Knocks are still coming the way of Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State for erecting billboards in the state to celebrate a photograph he took with President Barrack Obama at the United States. This was as the Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, NHRC, Prof Chidi Odinkalu yesterday described the Governor’s action as a show of narcissism.
The billboards which carried an inscription – new faces of change – were erected in strategic locations in Imo State, showcasing a photograph of Okorocha having a handshake with Obama and President Muhammadu Buhari in the background.
When images of the billboards made it to the Internet earlier this week, the social media was agog with comments, with the online community criticizing the governor and describing his action as petty.
Just when the furore generating by the billboard was being drowned, Odinkalu took to his Twitter handle on Thursday to post that the action of the Governor amounted to narcissism or a complex.
He asserted that the billboards do not, in anyway, represent the change Nigerians are opting for, as he tweeted thus: “Let us say it clearly to Gov. Rochas and all: This is not a change. At best, it is narcissism, or worse, a complex”.
Meanwhile, Okorocha had since distanced himself from the billboards. He noted through his Chief Press Secretary, Sam Onwuemeodo, that “To say the least, the Imo State governor or the state government he superintends did not place the photographs on a screen or billboards, and was not aware or informed of such development. He could not have authorised anybody or any group to do that since it was totally unnecessary.
“At the level God had placed the governor even before he became a governor in 2011, he would not have authorised anybody to advertise or display his photographs with the American President,” Onwuemeodo explained.
Comments