Okorocha backs national dialogue as way of tackling nation’s challenges

Senator representing Imo West Senator District, Rochas Owelle Okorocha has thrown his weight behind national dialogue, saying Nigerians needed to be assuaged in the obvious security, social and economic challenges.

His call is reinforcing the opinion of some Nigerian leaders, who have said the national dialogue will present a good oppourtunity for Nigeria to go back to the drawing board and chart a new way forward before the 2023 elections.

Speaking at the Nigeria Bar Association, NBA, Spidel conference which held in Ibadan, Okorocha held that the events of past years in the political history of Nigeria were still being held against some geo-political zones of the country.

His words “Before the advent of democracy in 1999 finally, the problem of this country was, as if only we can get away the military administration all shall be well with our nation, nobody was talking about true federalism, our problem was the military administration, now the military administration has come and gone, we are in democracy and the same problem since 1960 is still continuing till 2021.

“So when I hear people criticize the current government, I agree with you that things might be getting worse, but the problem did not start six years ago. These problems have been with us abinitio.”

“These problems have been with us, its just that it is increasing in a geometrical progression, what happens next after 2023, are we still going to be complaining, I think it’s a question of a bad workman quarrelling with his tools.”

“Therefore, there are basic things that needs to be addressed, take for instance the IPOB, today the Igbos have a sense of everlasting marginalization and the IPOB has keyed into that feeling, young men and women are saying that they want their own nation, the Yoruba are tired of the name Nigeria, the North is tired of its poverty situation that they have told the Almajiris to go back to their fathers villages, this is the nation we have found ourselves”.

“I am talking about the injustice and I like what Bala Muhammed said, before now there was a coup that took place when I was a little boy, I was barely two, three years old, the Kaduna Nzeogwu coup, the kaduna Nzeogwu coup was for selfish reason, but till today that coup is meted on the Igbo nation as if I Rochas was part of that coup, so there is need to assuage people that is why I support national dialogue for us to know where we all started.

The Spidel conference had in attendance the governors of Bauchi state, Senator Bala Muhammed and Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo state.