The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Imo State on Monday said that the government of Governor Rochas Okorocha has been spreading poverty, death and grief in the State for close to seven years since it came on board.

In a statement by the State Publicity Secretary of the party, Dr George Nkwoji, which was made available to the press on Monday, the party while reacting to the Governor's creation of the new Ministry of Happiness and Purpose Fulfilment and the appointment of his blood sister as the Commissioner for Happiness and Purpose Fulfilment, said that the Governor lacks the morality to talk about the happiness of the people because for the period he has been Governor Imo people have known no happiness but grief, hunger, disappointment and frustrations.

The party noted that though the primary essence of government is the overall happiness of the people, “Governor Okorocha has since 2011 denied the people their happiness, a case of taking sleep away from the people.”

According to the Publicity Secretary of APGA, the party noted that when the Governor embarked on the demolition of the means of livelihood of the people he was destroying their happiness.

“The Governor has destroyed the people's means of livelihood, property, markets, including public infrastructure such as water and water pipelines; these acts have led to so much anguish, death and poverty among the people. They have also led to the increase in the number of mortuaries in the State as it has become a lucrative businesses,” the party said.

APGA wondered why the Governor does not place any premium on water when it is in the MDG target and other states are investing in water.

The party added that a government that destroyed the health system and lowered the standard of education in the state should be ashamed that it has brought death and frustrations to the people.

“The calamity unleashed in the health sector forced the Nigeria Medial Association (NMA), Imo State Branch, to voice out the frustrations of the people on more than two occasions and called for speedy actions by the Government, though their calls were as usual thrown away without regard to the wellbeing of the people.

“The Imo branch of NMA had lamented that while states like Anambra and Enugu were prepared for the Laser Fever that broke out earlier in the year, Imo State Government under Okorocha had no preparations to tackle such outbreak if it broke out in the state. The medical doctors also lamented that the State Government was no longer attending to those with HIV/AIDS as they could no longer access their medications, leading to death and increase in the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in the state,” the party lamented.

It also described the Okorocha’s government as a government that took jobs away from the people and left them jobless, with more than 800,000 young people roaming the streets in search of nonexistent jobs.

According to Imo APGA, “Nothing can compare to the government that took away jobs from the people and spreads joblessness, grief and death like one spreads butter on bread, unleashing over 800,000 jobs youths on the streets.

“When the Governor promised job creation and employment Imo people put their faith in him. But instead of achieving all that, he has demolished their shops, markets, properties, and cut off their means of livelihood.

“Who will expect the traders whose businesses were destroyed at Ekeukwu Owerri and elsewhere, or the Ibeanusi family that lost their promising 10 years old boy, to be happy?

“Not only that, who will expect that people whose lands have been grabbed to be happy? Who will expect that in the face of few people enriching themselves and their relations while in government and at the same time destroying the institutions of government, with unwholesome disobedience to court judgements, Imo people will be happy?”

While calling on the people of Imo State to disregard what it described as “a prostitute pontificating as virgin,” APGA assured that it would provide the next government that would right the wrongs perpetrated by the Okorocha’s government by “revoking his fraudulent actions.”

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