Like an Angry Masquerade, Okorocha is Knocking Everything Down

POLSCOPE 

By Eddy Odivwri; eddy.odivwri@thisdaylive.com   08053069356

It is Okorocha again! He is in the news, and as usual, for the wrong reason.

Last Monday, he swore in 28 new commissioners. One of them is his biological sister, Mrs Ogechi Ololo (nee Okorocha). It is not so much that Okorocha threw expediency aboard and appointed his sister into his cabinet, it is rather on the office/ministry he had to desperately create for his sister: the ministry of Happiness and Couples’ Fulfilment.  It is strange and banal.

But seeing the volume of criticisms the creation had attracted, the Imo government quickly tweaked the name of the ministry to read, Ministry of Happiness and Purpose Fulfilment”, claiming it was printer’s devil. (Devil don suffer)

In an era when governance is taking slimmer shape and lesser weight, His Excellency, Governor Rochas Anayo Okorocha  is not only running a large cabinet, he is even creating more ministries, some of which are not only nebulous but outlandish.

But in defence of the creation of the ministry of Happiness and Purpose Fulfilment, the Imo State Commissioner for Information, Mr Nnamdi Obiareri argued that it is not only within the prerogative of his principal to create more and more ministries, as he dims fit, citing Sections 1 and 92 (subsection 2) of the 1999 constitution as amended, he pointed out that “What the Governor of Imo State has done, in creating the Ministry of Happiness and Couples’ Fulfilment,  is to be able to assist Imo people to realise happiness which is the very primary essence of government”.

From Obiareri’s queer logic, it is to be understood that until now, Okorocha’s government had not achieved the “primary essence of government”, more than six and a half years in office! It means that all along, Imo people have not been happy; and that appointing her younger sister into such a “crucial ministry” will rewrite the experience of Ndi Imo.

I am not surprised that Okorocha is just realising that he needs to reconcile with his Imo electorate. He had long disconnected from the people by whose authority he’s been in office.

How did he expect them to be happy when he forced the hapless and helpless pensioners to sign off over 60 per cent of their pensions and anything more than 13 months? How would such pensioners be happy with a governor who is riding roughshod over their finances and future?

How did he expect the poor traders at Ekeukwu market to be happy with him when he rolled out tanks and bulldozers to demolish the market from where the traders eke out their daily living? How did he expect the traders to be happy with a government that not only denies them their source of livelihood but also kills their children who dare to protest?

How did Okorocha expect the larger Imo people to be happy when he neglects the decaying infrastructure in the state and instead chooses to expend the whopping sum of N520 million on erecting eight, yes eight, statues in honour of South African President, Mr  Jacob Zuma  and co? And that is in a state where teachers and other civil servants are owed many months of unpaid salaries.

How did Gov Okorocha expect the people to be happy when he runs and exhibits high scale hedonism (like celebrating his birthday with an array of 27 cakes from across all the 27 local government areas of the state)?

And pray, how would the people be happy when Okorocha, in defiance of propriety has been appointing family members into choice positions in the state? Yes, blood relations are entitled to appointments too, but moderation and expediency must dictate some balance.

Okorocha presently has several members of his family in one position or the other in the state. It is even rumoured(?) that he has presently groomed the present Chief of Staff, his son-in-law, Mr Uche Nwosu, as his successor.

The younger sister he just appointed commissioner had also been (and remains) Deputy Chief of Staff to the governor on Domestic affairs in Government House.

It may well be that Okorocha has eventually realised that he has sinned on all fronts and come short of the pleasure of his people and has thus devised special means of making them smile a little by creating Ministry of Happiness and Purpose Fulfilment. But how exactly is he going to do this? Did he merely create the ministry to accommodate his sister, so it can be in her CV as an ex-commissioner? Is the state financially stable to accommodate the bogey of another ministry with all the concomitant consequences? How exactly would that ministry generate and dish out happiness to the people?

Is it not from the policies and projects of the government that the people derive their well-being and happiness? Nigerians are eagerly watching to see what Mrs Ololo will do with her new tasks.

Gov Okorocha, in an attempt to help his sister, has set her on the eye of angry storm.

She has begun defending and defining her job description. According to her first public comment (on social media) embroidered with grammatical stress, “in a time were couple divorce is at an all-time high, I will use my good office to ensure couples in Imo will be fulfilled and serve as an example to the world.” Hmmmm. I know of no statistics that puts Imo State on the top chart of divorce.

Besides the flurry of grammar glitches, it shows that contrary to the blame on “printer’s devil”, the ministry is indeed targeted at couples.

Ololo may have also betrayed poor temperament in dealing with the public. She seems foul-mouthed and determined to respond to every jab. In responding to a tweet which asked what the sin of the Imo people is, for them to be so embarrassed by Okorocha, she responded:  “the SIN that your mama committed by not swallowing that sperm that was wasted on your production. Anofia, Onye beribe, zombie! “

So again, how does Mrs Ololo want to promote fulfilment among couples or purpose fulfilment among the people? Which purpose are they even talking about? It sounds like some Pentecostal Church revival theme. Nigerians wait for how she will make hungry and jobless couples happy and fulfil their purpose.

It may well end up as governmental experiment, from which the world will learn, if it succeeds. But until then, Okorocha comes across like an angry and disgruntled masquerade knocking everything down on his way to an inglorious end.

PIX:  Rochas Okorocha.jpg

Canticles…

Mainagate: When Will Malami Be Sacked?

I

heard that Mr. President would deal decisively with the Mianagate and punish all implicated persons when he returns from Jordan.

So is he still in Jordan? As we speak, he is in Daura, his town. Please ignore all rumours of President Buhari having an action plan on anything. He is the typical Baba Go-slow or what some foul-mouthed persons call a push-and-start president.

Haba, be fair to Mr. President. If only you know the myriad of problems associated with governing this country, you will appreciate the little or much impact you are seeing. Or do you think it is for nothing that all of Fashola’s hair has gone grey within two years?

Stop defending them and giving excuses for them. Didn’t they opt to contest? Or did Nigeria suddenly become complex after they won elections? Look, it is a problem of being proactive. It is a disease of lethargy. The President is too slow. He allows things to get irretrievably spoilt before he eventually acts. And it is hurting his public rating.

I think it is your own opinion. Many others believe that Mr President takes his time to boot, so to speak, and as soon as he is activated on any line of action, it is action all the way. You can see the example on the fight against corruption.

And that exactly is the example where he is failing most. Do you realise how long it took him to eventually sack Mr. Grasscutter, aka David Babachir Lawal and Ayo Oke, the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation and DG NIA, respectively? And can you see also the way the case of Abdulrasheed Maina is going along with his cohorts like the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Mr. Abubakar Malami, the Minister of Interior, Gen Abdulrahman Dambazau (rtd), the Head of Civil service, Mrs. Winifred Oyo-Ita? By now, shouldn’t the president have done something more convincing that he is not on the same page with the Maina supporters?

But have you forgotten that as soon as the scandal broke, Mr President ordered the immediate sack of Maina from the civil service? Did you not read that? Isn’t that the proactiveness you are talking about?

Complete the story. And Mr President ordered a probe into how Maina got reinstated in the service. And ever since, a big can of worms has been opened and the rot thereof spilling out, what has Mr President done?

For the number one law officer of a country to carry himself to go visit a “fugitive” in a foreign land, expending public/government money for such a trip, and going along with even the National Security Adviser of a country, based on the advice of the DG, SSS; all to go discuss with a man indicted by an agency of government who is fleeing from justice.  just ponder on these things. Can you reconcile all the nonsense?

And then such a number one officer, returns to the country and takes it upon himself to write letters and letters “directing” the reinstatement of that same accused fellow, over whose head hangs a court order…. The chief law officer deliberately misinterprets a court judgment that faulted the manner of invitation to Maina by the Senate, and makes it look like the court absolved Maina.

Then they arrange for the quiet return of that same fleeing fugitive into the country through an illegal route, as the nation’s immigration service does not have record of his entry into or exit from the country, the SSS gives him cover and protection, and he not only resumes work, he gets promoted and paid huge sum of N22million salary arrears, even though the Federal government denied the payment. Surely all animals are equal but some are more equal.  Gosh…  such a number one Law officer of a country having severely compromised his office, is no longer deserving of such high office.

Remember that all these were voluntarily confessed. Corruption is not only when money is stolen. This is a clear case of corruption. And more than two months after, all such persons are still in office, spending from the public treasury…. Hey, what else is impunity and corruption?

Can’t you see that these people in the notorious cabal operate with the Paulean philosophy: If Mr president be for me, who can be against me?

No, no, no. Don’t go there. Mr President belongs to no one and belongs to everyone. He does not compromise on his integrity. Anyone found wanting on anything shall have to go for it.

So when will Malami and co go for the crime they have committed?

What is the crime and which court of law has pronounced them guilty? Or do you think the National Assembly is equal to the Court of law?

You see, it is such pedantic arguments that are slowing us down as a country. You see this all-glaring case, and you are asking for court of law pronouncement?

Yes, the court has to pronounce them guilty or innocent. It is called legal due process. That is what the rule of law says.

Pray, whose money did Malami and co use in travelling to Dubai? Was it in pursuit of government interest or the pursuit of the cabal’s agenda/interest? Nigerians are angry and fuming that some people believing that they control Mr President and so can take the rest of Nigerians for a ride. They sell-short our collective intelligence.

Calm down! The law will run its full course. And I can assure you that anyone found guilty would not be spared. Though it tarries, it shall surely come to pass. Trust me!

How can I trust you with these weird arguments of yours?

President Buhari is listening. When he is convinced all due processes have been followed, he will slam the hammer on the gavel. And he will not slam amiss.

Pix: Malami.jpg