowledge, I advise his Administration to stop opening frontiers of
distraction. It can be politically
catastrophic. And in the event it does not, it should devise an effective
mechanism to handle them. The sack of the 27 LGA chairmen remains one of such
frontier of distraction. One of the major albatross of the Udenwa and Ohakim Administrations
was that they by omission or commission opened several fronts that led so many
distractions. While the later part of Udenwa’s Administration was engaged in a
fierce war with some Abuja based politicians which contributed to his inability
to produce a successor, Ohakim was entangled in a war with his political foes.
The intensity of the battle led to so many distractions that culminated in his
untimely exit from power.
These are important lessons for nay
leaders who desire to succeed, I advise
PUBLISHED BY IMO TRUMPETA
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