Rochas Revolution: Leadership by Example

By Nathaniel I. Ndiokwere

The Man Rochas Anayo Okorocha

Governor Rochas Anayo Okorocha is the present governor of Imo State, Nigeria, and has been in the limelight of Nigerian politics for some time now. He seems to be a leader the Imo people and Nigerians as whole need at the moment. Nigeria needs leaders that have vision, charisma, strength, and indomitable will to succeed, leaders who are motivated to action and that can motivate others to embrace hard work. Many Imolites believe that Governor Okorocha, at the age of fifty, as of September 2012, has lived a fulfilled and fulfilling life. The governors tremendous rise from abject poverty to a high-rated philanthropist of fame highlights important parts of his story.
By touching positively the lives of many young people in Nigerian society through his Rochas Foundation and choosing to be a selfless leader, Owelle Rochas Okorocha has distinguished himself as an exemplary leader who chose to be on the path that intersects those of the people, determined to make their lives brighter.
Nigeria needs honest, compassionate, benevolent, detribalized men of vision and strength. One will find all these virtues and many more inhabiting Governor Okorocha. There is no doubt that the present administration in Imo will be adjudged the best in the history of the state as the governor has vowed to make Imo one of the fastest-developing states. He is fulfilling his vow by sustaining the massive infrastructural projects and people-oriented programs embarked upon by his administration.
No one may doubt the governors words when he insisted, Today, the bar of governance and leadership in Nigeria has been raised. Men and women who must govern our country or our states must now be men of vision, integrity, and repute. After and when I must have become your governor and left that office, before anybody would be governor again, he has to think twice, because of what I will leave on ground.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing
• Release date: Nov 21, 2012
• ISBN: 9781466969582

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© Copyright 2012 Nathaniel I. Ndiokwere.

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ISBN: 978-1-4669-6959-9 (sc)

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CONTENTS

Introduction

Who Is Rochas Okorocha?

At 50 Rochas Reiterates His Dreams

Our Revolutionary Mentality

Has The Man Skeletons In Closets?

The Unmistakable Skeleton

Chapter 1 Leadership In A Troubled Nation

Who Is Fit To Lead?

When In Rome, Do Like The Romans!

Nigerians, Unfit For Leadership Positions!

Management And Leadership

Chapter 2 Nigeria At Crossroads

A Revolution Of The Mind And Spirit.

Nothing Short Of A Revolution Can Rescue Nigeria From Total Collapse.

Corruption: An Invitation To Revolution

A Man Of The People: Achebe’s Revolution

What Type Of Revolution?

The Unbearable Burden

Their Shrinking World And Crumbling Walls Of Dictators

Choice Of Leadership: The Nigerian Dilemma

Candid Look At Nigeria

Chapter 3 By Their Fruits You Shall Know Them

These Leaders Made A Difference

Some Are Nigerians!

Chapter 4 Rochas: Revolutionary Leadership In Progress

Charismatic Leadership In Imo State

Operation ‘90 Minutes At Entebbe’

Doing The ‘Unthinkable’

Chapter 5 Rochas Has A Dream

A Clip From The Dream Speech Of Luther King (Jr.)

A Divine Mandate!

Vision And Charisma

Chapter 6 If I Were Rochas Anayo Okorocha

Elections Lost And Won—Which Way Forward?

Imolites React: If I Were Owelle Rochas…

If I Were The People Of Imo State… .

Chapter 7 Imo Rescue Mission On Track

Rochas On Rampage

Re-Structuring And Transformation

Chapter 8 Business As Usual: A Change Of Tune

Rochas—Anti-Corruption Crusader—A Litmus Test?

Persons Of Impeccable Character

Free Education Crusader

No-Nonsense Man—A Radical Governor

Little Or No Room For Protocols

Rochas Faces Impeachment

Chapter 9 Nigerian Leadership On Trial

Bar Of Governance And Leadership Has Been Raised

The People’s Verdict

Good Teacher And Motivator

Chapter 10 Rochas On Multifaceted Rescue Mission

Risky Military Rescue Missions

Rochas Multifaceted Rescue Mission

Liberation From, Superstition And Improvident Death

Liberation From Corrupt Practices

Liberation From ‘Get-Rich-Quick’ Syndrome

Liberation From State Of Fear And Insecurity

Chapter 11 Rough Road Ahead: The Imo Road Project

Imo Rescue Mission And Road Project; Litmus Test!

Maintenance Culture

Chapter 12 Imo State, Ndigbo, Hard To Govern

‘Nkita Tagburu Ebi, Ahu Anaghi Afo Ya’

Dialogue With Imolites

Conclusion: Why Rochas Should Be Loved Or Hated

Dissolution Of The Local Governments’ Leadership

Failure Of The Governor To Deploy The 10,000 Imo Men And Women

Introduction Of Fourth-Tier Administration

No Money-Sharing Governor

Na Particulars We Go Chop?

Honest And Straightforward

Rochas, A Dictator And Non-Law-Abiding Citizen?

Miracle Expectation And Rochas Dreams

Period of Consolidation and Retirement

Rochas After Retirement

Rochas, The Great?

Qualities Of A Great Political Leader And Redeemer

Where True ‘Greatness’ Lies:

Has Rochas Made Any Difference?

Where there is no vision, the people perish (Pro: 28.18)

I will be happy to live long enough to see any other governor or political leader who would rival this man (Rochas) in performance as an action-governor. (Old Papa, Imo retired teacher)

I came to cast fire upon the earth; and would that it were already kindled! I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how I am constrained until it is accomplished! Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division; for henceforth in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three . . . . (Luke. 12:49-53)

If only ‘yes men’ surround a leader, who will tell him that his policies are useless or dangerous or need to be fine tuned? (Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa)

"Nigerians have not been lucky to have the kind of charismatic leader that can rouse the populace… . We can’t talk of a Nigerian leader that has created what you might call theatre and drama. Take a simple example of somebody like Mandela. Have you ever seen a Nigerian leader dancing for example? Something as simple as that! Mandela is not a good dancer but every time he did all those things. (Bishop Matthew Kukah of Sokoto)

"Yes, those feelings have been tempered by hard times and four years of bitter political struggle. Obama appears now less as a savior than as a human being, with flaws and virtues, failures and successes. The hope of four years ago has transformed itself into something more mature and durable… ." (Time magazine)

Today, the bar of governance and leadership in Nigeria has been raised. Men and women who must govern our country or our states must now be men of vision, integrity and repute. After and when I must have become your governor and left that office, before anybody would be governor again, he has to think twice, because of what I will leave on ground." (Rochas Okorocha)

INTRODUCTION

Who is Rochas Okorocha?

To our numerous friends, who are not familiar with Imo state and Nigeria, it may be necessary to introduce the man we apprise in our book. Governor Rochas Anayo Okorocha is the present governor of Imo state. Imo state is one of 36 states of the federal republic of Nigeria, located in the South Eastern region. Okorocha took up office as governor after the 2011 elections in Nigeria, and has been in the limelight of Nigerian politics since early 2007 when he contested for the presidency in 2007 but dropped out in the primaries. As a politician of an Igbo extraction, an ex-Biafran, coming from the secessionist region that fought Nigeria in the 1967-70 civil war, Rochas could not have clinched the highest political office in Nigeria, in spite of his popularity among other Nigerian ethnic groups, North, West and South of the nation.

Rochas Foundation, popularly known as Rochas Education Project introduced him to many Nigerians, young and old as a philanthropist; he is much more than a politician. He helped many poor Nigerian children enjoy free education, long before he became governor of Imo state. One finds signposts at the entrance of his schools which bear the following inscription. ROCHAS FOUNDATION COLLEGE: Let education be free so that the children of the poorest of the poor can go to school."

His election as the governor of Imo State in May 2011 was controversial and contentious and attracted the attention of all foreign election observers as well as many Nigerian political leaders and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). This was primarily because the usual challenges facing the Nigerian and African experiment on democratic system of governance surfaced in dramatic fashion. The litmus test for free, fair and credible elections in Imo state did not produce the desired result. The opposition party was determined to rig the election, but their efforts were aborted, as a result of the people’s dogged fight against evil and corruption. Virtue won the day; hence the slogan that Rochas victory was as result of God’s intervention and so his mission to lead Imo State was a divine mandate.

The party on whose platform Rochas won is a minority party commanding a comfortable majority in only two states of the federation. In fact, without the recent impact of the opposition party, Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), which controls power in a few western states of Nigeria, Nigeria as a nation has practically and politically been a one-party-state. That’s why most politicians who fail to win in other smaller parties, soon decamp and join the majority party, People’s Democratic Party (PDP) or euphemistically referred to as WPDP (Winners’ Peoples Democratic Party). If you can’t beat them; join them! Since they have succeeded in neutralizing any opposition, they share political offices and adopt the system of ‘zoning’ to choose the next president of the nation at every election. If there were true democracy in Nigeria who will talk about the zoning of political offices? The best leaders would have occupied important offices, no matter where they come from.

That the candidate of an unknown minority party under the leadership of Rochas Okorocha, of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), defeated his closest rival and incumbent, Governor Ikedi Ohakim, by a wide margin of votes, was incomprehensible. In both truth and fact it was anathema to the PDP godfathers. Nobody should be surprised therefore that the post election litigation went all the way up to the Supreme Court of Nigeria that, and just as in the other courts, local, state, appeal courts, they also declared Rochas the winner of the May 6th 2011 elections.

Nigeria needs leaders that have vision, charisma, strength and indomitable will to succeed; leaders who are motivated to action and as well can motivate others to embrace hard work. At the age of 50, as of September 2012, many Imolites believe that Governor Okorocha has lived a fulfilled and fulfilling life. The governor’s tremendous rise from abject poverty to a rich man of fame highlights important parts of his story. A man who knew what poverty is, learned to struggle to succeed right from his boyhood days. From his lowly beginnings as a former street hawker, to a position as a classroom teacher, on to greater heights as a former member of constitutional conference, a member of federal character commission and many boards, this is one who has twice sought to rule the country and a philanthropist of repute. Rochas has stories to tell having achieved all this in 50 years.

At 9, the youth accrued savings from his petty street business of buying and selling and was able to purchase for himself a television set and a bus at the still tender age of 14… . The stride to greatness looked like God’s design. By touching positively the lives of others in our society and choosing to be a selfless leader, Owelle Rochas Okorocha distinguished himself as an exemplary leader who chose to be on the path which intersects those of the people, determined to make their lives brighter.

There is no doubt that the present administration in Imo will be adjudged the best in the history of the state as the governor has vowed to make Imo one of the fastest developing states. He is fulfilling his vow by sustaining the massive infrastructural projects and people-oriented programmes embarked upon by his administration.

Nigeria needs honest, compassionate, benevolent, detribalized men of vision and strength. You will find all these virtues and many more inhabiting Governor Okorocha. At the celebrations marking his 50th birthday, the 10th anniversary of the Rochas Foundation College, personalities including the former military president of Nigeria, General Ibrahim Babangida and prime minister of Zimbabwe, Morgan Tsvangirai were among those who lauded governor Okorocha for his vision in establishing Rochas Foundation College in Nigeria and other fine achievements of the foundation in the last ten years of its existence.

The five colleges of Rochas Foundation are located in Owerri and Ogboko (Imo state), Ibadan, (Oyo state), Jos, (Plateau state) and Kano (Kano state) and as in 2012 has a census of 6000 students. Babangida described Okorocha as a man of many parts who has excelled in most of his endeavors, stressing that "the 50th birthday of the governor is a celebration of a vision that laid the foundation for the total eradication of ignorance, poverty and hopelessness in the life of many Nigerian children."

He further described the Rochas Foundation College as "an institution of unity and nation integration, which has continued to erase lines of differences in religion, ethnicity and class in Nigeria." He stressed that the establishment of Rochas Colleges in different parts of the country with free tuition and accommodation for students from diverse backgrounds and ethnic groups is a great achievement which is reflected by previous failures to achieve such lofty standards in the country.

Speaking also, the Prime Minister of Zimbabwe, Hon. Morgan Richard Tsvangariai said that time has come for African leaders and governments to borrow a leaf from the programmes of Rochas Foundation and change their attitude towards the less privilege in the society. According to him, Rochas Foundation is a demonstration of individual commitment and dedication to help the African child to overcome ignorance and poverty through the provision of free and qualitative education especially for the less privileged.

At 50 Rochas reiterates his dreams

As he celebrated his 50th birthday, Governor Rochas Okorocha restated his dreams and this time with specifics on his goals.

• Every day I remember I have responsibility to offer free education to people. So, with education Imo will be transformed.

• Infrastructurally, Imo has to be repackaged to make it beautiful (so) that foreigners can look at it and want to partner with the state. What I am doing now is repackaging the entire state such that people can be happy with it.

• After leaving the Government House I want to be remembered for one thing, that I came and impacted on the world and our society.

• I want to change the world for better. I don’t want to leave the world the way I met it. For me, the world must be better and that is why I say Imo must be better.

• Let me start with Imo first, Imo must be better and must leave a mark that will be an envy of the whole world.

• This is my joy. It’s no longer found in the primitive accumulation of wealth. I am not excited about cars. I am not excited about houses. I am not excited about Champaign and drinks.

• These for me are old fashioned; they are old model. The new model is impacting upon the lives of others because I thank God Almighty that I lack none of these.

• I am not excited by houses, neither am I excited by cars, I am not excited by big living. I am not excited by being called a millionaire. Those things don’t excite me anymore.

• I am not excited by being observed by protocol as number one citizen, or a man who must take a front seat any time. I am not excited at all.

• What excites me now is to see the poor people have a smile, kindly reach out to have a handshake with them. Can I embrace them? That is my joy and especially children because I weep for our children who don’t have future.

We require no ‘diviners’ or ‘soothsayers’ to confirm that Governor Okorocha is on the ‘right track’ in his efforts to change the ugly course of events in Imo state and hence in Nigeria and Africa. All good people of Imo state and Nigeria can join hands and see that Rochas rescue mission agenda becomes a success story. Then time will come, when we ask the rest of the world to come and see, to borrow a leaf from the Rochas Revolution in Imo state, Nigeria.

Our Revolutionary Mentality

I have always tried to explore the meanings of the word ‘Revolution’ in all its contexts and ramifications. I have been fascinated by revolutionary ideas and the sayings and doings of personalities said to have done revolutionary things, meaning things unconventional, extraordinary and ground-breaking.

Even from my primary school days I used to ask ‘strange questions’ in class and used to take extremist positions in mild and fierce arguments with friends and seniors. Few of my extremist questions and views ever landed me in trouble, mostly because almost all my teachers liked me and even admired my youthful exuberance in academic matters.

During our theological and cannon law classes in the senior seminary (‘de sexto’, on matters of sex), and for the sake of intellectual argument, which I always loved, I had once asked our senior cannon law professor to produce sufficient reasons (outside the justification that it is the law of God), to show that adultery (the 6th of the 10 commandments), is really a sin punishable by law.

My classmates were shocked to the marrow and looked at me with their mouths agape! They suggested that the rector should expel me from the seminary. But the professor was quite pleased with me and gave all the explanations he could, theological, moral, spiritual, social and cultural. I didn’t know whether the rector heard the story, but I believe if he did, he must have admired my audacity, otherwise how did it transpire that I was one of the first two students who were sent to Urban University Rome to continue our studies?

In theological classes I gave my lecturers a tough time with my ‘strange’ questions and arguments. Once I challenged a moral theology professor during class in Rome, telling him that he did not prepare his lectures well. He got angry and could not imagine what ‘this African boy was up to.’ In a sharp reaction, he took his seat among the class and asked me to take over the lectures. I ignored his antics, knowing quite well I was not somebody one could easily ignore or suppress.

However, I was not so lucky with my revolutionary mentality during the defense of my doctoral thesis in Rome. One of my three professor/judges, an Italian fascist ‘Religion and Culture’ teacher, was not impressed by my utterances against the colonialists’ activities in Africa, especially as it pertained to his fatherland Italy. He suggested to the other two professors on the panel that I should be punished for my lack of prudence. The two vehemently rejected his grievances and reprimanded him for his unprofessional stand in purely academic matters. This was the citation that caused the row.

"The origin of Ethiopian Movement could be traced back to history and the Bible. The successful military resistance of the Ethiopian Empire against the Italian colonial occupation in 1896 is said to have impressed Africans, and especially the blacks in South Africa . . . . To these elements were added an intensively nationalistic pan-African strain, legitimating resistance to European interlopers, and if that failed, offering hope of a coming Judgment Day, when they would pay for their crimes . . ." (Prophecy and Revolution 2010, p. 29)

Once I supported the views of Karl Marx on religion, which he declared was an opium of the people; if not so, I reasoned, why all the religious-politico rivalries, massacres, pogroms, ethnic-cleansing, wars, burning of structures and humans, and jihads in the name of religion and religious beliefs? In spite of my ‘radical’ views which I often expressed publicly, none of my superiors ever castigated me or doubted the seriousness of my religious vocation.

If ‘revolution’ embraced changing things in the most dramatic ways in order to set into process new and better ways of doing things, I am always for it, no matter the consequences. If religious, military or civilian coup d’états could bring about order, peace, justice and end to corrupt practices I justify them. As far I am concerned, there is no room for procrastination. It is now or never, ‘hic et nunc!’ I have never had the willingness to bring about change gently. Real and lasting change for the better, I have always believed can come, not necessarily by brute force, but with unyielding determination to succeed.

The title of my first book, which was a development of a doctoral thesis in biblical theology, was Prophetic Revolution in the Independent African Churches. The British editor who handled the publication changed the title to Prophesy and Revolution. I liked that even better. Reviewing "Prophecy and Revolution" in "The Tablet’, an International Catholic Weekly, London, 7th November 1981, Adrian Hastings, a British Theologian remarked: This is an interesting book by a Catholic Priest concerning an aspect of contemporary Church life in Africa. It deserves a warm welcome. Fr. Ndiokwere’s study of the prophets of modern Africa in comparison with African prophetism is based on wide reading in recent literature and it is, I think, the first attempt by an African Catholic to look at this important subject as a whole.

My second book in two volumes "African Church, Today and Tomorrow, was a call for the implementation of the recommendations of the Second Vatican Council on aggiornamento, (re-structuring), especially in the liturgy. In volume two of the book, Inculturation in practice, I urged the Nigerian and African prelates to put into practice what the universal church has asked its church to do, using the African cultural values to enrich the public worship. Few people listened to my call for justice and enlightenment.

This was perhaps the type of response that greeted the publication of Search for greener pastures, Igbo and African experience (1998). I questioned the exodus of Nigerians who emigrate to United States and Europe and elsewhere, in search of ‘greener pastures’ overseas, when luxuriant untapped fertile pastures are abandoned to rot away in our fatherland. That thorny issue obviously needs to be addressed by the leadership of our country and in fact, calls for a revolution to reverse this deplorable trend.

In politics I believe that credible leaders in Africa and Nigeria should use all the available revolutionary instruments within their grasp in order to curb African decline into darkness and backwardness, whatever course it may take. No one should be surprised that I titled my latest book Rochas Revolution, Leadership by Example.

I had once wanted to embrace what Rochas vowed to accomplish in Imo state today. I love Imo state, Ndigbo and Nigeria and had always prayed for a restoration of our glorious past. I wanted to engage in politics, even as a Reverend Father. I wanted to contest election as a private candidate as it is done in the United States and elsewhere. I wanted to contest as governor in 2007, and like the late Rev. Fr. Adasu of Benue state and become the first Catholic priest to serve as governor in Imo state, Nigeria.

My friends and brother-priests were skeptical and asked me to forget the dream. They insisted: They will mess you up. There is no room for decency, honesty, and exemplary leadership here. You may win, but they will never declare you the winner! I made promises to unknown followers if I were to become governor of Imo state. One outstanding promise was that I would surrender my salary and remunerations as governor to the government’s coffers for the poor and the needy. I promised free education, good healthcare, and good roads, and so on and believed all that would be possible. What I needed was just a chance, an opportunity to lead for at least two years! I accepted that to be impeached would be my lot if I failed to deliver!

I could not believe it! Rochas made similar pronouncements and has so far fulfilled most of his promises. The future looked bright under Rochas, if our people could exercise patience and give the governor the necessary support he needs. It looked like we shared similar views and ideas. That is why I decided to support his agenda.

Has the man skeletons in closets?

A close friend of mine, who read my manuscripts, asked me: But why have you great passion for this ‘Rochas Movement? No! I answered, Rochas doesn’t even know my name! But why then, he continued, are you so ‘positive’ about him? No, I answered him again. I am only being objective. I love good work and wish good people well.

He went further: Are you sure of all these things you are writing? Do you know whether he has some skeletons in the closest?

Skeletons in the closet? I had no qualms about my claims. I simply answered him like the man born blind in the gospel of St. John. The Jews were skeptical about the miracles attributed to Jesus and closely questioned the man who was said to have been born blind. So for the second time they called the man who had been blind, and said to him:

The Jews: "Give God the praise; we know that this man (Jesus) is a sinner.

The man born blind: Whether he is a sinner, I do not know; one thing I know, that though I was blind, now I see.

The Jews: What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?

The man: I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you too want to become his disciples?

And they reviled him, saying,

The Jews: "You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we