Immediate past governor of Imo State, Mr. Ikedi Ohakim, has warned his
\nsuccessor, Mr. Rochas Okorocha, that the anger of the citizens of the
\nState is brewing against him and his administration\u2019s policies.<\/p>\n
Mr. Ohakim\u2019s warning is contained in a letter to his successor. Titled
\n\u201cCurrent Trends of Events In Our State\u201d and dated 22 August, Mr. Ohakim
\nopened with the rote greetings typical of such missives before aiming
\narrows at the conduct of Mr. Okorocha and policies of his government.<\/p>\n
The first target of Mr. Ohakim\u2019s arrow is the ongoing demolition of
\nstructures in Owerri, the State capital, on account of road construction.
\nThe former governor said he has been receiving complaints from those
\naffected that on the government\u2019s action.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have personally driven around the municipality and seen what is going
\non. The major complaint by those affected by these demolitions is that
\nthey were neither given adequate notice nor compensation discussed\/paid
\nbefore bulldozers were sent to demolish their properties.<\/p>\n
“I am told that some officials of your administration, to whom the people
\nmanaged to have access, merely told the owners of the houses that they
\ncontravened existing regulations on location and specifications of
\nbuildings. I also hear that they are told that all land belongs to
\ngovernment and that the latter can take any land at will without giving
\nexplanations,\u201d wrote Mr. Ohakim.<\/p>\n
He added that in the face of the grim economic phase the country is
\npassing through, Mr. Okorocha should have realized that this is a wrong
\ntime to demolish properties, as many use them as the only source of
\nlivelihood.<\/p>\n
While conceding that multiple lane roads are desirable, Mr. Ohakim said
\nthe impact of such should have been considered. He called on Mr. Okorocha
\nto inform officials of his government, who claimed the government can do
\nas it wishes with people\u2019s land, that such claims are false and constitute
\nan assault on the dignity of the people.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo say such a thing in a place like Imo State is to assault the
\ncollective dignity of a people reputed as being among the most educated in
\nthe entire country,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Mr. Ohakim drew Mr. Okorocha\u2019s attention to Ogun State, where he said
\nGovernor Ibikunle Amosun attempted a similar exercise, but was legally
\nresisted, backtracked, negotiated adequate compensations and modified the
\nproject to reduce the rate of demolition.<\/p>\n
Similarly, Mr. Ohakim pointed out that the road expansion exercise in
\nOwerri is at variance with the city\u2019s master plan and any known element of
\nroad design, arguing that the huge economic loses from it will outstrip
\nthe benefits derivable from \u201cthe few metres to be gained from the proposed
\nexpansion\u201d.<\/p>\n
He contended that matters are worsened by the fact that the expansion will
\nensure that there is no room for the replacement of pipes and cables, as
\nthe proposed roads will end at the foundation of people’s houses.<\/p>\n
A graver problem, Mr. Ohakim alleged, is the fact that the ongoing road
\nexpansion exercise has not been captured in the budgets of the state over
\nthe last five years.<\/p>\n
This, he pointed out, connotes indifference to due process and reflects
\nbad governance.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is a trite argument that embarking on any project, however well
\nintentioned, without first putting it in the budget is against the law. It
\nalso makes room for arbitrary, uncoordinated and aimless application of
\nfunds and makes monitoring and accountability difficult if not
\nimpossible,\u201d he argued.<\/p>\n
In addition, he accused Mr. Okorocha of not taking into consideration the
\npeculiarities of Owerri, which he said is the only State capital with a
\ntwin design concept.<\/p>\n
He explained that Owerri is located in a valley, the reason the original
\ndesigners of its master plan considered a variety of engineering and
\ntechnical issues.<\/p>\n
One of such, he said is that indiscriminate excavations, as currently
\nhappening, would make the city highly susceptible to flooding.<\/p>\n
It was in the attempt to limit the city\u2019s vulnerability, he claimed that
\nthe that the old part of the city was designed to be left with minimal
\ndestruction and the twin city fitted with 62 flood draining manholes,
\nwhich require periodic desilting.<\/p>\n
Mr. Ohakim called Mr. Okorocha\u2019s attention to the road expansion projects
\ncarried out under his administration, which he said were executed with
\nfidelity to the masterplan and with thought about the salaries of workers
\nand payment to pensioners.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe found the need to expand certain roads in the state capital such as
\nOrji\/Okigwe Road, Egbu\/Umuahia Road, Egbeada\/Orji Road and Orlu Road. This
\nentailed removing illegal structures, but we did so within the confines of
\nthe existing lawful master plan. We made sure all such projects were
\ncaptured in the appropriation and the Federal Ministry of Works duly
\nconsulted both in design and execution. We did not embark on constructing
\nthe famed multi-lane English MI motor way with the money meant for
\nsalaries of workers and our aged pensioners,\u201d he claimed.<\/p>\n
He told his predecessor that if he had consulted professionals, he would
\nhave been informed that Orlu Road, Okigwe\/Orji Road and Egbu Road, which
\nwere dualized by his (Ohakim\u2019s) administration between 2008 and 2010, have
\nreached the maximum permissible limit of expansion recommended by the
\nmaster plan.<\/p>\n
The ongoing excavations necessitated by the road-expansion programme,
\nOhakim pointed out, have destroyed the water pipelines on which the late
\nChief Sam Mbakwe’s administration spent over $34 million to lay.<\/p>\n
\u201cNearly all the buildings, including business houses, along the affected
\nroads ‘have now been disconnected from the public electricity supply as a
\nresult of the damage of electricity wires, cables and poles. As a matter
\nof fact, two hotels along Orlu Road in Amakohia have closed for business
\nand sent their workers away. Ditto other businesses,\u201d he further wrote.<\/p>\n
The former governor also laid into Mr. Okorocha for his treatment of
\nNworie and Otamiri Rivers, nature\u2019s gift that Ohakim said the State is
\nabout losing.<\/p>\n
Mr. Otamiri, he said, is the intake source of the Owerri main water scheme.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow that it is going into extinction, it means it can no longer play that
\nrole as an important source of life for the people. As things stand, both
\nrivers may disappear within the next few years. Your idea of linking the
\nold and new Owerri through the two rivers is lofty, but you failed it when
\nyou used ordinary culverts to cross over the two rivers. This is the
\ngreatest damage to these natural resources,\u201d Mr. Ohakim stated.<\/p>\n
He equally accused Mr. Okorocha of attracting the people\u2019s ire by his
\nadministration\u2019s shabby handling of the Imo State Water Corporation, which
\nhe said resulted in the sacking of over 200 technicians trained by the
\nimmediate past administration.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour administration is paying little or no attention to affordable clean
\ndrinking water. Our people are dying,\u201d Mr. Ohakim said.<\/p>\n
Another complaint in Mr. Ohakim\u2019s letter was the abandonment of three ring
\nroads started by previous administrations in Owerri that you were caught
\nin the current dilemma over roads in Owerri. These, Ohakim argued, should
\nhave been completed with the funds Mr. Okorocha is spending on those being
\nexpanded by his administration.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am in a position to know that the funds you are currently channeling
\ninto the needless expansion of some roads within the state are enough to
\ncomplete the ring roads. I can also state without any fear of
\ncontradiction that the only way to truly achieve the aesthetics you are
\nprobably very much after and as well effectively decongest traffic in
\nOwerri, is to complete the ring roads,\u201d the letter stated.<\/p>\n
On the Eke-Ukwu Owerri Market, which the Okorocha administration has
\nslated for relocation, Mr. Ohakim advised that it should be left alone, as
\nproceeding with the relocation would have grave grave economic and social
\noutcomes. Rather than relocate the market, Mr. Ohakim advised Mr. Okorocha
\nto relocate Ama Hausa along Douglas Road.<\/p>\n
The space occupied by the market, he argued, has become too small to
\naccommodate the trader population and promotes lack of hygiene.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am of the view that Ama Hausa should be relocated to give Eke-Ukwu
\nOwerri more space for expansion. I understand that some officials of your
\nadministration go about saying that you are following a plan and drawing
\nmade during my administration on Eke-Ukwu Owerri market. The truth,
\nhowever, is that we made no drawings and we had no plan to relocate the
\nmarket. Our plan was to build a new market at the New Owerri following the
\nmaster plan.”<\/p>\n
On Mr. Okorocha himself, Mr. Ohakim said the governor has been a poor
\nadvertisement for adherence to the rule of law, as he routinely disobeys
\ncourt orders. This habit, Mr. Ohakim reasoned, is being copied by the
\npeople and has made the State into a lawless enclave and provoked a slew
\nof lawsuits, notably filed by contractors, on account indifference to due
\nprocess.<\/p>\n
This, Mr. Ohakim explained, has cost the State up to N7 billion in
\njudgment debts, a sum that could rise up to N50 billion, further dent the
\ncapacity of the government to fulfill its obligations and yoke future
\nadministrations with gargantuan indebtedness.<\/p>\n
\u201cRight now, there are over 250 cases in court against the State government
\nby the very citizens you are governing. What an irony. When you assumed
\noffice, you adopted, curiously, the policy of awarding contracts without
\ndue process, claiming that due process is a waste of time. But at the end,
\nproblems have arisen because, there are little or no records to enforce
\nagreements even in some cases where the contractors had put in large
\nchunks of their money.<\/p>\n
“The ensuing disagreements led to court actions and many of the
\ncontractors are getting favorable judgments that have left the State with
\na total judgment debt and garnishee proceedings in excess of N7 billion.
\nThis may rise up to N50b in the next two years if care is not taken.
\nClearly, this will be a huge burden to incoming administrations and the
\nentire state, besides that it makes planning, even for your own
\nadministration, difficult,\u201d reasoned Mr. Ohakim.<\/p>\n
Mr. Ohakim stated that he watched a recent video showing Mr. Okorocha\u2019s
\nencounter with artisans at the Orji Mechanic Village. The artisans, he
\nsaid, regrettably, were rude to the governor. However, Mr. Okorocha\u2019s
\nresponse to their rudeness, added Mr. Ohakim, was less than dignified.<\/p>\n
He advised Mr. Okorocha to relook the economy of the State with a view to
\nseeing how it could be revitalized.<\/p>\n
One of the ways he recommended to his successor is a focus on
\nrevenue-yielding, employment-creating capital projects, for which he
\nshould ensure that contractors are faithfully paid to enable them pay
\ntheir workers and sub-contractors so that money can circulate. He also
\nadvised that he should discontinue further demolition of properties and
\nroad expansion projects in the older section of Owerri.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Immediate past governor of Imo State, Mr. Ikedi Ohakim, has warned his successor, Mr. Rochas Okorocha, that the anger of the citizens of the State is brewing against him and…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":52734,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-52730","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exclusive"],"yoast_head":"\n