An activist and labour leader, Denja Yaqub, has taken a swipe at Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State for erecting a N500million statue in honour of the President of South Africa, Mr. Jacob Zuma, in the state.
Yaqub, in an exclusive chat with our correspondent, said that such a decision by Okorocha, who is also the chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, depicted him as a leader with penchant for corrupt practices.
He said the governor had also misplaced his priority as the leader of governors under the umbrella of the ruling All Progressives Congress.
Yaqub said, “To me, it’s a misplaced priority, a celebration of corruption by Okorocha, because Zuma is currently facing 183 criminal charges in South Africa.
“The Supreme Court of Appeal in South Africa, last Friday, ruled that he should be tried for 183 crimes, majority of which are related to corruption.”
He, therefore, questioned the rationale behind Okorocha’s decision to honour Zuma, saying that the South African President did not in any way deserve to be so treated by any Nigerian.
The labour leader said, “So, I don’t know why a governor, who is owing workers salary, will decide to use over N500 million to erect a statue for one of the most corrupt Presidents in Africa.
“Nigerians didn’t celebrate Zuma; it was Okorocha that celebrated him. Unfortunately, majority of the people that were attacked in South Africa were from the Eastern part of Nigeria. They were mainly Igbo people and some of them were from Imo State. So, for him to honour Zuma means he approved of what the South African youths were doing against our people in South Africa, and this should be condemned by all Nigerians and, indeed, all Africans.
“I think, in a way, Okorocha is an inept human being- a man with lack of knowledge and patriotism, a man that does not care about his people, that does not care about how people are treated, that can honour even a man who killed his own mother.”
