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Tag: Okorocha

  • APC inherited dead economy – Okorocha

    APC inherited dead economy – Okorocha

    Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, has attributed the current economic hardship across the country to the “dead” economy inherited by the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    He called for sacrifices from Nigerians and patience with President Muhammadu Buhari’s policies, which he assured, will navigate the country out of the present economic recession.

    The governor, who spoke during a breakfast meeting with journalists in the state, said the continued drop in the price of oil which is the mainstay of the nation’s economy, has brought a lot of pressure on the economy.

    He added that it is about time the Federal and state Governments create alternative avenues to create wealth.

    He said, “It is necessary that we make sacrifices to move the nation forward. People should cooperate with the economic adjustment programme of the state governments because a time will come when there may be zero allocation and there will be no funds to run the government.”

    The governor disclosed that he has slashed the salaries of political appointees, including the security vote and other allowances of the Deputy Governor by 20 per cent, as part of measures to ensure that the state has something left for capital projects.

    He, however, noted that the state does not owe workers’ salary arrears as insinuated but is reviewing the salary structure in some ministries, including the Ministries of Health and Judiciary to meet the current economic realities.

  • Okorocha preaches better interaction between Customs and traders

    Okorocha preaches better interaction between Customs and traders

    To bridge communication gap between the Nigeria Customs Service and Southeast traders, Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha has urged the agency to organise an interactive session where some of the grey areas in its operations in the zone would be addressed.

    Okorocha spoke when the Comptroller-General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ali visited him at the Government House in Owerri. He noted that most of the policies and actions of the agency were often misinterpreted as punishment due to poor communication.

    He added that an interactive session between the agency’s leadership and governors, traders and businessmen, has become necessary.

    “Eighty per cent of the trade partners of Customs come from the Southeast. So, I suggest a forum of interaction between the agency, the governors, traders and businessmen, to address certain issues, including the policies and actions of the Nigeria Customs Service, as they affect the traders and businessmen.

    “The International Cargo Airport is good news to the people. I enjoin the Comptroller-General to facilitate the speedy take-off of the project by sending Airport Customs comptroller once the need arises.

    “There is a need for the country to diversify the economy as the era of oil boom seems to be over, especially when most nations of the world have alternatives to oil.”

    Ali agreed that an interactive session has become imperative to build a cordial working relationship. He said a summit will be organised next year where stakeholders will meet and interact on the possible ways to boost trade and commerce in the zone.

    “One of the functions of the Customs is trade facilitation, interacting with the traders, educating them and developing a strong synergy between the Service and its trade partners. And since its major trade partners are from the Southeast, my administration will develop a mechanism where there would be regular interactions to discuss issues of mutual benefits and also educate partners on the various laws of Customs and its modus operandi,” Ali said.

     

  • Okorocha denies indicting Tinubu

    Okorocha denies indicting Tinubu

    IMO State Governor Rochas Okorocha has denied reports that he indicted All Progressives Congress (APC) National leader Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the death of the party’s governorship candidate in Kogi State, Prince Abubakar Audu.

    Okorocha’s Chief Press Secretary Mr. Sam Onwuemeodo, in a statement yesterday, said: “The attention of the Imo State Governor and chairman of the APC Governors’ Forum has been drawn to a social media (Facebook) report with the caption ‘Tinubu, others, kill Kogi Guber candidate – Okorocha’, written by one Olutoyosi Omotoso.

    “In the basically untrue report, the author claimed that the Imo governor had accused the former Lagos State governor and one of the key pillars of the APC in the country, Senator Bola Tinubu, and others he didn’t mention, of being responsible for the death of the APC governorship candidate.

    “The report came up Sunday (November 22, 2016) evening and of course, few hours after the news of the death of the Kogi Prince was still being doubted by most Nigerians.

    “In the report, the author, however, failed or refused to mention or tell his audience whether Okorocha had made that claim at a press conference or in a press statement. But unfortunately and unintelligently, he said the Imo governor spoke on phone to say that.

    “And the follow-up question would immediately be: on what ground would the Imo governor call the author on phone to tell her who killed Audu and who didn’t kill him?

    “The truth of the matter is that the report was totally false, even on the face value.  It cannot pass any logic to be believed.  It was written in bad faith.

    “Even at that, the language of the story could not be Okorocha’s for those who know him and for those who have been following his speeches.  He does not talk like an immature speaker.

    “For instance, the writer quoted the governor to have said ‘we are not unaware of their antics and plans to field Audu’s deputy, Mr. Abiodun Faleke, after the programmed death of his boss’.

    “Okorocha does not drag his sentences or speak disjointed grammar.  The mischief is very obvious for all men and women of goodwill to see in the story.”

    The governor’s aide argued that on the day Audu was reported to have died, Okorocha was presiding over the meeting of the Southeast Governors, Ohanaeze leaders, traditional rulers and National Assembly members at Enugu State Government House on pro-Biafra protests and agitations.

    Okorocha’s spokesman challenged the writer of the story to also publish the particulars of the call in question, the number with which the governor called her, the time and why the governor could have chosen to call her.

    The statement emphasised that Okorocha was not quarrelling with Tinubu, adding that the “envisaged rift between the duo only exist in the imaginations of those who have chosen the path of dishonour, because only dishonourable people could have authored such an inglorious write-up”.

    The governor, however, mourned the APC governorship candidate.

    He said Audu’s death came when no one expected it.

    “But God knew why he allowed it to happen a few poles to his coming back as the governor of that state,” he added.

     

  • Okorocha denies indicting Tinubu in Audu’s death

    Okorocha denies indicting Tinubu in Audu’s death

    Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha, Monday described as malicious and unfounded the report that he indicted the All Progressives Congress (APC) National leader, Ahmed Bola Tinubu as being responsible for the death of the APC governorship candidate in Kogi State, Prince Abubakar Audu.

    The report credited to one Olutoyosi Omotoso and entitled; “Tinubu, others killed Kogi Guber candidate-Okorocha”, was published on the Facebook account of the author.

    Reacting to the allegation, the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Sam Onwuemeodo, in a press release, said that, “the attention of the Imo state Governor and the Chairman of the APC Governors’ Forum, Owelle Rochas Okorocha has been drawn to a social media (Facebook) report with the caption “Tinubu, others, kill Kogi Guber candidate – Okorocha, written by one Olutoyosi Omotoso.

    “In the basically untrue report, the author claimed that the Imo Governor had accused the former Governor of Lagos state and one of the key pillars of the APC in the country, Senator Bola Tinubu and others he didn’t mention, of being responsible for the death of the APC governorship candidate in Kogi state, Prince Abubakar Audu.

    “The report came up Sunday (November 22, 2016) evening and of course, few hours after the news of the death of the Kogi Prince was still in doubt by most Nigerians”.

    Onwuemeodo added that “in the report, the author however failed or refused to mention or tell his audience whether Governor Okorocha had made that claim at a press conference or in a press release, but unfortunately and unintelligently said that the Imo Governor spoke on phone to say that.  And the follow-up question would immediately be; on what ground would the Imo Governor call the author on phone to tell her who killed Prince Audu and who didn’t kill him.

    “The truth of the matter is that, the report was totally false, even on the face value.  It cannot pass any logic to be believed.  It was written in bad faith.

    “Even at that, the language of the story could not be Okorocha’s for those who know him and for those who have been following his speeches.  He does not talk like an immature speaker.  For instance the writer quoted the Governor to have said “we are not unaware of their antics and plans to field Audu’s Deputy, Mr. Abiodun Faleke, after the programmed death of his boss.”

    “Governor Okorocha does not drag his sentences or speak disjointed grammar.  The mischief is very obvious, for all men and women of goodwill to see in the story.”

    The Governor’s aide argued further that, “again, on the day (Sunday) Prince Audu was reported to have died, Governor Okorocha was presiding over the meeting of the South-East Governors’, Ohaneze leaders, traditional rulers and National Assembly members at Enugu state Government House, over the issues of pro-Biafra protests and agitations.

    “The meeting began by 1pm and ended by 6.20pm. It was when the Governor was taken to the airport for Owerri that the news of Prince Audu’s death came as a rumour.  Nobody believed it until late that night when the picture of the ugly incident became clearer.  So, at what point did the Imo Governor call the writer on phone to begin to tell her what she claimed in the story?

    “Against the backdrop of all these, we challenge the writer of the story to also publish the particulars of the call in question.  The number with which the Governor called her and the time.  And also state why the Governor could have chosen to call her, of all people.  Let her state his relationship with the governor to warrant such phone interaction between them.  We are only keen in unmasking the face of an ungodly blackmailer.

    “The truth is that those who are cowed by Governor Okorocha’s God-given clout and attributes are the ones who have chosen to be petty.  And they have our sympathy, because Okorocha, in his politics is being driven by God.

    “Governor OKorocha is not quarrelling with Senator Tinubu.  The envisaged rift between the duo only exist in the imaginations of those who have chosen the path of dishonour, because only dishonourable people could have authored such an inglorious write-up.  Decent people do not do such.

    “Finally, those who feel that they can drag Governor Okorocha down through cheap blackmail should better be advised to find something meaningful to do, because whoever God has blessed, nobody can curse.  This is scriptural.  And that is our joy and consolation.

    “All in all, the Governor regrets the sudden death of the APC governorship candidate in Kogi state, Prince Audu.  The death of the APC gubernatorial candidate in Kogi state came when no one expected it, but God knew why he allowed it to happen few poles to his coming back as the Executive Governor of that state.

    “The death of the Prince should also be a lesson to all of us to appreciate our limitations as human beings.  We are all pencils in the hand of the creator.

    “On behalf of my family and the people of Imo state, I extend my heartfelt condolences, to the President and National leader of our great party, His Excellency Mohammadu Buhari, the National Chairman of the party, Chief John Oyegun, the people of Kogi state, and those left behind to mourn the departed gentleman.”

     

  • Okorocha: Igbo won’t negotiate on MASSOB platform

    Okorocha: Igbo won’t negotiate on MASSOB platform

    •‘Pro-Jonathan forces behind fresh Biafra agitation’

    Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha has said the Igbo will not use the platform of any separatist group, including the Movement for the Actualisation of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), to pursue the Igbo agenda.

    Okorocha, who distanced Southeast governors and leaders from the pro-Biafra groups, said the zone did not need an armed struggle associated with militia groups to attract economic and infrastructural development.

    The governor, who spoke at a breakfast meeting with reporters, noted that the zone’s setbacks could not be addressed by antagonising the North and West, but by mutual cooperation and support for the All Progressives Congress-led (APC) Federal Government.

    His words: “The Igbo will not use the agitation for Biafra as a platform to negotiate the place of Ndigbo, but will support the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to attract the dividends of democracy that eluded us in the past.

    “We should try to jettison religious sentiments and support President Buhari. The Igbo will not use Biafra as a front; we condemn those agitating for Biafra because that is not Ndigbo’s need”.

    But the senator representing Kaduna Central, Shehu Sani, has said agitation for Biafra is a plan ‘B’ action promoted by pro-Jonathan forces to undermine President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

    Sani, who spoke during an interaction with reporters in Kaduna yesterday, said: “The new agitation for Biafra is a misguided, ill-conceived and ill-fated course.

    “The Biafra agitation is a new attempt to destroy the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, to ignite a national conflict and cause chaos, pandemonium and confusion. It is not reflective of the interest and generality of the Igbo people.”

    The senator said the Igbo had made progress since the civil war, adding that their future was better guaranteed and sustained within a united Nigeria.

    Sani said: “Those attempting to wake up the Biafran course are of three categories. The first are young men with no knowledge of the tragedy, suffering and hardship Nigerians endured during the Civil War. The second category are desperate forces hiding behind the Biafran agitation to undermine our national unity and destroy theMuhammadu Buhari’s administration.

    “And the third group are simply warmongers, who want crisis in an era of peace and progress. So, I will say this in clear terms: Nigeria is an indivisible entity and we have since gone beyond the Civil War.”

    The people of the Southeast, Sani said, had the right within the ambit of the constitution to demand to be recognised and respected as equal partners in the Nigerian project.

    He cautioned that their agitation must, however, be within the ambit of respect for the indivisibility of Nigeria and the constitution.

    ”As long as we realise the change agenda, entrench good governance and run an all-inclusive government, the Biafran agitation will naturally fizzle out.

    “Nigerians must be patient with the President Buhari’s administration. It is wrong for people to accuse him of not performing, taking cognisance of the rot in the last 16 years.

    “We have no reason to give excuses and lament the problems of Nigeria when Nigerians are desirous of change and progress,” Sani said.

     

     

     

     

  • Okorocha seeks pay cut for President, governors

    Okorocha seeks pay cut for President, governors

    Omo State Governor Rochas Okorocha has called for a 50 per cent slash in the salaries and allowances of the President, Governors, legislators, and other political appointees.

    Okorocha said a reduction in the emoluments attached to political offices will make it less attractive, thus reducing the desperation to get into the offices.

    The governor spoke yesterday when he hosted members of the Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Commission (RMFC), led by its Chairman, Elias Mbam, to a breakfast meeting at the Government House.

    He argued that reducing the take-home pay of political office holders would reduce poverty, crime and the attendant do-or-die scramble for such positions.

    “By making the salaries and allowances of political office holders less attractive, only those keen on rendering genuine services to the people would vie for such offices.

    “If one knows that at the end of the month, your total pay as governor or legislator would be less than N500,000, most people would stay away and only those with ideas and the genuine spirit of service would aspire for such offices.

    “The huge amount spent on recurrent expenses should be directed to infrastructure, while the paraphernalia of offices should be drastically reduced. Only the genuine, who are ready to sacrifice for their people should be encouraged to leadership positions while those coming for the gains of the offices should be discouraged.”

    Mbam hailed Okorocha for his development strides, especially for the government’s free education and his personal initiative through the Rochas Foundation. He assured him that the committee would work on its findings and make necessary recommendations..

  • Imo shortchanged, says Okorocha

    Imo shortchanged, says Okorocha

    Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha has lamented that the state has not received allocation befitting its status as an oil-producing state.

    He said what the state receives as allocation from the Federation Account in nine months was what a Southsouth state gets in one month.

    Okorocha spoke when members of the Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Commission (RMFC), led by the Chairman, Elvis Mbam, visisted him at the Government House in Owerri.

    The governor lamented that many of the oil blocks belonging to the state were ceded to Rivers State.

    He called for a restructuring so that weaker states would be protected in terms of revenue allocation.

    His words: “It is proper that states pay the same salary structure considering the disparity in the revenue allocations.

    “The economy also needs diversification. The country’s economy must be diversified to de-emphasise the dependence on oil revenue. Since the commission decides who gets what, how and when, the case of Imo should be reviewed as an oil-producing state. It should be treated as other oil-producing states.

    “Imo state has also justified whatever it got as allocation. The state was the first to pay the N20,000 minimum wage and has kept faith with salary payment.”

    Mbam said the commission was charged with reviewing salaries and other revenue issues within its mandate, to reflect the economic realities.

    He thanked the government for accepting to host the commission’s retreat, adding that the development speaks volume of the government’s commitment to inter-governmental relations.

     

     

  • Okorocha condemns protests

    Okorocha condemns protests

    Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha has condemned the pro-Biafra protests in Anambra, Rivers and Delta states.

    The protests were against the arrest of the director of Biafra Radio, Nnamdi Kanu.

    Okorocha said the protest or any other activity of the separatist group did not have the backing of any Igbo leader or the Southeast governors.

    A statement by his Chief Press Secretary Mr. Sam Onwuemeodo said: “The ugly development is highly regrettable, especially when it is clear that such violent protests in the name of Biafra wouldn’t add any value to the development of the Southeast and the progress of its people.

    “The governors and leaders of the Southeast condemn the protests, especially when they were done in the name of Biafra. If a section of the people or even the entire people protest the bad shape of the Federal roads or the neglect of the zone, every governor and leader in the area would support that, but not a protest over an issue that is neither here nor there.

    “The Southeast is an integral part of Nigeria; the leaders believe in the unity of the country and would always work towards sustaining that unity. And as far as the governors and leaders are concerned, those behind the campaign for Biafra have their ulterior motives, which has nothing to do with the corporate interest of Ndigbo.

    “The concern of the governors and other Southeast leaders is to get what is due for us; any other quest, especially for Biafra, is diversionary”.

    Okorocha urged those behind the protests to give peace a chance, warning: “some people could get involved in a protest whose end result wouldn’t benefit Ndigbo in any way.”

  • Imo denies alleged harassment of workers

    Imo denies alleged harassment of workers

    Imo State Government, Thursday described as unfounded, the allegation that it brutalized and chased out workers from their offices with security operatives after it concessioned the parastatals.

    The Secretary-General of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Dr. Peter Ozo-Eson had in a press statement, accused the Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha of setting a dangerous precedence by maltreating workers in the state and using the Police to eject them from their offices, so as to concession the parastatals.

    He threatened that the NLC will resist the attempt by the Imo State government to concession the parastatals.

    But the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Sam Onwuemeodo, in a statement, said that the state government only concessioned the management of the parastatals to reposition it for better performance and not the parastatals as reported by the NLC scribe.

    According to the statement, “it is important to first and foremost, correct an impression over the action of the State Government on the parastatals. The truth is that Governor Okorocha or the Rescue Mission Government in the State has not concessioned any parastatal in the State. What the government had done was to concession the managements of the parastatals to make them productive. Concessioning the parastatals and concessioning the managements of the parastatals are not the same.

    “Again, no ugly development has ever taken place since the issue of concessioning the managements of the parastatals came on board, including resistance by the workers in the establishments, to warrant the involvement of the police in any way and for any reason. So, accusing the Governor of using the police to chase the workers away, arrest, brutalize and tear-gas them was totally false. And we take exception to that lie.”

    He added that, “we would also want to challenge the NLC National Secretary to prove his allegation, otherwise we would take it as cheap blackmail.

    “The state government’s resolve to concession the managements of these parastatals was only borne out of the desire to make them productive. These parastatals are as old as the state, but they had failed or refused to do the job for which they were set up, in the first place.

    “No patriotic Nigerian or people-oriented organization would support a situation whereby an establishment would be receiving the approved subventions from the State Government, but for long, would have nothing to display either to justify its existence or justify the financial investment in them, especially when these parastatals are not charitable organizations or NGOs.

    “The most unfortunate aspect of the whole story is that even those that were set up to generate revenue for the government had failed to do that and they became parasites on the finances of the State Government with nothing to show for all these. And no responsible or responsive government or governor would see all these and fail to take action.

    “Even before concessioning these parastatals, the government had met severally with the leaders of the organized Labour in the state, and in each meeting, the governor himself had taken time to explain why the concession of the managements of these parastatals should be the most acceptable action to take this time, since, even in the private sector, nobody would like to continue making an investment without anything to show for it at the end of the day.

    “On the fate of the workers in the affected parastatals, the Governor agreed to pay them all their outstanding salaries and also offered them the options of either being posted out to other government Ministries and Agencies or being paid off since the parastatals need fresh ideas and fresh personnel to re-position them and make them functional to achieve the goals behind their establishment ab-initio.

    “However, on the threat of the National Secretary of the NLC, we just want to remind him that Labour unions all over the world are always progressive and not retrogressive. And also let him know, with due respect, that NLC cannot dictate to the Governor of the state or the state government on how to run the affairs of the state.”

     

  • Okorocha is Zik’s successor, says Sule

    Okorocha is Zik’s successor, says Sule

    •‘My mission is to build bridges’

    Frontline northern leader Alhaji Maitama Sule has said Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha, was the only Igbo leader who truly represents the unity of the country, through his contributions to national development.

    He described Okorocha as the direct successor of the late Nnamdi Azikiwe, who he said made the greatest contribution in the struggle for Nigeria’s independence.

    Sule, who spoke during the graduation of the Rochas Foundation College in Kano, said the detribalised actions of Okorocha helped in promoting the country’s unity.

    His words: “Our founding fathers like the late Sarduana of Sokoto, Tafawa Balewa, Obafemi Awolowo and Nnamdi Azikiwe, laid the foundation for Nigeria’s unity and today, Okorocha is the symbol of that unity because his actions are uniting Nigeria and he is using one of the most effective tools of uniting a people, which is education.

    “The joy of every father is to see his successors. I have seen a worthy successor in Okorocha. He has taken after the great Nnamdi Azikiwe. He is the direct successor of Azikiwe. His contributions to the development of the educational sector, especially in providing free education for indigent children has proved that he is our Tafawa Balewa, Awolowo, Azikiwe and Ahmadu Bello. Okorocha has made me proud because his benevolence does not benefit only his region but the entire nation”.

    The social critic called on wealthy Nigerians, especially politicians, to emulate Okorocha by investing in the educational and the health sectors instead of stashing money in foreign banks.

    “It is my appeal to our politicians to bring back the monies they kept abroad and invest in our education and health sectors so that our country can grow.”

    Governor Rochas Okorocha has reiterated his determination to build bridges of peace to strengthen the relationship between the North and the Southeast.

    Okorocha spoke when he visited his Kano State counterpart, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, at the Government House in Kano. He urged the House of Assembly to enact a law for the transfer of the Rochas Foundation College as the property of the Kano State government.

    He said his aim, among others, was to unite both Houses of Assembly, noting that both had become one.

    Okorocha said the school had graduated over 2,000 students since its establishment 11 years ago, adding that indigent children should enjoy free education to the university level.

    He promised to extend the school to Sokoto and Adamawa states, as well as to over 100 other countries as sponsors come from Korea and China.

    Ganduje hailed Okorocha for abandoning regional politics for national unity and peaceful coexistence. He noted that the Okorocha played a significant role in the emergence of the new Nigeria.