•Group slams govs over media war

From  George Onyejiuwa, Owerri

Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha is demanding an unreserved  apology from his Anambra State counterpart, Chief Willie  Obiano.

Okorocha is demanding the apology from Obiano for initiating what he described as an unprovoked media attack on his person.

This was even as Okorocha has accused Obiano of beating “a tactical retreat, apparently to dodge publishing his achievements as the governor in the last four years.”

In the past one week, the two South East governors have hurled verbal missiles at each other in the media.

In a statement,  yesterday, by his Chief Press Secretary, Sam Onwuemeodo, governor Okorocha said: “The latest media reports including national newspapers of Friday, February 3, 2017 had quoted Obiano as saying he was “so busy with issues of governance, providing qualitative service and abundant democracy dividends and has no spare time for unnecessary politically motivated distractions.”

“Governor Obiano came up with this volte-face after he launched unprovoked media attacks against Okorocha. And, allowing Obiano to tactically withdraw from an unwarranted media war he declared, without apologising to Okorocha and, without publishing his achievements as the governor of Anambra, for almost four years to show good leadership, is totally unacceptable to us.

“We make bold to ask for an unreserved apology from him because with the way he reacted to such an innocent comment, one could see he harboured malice towards Okorocha.

“We appreciate the concern of some Igbo leaders and groups who had called for truce between the governors. Such Igbo leaders should also reason with us that it calls for concern when someone unreasonably declares war against you.

“Governor Obiano must have also forgotten that he was the one who initiated the so-called ‘politically motivated distractions.’”

Okorocha made allusions to Obiano “not the one saying all that was credited to him.

“It is also difficult to explain why a governor that has governed a state with high IGR for almost four years and with lean workforce is finding it difficult to publish his achievements, at least, to show that he is a good leader of his people and on the basis of that, he would be asking for second term.”

Meanwhile, the Nigeria Masses Congress has condemned Obiano and Okorocha’s media war.

The group said “the actions of the governors are not only condemnable but an embarrassment to the entire Igbo. nation.”

This was even as the group said the actions of the governors have shown that “they are unfit to lay claim to any form of leadership.”

The group, which also demanded “unreserved apology, on behalf of the people,” from the governors, within one week, threatened to mobilise masses against them if they fail to apologise to the people.

Okorocha later moved into real estate business that turned into a gold mine for him. It was the real estate business that made Rochas rich. And most Nigerians know this age-long fact. So, for Obiano to have questioned Okorocha’s source of income was a deliberate mischief. Okorocha also became chairman and CEO of Rochas Group of Companies dealing in real estate, construction, automobile, commerce, hospitality, aviation, banking and pharmaceuticals. Okorocha was the brain behind the completion of the Christian Ecumenical Centre, Abuja.

He also established the Rochas Foundation Colleges and students in the colleges do not pay a dime. Today, there are Rochas Foundation Colleges in Jos, (Plateau State), Ibadan (Oyo State), Owerri (Imo State), Ogboko (Imo State), Kano (Kano State)  with more than 15,000 students and with the ones in Kaduna and Sokoto states about to take off. Thousands of students from all parts of the country have graduated from these colleges and many of them now professionals in their chosen careers.

In politics, Okorocha was a Commissioner on the Federal Character Commission and a member of the National Constitutional Conference. When democracy was restored in 1999, he competed in the governorship primaries of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Imo State. He later moved to the All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP), and was an unsuccessful candidate for president in 2003. He returned to the PDP and then president Olusegun Obasanjo appointed him, special adviser on inter-party affairs.

Okorocha formed the Action Alliance (AA) party in 2005, planning to become a presidential candidate for the AA in the 2007 election. He again returned to the PDP, and in September 2007 indicated that he was interested in becoming PDP national chairman.

Owelle Okorocha defected from the PDP to the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), to run as APGA candidate for the governorship of Imo State in the April 2011 elections. And Leveraging on his hard earned popularity, Okorocha defeated an incum-bent governor on the platform of APGA that had no structure before he came on board and with the incumbent then enjoying massive federal might.

In 2015, he joined the merger from a zone that could be regarded as the “headquarters” of the PDP. He resisted all the storms, including the federal might that was deployed against could be regarded as the “headquarters” of the PDP. He resisted all the storms, including the federal might that was deployed against him, and was elected for second term. They could only give him the name “Alhaji in Douglas House”.

Owelle Okorocha was later elected by his colleague governors in the progressive enclave as Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum.    

 In the light of the foregoing, it is diametrically difficult to spot any area of life the Anambra State governor could be honestly said to have an edge over Governor Rochas Okorocha. In other words, we were right when we said in our first response to Governor Obiano’s attack that comparing him with Rochas is like comparing Messi of Barcelona F.C with one left winger in one Mberi Secondary School in Imo State.

OKOROCHA DEMANDS/SD

Okorocha demands apology from Obiano

.Group slams govs over media war

From  GEORGE ONYEJIUWA, OWERRI

Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha has demanded an unreserved  apology from his Anambra State counterpart, Chief Willie  Obiano for initiating what he described as an unprovoked media attack on his person.

This is even as the Imo governor has accused Obiano of beating a tactical retreat apparently to dodge publishing his achievements as the governor in the last four years.

In the past one week, the two South East governors have hurled verbal missiles at each other in the media.

In a statement issued  yesterday by his Chief Press Secretary, Sam Onwuemeodo, Governor Okorocha said the Anambra governor was widely quoted in major national media as being too occupied with issues of governance, provision of qualitative service and abundant democracy dividends and has no time to be distracted.

The statement read: “The latest media reports including that of national dailies of Friday, February 3, 2017 had quoted the governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano as saying he was “so busy with issues of governance, providing qualitative service and abundant democracy dividends and has no spare time for unnecessary politically motivated distractions.

The Anambra governor added through his SSA on Media, Strategic Communication and Legislative Matters, Prince Oliver Okpala that “the governor’s top priority now is making life more meaningful to Anambra people not minding the current recession.”

The statement further read: “Governor Obiano came up with this volte-face after he had launched unprovoked media attacks against Governor Rochas Okorocha. And allowing Obiano to tactically withdraw from an unwarranted media war he declared, without apologising to Okorocha and without publishing his achievements as the governor of Anambra State for almost four years to show good leadership is totally unacceptable to us. We make bold to ask for an unreserved apology from him because with the way he reacted to such an innocent comment, one could see that he was harbouring malice against Okorocha.

“We appreciate the concern of some Igbo leaders and groups who had called for truce between the governors. Such Igbo leaders should also reason with us that it calls for concern when someone unreasonably declares war against you.

“Governor Obiano must have also forgotten that he was the one who initiated the so-called “politically motivated distractions.” That also goes a long way to confirm our allusion that Governor Obiano was not the one saying all that was credited to him, but it was ‘alcohol’ that was talking.

“It is also difficult to explain why a governor that has governed a state with high IGR for almost four years and with lean workforce is finding it difficult to publish his achievements at least to show that he is a good leader of his people and on the basis of that, he would be asking for second term.

“The common logic is that if Obiano fails to publish his achievements, it means he has nothing to display and the interpretation of that development is that he has lost the moral justification to ask for second tenure. And Anambra people should take cognisance of that.

For Okorocha, he is in a hurry to use the challenge thrown up by the Anambra governor to show-case to Nigerians and the world at large, about two thousand verifiable projects executed by his administration in various parts of the state including the new city of Owerri. We know that all that Governor Obiano has done in Anambra for almost four years now cannot be equated with two flyovers built by Governor Okorocha.

Okorocha would also want, while publishing his achievements, to also publish his profile to show the world that either Governor Obiano didn’t know him or he was not truthfully briefed about him or he was austere with facts.

The profiles of the two governors would have shown that while Obiano has first degree in accountancy and masters degree in business administration of the University of Lagos, Governor Okorocha has bachelor’s degree in law of the University of Jos, masters degree in law also of University of Jos, Plateau State, post graduate diploma in management of the Benue State University, advanced diploma in law, security and conflict management. So, in terms of education, Okorocha is more educated than Obiano. And as a responsible government, we had restricted ourselves from talking about his personal life.

Again, Obiano began his banking career with First Bank and ended up as an executive drector. He was later carried by some political godfathers on the back to the governorship seat in Anambra State in 2014. That is all about him.

Governor Okorocha has never told anybody that his beginning was wonderful. He was never born with silver spoon in his mouth. He didn’t have a straight school experience while growing up. He was involved in street trading. But he ended up having masters degree in law. He made his first $1million when Balfour Beatty, the company that constructed Balanga Dam was winding up and he was one of the agents that sold used equipment. And he channeled the whole money into the business of used cars which gave birth to the sale of new cars which later metamorphosed into “Rochas Motors.”

Meanwhile, a group, the Nigeria Masses Congress has flayed the governors of Anambra and Imo over their media war. The group said the actions of the governors are not only condemnable but an embarrassment to the entire Igbo.

This is even as the group has stated that the actions of the governors have shown that they are unfit to lay claim of any form of leadership.

A statement signed by the group’s National President, Justice Nwauwa, Secretary, Nobleiyke Edoziem and the National Publicity Secretary, Chikezie Oguejiofor respectively, said: “We have observed with dismay, the obnoxious attitude of the two governors Okorocha and Obiano from South East attacking each other through the newspapers, social media and at any public function calling each other names, and insulting the masses that elected them which shows they are not qualified to hold public office.”

The group stated that instead of the two governors dissipating their energies in hurling insults at each other in the media, they ought to be more concerned on how to cushion the sufferings of those who had given them their mandates as governors of their respective states.

“What should have been their major headache now, ought to be how to bail out or alleviate  the sufferings of the people they are governing by providing them with necessary assistance especially in the area of making kerosene available for those who can not afford cooking gas and other essential commodities which are now out of the reach of the ordinary masses of the respective states.”

The group which also demanded an unreserved apology on behalf of the people from the governors within one week, has threatened to mobilise masses against them if they fail to apologise to the people.

Okorocha later moved into real estate business that turned into a gold mine for him. It was the real estate business that made Rochas rich. And most Nigerians know this age-long fact. So, for Obiano to have questioned Okorocha’s source of income was a deliberate mischief. Okorocha also became chairman and CEO of Rochas Group of Companies dealing in real estate, construction, automobile, commerce, hospitality, aviation, banking and pharmaceuticals. Okorocha was the brain behind the completion of the Christian Ecumenical Centre, Abuja.

He also established the Rochas Foundation Colleges and students in the colleges do not pay a dime. Today, there are Rochas Foundation Colleges in Jos, (Plateau State), Ibadan (Oyo State), Owerri (Imo State), Ogboko (Imo State), Kano (Kano State)  with more than 15,000 students and with the ones in Kaduna and Sokoto states about to take off. Thousands of students from all parts of the country have graduated from these colleges and many of them now professionals in their chosen careers.

In politics, Okorocha was a Commissioner on the Federal Character Commission and a member of the National Constitutional Conference. When democracy was restored in 1999, he competed in the governorship primaries of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Imo State. He later moved to the All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP), and was an unsuccessful candidate for president in 2003. He returned to the PDP and then president Olusegun Obasanjo appointed him, special adviser on inter-party affairs.

Okorocha formed the Action Alliance (AA) party in 2005, planning to become a presidential candidate for the AA in the 2007 election. He again returned to the PDP, and in September 2007 indicated that he was interested in becoming PDP national chairman.

Owelle Okorocha defected from the PDP to the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), to run as APGA candidate for the governorship of Imo State in the April 2011 elections. And Leveraging on his hard earned popularity, Okorocha defeated an incum­bent governor on the platform of APGA that had no structure before he came on board and with the incumbent then enjoying massive federal might.

In 2015, he joined the merger from a zone that could be regarded as the “headquarters” of the PDP. He resisted all the storms, including the federal might that was deployed against could be regarded as the “headquarters” of the PDP. He resisted all the storms, including the federal might that was deployed against him, and was elected for second term. They could only give him the name “Alhaji in Douglas House”.

Owelle Okorocha was later elected by his colleague governors in the progressive enclave as Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum.

 In the light of the foregoing, it is diametrically difficult to spot any area of life the Anambra State governor could be honestly said to have an edge over Governor Rochas Okorocha. In other words, we were right when we said in our first response to Governor Obiano’s attack that comparing him with Rochas is like comparing Messi of Barcelona F.C with one left winger in one Mberi Secondary School in Imo State.