The Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to Governor Theodore Orji of Abia State, Charles Ajunwa, a fortnight ago informed that his boss had been named for the prestigious National Honours Award as Commander of the Order of Niger (CON).
Tagged Award of Excellence for Distinction, it was learned that the award would be conferred on the governor along with other well-known Nigerians by President Goodluck Jonathan on September 29, 2014, at the International Conference Centre, Abuja.
In the camp of the governor, it is an honour well-deserved. To the CPS, the award was a memorial of the governor’s talented and farsighted leadership. He believed that the governor has tailored Abia on the road of greatness.
Ajunwa’s press statement partly reads: “There is no gainsaying that His Excellency, T.A. Orji, has laid a solid foundation for the economic and socio-political growth of Abia. Ever since he courageously liberated the state from political bondage and economic stagnation, Abia has witnessed rapid infrastructural transformation.
“He has also democratised Abia’s political space such that even the opposition today criticise government without fear of intimidation or molestation, unlike before his government when the opposition went on self-exile.
“It is evident that the array of legacy projects dotting the Abia landscape today is as a result of his prudence in managing scarce resources, as he has not mortgaged the future of Abia by borrowing money like some of his counterparts who make the most of noise.
“Apart from legacy projects, Orji has also excelled in human capital development and youth empowerment, thereby giving hope and future to thousands of Abia youths who were, before he came on board, willing tools in the crime industry.”
Highlighting some of the things that qualifies Orji for the national honours, Ajunwa said that since the inception of the present government, Abia has not only become a peaceful and endowed place, but has also become a much-talked about state in terms of good governance.
In the words of Ajunwa: “In the last one year, Ochendo has added more health facilities to the ones he had already built. Dialysis and eye centres have been added to the ultra-modern Specialist Hospital, thereby creating a full medical complex where citizens can receive quality medical service of intentional standard. It has always been the dream of Ochendo to make available in Abia the same medical facilities that Nigerians seek in foreign lands in what has become a phenomenon of medical tourism.
“As he built the well-equipped tertiary health facilities, Governor Orji is equally focused on transforming both the secondary and primary healthcare system to make quality healthcare services available to the people at the grassroots. The primary health centres have continued to increase in number, as quality healthcare services is being taken to the doorsteps of Abia residents. At the last count, the primary health centres have reached over 300 and still counting. Some of the 100-bed hospitals located in the three senatorial districts of the state have been completed and fully equipped, while others are nearing completion.
“It was this evidential transformation of the health sector that prompted the Nigerian Optometric Association (NOA) to recognise Governor Orji and honour him with the award of Prime Ambassador of Health at the 37th AGM/Scientific Conference of NOA last July. This group of specialised health practitioners was so much impressed with Ochendo’s achievements in the health sector; hence they conferred the award on him to fully capture his “contribution in providing phenomenal leadership for the advancement of healthcare.
“Abians must also count their blessings for what their governor, who presides over a knowledge-driven administration, has done in the education sector. The primary and secondary school system have witnessed massive transformation with the hitherto dilapidated classroom blocks giving way to modern facilities conducive for teaching and learning. The model schools springing up across the state are designed to lay a solid foundation for the education of Abia children. It is the belief of Ochendo that if we get it right at the first two levels of education, the problem of falling standard of education would be taken care of.”
Ajunwa said that his boss is the best governor in Nigeria, because he has kept his promise of giving Abia a facelift with his ‘legacy projects’ aimed at laying a solid foundation for the economic growth of the state. He added that his boss has done well on road infrastructure. And this has continued to receive adequate attention in the governor’s development agenda. So, he was not surprised when Orji was named as a recipient of the national award.
• Madubuko wrote in from Lagos.