Special Report: Imo State Government And The Trip To Turkey

Since about 170 Imo State Government officials left the shores of the country to the Islamic State of Turkey, concern are being expressed by a worried Imo populace why the State Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha had to temporarily grind to a halt the machinery of government by traveling with such a large contingent.

Sam Onwuemedo, Okorocha’s Senior Special Assistant On Media laboriously tried to justify the reasons for the trip.  In a  press statement, he said the trip is of no cost to the Imo State Government.

  He wrote” Some major investors in Turkey who own some of the big companies in that country with appreciable interest to invest heavily in Imo State had invited officials of the State Government to that country to enable them tour some of the companies involved to see things for themselves. The investors had undertaken to shoulder the involvement”

The State Government also took time to explain the importance of the trip, stating that those on board the trip represent one economic interest or the other.

Good argument, sound message, but the truth is that  the State Government failed to tell Imolites  the name of the investors and economic areas they want  invest on in Imo State.  We not been told why foreign investors  will compel the Imo State Government to grind to a halt the machinery of government just come to their country.

According to a Onwumedo's press release, all officials of the State Government including the local Government caretaker committee chairmen and members of the Imo State House of Assembly will acquire one economic knowledge or the other from the trip to Turkey.

This also raises a fundamental question if the State Government officials really need this tour in the first place. All over the world, investors come to the place they want to invest to study and asses the economic situation of the area and see if it is condusive and viable for investment. 

They also come to ascertain the level of security of the area to see if what they intend to invest is secure and safe .  Did they at any time visit the State to see if Imo State has an investment climate? if they did, the State Government should tell us and when. Why is the reverse the case here?

One is compelled to ask which area of the Imo economy that is attractive to the Turkish investors to invest in Imo State? The Government has been silent on this and the citizenry ought to know. 

Besides, must Okorocha go with such a large contingent when investment or economic issues can be discussed between this name-less investors and the state governor and few members of the State Executive Council?

The choice of Turkey for the tour also raises some concern. That is an Islamic country and one would have expected the State Government to either look for economic partners or investors in China or the United States who share long economic ties with Nigeria at least for now. Huge Investment partners are found in these countries. So why are we heading to Turkey, a country where 99. 8% of the population are nominally Muslims.

Whichever way one looks at the trip, one expects the gains we are told will be of huge benefit to the State begins to manifest immediately. And one wonders what will be the benefits  because the trip already  has the colouration of a jamboree. we have seen photographs of countless dinners upon dinners between the investors and one is forced to ask if it  is Turkish delicacies our government officials went to Turkey to do enjoy.

  

The Okorocha administration cannot afford to gamble with the feelings of the people of Imo State anymore because majority of them remain skeptical about the trip in the first place to a country we do not share the same faith and values .

 Anything that shows that the trip is a mere jamboree will further fuel suspicion among the people and possibly further worsen the acceptance rating of the Okorocha administration as the 2015 elections comes close.