– Urges Elites To Speak Against Cruel Leadership
Former Imo State Commissioner for Petroleum Resources, Professor Okee Okoro has advised those in various leadership positions in the country to always listen to the cries, lamentations and sincere just yearnings of the suffering masses who have now resigned to fate following the present state of affairs in the country.
Professor Okoro also called on the nation’s elite, including intellectuals and religious leaders to brace up and continue to crusade against societal ills, especially wicked, draconian and fascist leadership until the situation is reversed.
The former Commissioner stated this recently in Owerri, the Imo State capital in a chat with newsmen on the present State of affairs in the country.
In recent times, there have been strong allegations against the nation’s elite, especially the intellectuals and religious leaders of hobnobbing and fraternizing with cruel leadership by keeping silent over tyranny and wicked leadership.
The erudite scholar who spoke on a number of issues; including, the pockets of protests across the country since the present federal administration came on board in 2023, the continuing increase in petroleum pump price, present corruption index, system failure, political hallucinations, present state of affairs in Imo State and others.
The Professor of Library and Information Science said that although many are benefiting from the present corruption, few elite are still speaking against societal ills especially cruel leadership, as it is done in other countries, adding that a day of reckoning is coming.”Continue to speak until something is done”!, he charged.
On the pockets of protests across the land, since the inception of the present federal administration, Prof. Okoro said that protests as legitimate tools against bad leadership are tolerated all over the world. He said that the incessant protests are signs of an impending doom, warning those in the leadership position to see reason with the masses by doing the needful.
On the continuing increase in the petroleum pump price, which has adversely affected the state of the economy, the former governorship aspirant in Imo State wondered how Nigeria as the 6th oil producing nation in the world has continued to grope in the comity of oil producing countries.
According to him, other oil producing nations like , Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Venezuela, and even Gabon in Africa do not have problems with their oil production except Nigeria.
He called for the diversification of the economy, fixing of the nation’s refineries, and embarking on agricultural revolution through mechanized farming as an antidote.
In what he described as system failure, he said that every facet of the polity is corrupted, especially the electoral system. He said that the system as an umpire has not done much to win the people’s confidence.
On the recent corruption index, indicting the Judiciary as the most corrupted public office, he said that not all the judges or judicial officials are corrupt, but quick to add that the recent conflicting verdicts and judgments, on electoral matters leave much to be desired.
On the present State of affairs in Imo State, Prof. Okoro said that the government has not done much to carry the people along, adding that the State is still contending with serious security problems.
The former petroleum commissioner said that apart from the few federal roads that have been amended other link roads, especially within the capital are in deplorable conditions, causing nightmare to the citizens.
He called for collaboration and sincerity of purpose among all the stakeholders as no one has a monopoly of wisdom.
On how to navigate out of the present debacle, the Professor of Library and Information Science denounced the present system in which political office holders, especially legislators, fix their own salaries, allowances and other benefits, saying that it is unacceptable. He called for a change of attitude which he said will trigger national rebirth.
