Stanley Uzoaru, Owerri
Imo Sate Governor, Rochas Okorocha, has appealed to the incoming government of Emeka Ihedioha to sustain his free education programme in the state.
According to the governor, free education represents an indirect empowerment to the widows and poor in the state.
“My appeal is that certain things be sustained, and one of them is the free education. I want to appeal to the incoming government, in the name of God, not to stop free education in this land. Free education represents our indirect empowerment to the widows and the poor in the society. Free education helps children who cannot afford school fees. Free education has helped wipe away the tears of suffering widows,
“Free education must never be allowed to stop in this land; if it stops, criminal activities will come back in geometrical progression, and that will not be good for the State. If they do not know how to do it, I will offer my services free of charge, to ensure free education continues in Imo State. And for the peace we are enjoying now to continue, the youths must continue to be made useful,” Okorocha said.
Besides, his free education, governor Okorocha also appealed to the incoming government to sustain all his projects.
“Another appeal is that over 1,000 projects I’ve given to the people of Imo State, the highest in the history of the state, those things must be kept alive and made to continue. When I see these, I would be the happiest former governor of Imo State.”
Governor Okorocha, who made the appeal when the new management of the Imo International Cargo Airport, led by Mrs Rejoice Ndudinachi, paid a courtesy visit, at the weekend, also said: “You can see since we assumed office, in 2011, the story of Imo airport changed. We used to have one flight per day when I came in, but, today, the passenger inflow and outflow in Owerri is probably the highest in the South East, and this is because of the developmental strides we’ve introduced in Imo State.
“I intend to write a book one day, to explain to the people of Nigeria and Imo State, in particular, the vision with which I governed this state. If you notice, I’ve opened up Owerri roads network. There are more developments now in Owerri than ever before. Security is better. So, when I said Imo must be better, I meant my word ab initio. On security, Imo is better than it had ever been. The issue of kidnapping is gone.
“In terms of infrastructure, workers’ welfare, health and education, Imo is better. The secret to all these is that we thought outside the box and did things differently from the conventional ways of doing things. We were never hard on the people. In fact, Imo State is the place you can come and not pay tax before building your house.
“So, I’m leaving a better Imo than I met it. The idea of the Imo international airport was to connect the state with the rest of the world. When the business starts, it would be, perhaps, one of the greatest legacies of the Rescue Mission for generations yet unborn,” the governor said.
In her speech earlier, the new Airport Manager, Mrs. Ndudinachi, said she was happy with what she saw at the cargo terminal and assured that she will work hard to maintain the airport’s international standard. She commended the governor for making the airport an international cargo airport.