The political history of Nigeria is replete with divisive tendencies, and sectional leaders who at various times had mirrored the country in their own lenses, rather than build a cohesive union out of the realities of the country’s diversities. Owelle Rochas Anayo Okorocha is in a class of his own bearing in mind his strong belief and strident advocacy for a united Nigeria where equity, justice and peace will reign supreme.
This world view is traceable to his orientation as a businessman, politician and philanthropist and has endeared him to most Nigerians. Owelle Rochas was born to an Igbo father and mother, raised in the North and empowered financially under a Nigeria President of Yoruba extraction.
As someone who is inclined to philanthropic activities, he set out about 23 years ago to attend to the needs of the downtrodden in the society by building schools across the country and offering free education to the poor. Rochas foundation built schools in Kano, Zaria, Jos, Sokoto, Owerri, Ibadan, Yola and Bauchi.
The schools have also graduated thousands of Nigerians who wouldn’t have smelt the four walls of an educational institution but for the intervention of Rochas Foundation.
For a man who has risen to the pinnacle of financial success at a very young age he considered the establishment of the schools and rendering altruistic help to the underprivileged as a means of giving back to the society. In doing this he never discriminated against anyone on the basis of religious and ethnic background. In fact he is famous for being at home with Muslim faithful as well as Christians and people from all walks of life.
Realizing the importance of promoting societal peace and harmony through unity, Owelle Rochas had built a “Unity House” in the centre of Abuja, Nigeria’s Federal Capital, and this has become a rendezvous and “Political Mecca” of some sort to all Nigerians.
In his political activities he never ceases to preach peace, love and unity among all Nigerians, and as a fluent Hausa language speaker he is at home with the high and low in the Northern part of the country.
Realizing that the obverse of unity is division, and invariably conflagration Rochas Okorocha can be said to be obsessed about the unity of Nigeria and a clear indication of this is in his well-known traditional title of “Owelle” which is traceable to the late great Zik of Africa, Owelle of Onitsha and first Nigeria’s ceremonial President. Zik in his own time had made several concessions including accepting to be president rather than prime minister so long as Nigeria’s independence was not derailed, hence Alhaji Abubakar Tafawa Balewa was bestowed with the position of prime minister in the first republic.
By and large Owelle Rochas politics is tailored along the conciliatory and unifying style of politics for which late Dr. Azikiwe was well-known. His style of politics and indeed relationship with people from all corners of Nigeria resonates with Zik’s political ideology that Nigeria can be bigger and better as a united entity. Rochas has never deviated from this path hence he endeavors at all times to give people of other religions and ethnicity a sense of belonging.
This nationalistic approach has also won him a great deal of goodwill and followership across the country but majorly in the northern part of Nigeria where the ordinary masses see him as a leader with a caring heart. No wonder he is adjudged as the most popular politician from the Southern part of the country but accepted widely in the north today.
Suffice it to say that his brand of politics is mostly acceptable to the Northern masses, and after President Muhammadu Buhari who could always bank on 12-million northern votes at every election cycle. Rochas still commands that size of followership in the North and the 2023 elections will serve as a litmus test for many of his contemporaries who are clinging to straws and believing that they will buy their way to the presidency of the country.
There is no gainsaying that to attain any political mileage in a heterogeneous society like Nigeria political leaders must endeavour to build bridges across ethnic and political divides and this will inspire confidence amongst the peoples that power will be used for the good of all.
Chukwudi Enekwechi, JP, Abuja
