The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Okorocha

  • Okorocha approves Catholic Diocese of Orlu varsity

    Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha has approved that land and authorisation papers be given to the Catholic Diocese of Orlu University for the take-off of the university.

    Okorocha spoke at a thanksgiving service at the Holy Trinity Cathedral, Orlu Catholic Diocese where he donated N145 million for the proposed University and renovation of the cathedral.

    Ifeanyi Ararume, Chief Chidi Idiga (JAFAC) and Chief Jerry Chukwueke donated N5 million and N4 million each.

    The governor said free education would remain a prime project and so the state government would continue to invest in education, adding that the Marine University, under construction in Ossemotor Oguta LGA, the European University in Ideato and another one under construction at Ngor Okpala/Mbaise would be the envy of many when they take off.

    Governor Okorocha assured the people that his second tenure would be better, saying the rural roads project would be completed while the free education from primary school to university level will remain.

    His words: “When I said I will stop kidnapping in the state including Orlu, people doubted me.  Today, it is a success story; kidnapping is no more.

    “Now I have promised industries, I am speaking based on my trust in God; I will fulfill it.  This government will fulfill its campaign promises. The 27 general hospitals, the 305 primary schools and other projects will be completed.

    “The problem I had with the elite was that I didn’t carry them along but I will now carry them along. These coming four years will be better than the last four years”.

     

  • Okorocha pledges payment of salary arrears pry school teachers

    Okorocha pledges payment of salary arrears pry school teachers

    Imo state Gov. Rochas Okorocha has pledged to pay salary arrears owed primary school teachers in the state which totals about thirteen months. Okorocha made the promise during the 2015 Workers Day celebrations in Owerri yesterday.

    In the same vein, the governor also promised to clear all pension arrears monthly. While he would pay arrears of N10,000 monthly, those higher than that would be spread over 12 months period.

    He reiterated his commitment toward the welfare of workers and pledged that his administration would ensure prompt release of subventions of all government agencies and parastatals.

    The governor said he would fight corruption in the state civil service by tackling inflated salaries and ghost workers.

    He said that more jobs would be created in the state during his second tenure through creation of new industries.

    Okorocha encouraged workers to engage in small businesses such as poultry farming to augment their salaries and contribute toward the development of the state.

    The state Chairman of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Mr Austin Chilakpo called for annual promotions of workers for improved productivity. Chilakpo urged the government to appoint permanent secretaries based on hierarchy in the civil service and not as political appointment.

  • Photos: Okorocha celebrates Workers’ day

    Photos: Okorocha celebrates Workers’ day

    DSC_0079 DSC_0087 DSC_0107 DSC_0159 DSC_0179 DSC_0176

  • Jubilation in Imo as Okorocha dedicates victory to masses

    Jubilation in Imo as Okorocha dedicates victory to masses

    Imo State capital Owerri yesterday erupted in wild jubilation as supporters of the All Progressives Congress(APC) took to the streets to celebrate Governor Rochas Okorocha’s reelection.

    Movement was disrupted as broom waving youths and women marched through major streets, dancing and exchanging banters.

    Okorocha attended a thanksgiving service at the Government House Chapel where he dedicated his victory to the masses who he said were neglected by successive administrations.

    He described the masses as the main victors in the election.

    “I have asked God to bless me so that I can bless others; I asked him to honour me so that I can honour others, give me leadership position so that I can impact on my people. This victory is for them.

    “I am in this business of governance so that the state and the nation can be better.

    “I have redeemed my campaign promises. Now my people can enjoy free education.  Kidnapping is now a thing of the past, now it is time for job, industry, employment and the first beneficiaries would be my 25,000 youths waiting for employment. One thousand others will go to Turkey for industrial training.”

    He urged his opponents not to see him as an enemy and urged them to join hands with him to build the state.

    Okorocha said: “I suffered a lot of campaign of calumny and hate speeches from my opponents but one thing they would never say is that I did not work. Now I am the governor of APC, APGA and PDP, so I call on them to join hands with me to build this state”

    But his main opponent and House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Emeka Ihedioha, rejected the result.

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate chided INEC for declaring Okorocha the winner.

    Ihedioha alleged that INEC staff conspired with the APC to rig the election.

    Addressing a news conference in Owerri, Ihedioha said: “In spite of instances of identified electoral malpractices including the arrest of over 25 Imo State INEC staff who conspired with the opposition party to manipulate and change the results of the elections already declared in favour of PDP, incident of swapping of PDP votes in favour of APC, all of which eroded the validity and credibility of the exercise, INEC has gone ahead to declare the APC candidate as the winner.”

    He said as a law abiding citizen, he had acknowledged the declaration of the results, adding that his party will deliberate on the details of the result and act appropriately.

  • APC hails electorate for voting Okorocha

    APC hails electorate for voting Okorocha

    The Southeast zone of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has praised the electorate for voting for Rochas Okorocha again as governor.

    Their vote for Okorocha, according to a statement signed by the zone’s spokesman, Osita Okechukwu, ‘was a worthy reward, which demonstrated the maxim that election is a referendum on the performance of the incumbent’.

    “For us, the re-election of Owelle Rochas Okorocha as governor of Imo State has enlisted the Southeast in the hall of fame of the Progressives Governors’ Forum (PGF). We appealed to the people to re-elect Okorocha, which they graciously heeded.

    “We urged them to complete the good work they started, for a vote for Owelle Rochas Okorocha is a golden vote to retain the only egg Ndigbo has in the basket of the new Nigeria Muhammadu Buhari is constructing.

    “Southeast, with the golden vote, is now guaranteed a place in the Progressives Governors’ Forum.

    “We congratulate Owelle Rochas Okorocha for his deserved victory and urge him to continue his pro-people programme, which endeared him to the people.

    “We hail the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for conducting a free, fair and transparent election, and for its vigilance, as evidenced by the arrest of hoodlums at Oru East.

    “Owelle’s victory is a soothing balm to Southeast APC,” Okechukwu said.

  • Guber polls: Okorocha vows to defend victory

    Guber polls: Okorocha vows to defend victory

    Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, Tuesday vowed to defend his mandate in the last governorship election against all forms of manipulations by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    The Imo Governor who addressed a press conference at the Government House, urged INEC to adopt the results of the six wards in Oru East, which were earlier rejected by the Commission over alleged irregularities and declare him winner.

    According to him, the figure of registered voters in the areas that elections were cancelled, which was earlier put at 144715 by INEC has been corrected as 127000, “INEC has given the correct figure of registered voters in the areas they were claiming elections did not hold to 127000. By the time they consider those that collected their PVC, the number will further reduce and by the time they finish accreditation, the number will go down still. So INEC should stop delaying the people’s victory and announce the winner.”

    The Governor also noted that if any of the results were to be rejected, it should be those of Aboh Mbaise, Ahiazu Mbaise and Ezinihitte Local Government Areas, where he said figures were falsified by the PDP, “the PDP candidate allocated over one hundred thousand votes to himself in the three LGAs, where elections never held so if there is any result that should be rejected, it should be the ones from those areas.”

    He further advised the candidates from the opposition parties to take a cue from President Goodluck Jonathan and accept their defeat in good fate so that they could join hands with his administration to develop the state.

    Meanwhile another round of protest rocked Owerri, the Imo state capital, where youths barricaded major roads in protest of the refusal of INEC to declare the winner of the governorship election.

    The youths numbering over four thousand, accused the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr. Gabriel Ada of conniving with the PDP to undermine the will of the people.

    They alleged that the REC in his game plan to declare the PDP candidate winner, had accepted all the results from the areas the PDP allocated fraudulent number of votes to its candidate and deliberately rejected results from areas where APC convincingly won.

    One of the youths who did not want his name mentioned for obvious security reasons, warned that the stalemate in the state currently may snowball into full blown crisis if INEC fails to do the right thing or undermine the will of the people in anyway.

    In another breath, the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Captain Emmanuel Ihenacho, staged a peaceful protest with hundreds of his supporters against the conduct of the governorship election, which he demanded should be cancelled.

  • Okorocha leads in Imo

    Okorocha leads in Imo

    Governor Rochas Okorocha of the All Progressive Congress is leading in 20 out of the 27 local government areas so far declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission in Imo State.

    According to reports, the governor is leading his closest challenger by over 50, 000 votes.

    Details later…

     

  • Imo guber: Araraume declares support for Okorocha

    Imo guber: Araraume declares support for Okorocha

    Last minute efforts by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to reconcile the PDP governorship candidate, Rt. Hon Emeka Ihedioha and a former governorship aspirant of the party, Senator Ifeayin Araraume Thursday collapsed as the Senator, who is still laying claim to the governorship ticket, teamed up with All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Governor Rochas Okorocha.

    The Senator, who commands large followership in the State, directed his supporters to vote for the APC candidate in the governorship election.

    The directive which has dealt a damaging blow to the chances of the PDP candidate was hailed by APC chieftains, who described the Senator as a distinguished Imo indigene who puts the interest of the state ahead of party or personal considerations.

    The Nation gathered reliably that Ararraume, may join the APC soon after the elections.

    However, when contacted, the Media Assistant to the PDP stalwart, Dr. James Okoroma, said the Senator is not thinking of defecting to the APC but took the decision to ensure that at least the APC will have at least one state in the Southeast in the overall interest of Ndigbo.

    According to him, “the Senator has not joined APC, what he did was to direct his supporters to vote for Governor Okorocha since Imo is the only APC state in the Southeast and he wouldn’t want Ndigbo to lose out completely”.

    Meanwhile, notable members of PDP in the State have defected to APC; among them were two former governorship aspirants of the party, Chief Jerry Chukwueke and Chief Bethel Nzimako.

  • Okorocha sends delegation to Oba of Lagos

    Okorocha sends delegation to Oba of Lagos

    Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha has sent a delegation of traditional rulers to meet with Lagos, monarch Oba Rilwan Akiolu over the “face-off” between the monarch and Igbo residents in Lagos.

    A statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Sam Onwuemeodo, said the delegation headed by the Chairman of the Imo State Council of Traditional Rulers, Eze Agunwa Ohiri, will deliberate with Oba Akiolu on ways to resolve the “impasse” before mischievous politicians take advantage of the situation.

     “Although the Lagos monarch has denied the report, it should not be enough to accept his denial without traditional rulers from the Southeast meeting with him.

     “It is not enough to take up the matter on the pages of newspapers, with some of the commentators only keen on causing more problems.

    “A new approach that would be more result-oriented should be employed, which includes the visit of the traditional rulers.”

    The governor urged  Igbo in Lagos to remain calm and be good ambassadors of the Igbo nation.

  • If Okorocha and Madumere win again …

    If Okorocha and Madumere win again …

    I have watched the dance steps of our politicians across the country. And the more I watch, the more I remember the two special brands in Imo State called Owelle Anayo Rochas Okorocha and Prince Eze Madumere.

    The theories and leadership template of Okorocha and Madumere, as well as their enchanting nuances remain aperture by which politics and governance is yet viewed in the country.

     Madumere and his big brother, Okorocha, came to rescue Imo State at a time all hope was lost in every sphere of the state. Madumere’s unquestionable loyalty to Okorocha over the years has increased the guts, aura and political capacity of the governor. Over the years, under the watch of Okorocha and Madumere, the political buccaneers of Imo State have been silenced; they have been normal budget expenditure; contracts are awarded and executed and this explains the quality of infrastructure in Imo State.

      If Okorocha and Madumere win again, they will be breather and ease of arbitrariness in every part of Imo State and Imolites will be proud of the thorny politics.

    So, if Okorocha and Madumere win again, the sloppiness that beset Imolites on all fronts in the system will be worked on or worked at. Given their attitude towards good governance, they will stoke the fire on the butts and get failed variables out of inertia.

     It is a tribute to the fighting spirit of Okorocha and Madumere that Imo State, less than four years under their watch, is back as the intellectual-academic power of Igboland. If Okorocha and Madumere win again, the excitement and bravery that comes with good governance will be felt by both Imolites and Nigerians in general. These two leaders understand the rudiments of governance and political machinations as if they are oracles.

     These two great role models have a natural flare and nose for what the late Dr. Chuba Okadigbo fondly called “political arithmetic” – an illustration of the mental calculation that must govern politics, governance and its practice. They understand the needed permutations, dwelled on political and economical substance but also know the kinetic force of sound bites and frequently put them to good use. Whenever you encounter Okorocha and Madumere at a political forum or holding court in a diplomatic cocktail circuit, they are always voluble, quick thinkers and savvy analysts of governance.

    They should be remembered for all they stood for, professed and aspired to see in the land.

    – Abanum wrote in from Lagos