The leadership of the Southern Youth Foundation of Nigeria, SYF and the Orashi National Congress, ONC, have vehemently condemned Chief Tony Okocha’s recent spurious and unsubstantiated allegations of financial impropriety against His Excellency Sir Siminalayi Fubara, the Governor of Rivers State, while charging him to account for money meant for youths and stakeholders in the state.
In a statement signed on behalf of the groups in Port Harcourt by Most Snr Comrade Amb. Emeni Ibe, National President Southern Youth Foundation of Nigeria and President General Orashi National Congress, they said, “These accusations are taken with seriousness and deemed irresponsible, groundless, myopic in nature, and motivated by a desire to curry favour with his current political benefactor”.
“We implore Chief Okocha to retract these false claims and offer an apology to the people of Rivers State for his insensitive display of disrespect towards the Governor’s office. We call on Chief Tony Okocha to account for the money he received for the youths and stakeholders in Rivers State. Those who hold genuine concerns for Rivers State understand that transparency and accountability have always been paramount priorities for our governor; reckless expenditure of public funds is not something he tolerates.”
“It is on record that since taking office, the Governor has been methodical in providing efficient and effective services to the people of Rivers State. Notable achievements under his leadership include:
1. Promotion of civil servants with corresponding salaries after 2 decades of no promotion.
2. N100, 000 each to all state civil servants for Chrismas bonus in line with constitutional welfare package provision for civil servants.
3. Provision of more than N4b to support micro businesses.
4. He Increased the number of scholarship beneficiaries at the Pamo University.
5. Completed the Andoni section of the Ogoni-Opobo/Nkoro-Andoni Unity Road.
6. Construction of Elelenwo and Bori Internal roads.
7. Fixing all bad roads in old Port Harcourt Township.
8. Ongoing Construction of the Port Harcourt ring road.
9. Kicked off 20,000 low-cost housing units.
10. The appointment of 16 permanent secretaries and the provision of brand new SUVs for them as a gesture to facilitate efficient service delivery.
11. Rehabilitation of the state secretariat which became a dungeon and a refuse dump site under the immediate past administration.
Others include:
– Completion of UNIPORT convocation arena.
– Re-award of Ahoada -Omoku road project.
– Re-award of Andoni Unity road and Bridges.
– Flag off of the gigantic Port Harcourt Ring road project.
– Donation of Fire Tender to the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria ( FAAN).
– Launching of the 2023 Rivers State Government Road map to mitigate the effects of Flood in Rivers State.
– Support for Students, Youth empowerment and skills programme.
– Provision of free busses as a palliative measure to cushion the effects of the subsidy removal in Nigeria.
– Meeting with major stakeholders and investors and reaching understanding with them on the needs of the state and the roles each can play to meet those needs.
– Touring of several Local Government Areas to assess and facilitate ongoing State Government projects in order to have them completed and delivered to the people.
– Commitment to support the completion of NUT building project in Rivers State.
– Continuance of all the projects which were ongoing during the immediate past administration in line with the mantra of consolidation and continuity.
– Opening of the door of his administration to religious leaders from the Christian faith and Islam and sponsoring Rivers State Muslims for main Hajj in Saudi Arabia.
“Is it a surprise that Tony Okocha views the allocation of public funds towards welfare packages for civil servants as wasteful, given his apparent disregard for the well-being and dignity of Rivers citizens?”
“Given his time in public office and status as a Chief, one would assume that individuals referred to as “leaders” such as Chief Okocha possess the awareness necessary to employ language with precision, prioritize evidence and facts, and consistently strive for peace rather than inciting chaos and devastation.”
“While we understand Tony’s fervent desire to maintain his tenuous political relevance through shameless return to his vomits, he must not overlook the fact that he recently extolled the Governor as a leader of youths during a celebration at Elechi Poly campus and expressed confidence in his ability to govern effectively.”
“Unfortunately, Chief Okocha has positioned himself as a vacuous political figure that indiscriminately fires shots just to gain attention. It is no surprise that many view him as an unstable individual and an opportunist, who aligns himself with those in power. This pattern of behaviour has been evident throughout his political journey; he began under the leadership of H.E. Nyesom Ezenwo Wike CON, then shifted to former Governor Amaechi, joined Senator Abe in his fight against former Governor Amaechi, and ultimately returned to former Governor Wike’s camp today. His self-serving desire for unearned political advancement has resulted in his constant utilization of cheap blackmail tactics, spreading petty rumors, and disseminating falsehoods about others.”
“Chief Okocha holds no political sway, not even within his own Okocha family, let alone Rumuigbo or Obio/Akpor Local Government area. His tenure as Chairman Caretaker Committee of Obio Akpor Local Government Council was a failure and his time as the Chief of Staff at Rivers State Government House was noted for being the worst in history. During his term, he focused on indulging himself and amassing personal wealth without making any significant impact on those who served under him.”
“Okocha’s political ineptitude is widely recognized due to his proclivity for frivolity and pursuit of immediate satisfaction. His participation in the APC elections, while concurrently hosting a celebration at his Rumuigbo abode, renders him an unsuitable candidate worthy of serious consideration.”
“We implore Chief Okocha to be ready to account for the money received for the youths and people of the State last December and to concentrate on effectively fulfilling the responsibilities assigned to him by Mr. President and be ready to implement his strategies, ultimately presenting his achievements to the residents of Rivers, whom he represents as a member of the Niger Delta Development Commission Board. We are expecting the security agencies to do the needful on our petition on the above. His Excellency Sir Siminalayi Fubara is committed and determined to deliver; no amount of unnecessary distractions will derail his administration.”