Former governor Okezie Ikpeazu’s deputy, Rt. Hon. Sir Ude Oko Chukwu, has formally tendered his resignation letter as a member of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the state and country.
Oko Chukwu is the immediate deputy governor of Abia State.
The resignation of Oko Chukwu from the PDP, is coming days after his visit to the governor of Abia State, Dr. Alex Otti, where he (Oko Chukwu), during the visit not only lauded Governor Otti for his exemplary leadership transformative development, but also stated that Otti has earned for himself, re-election in 2027.
Our correspondent reports that the comment of the Nkporo born politician and a former Speaker of the Abia State House of Assembly didn’t go down well with members of the PDP in the state, prompting his (Oko Chukwu’s) removal from all the Abia PDP stakeholders groups.
Many of the party faithful who spoke to The Nation disclosed that they have carefully followed the activities of Oko Chukwu in recent times which they said give indication that he was no longer interested in the party’s affairs, as they claimed his absent from various PDP events in the state, Abia North and Ohafia in particular.
Some of them who attributed Oko Chukwu’s anger to what transpired in 2023 political season, said that they were suspecting that the former Deputy Governor wants to join the Labour Party (LP) after his reported talks with some of the leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in and outside the state failed.
The resignation of Oko Chukwu has ended a long-standing political association with his party.
In a resignation letter dated August 5, 2025, and addressed to the Chairman of Ndi Elu Ward, Nkporo, Ohafia LGA, Oko Chukwu stated that his decision to quit the party was due to personal reasons.
He noted that although the decision was difficult, it was the best course of action for him at this time.
“I am most grateful for the opportunities the party availed me to serve at various levels and appreciate the experience and knowledge gained during my membership of the Party,” the letter read in part.
Rt. Hon. Oko Chukwu, who served as Abia’s Deputy Governor from May 2015 to May 2023, expressed appreciation to the PDP for its support over the years and wished the party well in its future endeavours.
His resignation letter was acknowledged and received by the ward leadership on August 7, 2025.
Immediate past governor of Abia State, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, has debunked rumours of his defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), insisting that he remains a committed member of the party.
Speaking at his Umuobiakwa country home in Obingwa Local Government Area, Ikpeazu reaffirmed his loyalty to the PDP and dismissed reports suggesting he was planning to join the All Progressives Congress (APC) following his recent nomination as an ambassador-designate by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The clarification comes amid growing speculation of mass defections from the Abia PDP and possible coalitions with other parties ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Also speaking, Mr. Enyinnaya Apollos, a former senior special adviser to the ex-governor, expressed confidence that the PDP would not only field a strong governorship candidate to challenge incumbent Governor Alex Otti in 2027 but would also contest other key positions, including seats in the State House of Assembly and the National Assembly.
Ikpeazu stressed that rather than abandoning the PDP, he is focused on contributing to its revival and repositioning in Abia State.
“I am not in contemplation about where to go for now. Politics at a time like this is in a state of flux. We are still trying to rebuild the PDP. The PDP has passed through very difficult times, but I dare say that some of us are prepared to rally courage and muster effort and energy to steer the ship once again. I am not one of those who will walk away when it is not rosy.
“This is predicated upon the fact that good reasoning and wisdom will prevail. I didn’t know why the a battle of who would become the National Secretary. That was needless trouble, and that is actually what caused the haemorrhage at the party.
“People started leaving because they didn’t understand the kind of leadership that we were trying to set up at the national level. Anybody can be the National Secretary, so why the special interest, especially if there is little time within which the tenure will expire?
“If they understand that the party needs to be stable before it can serve anybody, I think that, for now, my efforts are geared towards building a strong viral PDP.
“But as you know, some of those who served with me between 2015 and 2023, some of them have moved on; some have gone back to their businesses, others are in the APC and other political parties. I am happy that they found a common denominator and a rallying point around me, regardless of their political persuasions presently, which I don’t begrudge anybody for.”
On the perceived division among members of the G5 Governors Forum spearheaded by the former governor of Rivers State and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesome Wike, Ikeazu said, “there is no division in G5 and it is difficult to have any because we have moved the issue of G5 to becoming a philosophy rather than aggregation of friends. It is a philosophy because wherever there is injustice, there will be a G5.
“Even in our respective families, there are G5. but our pathway towards standing for that which is common with all of us might vary from time to time, but we have some mechanism with which to address issues that don’t seem to go down well with all of us.
“We are all in agreement that Justice and Equity are what we need most in Nigeria. We don’t want to perceive injustice in any form.”
Speaking on his future political aspirations, Ikpeazu, who stated that he has retired from active politics to give way for the younger ones to have the opportunity to pursue their political goals, disclosed that he is now focused on exploring other business opportunities, adding “I am not desperate for anything. If I retire from politics today, I am retiring as a two star General and I will go with all my entitlements.
“There is nothing that I am looking for, as a matter of fact, but a political party is a vehicle that conveys people from one point to the other.
“I may have reached my destination, but I have younger ones that are looking up to me, so why should I abandon the vehicle. So, if I am battling to offer political leadership, what it means is that I am still interested in some people getting onboard and offering themselves to serve.
“So, it is not really about me. There is nothing like a two-term governor, a former local government chairman. I have walked the ropes, I have paid my dues, and I am not desperate for anything.
“The richest people in Nigeria are not politicians. I am looking for a way to start a business, teach my children how to do business and make some money.”
Some former political appointees under ex-governor Ikpeazu, including his Senior Special Adviser on Media, Mr. Enyinnaya Apollos, former Commissioner for Trade and Investment, Mr. John Kalu Okiyi, former Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Obinna Oriaku, former Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs Commission, Rt. Hon. Christopher Enweremadu and among others in their goodwill messages thanked their former boss for giving them not just the opportunity, but latitude to serve the state in their various capacities.
The former aides, who pledged their continued loyalty to the former Abia governor, while affirming him as their leader, also promised that they would join forces with him wherever that he may decide to pitch his tent politically in the days ahead.
Speaking on the significance of the day, Apollos in an interview said “The gathering today is necessary. It is an act of ingratitude for someone not to come back to say thank you. The event today is not just necessary; it is long overdue as it is coming two years after we left office in 2023. So, we are here today to say thank you to him.
“The former appointees of the Abia State government that served under the administration of Governor Okezie Ikpeazu are here today in his house to thank him for allowing us to serve the state at various levels for the 8 years that he (Ikpeazu) was the governor. It is a show of gratitude on our side and also a lesson for others to understand that it is something worth doing.
Defending criticisms against the performance of the eight years administration of his boss, Apollos said, “He (Ikpeazu) said that he never promised to do everything and he didn’t also do everything, but he did something significantly judging from where Abia was in 2015 when he came on board and where Abia was when he left office in 2023.
“If one government does everything, then there is no need for continuity in governance. He did his part and has left the stage for others to do their own. Those who are there today will also leave the stage at the expiration of their tenure for others to come onboard and do their own.”
Between 2015 and 2023, former governor of Abia State, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, lived more of a regimented lifestyle because his movement and that of his family in and outside the state depended on the intelligence reports at his disposal.
Ikpeazu, though sociable, could not have access to a good number of his friends throughout his eight years reign because of the protocol procedure that such friends had to undergo before seeing him.
After handing over power to his successor, Dr. Alex Otti of the Labour Party (LP), the 2023 Abia South Senatorial candidate of the PDP has avoided making public appearances and on the occasions that he appeared, he chose not to make a public statement.
However, that was not the case when the former governor met with our correspondent, SUNNY NWANKWO, at his country home in Umuobiakwa after he marked his 60th birthday, as he took the latter through what he (Ikpeazu) has learnt about life at 60.
You clocked 60 yesterday, October 18. How did you feel about it?
I didn’t feel any way special. I am strong by the special grace of God. I still engage in my routine physical activities, I am not impeding in any way. But it is also nice to age gracefully. Very soon, I will be addressed as an elder statesman. It is nice and exciting. Honestly, I still feel strong enough to read, study, learn and serve when the opportunity comes.
At 60, what would you say makes life exciting?
I think that what makes life exciting is the anxiety that comes with breaking new grounds and conquering new frontiers. Any day that you stop aspiring, trying or setting goals and agenda for yourself, you will begin to truly die spiritually because age is a number, but you have to keep your spiritual growth and physiological development under your control. And part of what keeps your interest and intellect sharp to remain in this part of the divide is to have goals that you set for yourself. So, I still have one or two things that I would want to do in my life, though naturally, I am slowing down, because whether I like it or not, there is time for every thing.
Your parents named you Victor. Could it be that the name paved the way for you?
Certainly. I am an African. There is everything in a name. We bear names that have significance and tell on our trajectory in life. I want to quote Nelson Mandela of South Africa who believes that he never fails. It is either he wins or he learns.
Every birth is by accident. Nobody determines where he/she will go. I had no hand in determining where I would come from, but from hindsight, I think that my parents did an amazing job. In the first place, they had just three of us. If we were more, it would have been difficult, because we saw a little bit of the civil war. But because we were just three, my mother was a nurse, my father was a teacher, the little that they were able to make on a monthly basis was more than enough for us to grow up in comfort.
I was able to get a straight PhD without working because my father had the resources as it were and also was tenacious about making sure that I achieved that milestone. So every birth is circumstantial.
I have achieved quite a lot. I have had my ups and downs and my challenges, but incidentally, I see challenges as exciting. I see them as turning the bend or a learning curve. I have never been daunted; I hardly get disappointed because I expect everything but hope for the best all the time. So, I have won more times than I have lost. I think that overall, I am in this world and I am happy… laughs.
Many people have described you in various ways. From your own point of view, who is Okezie Victor Ikpeazu?
I am humble, unassuming, but very tenacious; a goal getter and an inquisitive man. I am somebody who tries to be fair and just, though it is also a burden because you can’t be fair or just to everybody. An attempt to be that kind of person leaves you in a quandary more often than not, but I strive to be fair to as many people as I can. I believe in good logic and conversation, but I don’t run away from war. But if I can talk sense, I will rather avoid war, but if they come to me, I will fight. So, that is me.
Tell us what your childhood experience was, because those who knew you said that you were a playful boy.
I do not know what a playful boy means, but I was a very restless person and little did I know that God was preparing me for the assignments I was later to take up in life. But in all of these, all those who met me growing up, even when they want to describe me as a very active, inquisitive and restless young man, they will also tell you that I don’t flunk my exams. Some of them were still laughing at the jokes that I made when I rode to do my PhD. We were still laughing at the jokes that I made in secondary school until I graduated with a doctorate degree in Biochemistry at 29. So, those who do not take him repeatedly do that at their peril because beneath and impeded within my jokes or playful demeanor is a very serious minded person that looks at all shades of an event.
I will also without sounding immodest say that I am a very strategic person and I don’t believe in coincidence. I believe that we can work out the outcomes that we desire.
Did you have it in mind that you would one day become a lecturer or get to the positions that you have occupied?
Immediately you take your first degree and go on to take the second degree and go ahead without working to take up the ultimate degree, you have made yourself a merchant of knowledge. Whether you like it or not, you have enlisted yourself as an academic, especially in my area where you have to be up and doing in terms of research and in writing papers; trying to respond to many questions that life throw at us and at the same time trying to solve many of our day problems in a scientific manner.
So, I knew from the outset that teaching was good for me, and when I started teaching, the feedback that I got from my students was that I was good in my subjects and I became very encouraged. Even when I was the governor, I was teaching. At the last count, I had over 80 academic publications in Biochemistry. Some of those papers were actually published while I was governor because I was leading research groups both in Abia State University (ABSU), Uturu and Michael Okpara University of Agriculture (MOUAU), Umudike and I think that teaching is my second nature.
I will be lying if I said that I was preparing myself to be the governor of the state. But the truth is that, I was preparing myself for leadership because I studied under the best brains as it were in those days and I was very serious and tenacious about my duty and my assignments. I knew that leadership would beckon on me one day.
And that is my advice to some of these young ones going forward. You have to prepare yourself for whatever role that nature will place on your shoulders. So, primarily, I enjoyed myself as a lecturer and when I became a governor, I enjoyed myself too.
Some people have doubted your true identity. Abians would want to know your true identity. Are you from Akwa Ibom State or Umuobiakwa?
I am from Umuobiakwa (aughs). I do not know where that is coming from. In coming from Umuobiakwa, not only that I am from Umuobikwa, my fore-parents were the initial settlers in thie place. So, if God ordains, I can be the custodian of the “ofor” (mantle of authority) of this land because our people were the first settlers in the place like I had said;. They named this place (Umuobiakwa). So, I don’t know where the controversy is coming from l(aughs). If anybody feels that I am from any other place, the person should volunteer and trace the place and tell me.
What has life taught you at 60?
Life has taught me to be prepared for anything, but always hope for the best. Life in itself is a great teacher and that all things work for good for those who love God. Life will throw all kinds of things at you. So, when the times are good, remember that there is a valley before or after a hill. I am not one of those who pray for a smooth road all the time. I am one of those who pray for resilience and tenacity to bear the vicissitudes of life as they come because life must happen to you.
Again, life has taught me that the greatest treasure anyone has is his health. After his health, his friends. That is what life has taught me.
In all these, what makes you happy?
Well, what makes me happy is to be among those who love me. What makes me sad is to be in the midst of hypocrites. Once I can find my way into the midst of those who love me, I am a happy man. So, I am propelled by the presence of people around me and the ability to help. Once I can be of value to a fellow human being, my day is made. I spare a thought everyday to think about those who perhaps may not be as privileged as I am, but they may be more important before God. Whatever I can do to make life better for people gives me more pleasure.
Many people said that Biochemistry wasn’t your first choice of course. What informed your decision to study Biochemistry?
You can go and verify as our brother, Peter Obi , wiould say. In the form that I filled, it was Biochemistry. But because a few people think that I am somewhat versatile, some of them thought that I should have been a lawyer. Others thought that I should have been a medical practitioner, but I chose Biochemistry over Medicine because I always like to tell myself the truth. I may not have the discipline of a medical doctor and I don’t want to be a hypocrite in the profession of Medicine.
If you are a medical doctor, you have to be there for your patients; it doesn’t matter what time. So, no medical doctor has time for himself. If you are in the aircraft and they ask if there is any medical doctor in the aircraft, what they are saying is that it is possible to call you to duty.
As a Biochemist, I knew that I could go out and spend time with my friends. I could also spend as much time as I want in my lab when I want to go to my lab to do my research. But nothing on my conscience as it could have compelled me as a medical doctor to stay in one place and it will be a great disservice if I enlist as a medical doctor and somebody calls me that I am on call and then I will tell a lie or I won’t be available. That will be a sin against God and humanity.
I was sixteen years old when I made the decision and I knew that the sixteen year old gadfly would not be able to cope with the discipline of remaining in one place and waiting for a patient to live or die.
You always pride yourself as an Aba brought up. Why this sense of pride of being an Aba Boy?
Recently, I attended the induction ceremony of the last batch of the Medical Students in Babcok University because my daughter was part of that event. The guest lecturer, a renowned Public Health Medical practitioner; a professor of Medicine, who came all the way from England , said with pride that she was an Aba brought up.
Aba boy connotes the can-do spirit, never say never, resilience, doggedness, hard work, boldness, courage, etc. All of these make the Aba person different from others. When everybody would have given up, the Aba spirit in you will keep pushing you, and that is why we take up that appellation with pride. It is a spirit that keeps pushing you, wherever that you may find yourself. You will know an Aba brought up whenever you see one.
What was your experience in the first two weeks of being the governor of the state?
My team, as it were then, saw the work that was there to be done. At that point, there was no in-road into Aba. You could not have access into Aba from any of the roads linking the city with other neighbouring states. Aba was a sinking town. Trade and commerce was at its lowest ebb. Security was also an issue.
Mine was a deep sense of responsibility and sobriety because I was like he to whom nothing has been given but expected to achieve so much, because my first allocation was just about N3 billion with a salary bill of N2.7 billion in the first month. What it means is that, after paying salary, I would have been left with slightly more than N300 million, and at that time also, I needed to open up Aba-Owerri Road. I needed to do Ukaegbu, Umuola and Ehere roads, and I thank God that all the roads are standing.
I can’t ask people from Rivers State to come back, but the low hanging fruit for me was to attempt bringing people from Akwa Ibom State. So, I needed to speak to Ukaegbu, Umuola and Ehere roads at once. There was no road to Ariaria International Market, Eziukwu and Ngwa road markets, meaning that all the traders there were playing games waiting for God to send manners from Heaven. So, we had to place our hands on the plough.
So, there was no sense of jubilation. There was nothing to celebrate; there was no time for all those kinds of things. It was how do we open up and ventilate the city? But I thank God that nine years down the line, those roads are still standing.
How did you meet your wife?
I am a strong believer in what I call the biological clock. The only person that controls the biological clock is God. I can adjust my time piece to read 6pm now because I bought it with my money, but the biological clock cannot be adjusted by anybody except God.
What I did was first of all, go to school. And I was a little bit selfish about it because my father told me that if he gave me one naira to go to school, I should take it and I shouldn’t ask him for more. He said that it is my name that would be written on the certificate and not his.
He said if I didn’t go to school, I wiould be the one they would call illiterate and not him. It sunk. I never rejected any amount of money that my father gave to me. Like he said, he didn’t live long enough to see me become a governor. My father didn’t live long enough to benefit anything from me. So, all he did was to see me through the 10 years that it took me to go to school. Assuming that I was failing my exams or that I didn’t take my studies seriously or place myself in a position that they have to beg me to help myself, that would have been a great disservice to myself.
So, that is why I said that I decided to be selfish about it. I knew that once I go to school properly, once I built capacity, the next thing was to pick up a job and then live a little bit like a bachelor or have the privilege of looking at who would become my wife. Unfortunately for me, my father died just as I was defending my PhD thesis.
One year after my father died, my mother came to me on a Friday and demanded that I must present my wife to her on Sunday (laughs). I didn’t know how serious that assignment was until Saturday. And when my mother speaks to you, she speaks softly, but it is a directive. So, by Sunday, I said that I already had somebody in my life who had been my friend and I had seen everything good in her.
Her greatest quality was that she accepts me the way I am. So, I now told my mother on that Sunday that I have only brought one girl to you in this house, that I am not looking any further and that is the girl that I am going to marry. She asked if I was sure, I said yes, and that was how we set out for the processes and procedures for getting a wife, and that was it. That was how I lost my bachelorhood at 30, and that was how my two boys also lost their bachelorhood at 30 years.
With the level of brilliance that you have, ladies would always flock around you. Did you by any chance have any other woman in your life aside your wife?
She was the person in my life, but I was also a boy at that time. I had a very vibrant youth and that is why I had at every stage of my life, I can’t look back and say that there was something left. I can’t look back and say that I wish that I am 30 now because I checked all the boxes. When it was time to go to the university, I checked all the boxes. If I look back now, I am not missing anything.
What is the difference between when you were the governor and now?
The major difference is that I am no longer under pressure. I nearly lost my life doing that job as governor. It is a thankless job. You were cut off from family, friends and even the work of God and then you live your life in the public glare.
A governor is not even supposed to fall asleep. At times, you have to drink coffee or take a lot of kolanut to stay alert and you are clutching the red pen. Anything that you signed with the red pen as at that time becomes law.
So, you must be at your best to read through every document that is brought before you, if not you sign away the life of your mother out of exuberance. I knew quite frankly that there is so much power vested on the office of the governor and it is both a physical and spiritual trap. Some of the powers vested on the office of a governor are like the power of God.
You have to exercise utmost discretion and care about the decisions that you take regarding the life of other people, especially the people that are helpless as it were, because the power you clutch in your feast is to do good or bad, and the choice is yours.
Bible recorded some bad kings and some good kings, but ultimately whenever somebody is vested with such power, it calls for emotional discipline, empathy, and the best of humanness you can muster, so that at times, when you are not in the right frame of mind, you withhold assent to certain things until you calm down and rationalise it.
But now I drive my car if I want to. I can walk into a shop if I want to get into the shop. I can decide to sleep at 6pm and wake up by 12 mid-day. All these privileges I couldn’t enjoy them as a governor.
When I was a governor, if you were not inviting people to meetings, meetings would invite you to it. So, I have more or less rediscovered and captured myself back and I am enjoying it going forward.
But it was nice that once in my lifetime I had the opportunity and the privilege of saying let there be flyover at Osisioma and a flyover would appear. Let there be Government House in Umuahia and Government House wiould appear. Let there be the multi-specialist hospital in general hospital area and that one would appear. Let there be Faulks Road and Faulks Road wiould appear. Not many people in their lifetime will have such a privilege.
No leader can do everything. That is why government is a continuum. You do a little bit or more and the next person continues from where you stopped.
If you weren’t a lecturer and a public servant, what else would you have loved to do?
Sincerely, I love medicine, because two of my daughters are medical doctors, my mother was a nurse, my father and mother-in-law nurses and my younger sister is a super nurse in America. So, maybe it could have been medicine because I love to care. I love to get into things that will add value.
How do you relax when you are not busy with office work as the governor?
I love books and intellectual conversations. I am an outdoor person and also cherish my friends. I love the company of my friends.
Are you worried that none of your children is toeiing your path academically?
I am not giving up on them in that regard, because I have a lot of mates, none of them got married, gave birth or took a PhD before me, and I will retire before all of them also because I know what I will do at 70. Once it is 70, I know the nozzles that I will close and the ones that I will open. You won’t see me playing outside with children or carrying my CV looking for appointment.
So, my two boys are engineers and they hold masters degrees in engineering. But my focus for them is that I want them to see if they can build some business, because that is where I am deficient; I don’t have a company. I would want my children to go into entrepreneurship because it is my pet project. Perhaps, I should have given myself a second option; if I didn’t become a medical doctor, I would have become a manufacturer because I love to turn raw materials into products. That is also what teaching is all about: turning people with raw intellect into active creative people.
My children, those with masters, may eventually go ahead to take after me. But my advice to them is that they should try and build some businesses so that they can create wealth and also be useful to themselves and be happy.
My first daughter, who can hold her grounds very well, if it is her calling, may also end up teaching medicine in some medical schools. Teaching is in our DNA. I don’t take it off the table. But let us see what God has prepared for them.
How were you able to balance your life as a governor with helping them make the choice of their life partners?
In the first place, it is not my job to help them choose who to live with for life, because that is a very important and critical decision that only you can take. However, you can set some ground rules; you can say the things that you don’t want. You can say this is the type of family that I want or that I don’t want. So, the ultimate choice is theirs to make. But like every Christian, I approach those critical decisions in life prayerfully and I am happy that what God has done in the lives of those that are married now is amazing and marvelous in our eyes, and I am happy and satisfied.
What would you like to be remembered for having marked your 60th birthday?
I have learnt to remember that somebody who has a lot of love and empathy for the common people of Abia State. I want to be remembered as someone who is completely detribalized, but also focused on whatever it will take to emancipate my people and give them a voice. I like to be remembered as somebody who likes to fight for justice and equity.
Why did you decide to build a memorial library in honour of your late father?
The only thing that I inherited from my father was books. I needed a place to keep those books for posterity and for grandchildren and members of the public to read. Again, I am a strong believer of a new paradigm in leadership; of scientific leadership. Scientific leadership compels you to start leadership from why. Why was it that most of the roads done in Aba before 2015 failed? So the center for scientific leadership seeks to groom leaders that tack their leadership experience by asking why.
We have developed a curriculum and we have sourced experts from across the globe who will teach young people to start leadership by asking why. Perhaps we may be able to solve most of our leadership problems.
I needed to put something in the name of my father, who was a great teacher; a man that taught me how to draw the map of Africa by remembering that Africa is just like a mango. He said that if I can draw a mango, I have drawn the map of Africa.
How do you relax now that you are no longer under any pressure from any political office?
I am very intentional about my health now. So, I must do my work out every morning. I do between 2 to 2 ½ ihours in the gym every morning. If I am at home, I play soccer. I will attend to my mails and reply them and open my phone for calls. If I have an appointment, I will keep it, otherwise, I will start writing.
I am also calibrating my next moves now. Part of me says to me, with 80 scientific publications, you will just go and become a professor. Maybe, who knows, I will take that decision by December this year. There are a lot of things that I have to do with my time. Luckily, I am strong and healthy.
The other one that I like is to talk to my children and give them the attention that I never gave them while I was a governor. I make sure that I know what they are doing because it is important that they learn from my mistakes and correct themselves, even as they keep their own identity. So, that is pretty well how I spend my time.
THE governor of Abia State, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, has commended the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) for helping in the socio-economic development of the nation’s economy.
Speaking at the flag-off of the swearing-in ceremony of the 2019 batch B stream 2 orientation of the corps members at the NYSC permanent orientation camp, Umunna, Bende local government, Ikpeazu commended the founding fathers of NYSC for setting up the scheme which he said has helped in the socio-economic development of the nation.
Ikpeazu, represented by the acting state chairman of the NYSC governing board and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Youth Development, Mr. Friday Ikpeoha, said that the scheme deserves commendation for its contributions to the development of education, rural health delivery, as well as infrastructural development.
In his address, the Acting Chairman, NYSC State Governing Board, and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Youth Development, Mr. Friday Ikpeoha, represented by a director in the ministry, Dr. Temple Nwosu, tasked the corps members to exhibit high sense of discipline and dedication during their orientation course.
Earlier in her address, the NYSC State Coordinator, Lady Bona Adibeli Fasakin, said that at the end of two days’ registration exercise, a total of 1106 corps members, comprising 682 males and 424 females were duly registered.
Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State, on Saturday, inaugurated the Obuohia cottage hospital and electricity project in Obuohia-Ibere community of Ikwuano Local Government area of the state.
Speaking at the event, Ikpeazu said that the improvement of healthcare access and power supply in rural communities was essential to achieving even development in the state.
The governor, who was represented by his deputy, Mr Ude Oko-Chukwu, added that the health facility and electricity project would improve the state government’s developmental efforts.
He charged the leaders of the community to evolve strategies that would be utilised in protecting the projects against vandalism.
Ikpeazu directed the state ministry of health and the state Primary Health Development Agency to expedite action in ensuring that medical personnel and supplies were sent to the hospital.
He commended the member representing Umuahia/ Ikwuano Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon. Sam Onuigbo, for playing a pivotal role in facilitating the projects to the community.
The governor appealed to political office holders to collaborate with relevant agencies to facilitate dividends of democracy to their constituencies.
In his address, Onuigbo said that the projects would, no doubt, improve the welfare of the people of the community.
Although the lawmaker said that the hospital was built in 1984, he, however, added that it had degenerated to a state of gross dilapidation owing to long years of neglect.
Onuigbo said that in the past, people of the community used to travel to neighbouring community to access healthcare services.
He expressed delight with the efforts made in rehabilitating the hospital, adding that it would address the healthcare delivery gap in the community.
“We will continue to attract development projects that will address the needs of our people. I urge communities in Umuahia/Ikwuano Federal Constituency to embrace peace and unity,” he said.
Earlier, Chief Sam Eke, National President, Obuohia Development Union, said that he was delighted with the inauguration of the projects which, he said, would improve the wellbeing of the people.
Eke appealed to the state government to expedite action in providing relevant resources for the optimal operation of the hospital.
He assured that the community would do everything possible to protect the projects from vandalism and make maximum use of them.
THE Indigenous People of the Biafra (IPOB) has asked Abia State governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, to provide pictorial evidence to confirm the arrest of killer of the commercial motorcyclist in his state.
The slain cyclist, Chimaobi Nworgu was allegedly shot dead following his refusal to offer N100 bribe to a military officer at a checkpoint.
The Biafra agitators, in a statement on Friday by the Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, said no arrest was made as claimed by the governor.
It said the death of Chimaobi represented a watershed, insisting that no amount of photoopportunity or public relations would diminish the fact.
The statement partly reads: “It is unbelievable that Okezie Ikpeazu and the Police Commissioner in Abia State announced the arrest of the killer soldiers involved in the death of Chimaobi Nworgu.
“Nobody has ever seen any picture or video of the murderers as is customary with Nigerian Police anytime they arrest suspects in high profile cases.
“No news conference where their full names, ranks and division they are serving in the army were made public. Biafrans must know there is no iota of truth in the widely circulated lie that those soldiers responsible for the death of Chimaobi are in custody.’’
The youth wing of apex Igbo socio cultural group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo has described as an assault to Ndigbo, a statement credited to the Nigerian Army over the murder.
In a statement signed by the national President, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, the Igbo group said: “We are shocked by the compromised and distorted statement marred with deceptive intentions credited to the Deputy Director, Army Public Relations 82 Division Aliyu Yusuf, that the killing was perpetrated by gunmen in military camouflage.
It is the a height of assault on Ndigbo. “The military should apologize to Ndigbo as we have uncovered from intelligence report that Cpl Ajayi was arrested on Wednesday trying to flee and he’s currently detained. This contradicts the earlier falsehood dished out to deceive the public.
We laud Governor Okezie Ikpeazu for his timely intervention to halt further violent protests that would have led to reprisal attacks on the military by Biafra agitators and angry Igbo youths over the untimely death of Chimaobi.
We call on President Muhammadu Buhari as a matter of urgency to give a matching order to redeploy all the military leadership in the South East. “As Ndigbo awaits the unreserved apology from the military, we call on aggrieved persons, youths and Biafra agitators to shelve any planned violent protests or reprisals attacks as Abia State government had brought succour to the deceased family
Abia State Governor Okezie Ikpeazu has said the government would soon build modular refinery in the state.
The refinery, which is expected to be cited around the Ukwa axis, would ensure adequate supply of petroleum products.
Ikpeazu, who spoke when the management of ESKOM PLC visited him at the Government House in Umuahia, described job creation as a direct link to security and sustainable economy for those in the Southeast and South South. He added that the only way forward is to create jobs for Abians.
The governor, who stressed that Agriculture and Industrialisation are fundamental to the economic vision of his administration, hinted that the modular refinery is the philosophy behind the flagship project of the Enyimba Economic City and the proposed Agro-Industrial City.
The governor noted that his administration will not spare any effort in providing necessary institutional support needed to get the projects working. He reinstated that the state is the SME capital of the country, saying the state was number three in Foreign Direct Investment by the close of business in 2018 due to the prospect of the Enyimba Economic City Project.
Chief Executive Officer of David Twin Oil West Africa Chief Emmanuel Obiora, and his counterpart at ESKOM, Orjiakor said the visit was to explore and cement the possibility of establishing a modular refinery in Abia.
According to them, the governor has demonstrated a huge passion for investments, to the point that no serious business that seeks expansion and growth can afford to ignore Abia state.
The delegation was led by front line businessman Chief Jerry Kalu.
Abia State Governor Okezie Ikpeazu has called on leaders at all levels of governance to redouble their efforts in ensuring that the people get the real value of democracy.
Ikpeazu, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Onyebuchi Ememanka, to mark Democracy Day, praised Nigerians for showing “unprecedented commitment and faith in the country’s democratic process in the last 20 years”.
The governor restated his administration’s commitment to ensuring that Abians felt the presence of governance in their locality.
Ikpeazu, who praised the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Chinedum Orji, and his deputy Ifeanyi Uchendu for their victory, reminded them that Abians have high expectations from political leaders.
The governor promised that in the coming weeks and months, the people will witness renewed vigour and single mindedness in the running of the state through the strengthening of democratic institutions, in addition to the deliberate pursuit of those policies that will make the state safer, economy stronger and people happier.
The statement reads: “This year’s celebration is special, being the first to be held on June 12, in commemoration of the day Nigerians expressed their democratic choice, devoid of tribal and ethno-religious sentiments in 1993. “That election and the subsequent chain of events that followed it set the tone for the birth of the current democracy we have enjoyed uninterruptedly as a nation since 1999.
“Governor Ikpeazu salutes President Muhammadu Buhari, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, President of the Senate Ahmad Lawan and Speaker of the House of Representatives Femi Gbajabiamila, and all Nigerians, on this auspicious occasion coming soon after the start of this current democratic dispensation.
“Nigerians have shown unprecedented commitment and faith in our democracy, and have demonstrated in the clearest of terms that a government of the people, by the people and for the people remains the best form of government.”
Abia State Governor Okezie Ikpeazu has released about N6 billion for the completion of ongoing and newly-awarded roads in the state.
A statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Onyebuchi Ememanka, said N1 billion was released to the contractor handling the Osisioma Flyover where work is expected to begin soon.
Other projects that got a share of the fund include the Umueze/ABSUTH/Udeagbala Road, which will see the immediate completion and asphalting of 2 kilometres of the road from the Aba-Owerri Road Junction.
Another road to be covered by the fund is the Aba-Owerri Road from the Osisioma junction, as well as the entire stretch of Osusu Road which will be completed within the next 100 days.
The statement added that N1 billion was released to the contractor handling the Obikabia Road.
Others include Emelogu Road with dualization of the road starting from Opobo Junction, terminating at Emelogu Junction, with asphalt to be done on the entire stretch of Emelogu down to the Waterside Second Bridge, popularly known as Orji Uzor Bridge.
In Umuahia, the government released money to Arab Contractors to finish the Aba road.
It was gathered that the first phase, which covers the distance from the Railway Crossing down to the Golden Guinea Breweries area, will be done first, while the Phase Two which, starting from the Railway Crossing through Afo Ibeji to the Express Junction will be inaugurated thereafter.
In addition to these, three new road projects will also be inaugurated – Ohanku Road, Aba; Umuopara Ring Road, Umuahia South and Ohafia Township Roads.
The governor of Abia state, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu has commended members of the Nigerian Navy for the security role they played in the state during the last general election which led to a peaceful and orderly elections.
Ikpeazu said that the navy in conjunction with other security agencies operating in the state played significant roles that made the state to have a secured and protected environment devoid of election violence before, during and after the elections.
Speaking during the convocation ceremony of the Nigerian Navy Finance and Logistics College (NNFLC) Owerrinta, Abia state, Ikpeazu praised the efforts of the commandant/rector of the school for the successful packaging of the diploma courses.
Ikpeazu represented by his deputy, Sir Ude Oko-Chukwu recalled that since the school was established in the state that it has gone a long way in ensuring the security of life and property of the people of Owerrinta in particular and the state at large, while calling on them to continue in securing the state.
The Abia state governor assured the navy of the readiness of his administration to continue to provide logistics and infrastructure for the college within the resources available so that they could continue to protect the host community and the entire state at all times.
In his address the Flag Officer Commanding, Naval Training Command and chairman of the governing board of the college, Rear Admiral S. I. Enoch described the ceremony as a partial fulfillment of the vision and mission of the navy which encourages acquisition of knowledge by its personnel to enhance their operational duties.
Admiral Enoch noted that, “Nigerian Navy believes very strongly that knowledge is power and that by giving personnel relevant knowledge through education, they can thrive and prosper in a globalized world especially in support of military operations”.
He told the graduating students, “I am glad that you made good use of the opportunity offered to you by the Nigerian Navy and the navy college at Owerrinta in particular to improve yourselves, which will make you good ambassadors of the college wherever you operate”.
In his welcome speech, the Commandant/Rector of the college, Navy Capt Omotola Omotayo Olukoya said that the event was the maiden edition which is for three different sets of graduating students of 2015/2016, 2016/2017 and 2017/2018.
Navy Capt Olukoya said, “It is worthy to note that since the inception of the academic branch which is National Diploma (ND) section, the college has turned out three sets of ND graduates in accountancy and they include, one Distinction, 22 Upper Credit, 42 Lower Credit and 4 Pass”.
He noted that reports available to the college showed that where the students were posted for their industrial experience and one one work experience, “Your out put showed that you are well grounded in your chosen discipline”.
The Commandant/Rector of the college explained that they are making efforts to get the National Board for Technical Education to accredit the Higher National Diploma in accountancy and some course such as ND in Hospitality management, Purchasing and Supply and Marketing.
In his valedictory speech on behalf of other students, the over all best graduating student, Ezemonye Michael thanked the navy and the college for the opportunity given to them and for teaching them well and pledged to be good ambassadors of the college.
The high point of the event which was attended by sister agencies was the institutionalizing of award of the sum of N100,000 each year for the best graduating accountancy student by the deputy governor, Sir Oko-Chukwu a chartered accountant.
