GOV. OKOROCHA’S INCONSISTENT NATURE, A STEP TO FAILURE.
William James, a white American Pragmatist, once said, “The spectator can know nothing of the truth.” It could be assumed that what he meant was that unless we try, by using our imagination, to get inside the people involved in any situation, we shall never understand their behaviour, intention, pretension and target with any completeness and vividness. Richard Wright explains this assertion clearer that, “You can probably think of times in your own life when someone misjudged you: often, this is because the person making the judgement was acting as a spectator, seeing you only from the outside.” So, if one wants to understand the life and activities of someone like Governor Okorocha, it is not enough to have a lot of information. One needs also to feel his experiences and endeavours as he felt them and exerted influences. And if one succeeds in feeling them, with real inwardness, then it is likely that some of the person's attitudes will never have been changed, however slightly, by his feelings.
Certainly, Governor Rochas Anayo Okorocha has so far had so many hat-tricks of wins and successes, so numerous to contain in this little space. Some of these acclaimed score points were really jinx that held some previous administrations spell-bond, some were normal outcomes and feats that every other Imolite or significant other in the State can achieve, many were consequences of ingenuities of some of his cabinet members, Party stalwarts and significant others who are also his admirers, while the rest belong to varied categories of pyrrhic victory.
Nonetheless, every human hat-trick irrespective of its arrière-plan unto accomplishment has features, traits or characteristics, which by distinguishing it makes of it a unique nature for identity. Similarly, traits like habits are second natures, without which a thing cannot be unique nor have peculiar identity. That is why peculiarities, attributes and uniqueness are inalienable components of personality or identity for all entities. These identity traits are in abundant in all programmes, agenda and hat-tricks that Governor Okorocha has undergone so far. Quite laudable, even the blind can hear others who as spectators have seen and watched these administrative strides and achievements. Yet, as Prof Ilunga Lubumuna of Université de Kinshasa would say, “tant que l'Africaine dit MAIS, c'est dit qu'il y a de problems. (Once an African says BUT, it means there are problems).
These plausible administrative strides and achievements have great mesmerising MAIS. They are characterized by the features of inconsistency, panic measures and master of none end-points. This sounds like a bogus claim but a constructive critic that Governor Okorocha needs if he must do well as he prays and purports to be doing. Perhaps, he needs a P.A on Critical Evaluations on his administrative styles. At least, 65% of his 20 months administrative programmes and declarations are circumstantial and lacked perspective planning and focal points, he rises like Rev Fr Prof George E Ekwuru's Sleeping African Giant to exert a solution-influence on emergent problems and panic situations. Oh well, this is creditable, after all it is in panic situations and despair moments that real saviours on rescue missions are known (as David did against the Philistines or as Christ did to the Apostles during the Storm, etc). But realistically, it is only in fables and biblical stories that panic measures and abrupt interventions are applauded as hat-tricks, not in this jet age. A few examples may be needed to illuminate the spectators who know nothing about the truth than they perceive audio-visually from the entertaining stage actors.
Governor Okorocha at the first months of his administration announced free education in the Primary and Secondary Schools as he entered into office. Shortly after, in another pronouncement, he turned it into allocations that would be given to the head-teachers to run the schools and pay the teachers therewith. Shortly afterward again, he returned to his initial stand notwithstanding the fact that from Primary 1 to JSS 3 have been on free education nationwide under UBE and before Rochas entered into the Government House. A little while again, he declared stipends and monthly allocations for snacks for the pupils. Have the recipients been receiving the stipends? What of the pronounced uniform, how far has it been realized?
In the same vein, in August 2011, the highly announced 4th Tier Government made Okorocha's administration a beatific vision. His Political Adviser, Chief P.C. Onuoha, and Dr Ikeanyibe, Barr. Reuben Okoro and Chief BMC Amadi on September 1, 2011 then fantasized on the glorious 4th Tier Government. Civil Servants were deployed to the rural areas for it, while series of postings, reshufflings and agitations reigned. Whither now the 4th Tier Government and their workers? It was announced that what they produced in the rural communities will be used to pay their salaries, which resembles the proposals of the early industrialists in the 19th Century Europe. How can there be a 4th Tier Government headed by an Eze in communities that do not have either Traditional Rulers or recognized ones. How many Community Government is functional today and which has ever received the proclaimed funds for grass-root developments? What of the proposed elections, what security strength does the State have to conduct in one day, four elections in all the communities in Imo State? What administrative strength does ISEC have to conduct the elections or will it hire ad hoc staff from another State? When has it become the State's function to elect Town Union members, or has it been wiped off from the LG Chairmen functions? Fantasy is good for literary creativity but impracticable in human management, unworkable in human affairs or with entities marked with irregularities.
Governor Okorocha on February last year also gave Imolites in the State's Higher Institutions Valentine gifts of free education and bursary stuffs, which the spectators morosely applauded. But the question is, why give bursary to students to pay in same university own by their state of origin? It is like giving a colleague in a cooperative business accrued fund they own in common as appreciation for his industriousness in the establishment. Why should Traditional Rulers go to bring the cheques for their Community beneficiaries when they have sent certifying identifications on the students' indigeneity? How many of the Traditional Rulers have Rochas approved, gave recognition or settled the problem in their Kingdoms? Why give the bursary and order the Schools to limit the percentage intake of Imolites per annum, thereby making it impossible for available and qualified Imolites to study in them? What of the other students in FUTO, POLYNEK, and in other varsities nationwide, are they not indigenes of the state or are they cursed for not being students of IMSU and Imo Poly? What of students of Ohaji/Egbema and Oguta LGAs who study in other universities in Imo State and in other states under the ISOPADEC Scholarship that has existed since Governors Udenwa and Ohakim's administrations, but are lost, abandoned in this regime and the scholarship scheme aborted? Does the bursary for Imo Poly and IMSU students entail the discontinuity of the ISOPADEC scholarship given to communities in Ohaji/Egbema and Oguta LGAs?
The Okorocha's administration also embarked on revalidation exercise of autonomous communities in the State, which was mesmerised by the Committee which instead of settling or helping the situations in the Throne-battled Communities, instigated more strives, disaffections and oppositions in the Communities. Has the Committee and the Imo State Government published even one report, has Governor Okorocha succeeded in recognizing even one Traditional Ruler or given Staff of Office to any Traditional Ruler in the crisis free communities since after the Committee's activities? Recently Okorocha instituted a judicial commission of inquiry to investigate the Ezes in Imo state, he is still targeting at the 106 autonomous communities which he hates the way dogs hate cow's excreta. He recently proved this hatred by paying some Ezes and ignored the 106 Ezes. Is this not an abomination?
How can these communities have Chairmen in the proposed 4th Tier Government if it would finally stand? Even this so mouth-wagged the 4th Tier Government, is not of same vision and quintessence as the scraped off Development Centres of Governor Ohakim? What of the proposed April 2013 LGA elections in the State, can Okorocha's administration manage the crisis that will arise between Wards Councillors and the Communities Liaison Officers or will the Community Government be dependent on the State or the LG, perhaps a new directive will ensue? What of all the roads that Ndi Ntipu Uzo opened everywhere in the rural communities that have been abandoned in the entire state, is it how the Development of the Rural Communities will be if the 4th Tier Government perhaps succeeds? What of the abundant employment opportunities Governor Okorocha sang in his inauguration album on May 29, 2011?
Obviously, Rochas has tried his best but this trying is never extraordinary nor merits any special adoration as his 18 inches TV replays in the Reception Room of the Government House. This trying is normal in every administration, nothing is valuably spectacular about them in terms of regularities and originalities, and his trying is purely characterized by trial and error, by panic measures, by inconsistency between declarations and their implementations, by doing all and mastering none, and by hit and run strategy. As William Shakespeare's Prospero said (to Ferdinand in The Tempest), “Who mak'st a show, but dar'st not strike, thy conscience is so possessed with guilt,” with erroneous approaches that ensure no continuity unto accomplishments, and whatsoever achievements made under these situations are purely serendipitous, circumstantial and mere accident. Okorocha has failed Imo people. He is not consistent. He needs deliverance prayer.
BY Prof Nathan Protus Uzorma (JP) Email [email protected]