Boko Haram - Okorocha's Registration Rumpus in the Senate

The reported plan by the Rochas Okorocha administration to register northerners in the state has raised a fuss between the regime in Owerri and the Senate. Was it really misdirected fire or what?

Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State has been famed for some weird policies since he came to power nearly three years ago. His latest policy of registering northerners in the state has, however, received blistering criticisms from several quarters including the Senate.

The proposed policy was reported to be part of the administration's attempt to protect life and property in the state following the upsurge in the Boko Haram insurgency.

The scheme it was learnt was originally designed by members of the Hausa community in the state to keep away people with strange ideologies from their midst. The scheme it was learnt was bought over by an aide of the governor who is himself a non-indigene, a development that seemed to give it government approval.


The government was as such quick to deny any role in it. Despite the denial, this purported policy has attracted the wrath of the Senate and especially, the governor's most formidable opponents in the legislative chamber.

The first to express disgust over the purported policy was the Deputy Senate Leader, Senator Abdul Ningi from Bauchi Central who brought a motion to that effect last Wednesday to condemn the policy.

In his motion titled: "The Issuance of Identification Card to Northerners residing in Imo State - Urgent call for policy reversal", he argued that the policy contravenes the provisions of section 41(1) and 42(1) of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended which guarantee amongst others, free movement of Nigerians from any part of the country to the other and right of residence without any inhibition or condition whatsoever.

Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba in support, described the policy as wrongheaded, unconstitutional and discriminatory and lampooned the governor for even contemplating such a policy at this level of our nationhood.

He said: " Yes, right away, Nigeria is passing through the most difficult period of our history even worse than the civil war going by the kind of anxiety enveloping the country presently as a result of the Boko Haram insurgency but that should not be used as a licence by any governor or anybody to go out of our constitutional provisions in coming up with a policy to tackle the problem.  (allafrica)