Mr James Kwubiri Okpara is the Abia State Commissioner for Special Services. He is in charge of Legal and Due Process. In this interview with EDOZIE UDEZE and UGOCHUKWU UGOJI-EKE, Okpara sheds more light on what the new portfolio entails and why the government is building an airport.
What does this new ministry entail? Is it different from the Ministry of Special Duties?
It is not really a ministry. It is a department attached to the governor’s office. My thinking is this; in the evolution of governance, it became apparent to the governor of the state, Chief Theodore A. Orji that there was a need for an office like this.
If you look at the nomenclature, it is more or less a specialised office. I am aware that we don’t have a Commissioner for Legal Matters in the state. Even at the Federal level we do not have such. And so basically, it deals with issues concerning private businesses, private companies, and so on.
The need to do business with these people, that is at the level where they have contacts with government, falls within my purview. In fact, we deal with government contract agreements, memorandum of understanding (MoU), all legal instruments relating to Abia State. When it comes to due process, it entails doing the right thing at the right time. We also ensure that there is fairness in dealing with these issues. We also ensure that there is efficiency and honesty in the way things are done in the state.
Concerning special services, wherever the need arises and where we are needed, we promptly go there to look at these issues. The issues the governor considered before he established this office are what we deal with from day-to-day to also lessen the burden on the office of the governor. This is why it is placed directly under him. I work in his office, taking total charge of all the issues and matters I have already enumerated here.
Is your office directly involved in signing, approving and evaluating contracts?
Yes, my office is involved. But we have not gotten to a level where a contract is either abandoned or uncompleted. This office is just about three months old and so far, there are no cases of that nature. In fact, in Abia State, we do not have cases of abandoned projects. It appears you are jumping the gun by judging us on this issue. This is an office that has just been created. That kind of situation has not arisen and when it does, we’ll sort it out.
But you need to explain these issues well for people to really understand what you do.
These agreements are relative. If you enter into a contractual agreement, for each one there is a different agreement. It depends on the issues involved in that particular agreement and so on. Each agreement is therefore relative, for it depends on what you agree with and the level of contract given to you. What applies to you may not apply to the other person. It all depends on the agreement of the parties concerned. If you go round Abia, we do not, as yet, have incidents of abandoned contracts.
Why?
In Abia, we award contracts and we pay contractors to do their jobs and do them well. We do not therefore have issues like that. When we get to that bridge we’ll cross it or we’ll know what to do. Or let me put it this way, when we have problems of abandoned contracts, we’ll sort it out.
Due Process in the state is working. If it is not working why am I here? It is for government to do certain things well. You have to understand these things. It is not only for government to award contracts, but for us to do things within the fulcrum of whatever government is doing for the good of the people. It has to do with how we relate with the people, how we advice them, whether what we do appeals to them and so on and so forth.
For us, due process is not only for the award of contracts or monetary issue. We also look at other pressing issues relevant to the welfare of the people. In it, you give everybody a fair chance before taking a decision. It is total package that goes beyond mere contracts. When we have done all these and you feel aggrieved, you will send petition and we look at it. This is why it is due process and this is why I said it entails doing the right thing at the right time.
If there is a breach of contract between you and a contractor, how do you resolve it?
If it cannot be settled amicably, we go to court. Every agreement has its own rules and regulations that guide it. And if per chance such issues arise, the courts are there to settle the matter. If they do not want to go to court, they can go to the arbitration panel to settle the matter. In our own case, when people come and see that we are different, they fall in line. Abia State is different. It is real. Our due process is real.
How do you deal with the airport project being executed by the state government?
By the grace of God I am the secretary of the airport committee and we have said it several times that we are committed to giving an airport to the people of Abia State.
The avalanche of expression of interest by the people of Abia shows that this is a project they all need and yearn for. In this matter too, contractors have been given a fair chance to bid for the work. We have both Nigerian and Chinese companies bidding for it. We also have an Irish company who wants to partner with the Abia State government to ensure that this becomes a reality. It is unusual because they come to approach you and not you going to approach them.
This tells you that people outside realise what government is doing to better the lot of the people. If, for instance, they do not have confidence in government, they will not come forward to be involved in this airport project.
If you look at the old Umuahia Market which is under construction, you will notice it is under private investors. If investors have no reasons to be here, they won’t come.
Is building an airport for Abia people necessary and viable?
The people of Abia State have asked for an airport and we are bent on providing one for them. The request made by Abia people for an airport is indeed overwhelming. The volume of passenger traffic from Owerri Airport to Abuja and Lagos shows that the people of Abia constitute the majority. The people of Abia State travelling from here to outside the country on a daily basis are overwhelming.
Closest to us here is the Owerri Airport and nearly 80 per cent of people who use it are from Abia State. It is verifiable. So, the pressure is on us to build our own airport to solve this problem.
The same applies to Enugu Airport and the same with Port Harcourt Airport. Don’t forget that Aba is in Abia State and it is one of the most memorable commercial cities in Nigeria.
So, the request by Abia people for an airport is a momentum that has built over the years. And now the government says this is the right time to give Abia people an airport.
This is why we are building a modern airport. It is for cargo and will also be of international standard. It will be ready as soon as practicable and it will ease some of these traffic pressures on our people. The project has started and it is located between Umuahia and Aba.
The projection of the governor is that before he leaves office, the airport should be functional. That is the expectation but if by any means it is not functional, majority of the jobs would have been done. It is a priority project for the government and we are totally committed to it.
In terms of infrastructural development, would you say this government has done well to satisfy the yearnings of the people?
Based on the projects we have executed so far, if possible, we can ask the governor to go for a third term (laughs). If you knew how this state was before, you’ll see how far we have gone in terms of infrastructural development. Before now, we didn’t have a proper Government House. What we have now is a three-bedroom duplex that is called Government House. There is no state in Nigeria that its Government House is only three bedrooms duplex. This state was created in 1991 and therefore we are now building a new Government House that is big enough to serve as one.
If you go round Umuahia, you will see dilapidated structures scattered here and there as government departments. Abia State is probably the only state without the presence of federal ministries or secretariat. Now, the governor has built one. He also built an international conference centre of about 7,000 capacities. Ours is next to that of Abuja. What we had before could only contain 200 people. Today, that headache is gone, for we have a big conference centre of international standard for our programmes. Towards Ikot-Ekpene, you will also see a new computerised centre. You have an e-library and about 200 new health centres which have been built by the administration of Governor Orji. They are well-equipped, functional and provided with boreholes and other modern facilities.
These places are provided with modern generating sets in case there is no electricity. These are scattered in the 17 local government areas of the state. You have all the modern hospitals working everyday of the week. These are not stories and we didn’t have them before. When you go round the state, these structures and facilities are visible for you to see. If you go to our cancer diagnosis centre, it is the best in the whole of Southeast of Nigeria. The equipment are of the best quality in the whole area and we intend to maintain the standard.
All the tests you go to do in India, in America and all over the places, we have them in Aba and Umuahia and they are affordable.
In terms of security, when last did you hear of kidnapping in the state? We have secured the state and our people come home now and sleep with their eyes closed. Armed robbery has also reduced. I can assure you that Abia State is the most secured state in Nigeria today.
You also talk about youth empowerment. Have you seen any government in Nigeria that purchased brand new cars for the youth to use as taxis free? Government has done it to help the youth and provide jobs for them.
We also give out tricycles, buses and more to help the youth. Of course, this has helped to stem the crime rate and keep the people busy in meaningful ways.
We also pay stipends to some jobless Abia youths. Many new roads are being constructed. What we remember is the bad aspect but ignore those that are good.
The Federal Government has awarded contract for the construction of Enugu–Port Harcourt Road. I also understand there was plan sometime ago to do Umuahia–Ikot-Ekpene Road.
All I know is that in terms of movement, Abia roads are much better now than before. The state government, from time to time, rehabilitates federal roads to make life easier for the people.
