My opponents are noise-makers –Ikedi Ohakim

Posted by admin Imo, State News Tuesday, March 1st, 2011

Imo State Governor, Chief Ikedi Ohakim recently spoke to a group of Journalists. Daily Sun was represented.
There is hardly any governor who does not have critics or opponents. Yours appear to be more pronounced.

Why is this so?
I am not sure about my opponents being more pronounced than what obtains in other states. But for the sake of arguments, let us agree that I have been the subject of greater attacks than some other governors. I would say the answer is simple: my performance in office in the face of this virulent opposition is unparalleled. I have weathered the storm and done right by the people of Imo.

We have taken the state from the level of hopelessness in terms of service delivery in which we met it, to the level where, for once, since Sam Mbakwe, Ndi Imo can claim to have a government at their service. So, naturally, the case of our opponents is more difficult to make and they resort to shouting louder and louder to get themselves heard. If you go through some of the things they say when they say anything, you would search in vain for substance.

The only regret I have is that the media often swallow their bait and publish unverifiable things said by this people instead of asking them serious questions. But that said, we are not bothered by the noise in the media because such noise is already drowned in the praises we receive from our people. And our heads are so buried in the work for which the people of Imo have engaged us that we hear of this critics or their criticisms when the media draw our attention to it.

So, what are the real things that you would say have distinguished your administration?
It was my dream right from the moment I was given the honour of leading our people to run an entrepreneurial, ideas-driven and visionary administration. I planned that roads for roads sake, water project for its own sake or electricity for its own sake or infrastructure for their own sake would not help Imo. All must be connected in a masterplan for development that would make Imo the best state in Nigeria and Ndi Imo the best served by their government. Hence, even in the face of scores of litigations against the will of the people, we were neither deterred nor derailed from pursuing the vision of A NEW FACE OF IMO.
This is a vision that goes beyond the nut and bolts of buildings, roads, water schemes and so on but one that speaks to the human capital development in tandem with infrastructural development. Our people are very enterprising and the enabling environment is being created for them to realise their full potentials.

We have built infrastructure and we are still building. We are building human capacity not only to utilise these infrastructure but also to sustain them. Some of the things may not look obvious today but the future, so near, when Imo would be the India within Nigeria in terms of industrial development driven by our investment in infrastructure and human capital would bear us out. To talk about the immediate however, I make bold to say that within the meagre resources at our disposal, we have put Imo on the path to sustainable development. In just under one year, our clean and green programe returned Owerri as the cleanest state capital in the country, a pronouncement made by the federal government itself. Just a few days ago, a rating by one of the major national dailies alluded to the fact that we have succeeded in keeping Owerri clean always. It was also within the first 100 days that we tackled the problem of the educational sector head on by establishing in every local government area a model classroom block. We have gone ahead to establish the Imo Children Education Fund (ICEF) to the tune of 50 billion naira in our effort to find a lasting solution to the problem of infrastructure in the schools. As I talk to you now, every primary school in the state has at least one classroom block under rehabilitation. And of course, we handed over 44 secondary schools back to their original missionary owners.

You must have also heard that in the area of road construction, we have built more roads than all the previous administrations put together. Work is on-going on the 150 kilometer interconnectivity Imo free way that cuts across 19 local governments and 500 communities. Work has also reached an advanced stage on the 9 Kilometer Inner Ring Road with three flyovers.

We have addressed the problem of unemployment through various means especially through massive infrastructural development. But by far the most visible as you have heard is the 10, 000 job programme which has been quite successful.
Our approach to the problem of unemployment is long term and that is why we have embarked on mega projects that will yield massive job opportunities. For example, the Wonder Lake Project is expected to create over 20, 000 jobs in the first phase. It is also because we want to create opportunities for our people and bring development to our state that we decided, as a matter of deliberate policy, to engage the federal government. That way, we have succeeded in hooking Imo back to the national grid. The result is that in three years, we have been able to attract to the state projects worth nearly N300 billion.

The opposition to your second term bid is quite formidable in spite of your efforts. How are you getting around this?
Please remove the description of my opponents as formidable. They are not formidable. They are only noise makers because they have access to the media. The other day, one of the governorship candidates referred to another as an “incredible optimist”. They know themselves. They know they do not have a good grasp of issues in the state. I am not going into this election because I just want a second term. I have been asked by Ndi Imo to return to complete the work we started four years ago. If I had failed them in this first term, all the traditional rulers, community leaders, age grade members, opinion leaders, market men and women and the generality of our people would not be asking me to run. And believe me, if I was ever convinced in my mind that I did not do right by the people of Imo in the past four years and also do not have the fire in my belly to go complete the job, I will not be running. That is me, Ikedi Ohakim, for you. I am not one of those with ambition for its own sake.

This state is too important and our people are too precious to be used to build a CV as some of our opponents want to do. The destiny of our people is assured in God and the Almighty would not fold His arms and allow such a destiny to be truncated by those who want power for its own sake. When we say that Imo is in the hands of God, it is not mere slogan. I genuinely believe it. I live it. The people of Imo are living it. I am not saying I alone am qualified to be governor. So many people are. But at His own time, God has chosen me as the handmaiden to fulfil His destiny for Imo. I have accepted the honour with humility and total submission to God’s will. I have stayed faithful to my commitment to our people and I am promising them more of what we have done these past four years.

If things are as good as you have painted, why would those who were with you before be so vociferous in opposition against you?
The people you are talking about are alone in their quests. The people of Imo are almost oblivious of their persons and of course any plan they may claim to have. So, the noise you hear from them is just for a purpose: to get attention. They have no policy positions to articulate, no plan for the people’s welfare and no plan for the progress of Imo. One of them said he was going to do free education for all at all levels. Our people laughed as they asked him what the plan is and he could not outline it. Empty deceit! But the people are no fools. Talking is the easiest thing to do.

I have nothing against those who are in opposition. They are the ones who have problems with the prosperity and well-being of Ndi Imo as being championed by this administration. God, in turn, has kept my administration like a rock in their selfish, raging storm. We have continued to inspire hope in our people. With words and our deeds, we have shown the people of Imo that not a single one of them, young or old, is insignificant. Each man, woman, boy or girl, born of this land is a part of this government and has a right to a good life. I have refused to do things the old way by sitting down at a table with a few to share the people’s resources because I have sworn to do the greatest good for the greatest number. I have deliberately and consciously chosen to make the resources of Imo work for Imo so that the potentials of a people may be fulfilled. I plead guilty to an unusual passion for Imo. I plead guilty to refusal to do business as usual.

I plead guilty to creating a level-playing field for all children of Imo. I plead guilty to insisting on openness, transparency and accountability. I plead guilty to refusing to hand over the resources of Imo to just a few in gratitude for what they were in the past. I plead guilty to saying to those have-beens that the glory of Ndi Imo is more important than the ego of a few men. I have called on them to join hands with me but they have refused. I will continue to tell them however that they are not in opposition to me or my government but they are in opposition to the progress of Imo. Of course, they have failed.

Your opponents are not impressed by your performance so far, your view to the contrary notwithstanding, what exactly is new that you would offer Imo now?
First and foremost, you are making a mistake by placing so much emphasis on my own views or the views of the people you refer to as my opponents. These people constitute a very small percentage of the Imo populace. Leave my view and that of this small percentage and go take the views of the people of Imo who are the best judge of who their true servants are. Because it is politics, the people you refer to as pposition will never acknowledge that anything has been done. But go out there to ask the people who appreciate. I tell you, the greatest thing going for us is that the people would always compare us with what was on ground before we came. It is not talking in absolute terms. The question is: How was Imo before we came and how is it now? As they would say, the difference is clear.

We met a state capital that was land-marked with mountains of hazardous wastes; we met a state over burdened by deplorable condition and complete absence of physical infrastructures, unmotorable roads and dysfunctional water schemes, dilapidated educational and health institution as well as moribund industries. We met a demoralized and ageing civil service with average age of 50 years with over 1500 teachers and civil servants including fake doctors. We met a chaotic transport system in our state capital dominated by Okada with its attendant insecurity and health hazards to our youths. Today, Imo has one of the best public transport systems. There is now order. You go to our hospitals you no longer see young men with their legs hung up and their future completely ruined as a result of motorcycle accident. The fact is, Imo is far much better today than we met it. And I challenge all those who say otherwise to a debate.

As for the next four years, I already articulated some of our plans at the Imo Stakeholders Forum on January 4,2011 in a speech I titled “On the threshold of a great future.” Our vision is to build an economy for the state. So, the next four years will see us pursue projects that will have regenerative capacity especially in terms of creating job opportunities. Apart from the wonder lake resort project, we will complete our refinery and petrochemical project which will, of course, have massive multiplier effects.

We are conscious of the needs of our people. We are not just in government, we are in the service of our people. I have chosen to govern with the best interest of our people at heart and I have deliberately gone round to identify these interests, their needs, hopes and aspirations. So, we are in the genuine service of Imo, not just in government. The result has been a purposeful government in the past four years. And this is the same mission that I am going to carry out in the next term.

-Sunwp_posts

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Posted by admin on Mar 1 2011. Filed under Imo, State News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry