A two-time former Governor of Imo State, Senator Owelle Rochas Okoocha, recently spoke in an interview with select journalists includingNATIONAL ACCORD Correspondent in Bauchi, ARMSTRONG ALLAHMAGANI, during a visit to the state, where he was honoured by the Tijjaniniya Islamic Sect during its Annual International Maulud Celebration.
Okorocha who currently represents Imo West in the Senate, spoke on the award he received, the Almajiri issue which has generated reactions and counter reactions across the country, the clamour for an Igbo Presidency in the 2023 general elections, the probe of his administration by the current Imo State Governor, Hope Uzondimna, among other issues.
QUES: Your Excellency, may we know your mission to Bauchi ?
OKOROCHA: I am in Bauchi on the invitation of Sheik Usman Dahiru Bauchi who invited me for this year’s Maluad. I was given an award as Sarkin Yakin Talakawa (Defender of the poor) by the TIjjaniniya and also the Garkwuwan almajairi (Ambassador of almajiris) and I think it has to do with my passionate appeal that the lives of the almajiris should be made better in this country. I am calling on all and sundry, the rich and government to see what they can do to help the situation and to see how we can fight poverty together, and not blaming the children and making them become guilty of offence they didn’t commit because they did not bring themselves to this world. If the ordinary birds can take care of their children why we can’t humans take care of our children.
QUES: How best can the almajiri issue be addressed?
OKOROCHA: The best way to address the almajiri issue is first of all, government must accept the fact that these almajiris are our children and once we accept that fact, then we have done 50 per cent of the job and then we have to think about how to combine this school system, the Arabic schools, with conventional schools and empowerment. If they reach the age that they should go to farm there must be something they can do because I don’t think that there is anybody created by God that is useless. It is only when there is no idea that people look useless but there is no useless person in this world.
QUES: Most Nigerians feel it is fair that the South East, particularly the Igbo, should be given a shot at the presidency in 2023. How do you feel about this particular view?
OKOROCHA: This issue of Presidency that comes up every time, what is important to me is to first and foremost, have a Nigeria, because it is our country, and we have to see that we have a united Nigeria.
Secondly, talking about the Presidency of Igbo extraction is rather, to give everyone a sense of belonging and if everyone gets a sense of belonging, but that is not the doing of the job. 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. But the issue of Nigerian President of Igbo extraction for me, is more like a competition, the north had produced a President, the Southwest 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. 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, fairness 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.
QUES: Just recently, the National Assembly received the 2021 Budget Appropriation Bill from the President and there have been divergent views from Nigerians particularly the issue of borrowing to finance the budget. What is your reaction?
OKOROCHA: 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 this 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. So 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.
QUES: Is corruption being fought in Nigeria?
OKOROCHA: 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 fight 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 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 ou.
QUES: Your successor Hope Uzodinma alleged that you are trying to stop your probe by asking for the panel set up to investigate you to be dissolved. What is your reaction to this?
OKOROCHA: Let me tell you the issue of the probe is neither here nor there. It is a wide goose chase. It is a political witch-hunt or the government is seeking for relevance by saying that Rochas is being probed, probe of what? I have told them publish everything let the whole world see and hear where Rochas has been found corrupt. What I do speak 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 this, where would corruption have taken place? So it is not true
QUES: Nigeria at 60, what is your take on the state of the nation?
OKOROCHA: You know that we took over administration from colonial masters without direction and we have been battling with that. Democracy is not our thing so we embarked on it without understanding what it is all about, so Nigeria at 60 there are lots of challenges. Simply put we are not there yet and we need to do more.
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