Stanley Uzoaru, Owerri
Vice-President, Yemi Osinbajo, has admitted that he has always seen the Imo State governor, Rochas Okorocha, as a strange person considering his life style and outspoken nature. He pointed out that all that does not reflect his passion for his achievements and contribution to people.
He state this while commissioning a number of projects in the state built by the governor just as he congratulated the people of the state for the great achievements witnessed in his time.
“I’ve always found him very strange. I must say so because he’s otherwise someone who is not quiet but decided to keep quiet about his achievements. I’ve not been able to understand that because anybody who knows him will not say he’s a quiet man.”
Osinbajo said while commissioning the Imo International Exhibition Centre, Owerri, that he “could testify to the great things the governor has done in the state, he is a great achiever.
“I have gone round the state on several occasions to look at so many projects that the governor has done. As a matter of fact, on one occasion, we went to see one of the universities that he had just completed. When I went round that university complex, I realised that there is simply no other university that has the kind of physical facilities that university has, at least in the history of Nigeria.
“So, I felt that it’s very important to recognise what His Excellency has done in these past eight years. He is extremely commendable and I don’t know many others that have done the amount of work especially in infrastructure that he has done – schools, hospitals etc. I’ve also commissioned hospital premises of the Airforce, the police and others like them in three or four places. A lot of these projects like he said are not advertised or published in any way,” Osinbajo stated.
He noted: “I want to say that he has done extremely well in this past eight years and sometimes his contemporaries will chose to make loud noise for very few they have achieved.
“Your Excellency, what you have done is truly commendable and I’m sure that posterity will not forget you in a hurry. I am here to commission 50 projects, but I am 62 years old so I will do what he did yesterday (Thursday) when he commissioned some projects on-line.”
Okorocha in his speech, said that the Imo International Exhibition Centre has been renamed Professor Yemi Osinbajo Exhibition Centre, added that local products would always be on display in the place even for export, while the four buildings inside the complex represent the four market days in Igboland including Eke, Orie, Afor and Nkwo.
He said: “Your Excellency, you’re here and I invited you to come and commission some projects in Imo State. Few years ago when you visited Imo, you advised me that I must make my works known to the people and I disagreed with you taking excuses that there was no need to commission projects because when I consider the money involved in commissioning a project, it would give me money to construct another classroom somewhere. But as time went on, I have come to realise that the advice you gave me was simply of wisdom.”
He added: “Though I have taken the advice very late, that’s why I was calling you to be among the first that will commission some of these projects to actualise the advice you gave to me. I have spent eight years Mr. Vice President. About 18 hours out of the 24 hours in a day, I am on the road working. And for the past eight years, I do not know of any night that I had three to four hours of sleep. My passion for Imo made me a crazy man, and I was in a hurry to change the situation.”
He continued: “May I inform you sir that I am proud today standing as an outgoing governor, that the state capital I met, the village I met called Owerri, is now wearing the look of a state capital. This is the joy and one of the legacies that I have seen which history will bear me witness. But had I taken your advice; I’m sure the entire Nigeria would have known what is happening in Imo State. In fact, this is why I’m being misrepresented and misconstrued in all my efforts to develop Imo State. And in reply, I say to them that they are misrepresenting facts. And all these people are only good in recognising negativities than positivities.”
The governor stressed: “But when you come here, you see that the facts speak for themselves. Now that you’re here, I pray that God will give you the energy and strength to be able to commission up to 50 projects within the next three hours. Mr. Vice President, when I realised that it was impossible to commission over 1,000 projects is Imo State, as a smart man, I did television commissioning; I embarked on on-line commissioning for the first time in the history of Nigeria,” Okorocha said.
Some of the projects commissioned by the vice president apart from the exhibition centre include, the Government House Clinic, the Ultra-modern Governor’s lodge, Odenigbo Guest House, First Lady’s office complex, Sam Mbakwe road, Nnamdi Azikiwe road, Assumpta road, among others.