Former Minister of Interior, Captain Emmanuel Iheanacho, weekend described the urban renewal policy of Governor Rochas Okorocha’s administration as a ruse and deceit designed to wreck wanton vengeance against perceived political enemies.
Captain Iheanacho who was the All Progressive Grand Alliance(APGA) governorship candidate for 2015 election in a chat with newsmen in Owerri stated that any government urban renewal policy without a human face and enmeshed in mass destruction of people’s property could not stand the test of time.
He further dismissed Okorocha’s call to compensate all genuine aggrieved victims of the demolition exercise as a gimmick and an after thought in order to save his face from an outstanding guilt.
“If somebody walks up to you and slaps you several times when you have not offended him in any way, only for the same fellow to turn around and apologise to you. Does this make sense?, Iheanacho asked.
The ex-minister whose private residence was among the lot reduced to rubble by the state government bulldozer in Owerri accused Okorocha of reckless abuse of power, adding that the immunity being enjoined by governors should be expunged from the constitution.
“Does it mean that with immunity he (governor Okorocha) should behave anyhow? I never built my house in anybody’s land. Just imagine a situation whereby you are sitting in your house and all of a sudden, somebody wakes up one morning and rolls out a bulldozer to destroy your house.”
He insisted that urban renewal package of the state government was a misplacement of priority saying that what the people need is the provision of the basic necessities of life, youth employment, functional hospitals , well equipped schools, regular payment of workers salaries, pensions and gratuities, as well a conducive environment for investors to come in.
“Okorocha promised the people free education, job, job, job, factory, factory, factory and industry, industry, industry but today, where are these things?
On whether he still has confidence in the judiciary in view of the inability of the court to penalise Okorocha for contempt of court , he said “the judiciary has done its job and all we should do is to continue to talk. The problem is not that of the judiciary because they have done their job”.
