BY ADEYEMI AKANJI, BAUCHI – As political agitation for 2023 South-Eastern presidency heightens, former Governor of Imo State, Senator Rochas Okorocha has said that the agitation is fair and just in terms of political equation, balancing and creation of sense of belonging for every Nigerian.
Okorocha, who stated this while fielding questions from Journalists in Bauchi on Saturday, however said that what is more important to him is to have a Nigeria that is united.
Okorocha further said; “Secondly, talking about the Presidency of Igbo extraction is to give everyone a sense of belonging and if everyone gets a sense of belonging, things will look good. What I propose is, that a Nigerian President who will guarantee the unity of this nation irrespective of religion or tribe, a Nigerian President that will eliminate poverty, Nigerian President who will make education available and affordable for everybody. This is what we should be talking about more importantly”.
He also said that the issue of Nigerian President of Igbo extraction is more like a competition, saying that the North put together has produced a President, the South-west has produced a President and the South-South has produced a President, let us see when the South-East produce a President, what Nigeria will look like”.
In the words of Okorocha; “I think from that kind of Chelsea, Man-U match kind of a thing, when they belong to the same country and they play matches, that’s exactly the way I see it, but it’s only fairness which calls for that but that is not the main issue. If you have a President and yet, people are still hungry, people are suffering, of what use is that? Presidency is not just in the title, it’s in doing the job”.
Reacting to the 2021 budget proposal presented to the National Assembly by President, Muhammadu Buhari, Okorocha said; “We must understand that Nigeria is going through a very challenging moment as it relates to our economy, and we have a lot of challenges. So, the budget would be done to address the challenges that we have.
“There is nothing wrong with borrowing but, there is something wrong with borrowing if it is not used for the purpose it is meant to be used for. So, it is neither here nor there if you look at it. But what is important is to be able to alleviate poverty in Nigeria and move the country forward and make it a greater nation.
“For me, I support the fact that next year’s budget should be quite different from our usual budget. One, take into consideration the economic challenges that we have, two, we take into consideration the COVID-19 pandemic and three; we take into consideration projects that have been budgeted which have not been accomplished. So, we have to look at those projects because there may be no need talking about new projects when the old ones have not been completed and nothing has been done.
“I would suggest that we really go back to the drawing board and look at the projects which have not been executed and ensure that they are executed and carry them along in the new budget. I don’t intend to see much of a new thing in this year’s budget because last year’s budget was affected by so many situations”.
Asked if corruption is being fought in Nigeria, Okorocha said; “That we must accept that Buhari fights corruption with all that is in him. He wants to see a corrupt free Nigeria but what I think is that the system has to change to really get corruption properly fought. Anytime government fights corruption, we don’t get results as much as when the fighter of corruption becomes the people thing and I think that is why government has to come in just as we have democracy as the government of the people by the people. Fighting corruption should be a fight of the people by the people and for the people.
“We should educate people more to understand that rather than fighting corruption, we should prevent corruption because, most people who engage in corrupt practices do not know the impact on society. They just see it as a norm and a normal thing but if we are able to educate the people to know that the moment you take something, you are taking the life of a child somewhere and stopping them from education, then that human nature will come out”, he added.
Reacting to the allegation that he is trying to stop his probe by his successor, Governor Hope Uzodinma, he said; “Let me tell you, the issue of the probe is neither here nor there. It is a wild goose chase. It is a political witch-hunt or the government is seeking for relevance by saying that Rochas is being probed, probe for what? I have told them to publish everything let the whole world see and hear where Rochas has been found corrupt.
“What I do, speaks for me. How can corruption take place? Where would you have resources to build an international cargo airport, the best courts, and build the best police headquarters, the best prisons headquarters, six universities, four polytechnics, two colleges of education and yet free education, and over 2000 projects? And so if you do all these, where would corruption have taken place? So, it is not true”, he boasted.
