@ OKIJA JUJU: I totally agree with you. Its unfortunate most folks can't see the bigger picture while responding to policies of our elected officials. Before you guys go mouthing off about my being a hater of Rochas and Imo, let me proudly state- ahum onye Ubomiri/ Mbaitoli LG. Are you guys comfortable with the standard of Imsu? Won't you rather have a university that is at 50-60% in quality & structure to other premier universities of the world?. On the surface, the policy is a populist one and i can understand the sentiments most people share for anything FREE from the govt. But when carefully analysed, we're better off having those funds spent on delivering quality content than this elaborate grandstanding.

And this guy continues to make other govs look lyk dummies and common criminal.

livapul86:

@ OKIJA JUJU: I totally agree with you. Its unfortunate most folks can't see the bigger picture while responding to policies of our elected officials. Before you guys go mouthing off about my being a hater of Rochas and Imo, let me proudly state- ahum onye Ubomiri/ Mbaitoli LG. Are you guys comfortable with the standard of Imsu? Won't you rather have a university that is at 50-60% in quality & structure to other premier universities of the world?. On the surface, the policy is a populist one and i can understand the sentiments most people share for anything FREE from the govt. But when carefully analysed, we're better off having those funds spent on delivering quality content than this elaborate grandstanding.

I don't disagree with Rochas turning the schools in Imo state into world class institutions but my query is: who will attend this universities? is it people that live on less than $1 a day?

I think the man won't be stupid enough to call the whole world to announce what he hasn't thought through. It's a welcome idea and I will rather give this a try than have the government keep looting and claiming that they have awarded this and that contract. I believe this is more tangible than most dividends of democracy that past governments have been dishing out. He directly placing the destiny of each community in their hands. Let us all see how we can contribute our quota to developing our states. The only challenge I have with this is that ppl who are not from Imo have been ostracized despite the fact that the voted for him. If Fashola were to borrow from this like introduce schemes that will be beneficial to Lagosians alone and not residents of Lagos. Nigerians will have an issue with it. But i believe that this is the way to go especially with the current structure of Nigeria and her revenue sharing formula.

badesco:

I hope Gov. Fashola of Lagos State will copy from Gov.Rochas Okorocha. Despite Imo is not as rich as Lagos yet he could come out with a plan of free education at all level. Okorocha you are the best Governor in Nigeria.

Fasola will be able to do it too if he can limit it to children that have lagos parentage rather than all residents.

This is laudable, but in Nigeria seeing is believing.

AFAM4EVA nobody is saying it is not a good policy, but this thing is this if you go to the market to buy a car which of which is chep and low quality it last just for a while then it starts to fail, but when you buy one that is of good quality that is expensive you sef no say that one go last for a long time.  What i believe Mr. Rochas should do is provide good and long term loan guarantees to student to go to quality school to acquire skill which is what we need right now in this country and not low quality graduate that cannot contribute to the economy but sit at home and waiting for miracle for them to get the job that is so hard to get in this country. It is not about getting more people through university but actually what will they do after the university education

livapul86:

@ OKIJA JUJU: I totally agree with you. Its unfortunate most folks can't see the bigger picture while responding to policies of our elected officials. Before you guys go mouthing off about my being a hater of Rochas and Imo, let me proudly state- ahum onye Ubomiri/ Mbaitoli LG. Are you guys comfortable with the standard of Imsu? Won't you rather have a university that is at 50-60% in quality & structure to other premier universities of the world?. On the surface, the policy is a populist one and i can understand the sentiments most people share for anything FREE from the govt. But when carefully analysed, we're better off having those funds spent on delivering quality content than this elaborate grandstanding.

Since 1960, no Nigerian university have attained half of the percentage you quoted in quality and structure and yet students are paying through their nose, you didn't say anything, now even with your purported no-quality but 100% subsidized, you're ranting here. Ubomiri ko, mbaitoli ni

This is a policy statement I believe and will take time to implement. Those who hold him accountable on his previous promises should know that things will not happen overnight. Some will take months and other years and yet others may be totally realised in another regime. What follows is the implementation roadmap and a time to debate and assess how and in what form the policy will be implemented. This is where you and I will get involved because this is where the bill for such a policy will be made manifest. People will get to know what they will have to sacrifice to have free education. So the pace of implementation is not always controlled by government alone. This is one of those misconceptions.

Empty barrels make the loudest noise.

those criticixing rochas for coming out with "populist" are just talkers wjo are non'doesr in their real lives, i know your type si i wont respond! rochas has several free schools he is funding free already! di you listen to his model for running primary and secondary schoool? i continue to pray for him to suceed

@proud-igbo

Chei Chinekeeee. Abeg have mercy on Anambra and Abia. Even the one in Ebonyi - no one sabi whether yin still dey alive or not.

@ okihja juju
spot on,
i have been an ardent supporter of rochas , but he got it all wrong here. He should have channelled the funds to better use such as micro business finance.

Dede m Rochas, the cap fits you, evil men and women must not see the good cap of ndi Imo on your head talk more of removing it. May God bless you Sir, Amen!

mixed feelings for me here

i like the idea . . .but like okija juju ad a few others have said, where will it lead to in the end?

the technical schools wouldav been better IMO

Lets do some math, If there are 10,000 imo indigenes in imsu. That amounts to 1 billion naira per annum. Now, dat gives 37 million naira for each of the 27 LGs. Dats 3 million naira a month per LG. Average monthly allocation per LG is abt 60-80 million. If the Lg will contribute half of the funds, dat will amount to only 0.0118% - 0.025% of their allocation, Very paltry and VERY FEASIBLE IN MY 4KIN OPINION!!

^^^ have you seen rochas budget for 2012 ?

[size=22pt]Imo according to JAMB, NYSC and BBC is the most educationally developed state. With this I think the the gap will sure widen. The best investment you can make in a people is education. This can make them carve a niche for themselves in times of difficulty, make them have mutual and neighborhood understanding, have good sense of judgment, engage in meaningful activities against all odds. etc etc etc.
Imo is really great[/size]

All those shouting fashola, IF he limits it to ppl whose parents are originally from lagos state, they would start shouting again , This that, good in rochas if the state can afford it I dont see anything bad

May God bless Rochas. This is what governance is meant to be. Peoples' interest. Three gbosa for Rochas!!!

I should think with uni and poly, Rochas won't spend more than N1.5b per annum for this. Is that too much? Capital NO. The guy is a businessman and philanthropist. He sacrificed N4b of his security for free pry and sec education before now and he has a vision/mission. He's competing Sam Mbakwe, and I can tell u that it's not a tea party.

Kudos to Rochas. People are so cynical, but I don't blame them. We're used to bad and selfish leadership. Don't forget, Imo's budget has 73% capital and 27% recurrent expenditure. The best in the country so far. Every ministry will have to cater for itself henceforth. Can u imagine parastatals creating wealth? Rochas is just it. My prayer is that God should see him through, so he doesn't disappoint us.

He's setting a very high standard for SE and indeed every governor and the president. They must hate him now.

Fine, Nobody is saying what he is doing is not good!!, But can it really work in alll states?, Take 4 example LAGOS, cn such thing work in LAGOS considering its huge diversity

stop calling t.a orji bad names! This thread isnt about t.a or abia state, this thread is about Rochas, comend him and shut d'fck up!
I prefer 3 jobs for every 10 graduates, rather than 600 graduates for 3 available jobs. T.a is tryin to create employment for abians by cleansing the state civil service. I wont tow ur line of derailin a good thread, so i'll stop here.
@Kudos to owelle Rochas, ensure u provide employment opurtunity and an enabling environment to the thousands of graduate u'll be sending to the labour market.

Lets do some math,  If there are 10,000 imo indigenes in  imsu. That amounts to 1 billion naira per annum. Now, dat gives 37 million naira for each of the 27 LGs. Dats 3 million naira a month per LG. Average monthly allocation per LG is abt 60-80 million. If the Lg will contribute half of the funds, dat will amount to only 1.18% - 2.5% of their allocation,  Very paltry and VERY FEASIBLE IN MY 4KIN OPINION!!

Okorocha has done it again for Imo!

Chai, asi anyi nwe onye di ka ya na Abia,

klas:

Fasola will be able to do it too if he can limit it to children that have lagos parentage rather than all residents.

Kindly answer if Fashola's IGR of taxes, levies, fines, toll fees etc is also not from residents
You should have said that Fashola or any governor or LG chairman should tie receipt of government benefits that are targeted at the individual level to tax payment for a continuously sufficient period for residency qualification.

What the governor did was making a political statement. Go to the primary and secondary schools and you would see for yourself that they are paying. Shine your eyes.

I think this is a commendable effort by Rochas. Imo is a relatively small state. There are different levels of problems facing residents of the state and there are different ways of tackling them. Rochas choosing to tackle education does not mean that he does not realize that there are large numbers of unemployed youths.

If everything remains equal, especially the barrier of entry into state Universities, the number of people educated before this program will not change even after its implementation. The only thing that will change is indigenes no longer dropping out of college due to their finances.

The next step to his problem solving approach, after implementation of this program, should be finding a place for the educated youths to earn income. He might have to strengthen vocational schools that teach hands-on skills while simultaneously investing in an environment that spurs entrepreneurial drive.

Can the same program work in Lagos? I doubt it because Lagos is more of a melting pot with people from all tribes in significant numbers. Moreover, it does not seem fair to ask tax payers that have been living in Lagos for decades to subsidize the education of Lagos indigenes! It will be better for Lagos to take the approach of strengthening schools and the entrepreneurial atmosphere so that all the residents can benefit the same.

Good move by Rochas, one filled with fore-sight, if he can achieve this goal even if for Ǟ minority ☺₣ the state, his name will forever be imprinted in their hearts. Kudos to him

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