EXTRA: Okorocha gave me the worst advice during my presidency, says Obasanjo

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has jocularly blamed Rochas Okorocha, governor of Imo state, for “all the bad things” that happened to the country during his tenure.

Obasanjo was Nigeria’s president between 1999 and 2007.

Speaking in Owerri, Imo state capital, at the graduation ceremony of students of Rochas Foundation, Obasanjo said the worst advice he got while in office was from Okorocha, one of his then advisers.

“As you may all know, Rochas was one of the advisers I had when I was president,” he said.

“All the bad things that happened to this country under my presidency was advised by Rochas Okorcha.”

The former president, however, extolled the qualities of the governor who he said never ceases to surprise him.

“He (Okorocha) has never stopped to surprise me. He is a man of vision, of ideas. He is a thinking man. And when he explained to me his ideas about education, what he has done, I was marvelled. I doff my hat for you, Okorocha,” he said.

“Let me say this, the beginning of the development for any country is education. And the extent that we take education seriously, that is the extent that we take development seriously.

“Rochas is not just dealing with education; he is dealing with education for the underprivileged in general. Which means that if the poor and the underprivileged will rise above their disadvantaged position, it is only through education.

“And with what I have seen today, I have no regret at all to accept his offer for me to be part of this wonderful programme and wonderful development agenda to our country and for our continent.”

Earlier in his speech, Okorocha said he opened the foundation as a result of the strong passion he has for empowering the less privileged in the society.

He said the major targets of the foundation are orphans and those whose widowed mothers are struggling to cater for.

“There is no local government in Nigeria that don’t have a product of Rochas foundation,” he said.

“Let me use this opportunity to appeal to the personalities here that wherever you see a graduate of this foundation, please help them with their dream jobs as most of them don’t have who to speak for them.”