Gov. Rochas Is Sleeping-Wake Him Up!
Recently an online media ( www.tori.ng ) reported that Imo state governor Chief Rochas Okorocha was caught sleeping during Buhari’s meeting in the United States of America.
It is no more news that Gov. Rochas Okorocha of Imo state was one of the delegations that joined President Buhari on his presidential visit to USA. Chief Rochas was allegedly reported to be sleeping during a meeting session with the World Bank president, Dr Jim Yong Kim with Nigerian president. The online news reports, “…Governor Rochas Okorocha joined president Buhari to meet with the world bank president, looks like he is sleeping in the meeting with the world bank president Dr Jim Yong Kim. May be he is meditating or praying”.
Since I read this report, I have asked myself so many questions, is it that the photographer snapped him while he blinked his eyes or that he was weak due to much labour at night (meetings etc) or that he was sleeping due to less importance he attached to the meeting? Endless questions! No matter what could be said and analyzed, only God and our great governor know the truth.
Sleep is good to human health. Yes, sleep is beneficial even without fully grasping what sleep does to us, it is obvious that going without sleep for so long makes one feel very terrible and getting a good night sleep makes one feel ready to take on the next day activity . Scientists have gone to great length to fully understand sleep’s benefits. In studies of humans and other animals they have discovered that sleep plays a critical role in immune function, metabolism, memory, learning and other vital functions. Scientists are not entirely sure why we sleep but they have ideas about the functions of this mysterious part of our lives.
Without going further to analyze the benefits of sleep in human life, it is imperative to infer here that sleep is good and has its own time. Sleeping on duty is very wrong; again, meditating or sleeping while a serious meeting is going on is very unethical and exposes lack of seriousness and proper knowledge of the assignment.
If I could paraphrase scripture to reflect my intention the gospel according to St. Mathew, chapter 13 verse 24 to 25, would read differently. Jesus said, “….The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man who sowed good seed in his field but while men slept, his enemies came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way”. This scripture would change to “The movement of Buhari to USA is likened unto a man who means well for his nation (by sowing good seeds). While on a journey, went with a man who was sleeping during all important meeting due to too much money”.
I know I am calling for criticism by attempting to paraphrase the scripture to reflect my intention which may be ignoble to few Imolite. That Gov. Rochas Okorocha slept in a meeting of obvious importance is a thing to reflect on. I feel pity that stress may have caught up with him or that he had serious night vigil for so many days. Therefore being a natural human being, cheating nature, he must pay for it and the only way to pay was to be “disgraced” as he was said to be sleeping in all important meeting in the United States of America.
In the area of a man who had several meetings including night prayer with God and may be damsels; why won’t he be tired and stressed up? After all God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam before he made Eve. Such sleep is very good particularly when it is beneficial, considering the fact that he did not travel with his family-what do you expect? Gov. Rochas please sleep on after all it is good to be a governor!
Okorocha is not loosing anything. The worst is that he appears to be sleeping in this his second missionary journey govern Imo state. I am afraid that in his second time in office, he may not do much to impact on people. He is still sleeping at the Imo Government House otherwise how could someone explain why he has not made any appointment till now. Someone needs to wake him up to enable him increase the speed of delivering the dividends of democracy to people who voted him into power.
As one of those who ran for the position of Deputy Governor in United Progressive Party (UPP) in the just concluded 2015 election in Imo state, myself and Dr Osmond Ukanacho and the party authorities decided not to go to the tribunal (court) to challenge Gov. Rochas Okorocha’s victory in order not to distract and divert his attention. In the spirit of true love, we gave him the chance to continue in his administration so that at the end Imo state will benefit more. But if it is true that Gov. Rochas has carried his sleeping propensity from Imo to America, then someone like myself should wake him up immediately.
In doing so, I hope I will not get the usual reaction now that he is sleeping? If you wake up a man who is enjoying his sleep when he is not satisfied, what do you expect from him? Anger of cause! One may not be able to withstand the degree of anger that may ooze out of him. In the words of Tom Rusk, “Courage is the act of doing what one feels is right despite ones fears”. Like it is often said that courage is not the absence of fear but the willingness to push on in the face of it. One who kneels before God can stand before anyone. One, who does this, should keep his fears to himself and share his noble courage with others.
In Imo state now, nothing is moving except demolition of properties, deducting some monies from civil servants. That of lawyers is presently generating very secret heat. The faces of Imo civil servants are presently reflecting deep exasperation which may explode soon. Workers are not paid salaries at all. Where is Imo money? You do not question Gov. Rochas because doing so will amount to waking a sleeping lion. Now, the Reformer is asking, why are salaries not paid after the bailout of Mr. President?
Information reaching me and other people in social media indicates that some present and past governors in Nigeria have their foreign accounts filled with our money. Recently about sixteen of them were published together with the amount involved and banks. Now if this information is true, then Gov Rochas Okorocha whose name came top in the list is said to have the sum of 1.4 Billion in JP Morgan Chase in New York. The name of Oshiomole, Amechi, Nyako, Shettima and other also came in the list.
Though in the list, I did not see or find the names of the PDP past and present governors which on the other hand made me to an extent doubt the publication. But if the information is true, and if Gov. Rochas of Imo state has 1.4 billion in US bank, and Imo workers are been own salaries, pensioners are gradually dying without any pay, then we have a sleeping Governor who must wake up to answer questions from Imo people. I am convinced that our governor is sleeping so much thereby starving Imo civil servants their wages.
It was Plato who said, that to do it, vice is as a result of ignorance, this points to the truth that, knowing the good and carrying it out through sound and noble action is wisdom itself. In the language of Socrates, liberation of man, he like Plato, taught that the evildoer who thinks he is free because he can satisfy his desire is himself a slave. I want to join Aristotle to infer here that, “To say of what is that it is not, or of what is not that it is, is false while to say of what is that is it or what is not that it is not, is true”. I rest my case!