Okorocha’s Intolerant Culture

The habitually intolerant Governor of Imo State, Chief Rochas Okorocha, last week gave an obnoxious dose of his quintessential disposition when he banned the correspondents of THISDAY and Vanguard Newspapers, Amby Uneze and Chidi Nkwopara, from covering the Government House activities, effectively carrying out his threat against journalists operating in the state. Sadly but not unexpectedly, the governor did not give any reason for his action except the assumption that the said correspondents do not like him. How further petty can a chief executive officer of a state sink?

Apparently, Okorocha has declared the correspondents enemies of government, because they have refused to be his lackey and during a chat last Saturday night with journalists, he still failed to point out any of the journalism ethics the correspondents had breached to have deserved such ban. Rather, he boasted and vowed to deal ruthlessly with either of the banned reporters that shows face at the Government House.

It is pertinent to state that the culture of clamping down on journalists and media houses already appears a lifestyle of the Okorocha administration. This is because most of the state-based newspaper houses have consistently had issues with him just because they demanded accountability which he is unable to give.

But what he has failed to realise is that history is always unkind to those why try to stifle the media. Given his fast-dropping popularity and performance rating in practically all fronts, particularly, his poor handling of a recent demolition exercise in which a 10-year old Somtochukwu Ibeanusi died, he had further exposed the indiscretion and negative temperament of an administration elected to look after Imo people. It was not surprising therefore that Okorocha would become what he is now. Posterity certainly awaits him!

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