I won’t run for Governor unless one million people give me N100 each – Rochas Okorocha

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Governor Rochas Okorocha has said he won’t run for second term in Imo state unless 1million people in the state gives him N100 each with their voter’s cards. Speaking in an interview published on This Day, he said he did not spend up to N200million to become governor and it was given to him by his wife. He said he would not put out posters and billboards and come back for second term if his people are not happy with him. “Even when I wanted to become governor, I did not spend up to N200million to become governor and it was given to me by my wife and one other man. In fact, I have announced now that I am not going to put out posters and bill-boards; if what I have done cannot bring me back, I quit. Must I be here? Is it my father’s throne? “If Imo people want it, I am happy but if they don’t, I quit. This governorship thing is a burden. I don’t even know if I am happier or just happy as President of Rochas Foundation. The only thing is that this has helped me to touch the larger society. But in terms of stress, I have more stress doing this job. “If they are happy with the way I am doing this job, they should beg me to come back. I have told them that unless they give me N100 each, I mean one million people with their voter’s card, I would not run. If they don’t give me, I would not contest. And let me tell you that they are already doing it. That’s the truth.” Speaking on the government’s dwindling revenue and how he has managed to fund free education to university level in the state, he said his government has made sacrifices. “Free education in Imo State is a product of sacrifice. I believe that funds to every state are enough to manage the affairs of each state if judiciously utilised. What has always happened is misplacement of priorities and primitive accumulation of wealth which people call corruption. Yeah, Imo State gets an average of N3.5 to N4billion monthly with huge recurrent of almost N2.9billion but even one billion is a lot of money of judiciously utilized. “So what has happened is that we have made sacrifices. Take for instance the issue of security vote which would have gulped almost N1.5billion annually and put together with other allocations would have been up to N5billion. What do I need that for? In a state where so many people cannot pay school fees? What I decided to do was to forfeit my security vote and plough it into free education and that has helped a lot. “There are so many areas of leakages we have blocked to free funds that we are using for the free education and it is working out well. Another point is that we got our priorities right and cut down on government expenditure. Take for instance. “People will spend N100million to commission a project; inviting drummers and dancers to come and entertain, do you need that? Sometimes, people spend so much on things that don’t add value. But I said let me provide free education for my people. Sometimes they say they are going for conferences and seminars and if you know how much these cost in a year but they are all gone now so we have funds for free education.” Reacting to allegation that he always micro-manage things and see to everything going on in government, he said, “It all depends. This micro-managing that you mentioned is about ensuring that there is no leakage. Therefore, I admit that I manage them myself. I ensure there are no leakages. There is this law that says that in some areas, you cannot give contracts exceeding N4million but you now give N4million in a thousand places. This has gone on in Imo State before. How do you think I am able to pay teachers? When they were there, were they able to pay teachers? Pay civil servants and pensioners? Money in the hands of any holder of the office of a governor must be treated as if it is his own blood and hold it in trust. How do you think we were able to build 27 general hospitals? How were we able to build 205 schools and construct about 1000 kilometres of roads? How were we able to change the cities of Owerri, Okigwe and Orlu? How have we been financing the universities? Polytechnics and running of free education? It means we have been extra-careful in the management of resources.” The governor also talked about his foundation ‘Rochas foundation’ where he provided free education to indigent students even before he became governor. He talked about how much the foundation had brought him into government. “We are already replicating that in government. Civil servants have been persuaded to give one per cent of their salary and I also gave all my salary last year and we now have what is called the Imo Foundation. We have taken people to India for kidney transplant. We are also continuing also in other directions. There cannot be any ‘big’ man without giving.” When asked what he would like to be remembered for, he said, “I want my name written somewhere as someone who remembered the less privileged.”
I won’t run for Governor unless one million people give me N100 each – Rochas Okorocha By Cherry Oyetoro on July 19, 2014@todayngr Okorocha new Governor Rochas Okorocha has said he won’t run for second term in Imo state unless 1million people in the state gives him N100 each with their voter’s cards. Speaking in an interview published on This Day, he said he did not spend up to N200million to become governor and it was given to him by his wife. He said he would not put out posters and billboards and come back for second term if his people are not happy with him. “Even when I wanted to become governor, I did not spend up to N200million to become governor and it was given to me by my wife and one other man. In fact, I have announced now that I am not going to put out posters and bill-boards; if what I have done cannot bring me back, I quit. Must I be here? Is it my father’s throne? “If Imo people want it, I am happy but if they don’t, I quit. This governorship thing is a burden. I don’t even know if I am happier or just happy as President of Rochas Foundation. The only thing is that this has helped me to touch the larger society. But in terms of stress, I have more stress doing this job. “If they are happy with the way I am doing this job, they should beg me to come back. I have told them that unless they give me N100 each, I mean one million people with their voter’s card, I would not run. If they don’t give me, I would not contest. And let me tell you that they are already doing it. That’s the truth.” Speaking on the government’s dwindling revenue and how he has managed to fund free education to university level in the state, he said his government has made sacrifices. “Free education in Imo State is a product of sacrifice. I believe that funds to every state are enough to manage the affairs of each state if judiciously utilised. What has always happened is misplacement of priorities and primitive accumulation of wealth which people call corruption. Yeah, Imo State gets an average of N3.5 to N4billion monthly with huge recurrent of almost N2.9billion but even one billion is a lot of money of judiciously utilized. “So what has happened is that we have made sacrifices. Take for instance the issue of security vote which would have gulped almost N1.5billion annually and put together with other allocations would have been up to N5billion. What do I need that for? In a state where so many people cannot pay school fees? What I decided to do was to forfeit my security vote and plough it into free education and that has helped a lot. “There are so many areas of leakages we have blocked to free funds that we are using for the free education and it is working out well. Another point is that we got our priorities right and cut down on government expenditure. Take for instance. “People will spend N100million to commission a project; inviting drummers and dancers to come and entertain, do you need that? Sometimes, people spend so much on things that don’t add value. But I said let me provide free education for my people. Sometimes they say they are going for conferences and seminars and if you know how much these cost in a year but they are all gone now so we have funds for free education.” Reacting to allegation that he always micro-manage things and see to everything going on in government, he said, “It all depends. This micro-managing that you mentioned is about ensuring that there is no leakage. Therefore, I admit that I manage them myself. I ensure there are no leakages. There is this law that says that in some areas, you cannot give contracts exceeding N4million but you now give N4million in a thousand places. This has gone on in Imo State before. How do you think I am able to pay teachers? When they were there, were they able to pay teachers? Pay civil servants and pensioners? Money in the hands of any holder of the office of a governor must be treated as if it is his own blood and hold it in trust. How do you think we were able to build 27 general hospitals? How were we able to build 205 schools and construct about 1000 kilometres of roads? How were we able to change the cities of Owerri, Okigwe and Orlu? How have we been financing the universities? Polytechnics and running of free education? It means we have been extra-careful in the management of resources.” The governor also talked about his foundation ‘Rochas foundation’ where he provided free education to indigent students even before he became governor. He talked about how much the foundation had brought him into government. “We are already replicating that in government. Civil servants have been persuaded to give one per cent of their salary and I also gave all my salary last year and we now have what is called the Imo Foundation. We have taken people to India for kidney transplant. We are also continuing also in other directions. There cannot be any ‘big’ man without giving.” When asked what he would like to be remembered for, he said, “I want my name written somewhere as someone who remembered the less privileged.”