Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha has told his new appointees that they are not his political structure.
According to a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Sam Onwuemedo, Okorocha spoke while swearing in new and re- appointed political appointees including 22 special Advisers, 3 Deputy Chiefs of Staff, Chief Press Secretary, 5 Senior Special Assistants (SSA) and others.
.Governor Okorocha told the appointees that he didn’t appoint them for the 2019 politics or as compensation for whatever role they could feel they had played either in his 2011 election or re-election in 2015 but only appointed them having considered them qualified to contribute their quota to the progress of the state.
He stated, “your appointment which has just been concluded gives you the authority and power to act as a government official. In other words, you are the very first set of ambassadors of the rescue mission administration”.
“And let me make it categorically clear that your appointment is not a political compensation and not one that was lobbied for, neither is it an attempt to build a political structure. Your appointment is to render services to the good people of Imo State.
“You have taken an oath and has been inaugurated, meaning you have taken the responsibility to do good to all manner of people irrespective of class or where they come from. You are therefore duty bound as you enter this contract with the people. You must deliver to your promises and your word”.
“For those of you appointed, or reappointed it is because you have been found worthy of appointment or for reappointment because we think you need a second chance to prove yourself, which ever may be the case, you must rise up to the occasion and must never be found wanting”.
“I am at the last lap of my administration with huge expectations, I have a target and I want to leave with a great history. I have choosen you as my colleagues and partners, you must live up to expectation and meet my target. My mission is to honestly serve the people of Imo State and rescue Imo State and make it the greatest state in the Federal Republic of Nigeria. I cannot do this alone, hence, your appointment to partner with me to move this state forward”.
“We have made an attempt to move Imo State from a glorified village to a modern city. We have made attempt to ensure that every child goes to school irrespective of your background. We have made attempts to ensure security of lives and properties and we have broken several jinxes in the state including the story that the hopeless in our society can one day call himself a millionaire, women who had nothing to trade upon can call themselves business women”.
“Having done all these, I am still not yet satisfied. For those of you who think that politics will take over my mission of delivering the dividends of democracy might not be completely right. I do not want to be remembered as a politician, I want to be remembered as a leader, therefore I am not thinking about the next election, I am thinking about the next generation of Ndi-Imo”. He stated
Responding on behalf of the appointees, Engineer Kingsley Uju, Deputy Chief of Staff Operations and Chairman Land Bureau thanked the governor for the appointment and assured him that the appointees would live upto expectation.
