- Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo state gave out 2,000 free cars to tricycle riders in the state
- Okorocha says the gesture is part of the move by the state government to halt the use of tricycles as means of transport in the state
- The beneficiaries got a car each through raffle draw
Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo surprised 2,000 residents of the state with free cars on Thursday, August 31, Jones Fcc Onwuasoanya, a member of his media team, has confirmed.
NAIJ.com learnt that the governor gave out the cars to some tricycle operators in the state as his government plans to face out the mode of transportation.
READ ALSO: Residents lament over the bad state of Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway
The free cars were handed over to the tricycle operators after a raffle draw.
“The governor of Imo state, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, has transformed about 2000 keke operators to automatic car owners,” Jones said on social media.
“The car gifts, which are in line with the Rescue Mission administration's urban renewal program, came as the governor directed that the operation of keke will be restricted from the 5th of September, 2017.
“This decision, the governor explained, became necessary because of the massive infrastructural transformation the state capital has witnessed in the last six years and the need to ensure that the capital city lives up to its new status as a modern city.
PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigeria’s #1 new app
“The governor also assured the keke operators that he has nothing personal to benefit from the ban in the capital city of Owerri, but is doing this for the benefit of majority of the people,” he said adding that the beneficiaries commended the Okorocha for the gifts.
NAIJ.com earlier reported that Okorocha had been in the eye of the storm following the killing of a 10-year-old boy in the state during the demolition of a market.
Days after the violence broke out in Owerri, an Abuja-based lawyer, Charles Mbalisi, reported Governor Rochas Okorocha to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).
Watch this video again as a man who authored a book on Nnamdi Kanu speaks:
