Okorocha gave me the worst advice during my presidency – Obasanjo

Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, has jokingly blamed Governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha, for “all the bad things” that happened to the country during his tenure between 1999 and 2007.

Obasanjo was speaking in Owerri, at the graduation ceremony of students of Rochas Foundation.

He 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 Okorocha,” he said.

Obasanjo however extolled the qualities of the Governor, who he said never ceased 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.

“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,” he added.