The Nation Newspaper

Tag: abia

  • Abia police partner landlords to fight crime

    House owners in Aba, Abia State may yet have the answer to violent crime challenges in the commercial hub as a new group, Aba Landlords Protection and Development Association (ALPADA) has been launched at the Aba Sports Club.

    It was an occasion that the state police used to assure Aba residents of their protection from hoodlums and men of the underworld.

    The police aim to liaise with the landlords hoping to obtain useful information from them on their tenants and their dependants.

    In his speech on the occasion, the state Commissioner of Police Mr Habila Joshak said that the birth of this great association is the greatest thing that has happened to Aba residents which he said will help to curb the excesses of armed bandits.

    Habila said that the word protection which is the main focal point in the association that the problematic issue of security in Aba will soon be a thing of the past, stressing that the police will now be more alive to their responsibility as they are now assured of the support of the landlords.

    The CP said, “With the word ‘protection’ in their name as a group of Aba landlords, it means that they are out to cooperate with law enforcement agents in the city to rid Aba of crime and criminality and the security agencies will stop at nothing to give the people of the

    commercial city their best”.

    He said that for crime to be brought down to be barest minimum in Aba, landlords in the city will have to cooperate with all security agencies by giving them useful information that will lead to the arrest of the criminals, police and other arms of security in the state are not spirits, “We work better with information and not through guess work which hamper the progress of work in any security situation”.

    The Commissioner, who was represented by his deputy, DCP Anthony Ogboji said that since the criminals live among the people and the people know them, “If the people who know them cover them, the police will not be able to give the required security to the people”.

    He said that the emphases on the day of the inauguration of the association is on community policing, in which  all stakeholders in security of the place are expected to watch their neighbor and their neighbor will watch them and pass information on those living around, stressing that it is one of the ways for crime rate will be reduced.

    Habila said that he was sure that the association will serve the purpose for which it was being formed based on their name and mission which they have made public and encouraged property owners in the city to identify with the association so that the issue of security will be a thing of the past in the nearest future.

    The CP said, “If you are watching your neighbor and you notice that somebody is doing something against the law, it is your civic responsibility to inform the law enforcement agents to correct that anomaly so that we will sleep with our two eyes closed.

    We all want to create enabling environment for you to move around with ease, do your businesses without any fear and sleep with your two eyes closed while we on our side will try to make sure that peace that has been created is maintained”.

    In his inaugural speech the president-General of the Association, Chief Sir Alphonsus Udeigbo said that the inauguration of the association marks a new stage in the affairs and expectations of Aba residence, particularly, the Land Lords especially where it concerns security.

    Udeigbo said that he is convinced that the type of people who are members of the association will ensure that work will no longer in progress but will be at full throttle work for the benefit of the city and its people at all times.

    He said, “I am convinced that going by the caliber of members of this association, who today have been officially presented to the people, the property owners in Aba and its environs can find a new model of purposeful leadership and accountability.

    We also act as the mouth piece for understanding and love among the landlords in Aba and its environs, thereby fostering unity among the landlords, providing adequate protection for members and their properties”.

    He said that the aims and objectives of the association is to create a forum that will be a rallying point for all the land lords in Aba and its environs, irrespective of tribe, race, ethnicity sex  or any other differences.

    The Chairman of the occasion, former deputy Governor of Abia state, Chief Acho Nwakanma, described Aba as a blessed city and a land of opportunities where people who work hard are always blessed through a dint of their hard work and favour of God.

    Nwakanma said, “When I looked at the name you gave the association, I became so interested because it has to do with the development of the place, protecting one another and I felt that this is the real thing to do as it is what we need”.

    He described the association as the first of its kind, stating that it is something that we really need at his time and thanked those who brought the idea, the organisers and everybody that has been part of it.

    The former deputy governor encouraged members to come together, come out strong, speak with one voice and be bold enough to say what they want because they are part and parcel of the place.

    In his speech, the Chairman, Board of trustees of the Association, Sir Enukeme said that the inauguration marks the dawn of a new beginning as we shall be witnesses to a new identity with the birth of Aba Landlord Protection and Development Association.

  • Some sacked Abia workers refute recall

    Some civil servants in Abia State whose appointment were terminated in October, 2011 have debunked the claim by the Okezie Ikpeazu administration that they have been recalled.

    They warned that the state government and politicians in the state should stop politicising their situation.

    About 4, 000 disengaged workers who operated under the aegis of Abia Disengaged Non-Indigene Workers (ADNIW) were disengaged from service on October 1, 2011, though some of them were later recalled.

    The Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to the governor, Mr. Godwin Adindu, in a statement credited to him, stated that about 102 of the workers, who were teachers, had been reinstated by the Secondary Education Management Board (SEMB), Umuahia, adding that 63 others had also been cleared for reinstatement.

    But in a release signed by Ihejirika I. and Unogu U. leader and secretary, respectively, ADNIW said that the claim by the CPS was not true.

    ADNIW stated that it was disheartening for the present state government to start playing dangerous politics with the issue.

    According to them, they have made several representations to the state government on the need to rescind the decision without success which prompted them to write a petition to President Muhammadu Buhari in May stating their plight.

    They said as soon as they heard about the recent reinstatement claim by government of 102 disengaged teachers by the Secondary Education Management, their members went to ascertain its veracity only to be told by officials that the “reinstatement was on radio, that no memo had been sent to them in that regard”.

    “We members of ADNIW unequivocally state that the recent claim by the state government that disengaged non-indigene workers in Abia State public and civil service had been recalled is false.

    “Should government be given the benefit of the doubt and her claim taken on [face] value? If 102 of the disengaged workers had been recalled, which is invidious, what happens to the rest number? The over 4, 000 workers were sacked the same day; why is government claiming it recalled that infinitesimal number, if they are serious? Nothing will rest the issue except total recall,” the release read in part.

    The group lamenting that their condition have been politicised warned that Abia State Government should stop playing politics with the fate of the over 4, 000 disengaged workers who it said had suffered undue hardship and even deaths.

  • Abia revives technical colleges with jobs curriculum

    Abia revives technical colleges with jobs curriculum

    The revival of technical colleges has started in Abia state with the launch of the Education for Employment (E4E) programme.

    The programme is expected to ensure that youths in the state are empowered through education and training while in school to face the challenges of the times.

    The programme is a partnership with Endi Ezengwa the chairman of Kiara College United Kingdom while the state government is expected to provide the enabling environment such as the schools, students and security to ensure the project does not fail.

    Speaking while launching the programme in Aba, the state governor Dr Okezie Ikpeazu, said that it is part of his promise to revive technical and vocational education in the state which will commence with the Boys Technical College Aba and spread to Secondary Technical Afara-Umuahia and Government technical college Ohafia.

    Ikpeazu who was represented by his deputy, Sir Ude Oko-Chukwu said that the revival of the technical and vocational education is a key component of what his administration plans to do with the education sector, “Because we believe that we should be playing to our strength as an enterprising and entrepreneurial people”.

    He said, “We have been imbued with innovative spirit by God, it is therefore left for us to hone those latent talents properly and acquire the requisite type of education necessary to maximise our natural advantages”.

    The governor noted that the state especially Aba is dotted with numerous industries and require the man power needed to power them, while the various creative processes require skills and finesse to maximize the available opportunities.

    Ikpeazu said that it is the responsibility of the present administration to train the youths to match the workforce needed by the industries and creative enterprises, “This is the reason behind the focus on our education sector for the available opportunities and in a nutshell it is the basis for the E4E project, which is education that leads to employment”.

    He noted that forms for the programme has been distributed while registration of unemployed youths has commenced and is ongoing in all the 17 local government areas of the state, stressing that meetings

    have been going on between the coordinator and stakeholders including industrialists in the state for a smooth take off.

    Ikpeazu said that it is expected that within the next four years that 100,000 unemployed youths of the state would have been trained in the state in various skills which will prepare them for the available jobs within the state.

    In his speech the coordinator of the program and Chief executive of Kiara College, Endi Ezengwa said that the mission statement of the programme is to develop the human resources capacity of the state.

    Ezengwa said that one of the ways of achieving this lofty idea is through improving the quality of life of the people of the state by providing education and other relevant support services that will lead to self employment.

    He lamented the situation where ND and HND holders are seen every year trying to enter the university, “This is wrong as in overseas they are pure professionals and stand a better chance of being employed than university graduates”.

    Ezengwa said that the aim of the program is to give the youth’s alternative to making money instead of stealing, violent crimes and other vices, “We are going to make them useful to themselves and society”.

    The coordinator announced that the centres for the programme will have a labour market Information System, web based clearing house for information on unemployed youths, job opportunities with industries among others.

    He enjoined the youths of the state especially the unemployed youths to register with the centres to enable them benefit from this lofty program of the present administration.

  • 100 days: Mixed results for Abia governor

    100 days: Mixed results for Abia governor

    Aba residents assess Governor Okezie Ikpeazu’s performance since taking office. Their verdict: not so good, but again, not so bad. SUNNY NWANKWO reports

    Since taking office, Abia State Governor Okezie Ikpeazu has tackled one of the enduring challenges of Aba residents: roads. He has started rehabilitating some of them, awarding contracts to several firms. That is a relief to residents of the commercial city living with the horrors of failed roads and flooded environment.

    What about some promises Ikpeazu made on the campaigns? He has failed to pay workers on the 24th of every month.  Some have criticised him for running what they called a one-man show, failing to appoint commissioners, recycling old appointees and not disclosing what he inherited from his predecessor.

    While most Aba residents believe that the present administration in the state has not done so well in its 100 days in office, others noted that it was too short a period for the government to impress. More warmly, they said the administration is a clear departure from the immediate past administration in the state which allegedly left Aba in a deplorable manner eight years after.

    Mr. Gilbert Okorie, an Aba resident commended the Ikpeazu administration for embarking on various numerous projects in the state and Aba in particular, stressing that the de-silting of drainages, construction of roads in Aba and amongst others were pointers that the governor was committed to improving the lives of Aba residents and Abians. He pleaded that people should give the governor more time to settle down and work.

    Nkemakolam Iroegbu said the governor is yet to set a clear-cut agenda for himself and his administration.

    Mr. Uchechi Ogbuka, PDP state secretary in a telephone interview said, “The 100 days in office of the present government led by Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu has been very fruitful in the sense that he has actually brought a change to the state and I am talking of the tangible projects that he is doing in Aba. Some of the major roads in Aba which he is presently working on will be commissioned very soon and these are his 100 days project. If you are in Umuahia, you could bear witness with me; it is something that you can see. There are some roads in Umuahia which have been given a facelift. He has done a lot of roads including the ones that he has and is doing palliative work on. He has also done other roads in other rural areas and also trying to fish out ghost workers within his 100 days and I know that if he will be given more time as God will permit, before four years of his first tenure, Abia will be better than it is now.

    Ogbuka said Dr. Ikpeazu “has cut down the number of vehicles on his convoy and moves round to inspect projects by himself. He doesn’t live in Government House. He operates from the Government Lodge in Aba. He also doesn’t like people coming to praise him like it was the case in the past. He is trying to create a different system of government in Abia State”.

    On the delay in appointing commissioners, Ogbuka said, “The Governor is the chief executive of the state and has the right to decide whoever he wants to work with. Nobody imposes anybody on him. PDP is one big family and such thing has not come to our notice. So the governor will take his time and appoint those he wants to appoint.”

    Reverend Augustine Ehiemere, State chairman of the All progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), said,

    “I don’t know what we are celebrating because I feel that the 100 days in office isn’t worth it because there is nothing to show for it. Are we celebrating good roads, Port Harcourt Road is not passable. Ohanku, Obohia, Ngwa roads or is it Faulks Road, Ariaria where they generate a huge sum of money? Are workers regularly paid on the 24th of every month as Ikpeazu promised during the electioneering campaign? What are we celebrating? Are we celebrating multiple taxation or taking loans here and there? So what are we celebrating?

    “The roads that they said that they are constructing did they pass through due process and which of the roads within the 100 days in office have been commissioned? The contractors doing work are they of quality, what equipment are they using? Let us face the fact and say the truth, there is nothing to celebrate about. I think it is a celebration of failure.

    “Usman Dan Fodio, the jihadist, said that “conscience is an open wound and only truth can heal it.” Let us not deceive ourselves. Within this period (100 days), we experienced marriage of democracy with lies, deceit and burning down of the INEC offices because of desperation to retain power. This is what we are celebrating. There is nothing worth celebrating and that is my feeling about it.”

    Is the Ikpeazu administration really a clear departure from T. A Orji’s?

    Ehiemere said, “What I want to let you know is that if there is anything positive in these 100 days in office, I have not seen it. When the roads that they have started must have been completed, I will look at them and if you ask me this question then, I will now concur. But suppose those roads are abandoned tomorrow, what happens? So, I don’t think that there is anything to score any percent for the administration”.

    But the Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to the governor, Godwin Adindu in a recent telephone conversation defended the government’s action.

    He said, “It is not only Abia State that has not appointed commissioners. If you look around, many states have not appointed commissioners and even the federal government has not appointed ministers. So that should not be an issue for anybody. At the right time, the governor will appoint his commissioners.

  • Abia disengaged workers deny reinstatement

    Some of non-indigene workers disengaged from the Abia State civil service by the Theodore Orji-led administration in 2011 has debunked claims by the Ikpeazu-led administration that they were recalled by his administration.

    The workers under the aegis of Abia Disengaged Non-Indigenes Workers (ADNIW), warned the state government and politicians to stop politicising their condition.

    About 4,000 non-indigene workers were on October 1, 2011, disengaged from the state’s civil service.

    Chief Press Secretary to Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, Mr. Godwin Adindu said about 102 of the workers (teachers) were reinstated by the Secondary Education Management Board (SEMB), adding that 63 others had been cleared for reinstatement.

    But in a statement by Ihejirika I. and Unogu U., leader and secretary of ADNIW said the CPS’s claim was false.

    ADNIW said it was disheartening for the government to play wicked politics with the issue when it should have acted against its predecessor’s innocuous policy.

    According to them, they made several representations to the government to rescind the decision without success, before writing to President Muhammadu Buhari.

    Officials of the SEMB also told the workers that the “reinstatement was on radio and no memo had been sent to them in that regard”.

    The statement reads: “We members of ADNIW state that the claim by the state government that disengaged non-indigene workers in Abia State’s public and civil service had been recalled is false.

    “Should government be given the benefit of the doubt and its claim taken on its first value, if 102 of the disengaged workers had been recalled, which is invidious, what happens to the rest?

    “The over 4,000 workers were sacked the same day, why is government claiming it recalled that number if they are serious? Nothing will rest the issue except total recall”.

  • NDDC committed to Niger Delta development, says Abia

    The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) is determined to fulfil its core mandate of developing the Niger Delta region, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Commission, Sir Bassey Dan Abia has said.

    Speaking in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, Abia expressed the commitment of the Commission to tackle youths  and women unemployment in the region through capacity building and economic empowerment programmes  for youths and women in the Niger delta region.

    It was at a ceremony organised in his honour by a Non Governmental Organisation (NGO), Niger Delta Network Advancement Program (NDNAP), which conferred an Award of Excellence on him for “transparent corporate  management ethics, poverty, disaster reductions and capacity building among the youths in line with SDGs 2030”.

    Abia, who expressed delight delight at the recognition, thanked the group, assuring that the award would further spur him to deliver on the mandate of the Commission as put forward by the Federal Government.

    Across the Nine Niger Delta States, the NDDC boss pointed out that the intervention of the agency within the short period of his leadership has ensured the spread of development projects in roads, water, electricity, scholarships and development of educational infrastructures in Universities within the region.

    Presenting the award on behalf of NDNAP, the representative of GNDR, the London, United Kingdom affiliate  group, Mr. Chibundu Uchegbu, explained that the global body “is committed to addressing the problems of poverty and disaster reduction in Niger Delta”.

    He commended the agency under Abia for its contributions towards disaster reductions, climate change and poverty reduction which has earned him this unique recognition by the global body.

    Besides, the group commended the Federal Government led by President Muhammadu Buhari, for his giant strides in the last 100 days in office, noting that “what the President has achieved within this few months in office shows that he has good intentions for Nigeria and Nigerians”.

    Earlier, the President of the organisation , Al mustapher Emem Edoho, called on the Federal Government to “strengthen the Commission as a critical intervention agency in Nigeria to continue to deliver on its set goals and mandate”.

    He urged for increased funding of the agency through immediate release of backlog of NDDC withheld funds , which according to investigation stands in excess of N800 billion, adding that “such an amount, if released will greatly help in massive infrastructural transformation of the Niger Delta as a whole”.

    He also commended Buhari’s anti corruption agenda, noting that “this has manifested in the steady supply of power up to 4000 megawatts in the country, improved refining capacity at the Port Harcourt refinery to reduce importation of refined petroleum products”, among others within these 100 days of Buhari’s tenure”.

     

  • Abia health workers suspend strike

    Health workers in Abia State, under the aegis of Joint Union of Health Workers (JOHESU) have suspended their five-month-old strike. They were protesting unpaid salary arrears.

    It was gathered that the state leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) met with the governor last week, who assured them that he would pay the arrears soon.

    The governor was said to have promised to pay May and July salary within two weeks and to clear the other arrears.

    Following the agreement, NLC convinced the workers to suspend the strike and go back to work.

    A statement by NLC Chairman, Comrade Uchenna Obi-Igwe reads: “NLC Abia State council in collaboration with Joint Union of Health Workers (JOHESU) is suspending its five months strike.

    The suspension takes effect from midnight of Sunday, September 7; normal work resumes on Monday by 8am.”

  • Aba: Fire destroys goods worth millions of naira

    Aba: Fire destroys goods worth millions of naira

    Properties estimated to worth over N5 million were on Friday morning engulfed in an inferno that occurred along the busy Aba-Owerri road in the commercial city of Abia State.

    This is coming barely 3days after four persons were reportedly killed by an articulated truck driver who rammed into three commercial tricycles and a Toyota Sienna SUV and allegedly discharging its content on the victims in a nearby ditch.

    While no life was lost in the fire incident, The Nation gathered burnt about seven vehicles, three commercial tricycles and destroyed commercial and residential buildings within the area the incident occurred.

    According to an eyewitness account, Augustine Anosike said that the truck loaded with Diesel was entering a filling station along the Aba-Owerri road to discharge its content when the body of the vehicle bearing the petroleum product pulled off and landed on the road’s median and overturned its content on the road.

    Another eyewitness, Ifeanyi Okoro, who corroborated the former, said “the tanker was going into the opposite filling Station but we didn’t know that it was carrying something inside it. Normally, because it is a long truck, other vehicles coming from Osisioma into Aba will hold on for it to find turn and pack very well.

    “So, while the driver was trying to reverse in order to pack well, the body of the truck pulled out from the head unknown to the driver, discharging its content on the road. And because we know the dangers it portends, we rushed to the other side of the main road to stop vehicles and avert the impending dangers. But a stubborn commercial driver who could not wait bypassed some of us and drove on the diesel.

    “We suspected that the heat from the bus exhaust pipe was what ignited the fire and before you know what is happening, everywhere was in flame. The rage of the fire was so fierce that some of us had to run for safety until the Abia State Fire servicemen arrived the scene.

    “They (Fire Servicemen) were actually prompt and it was as a result of their promptness that some property that worth over billions of naira was saved. We thank God that no life was lost, but the damage was too terrible. The whereabouts of the driver and the truck is still not known because he sped off immediately the fire started burning. If you go into the nearby compound, you will see a truck 911 that ran into there for safety, but was unfortunately burnt in the process. Another man just stopped by the road side for the vulcanizer to either pump or change his car tyre but because of the rate the fire was spreading, the car  got burnt in the process.”, Ifeanyi narrated.

    Nnamdi Ukata, whose vehicle was affected in a nearby compound, said “I am a driver and I come to Aba from Umuahia on daily basis, but after working I will pack my vehicle in this compound to go back and return the next day. While I was coming into Aba this morning, I saw a thick black cloud in the sky and I never knew that the fire incident was happening where I packed my car. But when I came around, I saw my car burnt to ashes. I don’t know what to do. Am just confused”, he said.

    Another man that lost his car in the inferno, Rev. Alfred Okeke told reporters that he parked his car by the roadside to buy feed for his livestock before the incident and lamented that his car was equally engulfed in the inferno.

    A resident of one of the affected buildings, Mr. Emmanuel Kingsley while thanking God for sparing the lives of his brothers and other members of his family, described the incident as one of the horrific experiences he has had in recent times.

    Our correspondent, reports that while men of the Abia State Fire Service were battling to quench the fire, personnel of the Aba Command of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) were also on ground to ensure that there was free flow of traffic in the area.

    An official of the Fire Service who spoke to our correspondent on anonymity said the situation would have been worse than the damage if the content was Petroleum Motor Spirit (PMS).

    FRSC Aba Commander, Okora Awassam who lamented the attitude of truck drivers on the road said that there were a lot of enlightenment programmes that the agency had initiated to educate the drivers on the need to be safety conscious at all times.

    Awassam urged truck owners and drivers to also make sure that their vehicle were in good shape before driving on the road.

  • Anniversary: ‘Abia deserves more at 24’

    Anniversary: ‘Abia deserves more at 24’

    Twenty-four years after Abia State was created, many Nigerians say more should be done to match the vision of Abia State’s founding fathers, SUNNY NWANKWO reports

    It has not been 24 wasted years after its creation, but there is this predominant feeling that Abia State deserves more.

    Mr. Ofor Ikechukwu, a businessman in Aba, said the commercial city and other towns which give a lot to the state have been neglected for years on end.

    Ikechukwu said that kidnapping which blighted the state in 2010, resulted from the inability of government to properly take care of the youth.

    “Go to Ukwa East and West,” he said, “and see for yourself what neglect and abandonment of the people can cause. They are the goose that lays the golden egg for the state. The state could not have been among states in Niger Delta Development Commission today if not for the fact that oil was discovered in their land. But go there, the people are really suffering.

    “Farmers in those areas including Ugwunagbo have been recording economic wastages because of the nature of their roads; they are impassible. They work hard in their various farms but taking the harvested crops which we know are perishable goods to the market or even people coming from the urban areas to the place, is a story for another day because of the poor road network. Most of the oil companies have failed to gainfully employ the youths and that is why it seems like oil bunkering business is thriving. But I think that the better the government of the day realises the importance of these areas and other areas they need to explore in order to boost the economy of the state, the better for them.

    “Presently, government is focusing more in Aba as a place to generate much income for the state. It might be true, but they should also look at other areas of interest such as agriculture and others. Go to Obingwa, they have virgin lands. Government after tackling insecurity should go into negotiation and partnership with the various communities for them to lease their lands to it where the government in turn will subsidise the land and other farm inputs such as fertiliser among others for interested people. By the end of the planting season, if the roads were in good shape, there will be plenty for people to eat in the state and over dependency on imported foods reduced drastically.”

    “Apart from the fact that the President Buhari-led government has made all and sundry to be alive in their responsibilities, supply of power has been at its lowest ebb. Look at the way the Geometric Power project which I understand was meant to serve the interest of the Aba business community has been sidelined for some years now. The dream of the founding fathers to make Aba truly the economic hub of the state, southeast and the country at large for me, is still far away to be met.

    Hon. Donatus Nwankpa, Abia State chair of All Progressives Congress (APC), said, “The foundation of Abia laid by Navy Capt. Frank Ajobeina, was that the state will be one of the fastest growing new states and at the creation of Abia, she inherited a university. Today in Abia, we have two universities; a federal (Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike) and state (Abia State University, Uturu) universities. Abia has a College of Education (Arochukwu College of Education Technical), a polytechnic (Abia State Polytechnic) in Aba.

    “And in terms of infrastructural development,…the past eight years was a period of backwardness; it was characterised by lack of maintenance culture. Besides that, I think that we have really done well.

    “In terms of sports, Abia State is the first state that produced the first club (Enyimba) that won an African Cup Championship that eluded Nigeria since the creation of this country as a nation and the state has produced so many sports men and women; Kanu Nwankwo, Chukwumerije Jnr among others.

    “If you look at the media aspect of Abia, the Broadcasting Corporation of Abia State (BCA) has one of the best voices east of the Niger. Our cultural segment is also doing well as Abia parades one of the best cultural troupes in this country. But I know that we are lacking basically in the area of infrastructure.

    “If you talk about the human personnel, Abia has produced great people in our time like Okonjo-Iweala, Chief Vincent Ogbulafor; former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chairman, Dr. Chinenye Nyerere Anyim and amongst other business gurus that the state has produced so far.

    “When you talk about business, industries, it still retains its pride of place among the states that rely on individual and human resources. The state enterprise of an Igbo man is purely epitomised with the Abia character. So, as such we are not doing badly. The only area that we have problems is the governmental negligence in infrastructural development.

    “The major area that I want a change in is infrastructure; road network. Power is not a state but a national affair…here and there kidnap doesn’t make any sense.

    “The government in Abia should make life better for the people. There are so many taxations in Abia and the double taxation is affecting business, especially the individual enterprise.

    “There should be more reliable and responsible and conscientious leaders in Abia; Abia leadership has been characterised by selfishness. Abia leadership has not taken into cognizance, the collective interest of the people.

    “We want a leadership that should derive its power from the collective Abia. That collective Abia can include the traditional, religious, the political class, among other interest groups that would rise up to the challenge to say that the right thing must be done.”

    On legislation, he said that “the most important thing that we are aspiring is a self-accounting legislation at all levels that will give the legislators some level of independence, some level of integrity, some level of will and the audacity to legislate on certain issues.”

    Mr. Ray Njoku, a lecturer in Public Administration at Abia State Polytechnic, Aba, said,

    “I cannot say that Abia has come first, second or third when compared with states that were created alongside it, but all I know is that Abia has done well as long as peace has prevailed in Abia. The essence of government is the welfare and wellbeing of the people and in the 24 years of its existence I can tell you that Abia has survived.

    “I think I can give Abia and Abians a pass mark. When you talk about infrastructure people tend to look at just the road network and they use it as the only variable to assess the government. But Abia has achieved a lot in the health sector. The immediate past regime achieved a lot in the health care sector”.

    “On education, the past administration did marvelously well there too. Go to the Abia State University, Abia Polytechnic, School of Health and some of the secondary schools you can attest to the fact that they did well. Most of the road networks in Abia State are done by the federal government.

    “Much of the blame on the deplorable nature of roads especially in Aba and its environs should go to the federal government, not the state government.

    “We want to see an improved infrastructure in energy; we expect entrepreneurial-minded Abians and indeed Nigerians to be provided with the necessary infrastructure to enable them to be self sufficient and entrepreneurial as they have always been.

    “As the state marks 24 years, we ask Abians to assist the government by rallying round the government to enable the government realise their objectives towards the people.”

    Chief Nyerere Ayim, the All Progressives Congress governorship candidate in the general elections, said “On whether our expectations of what we expect Abia to be at 24 is being realised, I will say No. No in the sense that before Abia State was created out of the present day Imo State, there was already laid foundation of a great state by having a cosmopolitan city like Aba being in present-day Abia State which is regarded as the economic hub east of the Niger. But for you to have Aba and a state is created and Aba happens to be one of the major cities in that state and yet still crippling economically, socially amongst others is something not to be too happy about. But the Bible said that in everything we should give God the glory. We equally have to thank God.

    “The problem is that various military administrations in the state did nothing in the state. They failed to build on what the civilian government, particularly of the late Sam Mbakwe did in the state; Aba and Umuahia in particular and that is where the problem started.

    “In 1999, we inherited a civilian administration and for 16 good years, the story, the success and achievement is what we are seeing today. They said that you can only tell a blind man that there is no oil in the soup, but not that there is no salt in the soup. What we have in the entire Abia State today is not a reflection of the hope and aspiration of a better Abia by the founding fathers and by all of us who are in the present day Abia State.

    “When we are talking about Abia State, it is not only Aba. Go to Arochukwu, Ohafia; Nkporo, you will wonder if it is a place where people live. We have some many areas in Arochukwu and Ohafia that are yet to have a feel of government and governance. Go to Ikwuano; Oboro, Ariam etc, you hardly can see any passable or motorable roads and we are talking about democracy where people are supposed to reap the dividend of democracy, but the reverse is the case in our own situation.

    “You have a state where people from nowhere are so wealthy while the state is impoverished politically, socially and economically. Go to Umunneochi, Ukwa East and West where God endowed us with both mineral and natural resources that made Abia State to be an oil producing state, they have nothing to show for is.

    “As I am talking to you today, there is no commercial bank in Ukwa East and West and these people don’t know anything about ATM (Automated Teller Machine).

  • ‘Abia ’ll remain PDP strong hold’

    ‘Abia ’ll remain PDP strong hold’

    In this interview MUSA ODOSHIMOKHE, Abia State Peoples Party (PDP) chieftain Hon. Ben Onyechere says the state will remain as the stronghold of the party.

    The burning of the Inec office at Abia State has a spacked  a row between the PDP and Apga. What is your position on this

    It seems like a  a row but it is an outright burning of the Inec office  by yet to be determined culprits  You see because of desperation people have invented tactics  to manipulate information in limits of public embarrassment because the opposition Apga faction led by Otti is of the  belief that by so doing they will attract sympathy  to themselves but we have past that stage now

    Are you saying your party could not have been responsible

    Elections are held in the public PDP in abia does not have any burden of proof, the party did not have to destroy  INEC office because Abia is  PDP stronghold and it has an overwhelming majority at any point because  the PDP is unarguably in charge here in Abia and the south east in general because the party had   over the time in Abia internalized the  norm of equity in the distribution of social amenities  as well as political patronage and economic benefits for which reason  the electoral populace can behave in a like manner especially  during elections  when there is a sense of responsibility to attain and  sustain an  optimized developmental progression by a massive electoral victory..

    The opposition is insisting that the election was rigged…

    The PDP in Abia is made up of the major state stake holders spanning  across all segment of the state  particularly in the rural areas. Apga certainly is not the only opposition party in Abia but it  became visible because of the efforts of the former candidate. otti merely left PDP and joined Apga with the wrong assumptions.  He believed a big lie that he could arm twist the PDP to get the ticket, but it did not turn out that way and he was told to wait because the party had concluded the strategies to win election by agreeing on modalities and characteristics of the governorship candidate. Before he came to PDP in the first place he knew that the party had the capacity to win the general election but when he did not win the nomination he decided to challenge the PDP from another party rather than join hands with the PDP.

    You say the PDP is dominant in Abia when there are issues to iron out between the Apga and the pdp…

    The issues came as a result of the fact that Apga candidate assumed Abia was still politically naive otherwise it was foolhardy  if they did not expect PDP to win with large  margin  particularly Obingwa local government which is the abode of the governor. .

    How will you compare the eligibility of the candidates on individual basis?

    There is no comparison because while one is a banker, the other is a politician. But, when you take cursory look at the decision to rotate power to Ngwa axis it becomes clearer why the PDP chose to vote Dr Ikpeazu. The two are not in popularity contest because they are capable in their respective specialization. Dr Otti is a respectable Nigerian and an industrious Abia son but he should understand that Abia politics is based on popularity at home.