 As the jostle for 2023 presidency continues, former governor of Emo State Senator Rocha's Okoroccha joins live to speak on his aspiration. And with the third force, will it be participating in the upcoming elections and do they stand the chance come 2023? Well, this is Plus Politics, I am Mary Ann O'Call. Recently, Rocha's Okoroccha formally declared his interest in the run for office of the President. Senator Okoroccha said the country is facing a number of challenges that need to be addressed. The former Emo State Governor said he is seeking to establish a new Nigeria where issues of poverty and security will be addressed. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, filed charges against him hours after the declaration, alleging that Okoroccha conspired with others to steal 2.9 billion public funds. The Federal High Court in the River State ordered the EFCC to desist from harassing Senator Okoroccha pending the determination of the case. Now speaking on activities of the indigenous people of Biafra, Ipob in his state during his time as governor, Okoroccha said he saw the Ipob members as poorly educated children and not terrorists. Well, we are being joined live by the former governor of Emo State, Senator Okoroccha. Thank you so much, Senator, for joining us. Thank you. Great. Thank you very much. It's interesting. A lot of Nigerians wondered why a few hours later after you declared your intention to run for presidency, the EFCC comes after you. I'm sure that a lot of people question that, but why do you want to be president knowing the daunting task that it is? I mean, Nigeria has so many problems. It's bedeviled by insecurity, poor education, lack of infrastructure. Why would anybody want that job? Well, I'd like to start by saying God bless Nigeria. God bless my country in Nigeria, a great country. It's the best gift of God to my country. A great nation, prosperous nation, different people. That's a little bit of my prayer. So I mean, this whole business of politics, because of the love for my country, I genuinely love this country. And I want the best for this country. And I'm willing to make any form of sacrifice to give this great name to Nigeria, knowing that our nation is going through a whole lot in terms of what is called challenges, which are primarily man-made challenges that we're all going through. And I have decided to run for this great office as president of the Republic of Nigeria to change the narrative and to sing a new song for this nation. But the war over, we know that we are not a failed nation. We are not a failed nation. And that if everything goes the better. Interesting. I actually think that you're the man for the job, because I mean, several people have thrown in their hats into the ring declaring their, you know, the ambitions also. But what's that thing that makes you so certain that you are the man to steer the ship, especially now that Nigerians are yearning for good leadership? I can see you're taking so many questions at the same time. Yes. And I hope I do follow it right. As earlier, why do I want you to follow it? And I thought it was not out of my genuine concern for this nation. My love for this country. And I genuinely love this country. And I wish this country were. And I'm not happy about this. Some of the mass stories about the country. And I want to sing a new song, or take the narrative. This has been my, what I really want to do. I don't like the fact that our nation has been insulted by countries and other nations. Our passport has made value. People treat us like, oh, it's the interest of dignity. That's what I want to do. Now, asking to me, why do I think that I'm the person for the job at this moment? I've tagged this in the past. This will be the fourth time I'm running for this office as the president of the Federal Republic of New York. And if you recall, one was in 2011, 20 years ago. Another one in months. There's a moment where I do have a person in memory, who I can second. And the third one was made in AAPC. Or if you see, if I control search for something, I'm not satisfied. I want to see the great New Nigeria comp into plus. Born out of vision. Born out of passion. You make this nation great. That's why I'm so happy. And I want to inform you that I'm not in this job or what I can get. I'm in this job where I can be. So for me, it's the spirit of sacrifice. I'm high level of electricity, which is born out of the love of my country. I'm not necessarily the fear of the law, the sentiments of love. Now, what plans do I have? First of all, for you to say what plans you have. You have to identify or describe Nigeria of today. First, the nation we call Nigeria today is facing so many challenges. And one of the major challenges can be class 5 into three categories. And the three categories, one is the nature of this country. Now, the nature of this country, this is challenging. Especially for the cause of separation, cessation, and gender insecurity. Now, that is a very key point. And I found myself appropriate and rightful too. That as a president of Nigeria, I can unify this country. And Nigeria will trust me. We're going to speak of the religion, child, color, whatever. And Nigeria will believe in me. That Nigeria trusts. I'm not saying I will make you like me. But I will say I have strengthened the history of the country in the past. I'm an Igbo man. Born of Igbo territory. Educated in the north, grew up in the north. But I've had my financial apartment from the south west. So you can see, for me, Nigeria is a country. And that's from me. I was given establishment because I believe in this country. I made establishment in the south west. In the bad end, I had establishment in the south west, Zardia, Jaws, Karno, Bauti, Adamawa. In more, in Igbo, of USA, of course, where I'm spending more than 25,000 in this country. In fact, I don't love this country. I love it. So I'm sure of anything. Believe me, my practice cost speech for me. I never believe that. Believe me, Nigeria is a country. What's a good country? This nation requires somebody who can make sacrifice. Giving all that you have. Senator, are you still there? To benefit mankind. To benefit people. I don't know about compensation. I'm there. Okay. Do you want to hear me at all? I can hear you now. Yes. Where do you get off? I don't have to start. Okay. You talked about training children in Cross River. Okay. Fantastic. So I said to them, if I said this nation requires that, I don't need tomorrow. Especially where institutions are not working. This question requires some kind of, somebody with compassion at heart. Somebody who cares. I mean, caring not from the bottom of your heart. And I think I care. I care, especially as you face the downturn, the desperate, the use of this country. This is very important. But let me tell you the most important thing that I think I can address the issue of economy. Because that's a five-point. Our problem is everything this country returns. That is what you call the insecurity. That's what it's called. Poverty. This is what it's called. Everything is around the economy. Once the economy is right, everything will be right. When we say the right place, the issue of insecurity. And the right place, the issue of poverty. The right place, the pressure is how? How is the question? And that's what nobody in this country has answered that question. And by the way, if somebody can give me a better answer, I don't have my talent. If somebody better than me, I'll give you one. Because for me, it's about sacrifice. So let me tell you about how. You are... Then you think of the country that you find. The country of the nation today. You need to summarize it. For every one billion dollar program, this nation has to do. 100,000 million, they have to borrow. Possibility. The question is how can you create the world? It's about who can create the world. Somebody who cannot bring plenty. Bring plenty of resources. Manually. To take care of the Nigerian people. Because our expenditure far away is our income. And that's a problem that we have. And this will take the business my good person. Business my good person. Unfortunately, most people aspiring for this position, excuse me. I do not have business here. Or how to turn the economy of Nigeria. That's a problem I have. And how do you know who can turn the economy of Nigeria? But is business acumen the only thing that you need? Because I mean, again, I started by talking about the many problems of Nigeria. And I almost stopped at asking what you think the biggest problem is. But now you're saying it, that it's dealing with the economy. But how do you deal with an economy when the atmosphere in itself is not safe for businesses to even come in and thrive, including the local businesses that should be the one running the economy. So you can't talk about the economy in isolation of insecurity. Can you? No. You're wrong. I just learned a bit. Who wants to do business in an environment that is not safe? Just for me. Those who see poverty and insecurity is like husband and wife. And wherever you have high level of poverty, most have high level of insecurity. So you see, when you are, let me put it this way, if what you are talking about, you want to solve the problem of the symptoms, not the disease. That's the problem we have with most politicians who are saying what they are saying now. You see, you have to deal with the disease for the symptoms to disappear. The symptoms is water. Symptoms is insecurity. This is a symptom of the disease of what we say. And that brings me, that brings me to create what I don't know about vision. Vision now. And if you ask me, how can I create work? I did that to name a state. Let me give a small, less example that you might understand. I wish the people could understand, so I can look at the facts. Now, listen. Now, now, look at what I did to name a first. When I came to a state, I realized that I had a big problem. A big economic problem. And it's the critical element of the day. There's not a few, nothing. There was so much of children not going to school, after school children. Now, I came up with a vision. First, I want to create work. That's me. That depends on the subvention coming from the federal government, which makes everybody cashier, or my international revenue. Now, first, I identified land. This land that you're standing on as a capital and are treated as a well-setter side for the production of further work. And what people do not know that land is a huge, huge, huge capital. And that's what I did to name a state. What do I do? By certification of land and law, I raise billions and billions of money to do the infrastructure, produce free education, do the basic agriculture, do the central hospital, do the five hundred and forty schools, the best high court. I did a lot of free education. Now, when I came to understand the plot of land, you understand it was three hundred and fifty thousand, five hundred thousand. You can ask questions. When I finished with you, my left, you understand the plot. The same plot of land came back to twenty million, thirty million, forty million, fifty million. What is danger? That's what I mean by taking outside the plot. We have so much work in this country. We have a vision to change it into money or create jobs or create worlds, create the middle classes. What is life? Even if you import the whole arms today from all over the world to fight in security, it will not end. It can only kill one million. What is the problem? So, poverty is not a problem. What do you call it? Security is not a problem. At this poverty, I mean security will die. Great job for the youth is security will die. This is the problem of the country. In your fighting poverty, you're talking about wealth creation and all you've mentioned is land. And this is what you did in Emo State. I just gave you one. One. But you're running, that's Emo State. Maybe land can be a wealth creation technique. But this is Nigeria, a country bigger than Emo State. How do you intend to do this? Don't forget that all of the states in this country have different needs and different strategies need to be undertaken to deal with those problems. For example, a state like Cross River, my state that has recalled it as civil service state at some point when we had Donald Dukie was tourism that was the main state. But now he has nothing. How do you intend to deal with that issue? No. This is again a very problem. You see, don't even say a state is a civil service state. That's a bad meant to give to a state. It's not right. Well, it does not have any income earning abilities other than tourism at the time. Right now, we have industries that are more rebund and are unable to generate income. Salaries have not been paid for months. What do you call that state, sir? I don't know about that. But I do know that the governor is doing his best. I don't know about that. I don't think the government is at this discussion. It's not about national issue. But it's against the federal and the public of Nigeria that I want to deal with. Exactly. Now, the problem is that every state in this country is viable. Of course, if I can be good for agriculture, they can be good for tourism, they can be good for human capital development, they can be good for many things. Now, now, now I just take for instance, when you come again to deal with my line of thought, if you come back to Nigeria as a country, from Sokoto to Kuala, look at the distance of almost how many kilometers. It's all gold, for instance. We have so much human resources, material resources, enough, enough to make Dubai out of this country, to make America jammy, jammy out of this country. What we have not been able to do is that we have not been able to manage the resources and our nation properly. Nigeria is not a poor nation. Nigeria is a wealthy nation with poor citizens, arising from big problems and arising from management vision. I'll just give you that. So, last time I asked somebody here in Federal Capitality, why can't a city here be like Dubai? What's the difference? What do they have in Dubai who don't have it? Probably, it takes a business man in Dubai to say, listen, OPA, do we know Nigeria money is in Dubai, not in Dubai? America is in Dubai. Who told you the money came from Dubai? Now, if you don't know how to master this OPA, not that person, to develop a source of money, you cannot do it. Another big problem we have by there is the issue of education. Education is thought. The education system is tailored towards the, you know, education system for where institutions work. What you need now is telling your education to sort a technologically-based education that can, if like, transform the combat two sources of your land to create wealth. It's very easy. It's not, it's not at all easy. So, the average Nigerian, and I mean the average Nigerian has a bachelor's or has a higher diploma, but very educated people in this part of the country, we haven't, I mean the middle class at least, we have a lot of people who have paper qualifications that do not have jobs. That do not have... No, no, no, no. I said, I did not say all of the people in the middle class. I said many. In other words, there could be a few that are not as educated. But, what I'm emphasizing is that yes, our education might not be great, but we leave the shores of this country and we become better. We do bigger things. We're more successful. So, I don't know if we can really say that changing education, or the face of education will solve our problem. But quickly, I want to go back to the economy. You talked about something in your presentation when you declared you talked about the fact that our budget is also a problem and you said something about having... I'd like to quote it directly. You talked about a budgeting tax-force budget. And I asked myself what you meant by a tax-force budget. Maybe you can explain to us as Nigerians what that is and how it would help the economy of the country. My dear, if you don't decide that we are not able to communicate, my problem is that Nigerians listen to me and get to know what it is like. What I've just said to you, in fact, our education is a lot wrong. We need education now. What we need is to have a degree in electrical installation, a degree in plastering, ordinary plastering, a degree in pilot, a degree in the building, a degree in agriculture, a degree in animal farming, a degree in the... Whatever it is, for a specific job, what to change the entire thing. But to Nigerians, English language is education. English language is just a language. It's not education. Then we get back to that. So I did that in him when I produced... Senator, we can't hear you anymore. That's what he's called. He must take College of Advancement, degree. You can see people for equipment. Can you hear me now? Yes. Can you hear me? Yes. I said I did that in him or where if you have the first degree or personal degree, you still have to go for a three-month course in the University College of Advancement, Professional Scholars to get a professional certificate that you can be your own boss, not relative to a white college job. This is the new Nigeria we're talking about. But coming back to what is called the fast-force budgetary system. God bless you. I didn't know that you understood that. Now, what do you see? The bureaucratic bottlenecks we have in dispensing budget of Nigeria is 40. And that is what is called the corruption law. So if you have a project here, say it's budgeted one billion to be constructed in a Boko'a My Village in Imo State, before that one billion travels across the Bacodile, it has gone back to 500 million. Before it gets to anyone that has gone to 250 million. Before it gets to Imo, it has gone to 100 million. Before it gets to my Boko'a My Village, they suffer from HIV or Boshok and it's dead. That's what will happen. So we're saying straight front like a fast-force is a guided budget that which must produce that for which it is not free. And that will help a lot because our culture we must bring our culture to bear, our lifestyle to bear in government. We're just boring everything from America, from Britain, from Germany. Not knowing that their culture is quite different. In Nigeria we say my own is my own and our own is our own. So that philosophy and that belief must be there in government to bring more results. For instance, what does the Minister of Transport why does he have, I mean, the Minister of Works, what business does he have going to Boko'a My Village to go out there in that spirit? This is what it's called and by so doing it will take about 20 million Naira ester codes for security of travel as aną USB project. It's you know we must cut our code according to material and value not according to the size. That's the nature of what we are doing. I will read you through the past the somebody specifically you get into it we'll finish with this, here is your cash go and deliver. Benefit of what we take we will get results but this biocratic bot auto bank is terrible before the phrasier design, half of the month is gone. Before it gets in November there are more, Now we will be contract by December 1st and then before that variation has come. That's why no project is finished in Nigeria, it will not be finished. Okay. When I was the governor, I applied the tax force system, which is the problem, which is the problem that most people have been back with in the state. But again, the result, I did what I did because of that system. Let me quickly, because we're almost running out of time, let me push you now on trust. Because it's one thing to say, I want to be president. It's another thing to gain the trust of the people to actually say, well, we want you to be president. I listened again to your speech, I listened to it over and over again. You seem to have the gift of the gap and you seem to have convinced the people in the room and maybe other people. But Nigerians seem to also be at a point where they've been talked out. They've heard so much. The Buhari administration made a lot of promises and here we are. We're not really enjoying all of those promises that we hoped for. And permit me to say that you also were part of the people who brought this government into power. But here you are saying you want to build a better Nigeria. But did you not foresee that when you pushed for the Buhari administration? And why should Nigerians trust you to do what you promised? Now again, let me take you to see what we have in this country is a campaign of deceit. People say what you cannot do. You can't give what you've done. My dear, you can't give what you've done. In the first place, let me say this to you, as the campaign comes up, all you're going to be able to hear different slogans, I will build roads, I will build this, I will, I will, I will. Now how would Nigeria trust me? And how would they trust them? It takes track of a cause, what you've never to do in the past. Now if I tell Nigerians that I will make the education free, which I have to hear, but the education will be free, the government is going to university, Nigeria should believe me. Because as a businessman, and through the Rogers Foundation, I've been able to train 5,000 children every day, 3,000 children every week. And I've told as a businessman, let's teach them that. And do that as a government in the middle state, where education becomes free, the middle state, the government is going to university. If I say I'll do it as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, believe me, I will do it. But if someone who has never trained one child, yes, you will make education free, don't believe me, it's deceiving you. I just can't end myself. If I say to Nigerians, I believe in the beauty of this country. I'm not an Igbo man, but you see me in Sokoto, you see me in Kagawa, you see me in Zaga, you see me in Kauti, Adam, our Jaws, or you in South West, in Kosovo, you see me, what I just said. If I could do this in the past, out of love for humanity and for Nigeria, believe me, I'll put the gospel of unity. Now, if I tell you I can make one matter to become P9, I was a child of Pope Benedict, Pope Benedict is still trading on oranges and coconuts. If I can go through those lines and become what I am today, then you should also believe me that I can create what. So let nobody deceive you on what you've done, they cannot provide. And then there's opportunity to condemn what is going on now in the country, which I hate, and the kind of campaign of color is going on now. I want to appeal to Nigeria that this time around, Nigeria is not going to be seen to deceive life. And let us talk about issues, not sentiments, which has finished this country. Take for instance, this campaign of color, about people are kind of leaders, about other statement, it is from this condemnation. Nobody should campaign against anybody's health, whether through or not. But campaign of issue, even say to the police, we have not done this, we have not done this, nobody can do that, use his health tools or what, everything. It's not only not gold, it's a campaign like that. I want to appeal to Nigeria, I want to appeal to Nigeria. But let us be on the expense of issues, in you that I'm talking to my dear young lady. I want this year new program to start, whatever it was, try and get people to explain to you how, which is not how they like it. And I'm able to explain it just a bit of how, it's more how. And if you ask me, how are you going to make education free for the country? I'll tell you how. I'm not going to judge my country. But if you are willing to make sacrifice, you can do that. If you have company, you can do that. So Nigeria can trust me. Okay. Nigeria can trust me. Quickly, before I let you go, you also are aware of the canvassing for the Southeast president. We have seen Southern governors, we've seen leaders of thoughts push that political parties zone their presidential tickets to the South, to the South generally. But then, of course, Ndigbo have also been pushing that there be an animal president. You're not the first person who has, who's from that extraction that has decided that they want to be president. But with all that you've said today and what you said on the day you declared that you were going to run for this office, how much energy and vigor and power do you think that Ndigbo will throw behind you? What's the weight of Ndigbo in supporting you? Do you see them throwing their weights behind you as you move ahead for this presidency journey? First, let me define Aleppo man from here. Maybe Aleppo man is the most misunderstood immigrant in this country. Aleppo man is a wonderful immigrant. Who lives his own time, his own state, travel to another person's state and contribute to the political, economic development of that state. Sometimes, with that immigrant that has to do that in his own state, or in their life. But it is only immigrants that do that. That's why I call them the true Niger. They are the true Niger. It looks like you cannot see any of these aspirants now who would tell you, no aspirant in Nigeria contesting for this election, that it's not for the people that has put one single stop or shop or one block in Igbo down. That makes you know that Igbo's will really be good people for this nation when it comes to the presidency of Nigeria. But talking about me and Ndigbo, I understand that they are not good beginners. They are big finishers. Just wait for my biggest ticket. Igbo's will watch for a good job here. I want to push them where I start and start the movement. That is who they are. They are not good beginner. Are you certain that you stand a chance against all of the people within your party who have already put their foot forward for this office? No, no, no, no, no, no, no. Do you stand a chance? Not even stand a chance. I stand one of the best chances if APC wants to help 50 in this election. No chance should do that. And I'll tell you what. If you put the wrong candidate, people will take it. And why would they take that from me? Because of my massive followers from the North. And even I can't say it because I can easily accept it across the land and back of this country. So, but if you give to John Burgos, how many days back? So, I know I stand a very good chance. I'm not because of that. It's the vision in me that is driving me, that makes me come, this is the right time for me to go and vote. Okay. Well, and if you do not pick this ticket, would you throw your weights behind another person? No, I'll pick it. Okay. Well, then let's stay positive. Senator Roshan Sankaraja, we want to thank you for being part of the conversation. We appreciate you taking the time out. Thank you. But next time, let's get more equipment. So, the internet will not be a problem. All right, great. But I support you, and I will support this last television. Congratulations. All right, thank you so much. Well, thank you all for staying with us. We'll take a short break. Now, when we return, we discuss the Ted Force. Yes, the third force is saying that they're coming out with a party just before the elections. Stay with us.