It is only in Nigeria that a sitting governor who pockets more than #25 billion a year from the a Federal Government as Federal allocation cannot pay workers salary in months and threaten their massive sacking if they exercised their Union rights of Striking.
This is the situation indigenes of Imo State find themselves after electing Owelle Rochas Okorocha. It has not been the best of times for Imo State indigenes as the situation of things in the state go from bad to worse every passing day in the hands of the "Machiavellian Rochas". It is still impossible to fathom why Rochas was voted for a second tenure months ago by the same the same citizens who are complaining now.
Otherwise, how can a responsible leader threaten to sack the same workers who he courted severally during campaign for going on strike to demand their legal pay. Imo State is almost 99 % Christians including the governor himself and at such are conversant with the passage of the bible which states that "A labourer deserves his wages," so on what basis should Rochas withhold workers salaries. Imo State is an oil producing State and at such apart from the monthly federal allocation, collects huge funds as Excess Crude oil fund, Sure-P fund and the internally generated fund, so one wonders how Imo state owes salaries while a small state like Ebonyi which has the lowest monthly allocation of all 36 States including the FCT has the record of paying it's workers as and when due. Rochas has no excuse and should be criticised and shut down by concerned Nigerians for boasting and threatening to sack workers who go on strike for the sake of their pay. Can the self acclaimed "Owelle" explain to Imolites how he spends the more than #100 million which he monthly collects from the federal government as security votes.
Rochas is a well known "Actor" and one who tries to beam the spotlight on himself whenever he does the slightest of good like the biblical Pharisee's. This is evidenced by the huge amounts paid to media houses to broadcast his alleged claim to have turned around Imo for the better. As if that wasn't enough, he travelled to the US with President Buhari while his state was burning with poverty and suffering to see President Obama. While others retreated to their respective states to concentrate on good governance, Rochas was busy designing and building billboards all across strategic points in Imo with the picture of himself with Obama taken in the US. This he did to convince the poverty stricken workers that he was taking them to the next level (by snapping with President Barack Obama). Since when did Obama become a yardstick for measuring good governance? How does meeting the "Almighty Obama" impact positively on Imolites or bring food to their poverty table as a result of non payment of salary? How could he claim to be taking the state to another international level, when he has not accomplished his no1 responsibility as a governor which is the payment of workers salary. While Ogbeni Aregbesola is roundly criticised for the same crime, Rochas is held high by certain people of South Eastern Origin as the next big thing that happened to them. This smacks of nothing but "Double Standards" and must be roundly condemned. The APC has failed Nigerians in different states with the owing of workers in Rivers, Osun while the case of Imo is the worst with the way Rochas conducts himself with no remorse and being proud of his governments insensitivity to the people. Owelle Rochas has messed up his second tenure and should be condemned by all. It is clear that he is headed for political oblivion at the end of his tenure because that is where people like him belongs. All Nigerians deserve is respect and not to be treated like slaves without rights like Rochas is presently doing.
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