By EMEKA AHANEKU?
Imolites agree that Gov. ochas Okorocha?s government is working. The administration is transforming the state in a way never seen before. From its cardinal policy of education to infrastructure; from the Health sector to massive urban renewal campaign across Owerri, Orlu and Okigwe the administration in three years has made its mark.
?However, what many Imolites do not know is that the state legislature has played a role in all that is happening at the moment. Somebody may ask how? Well, this is the crux of this piece.
?When the Imo Rescue Government was inaugurated on May 29 2011, it came face to face with the grim reality on ground.??There was massive rot and decay in virtually every sector and something urgent needed to be done to stop the state from going under. A solution had to be found and the state House of Assembly under Hon. Ben Uwajumogu quickly stepped in.
?In its maiden plenary, the House debated extensively on how to quickly move the Rescue train into action. And in the end it passed into law a four year capital projects development budget. The House Speaker who let the cat out of the bag disclosed that the innovative blueprint was agreed upon because of the very urgent need to immediately begin to translate the policies of Rescue administration into tangible practical dividends of democracy.
?In fashioning the framework, the House never glossed over specifics as it considered all sub-heads and details and tied every kobo to projects. Having worked out this detailed and implementable four year capital budget side by side with time lines of execution and realization, next stage which is implementation stage by the executive naturally became quite easy owing to the fact that Imo has a development conscious Governor in the person of Gov owelle Rochas Okorocha.oon
?Today, the free education policy of the administration is in top gear courtesy the vision of the governor and supportive role played by the legislature. Findings across the state indicate that the policy has remained the darling of the masses of the state because of its tendency to touch every household in the state. While you can say that not everybody may go to government hospital or, even use the asphalted roads, everybody certainly needs education. I think that is why education is said to be the biggest industry in the state. Of course, this argument can be corroborated by the dramatic rise in school enrolment in all councils of the state in the aftermath of government?s free education policy.
?Definitely, this is an unquantifiable investment for the future of the state. One agency that would readily buy this assertion is the UNESCO, the UN agency that monitors educational development across the globe. According to the body governments should allocate 26% of annual budget to education if it is to drive development in their societies. No doubt UNESCO never came up with this policy just like that. A lot of work must have been done before that conclusion was reached. Countries that have made conscious efforts to toe that line have also been reaping the rewards of such decision.
?In the case of Imo State, the government has so far demonstrated that it is UNESCO benchmark compliant. Education primary, secondary and tertiary have been on the upward swing since it came into power backed by the four year rolling plan of the IMHA. From the look of things, the state is irrevocably-set on the path to achieving that universal recommendation.
?The construction of the 305 classrooms blocks across 305 wards is equally being made possible by the four year policy plan. With the promise recently made by government, one is now rest assured that the project would be completed before 2015.
?The massive urban renewal as well as rural and urban roads construction was equally captured in the blueprint. Like an analyst said sometime ago even the diehard critics of this government cannot but acknowledge what is going on in these areas. Owerri, Orlu and Okigwe have witnessed radical alterations in their landscape to the extent that even the blind can see what is going on.
Its similar sweet stories from across the councils of the state. There is hardly any LGA that has not taken delivery of its 15 kilometer rural roads. Some like Ngor-Okpala, Owerri North and Mbaitoli have even overshot their share of 15 kilometers going by the number of roads built.
?With the active partnership of the legislature through the Joint State/Local Government Committee, more roads are billed for construction. The target is to asphalt a whooping 1500 kilometers of rural roads before 2015. Knowing the crucial role road infrastructure plays in socio-economic development, Imo doubtless, would witness a boom if this objective is attained. Especially, in the area of agriculture, the revolution surely would foster a regime of self sufficiency, food security, and gainful employment/wealth generation as well as halt rural-urban migration.
The Health sector is not left out. Health they say is wealth. Gov. Okorocha and the legislature fully appreciate this truism and in that spirit have leveraged the plan to strengthen the sector. To actualize its plan here, new general hospitals are springing up in all the LGAs of the state. If grapevine information gathered is to be relied upon, the first set of these hospitals would be commissioned in the last quarter of this year.
?Development we have been told does not just happen. It?s a planned and deliberate process that embodies methodologies or strategies of realization. That is why governments, corporate bodies and even SMEs take out time to layout plans on how to achieve set targets. Like it is said he who fails to plan has already planned to fail. No doubt, this is also the law of nature.
?From the beginning the House under Hon. Ben Uwajumogu clearly understood this legislative imperative. And good enough they have never looked back since coming on board. The unobtrusive and quick passage of the well thought out four year capital projects plan has been the high point of this proactive representation.
?But, the best of it all is that it is being religiously implemented by the state government. Like Hon. Uwajumogu would say the government is an unusual one and is doing things the unusual way too. A far cry from the ugly past when appropriated fund, find their way into the pockets of those at the helm of affairs.
Now, this is no more happening. Every kobo appropriated and released is channeled into the project for which it was appropriated. The result being the many visible achievements being recorded in governance in the state. Again, the IMHA never loses sight of its constitutional duty of oversight which has greatly helped in making the Rescue Mission the resounding success it has become.
?Well, having done so well in three years and with one more year ahead, its certain more would be accomplished. The House of Assembly through its Speaker Hon. Uwajumogu has given us that assurance. And, from experience, we cannot doubt them. We are sure they would deliver working collaboratively with the executive.
What, however, they should be tasked on to me is just on one thing. And that is that in making laws for the good governance of the state, such laws must be made to be of the same content and intent like the most visionary capital projects law. Surely, adhering strictly to this track which manifestly has brought about radical people oriented transformation in the state holds the key to fully unlocking all the potentials of the state. This way, the lofty desire of the government and indeed, Imolites, that the state become the envy of other states in all ramifications will become a glaring reality.
But, really the concern here should be what happens after 2015. I think the Uwajumogu led House has blazed the trail in giving us a development paradigm that has the capacity to sustain development and growth of the state through constant priority to capital projects in development planning. The wish is that this laudable law Imo capital budget as passed by the Uwajumogu?s led House should be sustained by future governments in the state. Surely, it goes without saying that in passing this law the House had a dream of a future Imo where development would get to the doorstep of every Imolite; where education would continue to be free and other social services would be at the reach of every citizen. In fact, the IMHA has dreamt??great dreams for the state, the task before succeeding leaders is to ensure that the aspiration and vision of Gov. Okorocha is sustained for generation next.
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On the basis of what has been achieved by the state using the development plan, one can boldly say that the state is now a model that should be copied. Consequently, other states and governments desirous of practical transformation can hurry down to the Eastern Heartland and understudy this midas formula brought to life by Gov. Okorocha in partnership with the IMHA.
