The Rochas Okorochas List of Appointees:

I am alarmed at the long list of appointments made by the just elected Imo State Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, to the state government in the next four years of his tenure. This long list has no sensitivity, economic reality, moral consideration or respect for the sons and daughters of Imo.

Few weeks ago, the governor sacked all the employed workers engaged by his immediate predecessor, Chief Ikedi Ohakim, ochinawata , few days to his departure. The governor gave the excuse of lack of enough funds to pay and, insincerity in the way and manner the employment was done by the past governor. Weighing it, most Nigerians agreed with him but, tasked him to immediately begin processes of getting the economy running so as to engage these jobless and idle hands again.

Then just last week, our own Owelle, employed a huge retinue of aides that baffles minds. We counted about 50 aides and 39 members of various committees, excluding the Commissioners. First, none of these men and women would go home with anything less than five hundred thousand naira each, every month, certainly not men and women   like Papilo , baby face Nkiru or Chief Comedian of the State, Ogbuagu.

Again, the position and duty of most of these aides are laughable and completely irrelevant. For instance, what would be the duties of SA NDDC and SA Niger Delta? What about SA Comedy, SA Lagos Affairs, SA Lagos Liaison office, SA Protocol, SA Advance Protocol, SA Govt. House Chaplain, SA Religious Affairs, SA International Donor Agency, etc? This is completely absurd and disservice to the people of Imo state.

Moreso, if the governor who sacked workers of state government with the complaints of lack of financial power to pay salaries and insincerity of his former boss, we may then ask where did he get the money he will use in paying this his pack of appointees?   How sincere is this his appointment to the people of Imo state? Of what economic benefit will these appointments make to the lives and peoples of Imo state rather than just settling party men and women or the boys and girls.

We have always argued that the reason the state governors continue to complain of not finding resources to deliver is because of this huge retinue of aides and high number of ministries that actually end up doing nothing. A lot of resources go into paying these aides, money that would be enough to produce services, pay workers and provide social infrastructures that will automatically reduce poverty and improve quality of lives.

Nigeria is poor today not because we lack resources but, because our leaders are bad managers, they pump huge resources into very irrelevant projects, misplaced priority that yield less or nothing.   The governors are complaining of difficulty at paying the 18,000 naira minimum wage, approved by the Federal Government, let us ask them, what meaningful project have they embarked upon in their various states since 2007?

Owelle must be reminded that the people of Imo voted him into power because Ikedi Ohakim failed to deliver, simple! If Ohakim had performed like the Lagos state governor, he would have won squarely at the governorship elections. Owelle should learn from history and not repeat the mistake of his predecessors, he should serve the peoples of Imo state as a pay back on ensuring that he was victorious at the polls.

There is quite much work for the Owelle to do, and I think part of it is providing an enabling environment to encourage private investors to come into the state and invest thereby creating employment opportunities for the jobless men and women. He must realize that much is expected from him because much was given to him. Nigerian voters are no more docile, they are now awake and ready to make a change for the sake of the future of their children.

He who has ears let him hear!  
Uzodinma Nwaogbe