Owelle Rochas Anayo Okorocha is an Imo State politician and businessman. He is a wealthy and influential politician who has twice served as governor of Imo state, from 2011 to 2019. He now serves in Nigeria’s 9th Senate as the Senator for Imo West Senatorial District. Rochas Okorocha is the President of the Rochas Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides African children with free education.
Early Life and Education
Rochas was born on September 22, 1962, in Ogboko, Ideato South, Imo State, to an Imo father and an Anambra mother. He identifies more strongly with his Anambra side, which is the source of his innate anger. In Jos, he attended Juladaco High School (1976-1981). From 1990 to 1991, he studied Public Administration at the University of Jos. In 1993-1994, he returned to Jos University to earn an advanced diploma in public administration.
Career
Rochas Okorocha did not begin his political career; rather, he began his commercial career as a result of his early conditions, which he described as “all shades of poverty.” Rochas Okorocha started selling goods as a child in Barkin Ladi, Jos. He was the principal of a commercial school when he was 19 years old. He became the owner of a school when he was 23 years old. Rochas Okorocha began working in the cement industry in Gboko, Benue State, at the age of 23.
He served as President of the Nigeria Red Cross Society, President/Founder of the Rochas Foundation Inc, President of the Rochas Group of Companies Limited, Pro-Chancellor of the African Business School, and Former Chairman of the Board of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency before entering politics.
Rochas Okorocha was a member of the National Constitutional Conference and a Commissioner of the Federal Character Commission before becoming governor of Imo state. Rochas Okorocha’s bids for governor and president in 1999 and 2003 both failed miserably. During former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s/Atiku Abubakar’s regime, he was appointed as the People’s Democratic Party’s (PDP) Special Adviser on Inter-Party Affairs.
Rochas Okorocha moved from the PDP to the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in order to compete for Imo State Governor as an APGA candidate in 2011. Despite being suspended from the APGA for ‘anti-party conduct,’ Rochas Okorocha campaigned for and subsequently won the Imo state governorship. Rochas Okorocha moved from the APGA to the All Progressives Congress (APC) during his first tenure and ran for governor in 2015. Fortunately, he was re-elected and served as governor of Imo state for two terms.
Rochas Okorocha maintained his political career after his two-term stint in Imo state. In 2019, he ran for and was elected to the National Assembly as a senator. He is currently the Senator for Imo West Senatorial District, as well as a candidate for the party’s flag bearer in the All Progressive Congress.
Personal Life
He married Nneoma Nkechi Okorocha in 1987, and they have six children: Uloma Rochas Nwosu, Uju Rochas-Anwuka, Uchechi Rochas, Aham Rochas, Amen Rochas, and Amam Rochas.
Impact and Influence
Rochas established the Rochas Foundation in 1996 as a way of giving back to society. Rochas Foundation College, which now has campuses across the Federation, was founded in 2001 by Rochas Foundation. Surprisingly, the college provides free education to all Nigerian students, regardless of tribe or race. Rochas Okorocha founded the college to assist the suffering Nigerian masses by providing free education to many Nigerian students, allowing them to live above the poverty line.
Net Worth
Rochas Okorocha is a wealthy and influential politician in Nigeria, he is also a philanthropist who has helped many lives through the Rochas Okorocha Foundation which he created. His net worth is estimated at $1.4 billion.
