Governors responsible for hardship — Okocha tells Nigerians

The Caretaker Committee Chairman of the Rivers State All Progressives Congress, APC, Tony Okocha, advised Nigerians to hold state governors accountable for the present hardship being faced in the country.

He made this known while addressing reporters at the national secretariat of the party in Abuja.

Okocha, who acknowledged the global economic challenges, absolved President Bola Tinubu of responsibility for the current hardship in the country.

He said people should ask their state governors questions on how they are managing the huge allocation given to them.

Okocha said: “The truth be told. Let us face reality here. What is the reason for the planned protest? The reason for the planned protest, as I heard, is that there is hunger in the land. Is President Tinubu the architect of hunger in the land? Why are we not demonstrating and protesting against our governors?

“In my time as the Chief of Staff, we had an allocation to the tune of N6.6 billion monthly. That was the maximum we got. But Rivers State today is coasting home to more than N28 billion in federal allocation. So, what happens?

“The removal of fuel subsidy brought money into the system. And the President didn’t put the money in his pocket. He is giving it out. When this money is given to the states, do they think the President should also come and administer its use?”

On the proposed nationwide protest, the APC leader called on all patriotic Nigerians not to heed the call for action, insisting that there was no justification for the action.

He said: “As a party in Rivers State and patriotic citizens of Nigeria, we would like to seize this opportunity to caution against the planned protest by people I call failed politicians.

“They cannot destroy the APC or the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu. We should support the President as he is determined to move Nigeria forward. It will take time, but the process is in place.

“We should not compare Nigeria to Kenya or Sudan. The circumstances and indices are different, and our population cannot be compared to those countries. Encouraging protests will only lead to chaos. We advise Nigerians not to join or support what I call failed politicians who think they can destroy the APC or the President.”