*Says My 2nd Term Biggest Challenge Is To Make Right Appointments
Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State yesterday debunked rumours that he had fallen apart with one of the leaders of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the south east, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu over who occupies position of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF.
Speaking at the a press conference at the state government house, Owerri after he was inaugurated for second term in office, Okorocha said there would never be any rift between him and Onu because “I don’t want become the next SGF and to me what the Igbo want is Senate President of Speaker of the House of Representatives because the SGF is a glorified minister”.
He disclosed that he wrote a letter to President Muhammadu Buhari suggesting that one among three Igbo great sons—Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, Dr. Chris Ngige and Prof. Anthony Anwuka—should be appointed the SGF.
This, he said, was to enable the South East be in the mainstream of the federal politics since, according to him, his plea for one of the positions of the Senate President, Deputy Senate President, Speaker or Deputy Speaker to be given to the people of the south east irrespective of their political party, was shouted down by the members of the APC governors forum.
Okorocha used the opportunity to explain that the reason he was yet to send any ministerial nominees was because of the president’s statement that he would not accept any such nomination from governors.
The governor disclosed that the biggest challenge that would face his second term would be appointing the right people who could assist him drive the total change the state needed rather than core members of the party who helped him win election.
According to him, another biggest challenge he would face in his second term would be how to sanitise Owerri and every part of the state because according to him, he would come very hard and strong on the people who hitherto adored.
He appealed to the people of the state who would be affected by his decision to have the heart to forgive and bear with him.
Reacting on the rumours that he would stop his free education programme, Okorocha said that free education was not negotiable, adding that the programme had assisted in reducing crime rate in the state as many youths now had access to education.
He however disclosed that there would be lots of sacrifices that the people of the state would be expected to make in some areas, adding that his commercialization policy would be activated to ensure that government parastatals generate revenue to build the state.
He assured the people of the state that his administration would create wealth in every family through job creation and youth empowerment
On the position of the local government system, the governor announced that as soon as the case in court was dispensed with, the elections into the third tier system would be conducted because there was need too decentralize power from the federal and state governments to the local government level
