Stakeholders in Imo State have said that there is considerable improvement in the well-being of the people since 2011 when Governor Rochas Okorocha became the governor of the state.
A member of Imo State Elders’ Council who is the Vice-Chairman of Imo State Elders’ Council in the United Kingdom (UK) and also Cultural Adviser to Igbo Union also in the UK, Nze Emmanuel Onukwugha Ejimonyeabala said the people are enjoying real benefits of democracy since the Rochas-led administration came on board because he is fulfilling his campaign promises to the people.
Nze Ejimonyeabala, the Epum Nde Amaimo Ancient Kingdom in Ikeduru Local Government Area of the state said the achievements of the governor have impacted positively on the lives of the people. Nze Ejimonyeabala stated this in a chat with reporters inLagos.
He said although all the political parties fielding candidates are making frenetic efforts to enhance their electoral chances, it is unarguable that the battle is clearly among two major contenders, namely the candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chief Emeka Ihedioha and that of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Rochas Okorocha.
Nze Ejimonyeabala said Okorocha’s achievements in the past four years will speak for him and swing the people’s votes to him which will make him the candidate to beat in tomorrow’s elections.
He noted that Governor Okorocha has creditably delivered on his 2011 election manifestos, saying “he greatly surpassed on several areas such as free education from primary to university levels and payment of stipends to primary and secondary school pupils.”
Nze Ejimonyeabala noted that Governor Okorocha has built modern schools and rehabilitated dilapidated ones across the state.
“Governor Okorocha has built over 27 modern storey-building school blocks one in each of the local government areas of the state.
“On roads, he has constructed several thousand kilometers of roads. All the local government areas are wearing new looks as a result of massive infrastructural development,” he said.
Other development projects which he said Governor Okorocha carried out included making Orlu, Okigwe, Amaraku, Nwaoriubi, Obowo and Mbaise attain township status, adding that “Governor Okorocha has established 27 new hospitals one in each of the local government areas, all completed waiting for inauguration. He built Ochiedike Dialysis and Diagnostic Centre Owerri, first of its kind in Nigeria, a university of nursing in Orlu, Imo State University permanent site in Mbaise/Ngor-Okpala; International University in Orlu, College of Advanced Professional Studies in Owerri, the Prestigious State House Chapel which is the first of its kind in Nigeria; Dark Blue Suite for civil servants, payment of N20,000 minimum wage, payment of arrears of pension to retired civil servants and prompt payment of salaries to civil servants in the state, among other achievements.”
To ensure food security, he said, Governor Okorocha has remained committed to agricultural development. For the first time in the history of the state, palm-for-palm planting and tomato growing have become a way of life for the people.
“The Community Government Council (CGC) is a genuine innovation towards community development; with the traditional rulers as heads of these governments which bring development to the grassroots.
“The Imo Security Network has made Imo State the best place to live. Imo Peace Advocates have brought justice, peace, joy and happiness to problematic areas and warring communities. He established specialised markets for traders and also established micro-finance banks to enhance businesses.”.
Praising the governor for his commitment to move the state forward, Nze Ejimonyeabala said: “Governor Okorocha is up and doing and a listening governor. What makes a good leader is no matter how many years you have been in politics, you should be able to listen to the advice and yearnings of the people, take the right ideas, study them and put them together for implementation. That’s what governance is all about.
“He is a man who wants to better the welfare of the downtrodden. Many technocrats in Imo State had maintained that free and compulsory education is not possible but he has proved them wrong.
“He is not into enhancing the people’s well-being alone. His wife, Nneoma has built 137 two-bedroom houses for needy widows across the state.
The London-trained economist and financial consultant disclosed that critics of the policies and programmes of the governor were ignorant of the impressive achievements recorded by the APC administration in Imo State.
“The Rochas’ fame for good governance is applauded by an anonymous many even beyond his state. He has, in a positive manner, touched the lives of the common man to the chagrin of his opponents,” he said.
On infrastructural development, he maintained that Okorocha has performed wonderfully well.
“Consider the number of roads he has constructed to link various communities. People are asking where the money is coming from. Imo State has enough money to do whatever it wants to do. The unfortunate thing is that previous administrations had been siphoning the money meant for development and taking care of the welfare of the so-called godfathers who take enormous share of the state’s fund every month.
“Rochas has no godfathers except the Almighty God. He is really God-send because he is doing things the way the people want them done,” he said.
On the effort of the state government to mentally empower the people through free and compulsory education, Nze Ejimonyeabala stated that “the free education introduced by the government of Rochas Okorocha is one of the best people-oriented policies aimed at human capital development,” even as he added: “We want people to be educated. The more education and knowledgeable the people are, the better for the development of the society. Illiteracy is a disease. Gone are the days when we say education is expensive even though no one had tried ignorance.”
On the mandate for every local government to construct 15 kilometre roads, Nze Ejimonyeabala said: “If all the 27 local government areas in the state construct 15 kilometre roads, it will ensure rapid development. For instance the Nkwo-Amaimo-Ihitte-Umuozu Road will bring rural development in all the towns and villages which the road crisscrosses.”
