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Tag: Ikpeazu

  • Residents hail Ikpeazu, seek quick completion of roads

    Abia State Governor Okezie Ikpeazu has got the thumbs-up for his intervention on roads in Aba, the state’s commercial capital. But the residents equally asked that the job be done quickly so they can be put out of their nightmare.

    Poor roads and clogged drains have for long given Enyimba City a dirty face and its residents all sorts of problems. But on June 1, the Ikpeazu administration started an ambitious rehabilitation plan.

    Asphalt has been laid on Owerri Road, off Okigwe Road, as well as on Ukaegbu, Umuola, Umule, Tonimas roads. Work on others has reached advanced stage with drainage channels built.

    Some residents praised the Ikpeazu administration on the  facelift drive.

    A shop owner at Tonimas Junction said, “We want to thank the governor on his efforts so far. It no news that in the last eight years, we were subjected to all manner of suffering because of the bad nature of our roads especially those of us living and doing business around Umule, Tonimas Junction and its neighbourhood. Sometimes especially in the evening we find it hard to come back home because of the high cost in transportation and it could get worse at the slightest drop of the rains.

    “Are you talking about getting a cab from Azikiwe Road or the usual gridlock at Faulks Road? The government is doing something meaningful and we want them to intensify efforts to ensure that the contractors finish the work in due time.”

    There are challenges, still. Motorists find it difficult to drive through Aba as most portions of intra-city roads have collapsed, making driving in the commercial city a herculean task.

    A motorist who gave his name as Mr. Frank however, opined that the usual gridlock along major roads like Ama Ogbonna junction, Azikiwe road, fualks road among others would be eliminated if government should do something to address the situation by directing the appropriate agencies of government to move their equipment to the areas concerned.

    According to Frank, the cost of vehicle maintenance is becoming too much on them to bear, stressing that they leave above income as they spend their money on maintaining their cars rather than using the money to feed their families.

    “We spend most of the week in the mechanic because of one breakdown or the other that at the end of the day, we find it difficult to feed our families. This situation I believe will be addressed if the government will look into the internal roads in Aba. You are in Aba. The governor, I learnt goes to work in Umuahia from the Governor’s lodge in Aba. I believe he sees what people are passing through. He should come to the aid of the people of Aba. I learnt he has been trapped in the traffic on one or two occasions while returning to Aba. The founding fathers of Aba and Abia had good plans and if successive administrations had followed their footsteps, the traffic situation of Aba wouldn’t have been that bad as it is today. I am optimistic that if the governor will be allowed to work, he will definitely do his best to ensure that the roads in Aba were fixed, but before new roads will be constructed, the old ones should be properly managed and maintained,” the commercial driver said.

     

  • ‘Ikpeazu on course in Abia’

    ‘Ikpeazu on course in Abia’

    Abia State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain Ben Onyechere spoke with reporters in Lagos on the achievements of Governor Okezie Ikpeazu and how the governor is staying focused, despite moves by the opposition to distract him. MUSA ODOSHIMOKHE was there.

    The All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) has accused Governor Ikpeazu  of demolishing structures belonging to its members in Aba to give room for the road rehabilitation going on in the state…

    In the  first place, the All Progressive Grand alliance (APGA) is not the only opposition party in Abia State . Be that as it may, the claim is a mockery of the sensibilities of Abia people who are yearning for rapid rehabilitation of the road infrastructure within the state, particularly in Aba. This governor is not the conventional politician who may tend to be sectional; by his nature, training and now as governor he is the leader and father of all. The claim is infantile and depicts clearly that some people are paranoia about the pace of work going on in Abia, otherwise it is bizarre to politicize demolition of illegal structures even as the generality of Aba inhabitants are overwhelmed with joy that a Daniel has come to judgement, if that claim is right it means that they are responsible for the decadent nature of roads in Aba, for it is only enemies of progress who can make such fictitious statements.

    The governor has promised to reinstate engage sacked civil servants but only a handful has been recalled. How does he intend to fulfil that promise?

    To start with it is very surprising to many that he has quashed the policy of indigenization of civil service in this hard times but he is very committed to that project and has commenced a systematic and installmental re engagement of the workers. But as you may have heard the same group who are seeking relevance in the name of opposition have also insinuated falsehood about the governor’s noble intention,  in any case he can not be distracted from that noble cause because he has vowed to uplift the living  standards of all  in all ramification.

    The opposition is saying that government should not do roads in the rainy season

    They are saying many funny things at the same time, that’s the sign that they are surprised at what the governor is able to achieve in a short space of time. The need to fast track road rehabilitation particularly in Aba where the governor lives and every body is complaining can only  be trivialized by chronic pessimists who can not see beyond their noses. If the government decides to engage  highly mechanized contractors to alleviate the sufferings of motorists in era of peculiar down pour and somebody is complaining in the name of politics then  the government has  no apologies for such people because their opinion is minority. Have they bothered to ask how bridges are built across rivers,

    Apart from roads what else should the people expect?

    We are in an  era of surprises which is the choice of the governor, but suffice it to say that he has prioritized government developmental activities to suit the most demanding needs of the people, for example you will be surprised that there are areas in Abia that have not seen electric bulb before and he has started taking electricity to such areas, that is just one of such intentions.

    Are you are aware that the opposition has insisted that the last governorship election was rigged?

    The problem with those people is that they had a misconceived notion about the level of political awareness in Abia state for which reason  they are overwhelmed by the way the people voted. The voting in last election was purely methodical in the sense that every body voted for PDP in the South east,  not minding that opposition may have secured some seats in some assemblies which is still part of the pattern of voting not only in Abia but the whole of South East even in Anambra that is controlled by Apga government.  If you check properly you  will find out that Otti is the only stakeholder in Apga as opposed to PDP where he belonged before but could not meet up with the primaries. The generality of Abia had decided in principle that an Ngwa man should be allowed to govern this time around and otti is not an Ngwa man an the people know it,in addition to the fact that he came into politcs too late, he should borrow a leaf from President BUHARI who contested severally before winning. The harassment of Inec and tribunal by that group is uncalled for because it does not make them more viable because in abia everybody knows everybody.

  • Ikpeazu and Aba-Ikot Ekpene road

    SIR: Abians listened with rapt attention to Governor Okezie Ikpeazu’s interactive radio programme with an Aba- based radio station, Magic FM recently. The programme captured the governor’s journey in his 100 days in office and what Abians would expect from his government in the next 100 days.

    One assurance definitely generated excitement among Abians, especially those living on the fringes of Aba-Ikot Ekpene Road. The governor had in the interaction disclosed his intended interventions on the deplorable state of the road.

    Ikpeazu said he has entered into discussions with his Akwa Ibom counterpart for some interventions on the road. The second level of intervention is the proposed by-pass that will cut through Ururuka Road and burst at a point around Onicha ngwa, along the same Aba-Ikot Ekpene Road.

    These proposed interventions are cheering news for Abians and people from Akwa Ibom and Cross River alike who ply the road for business and other purposes.

    To say that the road, especially the Abia axis is in a deplorable condition, and is a disaster begging for attention is an understatement. It has been grossly neglected by past administrations of which the Jonathan’s administration is the most culpable.

    The  road project was reportedly  awarded in 2009 to Brent Investment Ltd, by  the late President Umaru Yar’Adua’s administration at the cost of N2.9 billion with a completion period of 20 months; the contract was meant to reconstruct the failed section of the highway.

    It has been alleged that inadequate budgetary provisions in the past years has been responsible for the delay and the gradual failure of the road hampering economic activities in the commercial city of Aba and other cities in the South-east.

    For example, the federal government did not make budgetary provisions for Aba-Ikot Ekpene road in 2013 budget, and so the contractor did not do much in terms of coverage and project completion. Also, the 2014 budget which was tagged all inclusive with a provision of N120 billion for the Federal Ministry of Works for capital projects could not proffer the solution.

    Ikpeazu’s proposed interventions on the road are therefore timely and laudable. The dilapidated state of the road has exposed people from Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Abia and a part of Rivers to great suffering as they cannot access their respective homes.

    The governor also promised some remedial works on Aba-Port-Harcourt Road to relieve the pressure on Aba-Owerri Road, pending when the African Development Bank loan would be accessed and full rehabilitation works carried out on the road. Abians are earnestly waiting for these interventions.

    • Okechukwu Keshi Ukegbu,

    keshiafrica@gmail.com

  • Bailout not free lunch, says Ikpeazu

    Bailout not free lunch, says Ikpeazu

    Abia State Governor Okezie Ikpeazu spoke with reporters on the cash crunch, the bailout by the Federal Government and plans to reduce the cost of governance , shortly after visiting prominent businessman and leader of Ukwa-Ngua ethnic group Prince Sunny Aku at his Victoria Island, Lagos residence. EMMANUEL OLADESU was there.

    How is your state coping with the cash crunch?

    Well, we thank God. We were prepared for it. The global economic trend is what we are reacting to and we are responding by blocking all the leakages and doing something to boost our internally generated revenue. We are focusing on the economic development of Abia State in this period of dwindling oil resources. We belong to the people that believe that the oil era should end s that Nigerians will come out with their ingenuity and realise their capacity to do well  a a nation capable of standing on its own without oil. We know many countries that are existing without oil. We are a state that has potentials beyond oil. The future belongs to us.

    What is delaying the setting up of the cabinet of talents you promised the people of Abia State?

    We started by appointing special advisers and other key officers. It is important that we laid a solid foundation through private sector mentality. Some people working us now are the  people we can’t even pay. They are from the banking industry and other institutions in the private sector. As I speak, I think we have succeeded in laying the foundation, in terms of the evaluation of our policies and monitoring. That is going to be part of the processes and procedures for delivering the dividends of democracy we promised to our people in the days ahead. We are ready to take the next step and we will do that at the appropriate time.

    Could you shed light on this idea of cutting the cost of governance in your state?

    Quite interestingly, I started with myself by earning half salary and half allowances. The amount can pay salaries in a parastatal. That has sent a signal. I also have some local government chairmen that are also running on half salary and allowances. In our comportment and public appearances and outlook, in terms of the number of people in my entourage, the size of my convoy, and even the size of my cabinet, all these are geared towards cutting the cost of governance. I want to use this opportunity to correct an erroneous impression. I embarked on a trade mission to United States of America. I went with six people as against what others want the public to know. Six people because it was my personal physician and security aide. I wanted to go with a compact team that can give me a result and not a team that will cost the state a lot. We have 29 shoe makers and garment makers. They went there to see how they can bring back the Turkish technology, in terms of show and garment making. We thank God and we are hopeful that in the future, the efforts will pay off.

    In concrete terms, what are the other things you have achieved in the last 100 days?

    We have started work on 31 roads. We are about commissioning 14 of them, if we have the seven days of dry weather. We have done a lot of work clearing drainages and gutters in Abia in the last 60 days. With due respect to my colleagues, two thirds of the states have been overtaken by floods due to rain. But, in Aba, a low land area that is prone to flood, we don’t have untoward incident in term of flood. I can only imagine what would have happened, if we had gone into preventing measures.  The roads cut across the three senatorial districts. We have three roads in Aruchukwu, about six in Umuahia and the rest in Abriba and Aba. Besides that, we have launched our Youths In Employment initiative, which is what we are doing to intervene in the education sector by emphasising technical education and building the manpower critical to industrialisation. We are doing a lot in electricity my connecting communities that are outside to the national grid. We are going to continue to extend that in the days ahead. We have laid the foundation and done 50 percent of our top shop so that investors can come in and they know all they need to know in terms of taxes and incentives that can make business survive. We have embarked on massive tax verification and fishing out ghost workers. The government has saved over 250 million naira in the past 90 days. We have been paying salaries as at when due. But, we are yet to keep our promise of paying on 24th of every month.  The reason is that we need to get the baseline data; who we are supposed to pay, who and who are working and those that are not working. Once we get that data, we will be able to work towards the payment on every 24th. So, the future is looking brighter for the public service. We are going to revive the scholarship board. We have awarded scholarship to seven first class students in tertiary institutions. All these are done in the education sector.

    What is your reaction to the bailout by the What Federal Government?

    This bailout thing is nothing but spreading the doomsday and extending it. What it means is that what you would have paid immediately, you spread over 20 years and pay gradually. It is not a free lunch. Everyone that is forwarding looking will realise that the only way to go about it is to focus on the economic development and cut down on cost. With the bailout fund, you apply it accordingly. By the end of october, I assure every worker in Abia that we will not be owing pensions and salaries arrears. I must commend the harmony between the government and the various labour unions. There is no sector that is on strike. I must give them credit for the understanding.

    What are you doing to boost tourism?

    Our strategy at all time is to leverage on what we have the capacity to do better than others. Today, we have a mini-marathon that is on December 24 every year. It is on the AFM calendar. We want to set it aside for the Abia carnival. The carnival will feature all shades of culture from the 17 local governments in terms of diets.  It is my belief that we cannot achieve self-sufficiency in food production in this country, until we live by the standard set by the western world. We want to market Abia diets, culture, design, dressing, our pattern of doing things. I want to see that peculiar architecture. I want Abia to have an international fabric. As people come to Abia in December, we want them to see our culture, eat our food. We want to make their clothes, make their shoes. That is our strategy and I think it will work.

    What is your plan for the youths?

    We are going to develop agriculture. We are sending about 40 young farmers to training to learn new strategies and methods of integrated farming. Abia will embark on massive and aggressive planting of oil palm. We want Abia to return as the hub of oil palm production in Nigeria. We have entered an agreement with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and they have promised to provide all the seedlings that we need. So, we are going to engage Abia youth that is willing and I will lead by example. I am going to have farms, which I will collaborate with people to drive, and you will see me practically on the farm. We will put on our made-in-Aba farm hat and booth. We will toil and till the soil of our state and through our sweat God will bless our efforts.

  • ‘Ikpeazu not beholden to Orji’

    A Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain Ben Onyechere has debunked claims by the opposition that Abia State Governor Okezie Ikpeazu is beholden to his predecessor, Theodore Orji.

    According to him, the insinuation that Ikpeazu is a product of Orji’s administration, and, therefore, subservient to him “is a peculiar hallucination”.

    Onyechere, a former special assistant to former Vice President Alex Ekwueme, said the Ikpeazu and Orji administrations were “a generation apart.”

    His words: “The belief in some obscure quarters that a peaceful intra-party transition from one governor to another has become an ‘offshoot’ is synonymous with fetching water with a basket because loyalty to party leadership is not the same as subordination.

    “It is clear that their operational methods are different as much as their visions, because, every administration must have its agenda to which it must be answerable before the people.

    “Not long ago, the Ikpeazu administration reversed the policy of indigenisation of civil service by the Orji administration, which demonstrates a break from the past and as such, portrays the independence of Ikpeazu’s administration.

    “The reconstruction of Abia roads, which is a cardinal objective of the Ikpeazu-led administration, is also a pointer to the fact that the priorities of the past and present governments are different.

    “It is also important to note that government is a continuum and as such, structures of the former administration must be built upon without let or hitch.”

     

  • Ikpeazu’s new political orientation in Abia

    Ikpeazu’s new political orientation in Abia

    Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State, who has spent 100 days in office, explains his tall vision, anchored on a new political orientation, reports Associate Editor, Sam Egburonu

    When he stepped into the Government House in Umuahia on May 29, 2015, announcing to all that he was out to assume the status of a common governor, not all took Dr Okezie Ikpeazu seriously. His critics dismissed his claim as another stunt to hoodwink unsuspecting Nigerians. But after his first 100 days in office, Godwin Adindu, his Chief Press Secretary, is proud to identify evolution of a new political orientation as one of the first achievements of Governor Ikpeazu in Abia State.

    According to Adindu, Ikpeazu achieved this feat by demystifying the office of the governor, a process he started not only by calling on the people not to call him, “His Excellency” and not to add “Executive,” to his official title but also by cutting his salary by half.

    Outlining some of the achievements of his boss in the first 100 days in office, Adindu said the new government in Abia has recorded success in the area of Integrated Payroll Verification System (IPVS). In this wise, the government conducted staff auditing to ascertain the actual strength of the workforce. This, The Nation learnt, has led to discovery of many ghost workers. As a follow-up in the war against ghost workers syndrome, the Ikpeazu-led administration is perfecting plans to introduce bio-metric system in the state civil service.

    Another area the governor’s spokesman said the new government has made some remarkable impact is its innovative efforts at raising the lean Internally Generated Revenue (IGR). He explained that to do this, the governor engaged reputable consultants to harness the state’s IGR. The projection, according to Adindu, was to raise the state’s IGR from N500m monthly to N1.5 billion. Although this tall ambition has not been achieved within the first 100 days, Abia residents, who witnessed the multiple collections of fees by uncountable uniform officials in the past administrations, agree that some level of sanity may have been introduced in the state’s IGR recovery assignments. Traders in particular have expressed satisfaction that the governor has also introduced market review through establishment of market committees.

     It would be recalled that the first thing Ikpeazu did in the area of revenue collection was to cancel all manner of levies in the state. As we gathered, the state government lost millions of naira following this radical move, but it used the opportunity to harmonise the once confused sector. Besides the appointment of the consultants, Ikpeazu also introduced harmonization and banking system of payment of revenues.

    Some commentators who spoke in his favour during the 100 days celebrations said his efforts towards harmonization of taxes and levies, his ‘War against Double Taxation,’ the new impetus his government has given the drive towards eradication of touts and illegal agents in the revenue drive were among his most popular actions in Aba and other parts of Abia State today.

    Others included bold attempts to block leakages and drain pipes through which Abia State Government finances were allegedly siphoned.

    Ikpeazu has also established the Abia State Economic Advancement Team (ASEAT) in an elaborate scheme to produce a new economic blueprint for the state. The idea, he said, is to “drive a new economic initiative, set a more ambitous agenda and draw the roadmap for the new administration.”

    In the well-fought electoral campaigns leading to his emergence as governor, the issue of the deteriorating state of Aba urban city generated so much sentiment. As a result, it became the foremost campaign issue in the Abia 2015 governorship election.

    This being the case, Abia citizens, noting Ikpeazu’s personal attachment to Aba, are not surprised that he reportedly began work in Aba a day after assumption of office. According to Adindu, within the first 100 days, the governor has done so much in his bid to revive and to transform the commercial city of Enyimba. This he has done through, “Establishment of the Office of Aba Urban Renewal, designed to drive the new effort towards the infrastructural renewal of the city and ensure that Aba is transformed to a city of basic modern amenities.”

    The office is also assigned with the responsibility of ensuring order and sanity in building of shops, kiosks, offices and residential buildings, to drive the new programmes towards park reforms and general rehabilitation works. As he explained, “the goal is to make Aba the SME capital of Nigeria.”

    Other areas Ikpeazu has made appreciable impact, according to Adindu, include government-public finance restructuring, construction of 27 roads, which cuts across Aba, Umuahia and Abia North, pension reform and payment of pensioners’ salaries, reinstating  of sacked non-indigenes and launching of E for E-Education for Employment, a novel programme rolled out to reactivate vocational education in Abia.

    The governor’s image make said his boss has not left out critical areas like agriculture and health. He launched what he termed Youth for Agriculture Programme, where 40 youths are to train at the Songhai Farms in Porto-Novo, Republic of Benin annually. Explaining to The Nation how this initiative will impact on hundreds of thousands of unemployed youths that could be engaged in agriculture, Adindu said “It’s a train-the -trainer initiative in the entire agricultural value-chain.”

    In the area of health he said the new government has a programme where two tertiary health centres would be identified in each of the three senatorial districts in the state and will broker a public-private partnership arrangement where a private hospital management firm will take over these hospitals and run them.

    In addition to that the “state is also reviewing its Health Insurance Policy with a view to reactivating and strengthening it.”

    Perhaps Ikpeazu’s efforts in the first 100 days that have attracted the attention of Abians more than the others is his efforts at changing the story of Aba. Many today talk of the day his government commenced the dredging of the Aba River, an effort many hope will help to resolve the environmental riddle and enhance drainage flow in Aba.

    Ikpeazu’s resolve to champion personally the “made in Aba campaign” has also boosted his image in the state and beyond. Reports have it that his suits, dresses and shoes are made in Aba. As Adindu puts it; “The governor is the chief brand ambassador of made-in-Aba goods. He has embarked on an aggressive promotion of Aba products and is setting up Marketing and Standard Regulatory Board to ensure that the Aba entrepreneur is encouraged.”

  • Ikpeazu pleased with performance

    Ikpeazu pleased with performance

    Uche Ikpeazu was unhappy that Port Vale walked away from the Alexandra Stadium with a point after playing out a goalless draw with his former club, Crewe Alexandra, in both teams opening game of the new season.

    The Watford loanee, who was sporting the number nine jersey, made his official debut for The Valiants, and lasted 81 minutes on the pitch before making way for Leitch-Smith.

    Having failed to open his goalscoring account for Port Vale in a competitive fixture, the Olympic National Team target is looking forward to the Capital Cup clash against Burnley.

    “Great performance, should have walked away with all three points. Time to rest up and prepare for Tuesday night, the best is yet to come,” Ikpeazu stated.

    The 20-year-old previously enjoyed loan spells at Crewe Alexandra and Doncaster Rovers.

  • Can Ikpeazu fulfill his campaign promises?

    Can Ikpeazu fulfill his campaign promises?

    These are challenging times for Abia State. The infrastructure battle cannot be abandoned. There is much work to do. But, the resources are depleting. How will Governor Okezie Ikpeazu navigate the difficult ship of state? Asks Political Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU.

    For eight years, Abia State was bogged down by some predecessor-successor tension, which degenerated into a protracted crisis in the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The state is poor. But, being a commercial nerve centre, it has prospects. But, the potential was not fully tapped. During the last election, the people voted for the former university don, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, to run the state.

    The governor swung into action immediately. Although his attention is being diverted by the post-election litigation, he remains focused. Ikpeazu, who was a member of the previous administration, is conversant with its strengths and weaknesses. However, the governor, like his counterparts in many states, is constrained by the cash crunch.

    Ikpeazu embarked on value engineering. He introduced a frugal approach to management. Leading by example, he cut his salary by half. That singular move was meant to send the signal that he planned to run a prudent government that gives no room for wastages. But, according to stakeholders, slashing of salary is not the only solution. All the drain pipes and loopholes exploited by government officials should be blocked.

    The governor has also taken some steps to cut the cost of governance. In his view, governance is not a tea-party or about showmanship. He said he would only embark on few trips as demanded by his work. But, during those trips, he has demonstrated discipline by travelling with not more than three aides, thereby cutting significantly, the cost of foreign trips by officials.

    Ikpeazu has ordered a comprehensive staff audit in the civil service to enable government determine its actual staff strength. The goal is to weed out ghost workers through an Integrated Payroll Verification System. Addressing workers, he said: “I promise to pay salary every 24th of each month”.

    The infrastructure battle is a priority. Thus, the governor kicked off with the silted Aba drainage. To succeed, many people believe that the cooperation of Aba residents is important. Aba holds the ace to the economic prosperity of Abia. The two markets-Ariare and Aregua-are in bad shape. But, the bulk of the internally generated revenue comes from the commercial ventures there. When the governor was inspecting of projects in the commercial town, residents told him that “once government is able to get Aba right, Abia will be alright.”

    In Ikpeazu’s view, the IGR should be jerked up, if any tangible project is to be implemented. He has set up the  Abia State Economic Advancement Team, of which he is the chairman, to drive the state’s economic growth. “It is the task of this team to drive the IGR of the state from an average of N350 million to N1.5billion within our first year in office,” he said.

    The governor has also established the Office of Aba Urban Renewal. The aim is to develop the state by making Aba the launch pad and ensure that Aba becomes the Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) Capital of Nigeria. As he promised during his campaigns, he has awarded the construction of seven roads in Aba .

    The roads have streetlights. Work has already started on site. The governor plans to commission them in his first 100 days in office. He has directed that the relevant tax collection agencies should stop the collection of taxes and levies so that the system can be automated and harmonised by the Economic Advancement Team.

    Ikpeazu’s vision to transform the state into a centre of commerce, where business is conducted seamlessly, and in a secure and clean environment, ,may become a reality. In his projection, Abia is billed to be one of the cleanest states and biggest contributors to the nation’s treasury by virtue of its increased IGR. To meet the new IGR benchmark of N1.5billion, there are existing structures to build upon. For example, when the new Umuahia City, with modern malls, recreational parks, housing estates, and an International Conference Centre capable of boosting the states revenue through tourism is amplified with the rapid rebuilding of Aba, the state would wear a new look.

    The centre will accommodate about 9,000 persons. It has a main hall, four conference halls and a banquet hall. It also has with a VIP lounge, gallery, offices and a huge parking lot. A huge revenue is expected to be generated by the government from the building when the centre begins to host big events. The centre will serve the entire Southsouth region. It will only be rivaled by the Calabar International Convention Centre in Cross River State.

    The centre is aided by an  advanced information technology. Events can be recorded and the signal beamed live for people to watch anywhere in the world. When completed, it will boost tourism.

    Aba is the seat of cottage industries. The governor has promised to develop the sector. “It will generate employment and contribute to our drive for self-sufficiency,” the governor said.

    According to sources, the move would enjoy the support of local financial organisations and international organisations, including the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

    Recently, the African Development Bank (AfDB) approved a $200 million facility for the state to tackle the challenges of water, sanitation and road construction. With this fund, which Ikpeazu said would be judiciously used for the construction of Port-Harcourt Road and other roads, the challenges of refuse dumping and deplorable roads may be a thing of the past. The Office of Aba Urban Renewal has  commenced work on the drainage system in Aba.

    Another critical issue is security. Former Governor Theodore Orji started the battle to rid the state of crime. The onus is on Ikpeazu to build on the foundation.

    This, perhaps, explains why the government has immediately taken over the security of Enyimba Hotel. The hotel was reportedly bought some 20 years ago by the Aba Chambers of Commerce. Later, it became the hiding place for criminals. However, the hotel is now wearing a new look.

    Investment opportunities abound in Abia State for genuine and serious investors. The governor has assured the investors of a safe environment.

    The governor said he will defend all sectors-education, health, transport, and social welfare. He described himself as a tested and trusted administrator. But, the members of the opposition do not believe him. To them, he is an impostor in power.

    The governor’s victory is still being challenged in court. His challenger is Dr. Alex Otti of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA). Will he survive at the tribunal and court? If he survives, he will focus on his programmes and work hard to fulfill his campaign promises. If he does not survive, a new government will take over from him.

  • Ikpeazu urged to extend road upgrade beyond Aba

    Ikpeazu urged to extend road upgrade beyond Aba

    While road rehabilitation in Aba, the commercial nerve of the Abia State, has impressed many, Governor Okezie Ikpeazu has been urged to extend the upgrade to other neighbouring towns.

    A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, Elder Goodluck Njoku made the appeal, even as he hailed the governor for his efforts.

    Njoku described the de-silting of drainage and rehabilitation of roads as a boost to trade and mark of good governance.

    “You can see that the governor has lived up to his words to change the face of the city. Road rehabilitation is going simultaneously in every part of the city including Umuahia, Umunneochi and Arochukwu. Aba has become a huge construction site. You can see the dredging of the Aba River which is a very laudable step because it will check the problem of flooding in Aba. There have been lots of improvements in these areas. The issue of multiple taxation has been a hydra -headed problem and waste management has received a great attention. I commend his Gov. Ikpeazu’s efforts; he started on a good and should keep the flag flying.”

    The PDP chief also enjoined residents of the state to support the ongoing rehabilitation efforts by disposing their waste at designated points.

    Said he “Residents of the state, particularly Aba, must play their part to enable the governor actualize his vision for the state. I know that expectations are too high, but people must be patient. Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu is a man of remarkable experience. He has been very outstanding in all his endeavours in life. I am sure he will put up a team capable of achieving his good intentions and be able to work out something for the good of the state. Though there are great challenges but Gov. Ikepazu has the capacity to overcome them.”

    He advised the governor to ensure that Aba town is decongested through embarking on development of satellite towns which would open up areas and opportunities for the residents of the state.

    “I believe Aba town is over populated, there is a great need to open up and develop other areas close to Aba to decongest the town. Adjoining towns like Owerri-Nta, Obehie, Osisioma Ngwa, Umuoba would perfectly fill the gap. It is not good that development has been concentrated in Aba urban since the town was founded. Gov. Ikpeazu, being the man I know, has a great vision for the state. I am not speaking for him but I know that he has a burning desire to transform Abia state to the next level.”

  • ‘Ikpeazu cannot be distracted’

    A Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chief Ben onyechere yesterday said Abia State Governor Dr Okezie Ikpeazu will not be distracted by allegations that he was behind the alleged attempt to burgle a house belonging to All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) governorship candidate Alex Otti.

    Onyechere said the allegation was the handiwork of the governor’s detractors, describing it as the height of irresponsibility.

    He said in a statement: “The claim is the cry of a hungry baby seeking the attention of his father. It should ordinarily have been ignored but there is a saying in Igboland that silence over an allegation connotes agreement.

    “It is indeed the height of irresponsibility for anybody to fathom that a sitting governor would have time to think about him and plan such a dastardly act. The people of Abia have since forgotten about the election because Ikpeazu’s emergence was a collective bargain.

    “They are rather focused on how to contribute their own quota to the onerous task to re-engineer and re -write the economic landmark of the state and as such have refused to be distracted by  frivolous claims in the bid to be noticed.

    “It is, however, instructive to advise that such clandestine and subterraneous activities of the opposition targeting the sympathy of election tribunal are no longer in vogue because the facts before them are clearly spelt out.”