It was literally a week of project commissioning by Abia State Governor, THEODORE ORJI. At the end of the exercise, he bared his mind on some sensitive issues ranging from his projects, allegation of neglecting Aba, the national award on him and succession politics in the state, among others, in this interview with Assistant Politics Editor, DANIEL KANU.
You have been commissioning many projects, ranging from roads, health to education, even when your administration is on its last lap. What exactly is the driving force?
The projects I commissioned were many, ranging from internal roads, schools, transportation parks, bus terminal and the up-graded Amachara Specialist Hospital where we have added well equipped Emergency Section, 100-bed ward, laboratories and Administrative Block. We are sensitising transporters that very soon they will move to the bus terminal, so that we can decongest the urban areas. Why we are doing all these is to make our people realise that these facilities are on the ground for them to use.
What are some other issues you would want to tackle before leaving office?
There are some projects on the ground that we are tackling and will want to finish before leaving office, like the International Conference Centre. The secretariat is completed. The other wing is ready for the civil servants to move in. The e-library is completed; it has to be commissioned. The JAC building is almost completed and it has to be commissioned. The roads we are constructing, the Government House, shopping mall are projects we need to complete. They are foundational projects. We are working hard to bring back the Golden Guinea Breweries. I promised my people that I would continue working until I leave office and I am keeping to my promise. They know that.
My dream on Abia seaport and airport is on, and the people are appreciating it. We have all the facilities for the seaport, the airport and the environment to build all that we want to do. It’s sad that those before me did not have such vision because most of these projects are foundation ones to kick-start development in the state. Look at the Government House. People had been occupying the seat of power here and none had said he would deliver a Government House to Abia State. Even the land one of the administrations took, the compensation could not be paid. It’s not only in acquiring the land. Now we are acquiring the land, we are utilising the land and we are paying compensations and the communities are happy. We are building things that you can see and people are appreciating them. Ours is not cheap propaganda; but things you can see and express joy at our efforts. Despite that the federal allocation is on decline, we have continued to soldier on, ensuring that we improve on our Internally Generated Revenue (IGR). For us, the magic is prudent expenditure of public funds. It’s not all about what you get from the Federation Account, but how prudently you use it, because if you depend on the allocation alone, what you will achieve will be minimal. We have tried so hard to increase our IGR to help us build some of the things that we are doing. We use our funds with diligence and for the welfare of the people.
Most of the projects I have mentioned are capital-intensive. There are many projects we have executed, and we don’t make noise about some of them. Do you know how much it costs to sink an ordinary borehole? But for me, those things are not achievements, and we do them with no noise made about them. I talk more about projects that are befitting to the people. I should be talking about reticulation of water everywhere, not sinking of borehole. These things require funds. But as far as I am concerned, I am satisfied in my mind that I have used the resources of Abia prudently for the people, and Abia people can attest to it.
When you remember your first tenure, do you feel sad?
Of course I feel very sad, extremely sad, because if I had not experienced such sad period from the onset, the achievement that we have recorded at this second tenure would have been the achievement we would have made in our first tenure and then those that we could have made in this second tenure would have been extra. But because of meddlesomeness and crude politics, development was retarded. But we still thank God for where we are today because He has taken control. There is no doubt that some people are intimidated or jealous by our record of achievements, and they are doing all within their reach to pull us down. But I am happy because Abians are happy for what we have been able to do, given the funds at our disposal. I am sure that if anybody who is coming follows the template that I will leave behind, he will make Abia better.
Which of your projects are you more passionate about?
All my projects are passionate to me because they are important projects; one is as important as the other. Each complements the other. You can’t do only health and leave education or other sectors. The State Secretariat is good just as the Government House is equally important. Every infrastructure serves different very important purpose, and I try to carry all of them as priority projects to the best of my ability. I don’t embark on projects that I will do to be praised; I do projects that positively impact on the people, legacy projects, projects that will outlive me, projects that will endure. When you check out projects that we do, you will have no option but commend us. For me, one project is as good as the other and important to Abians.
It has been alleged that you are neglecting Aba, the commercial nerve od Abia, and concentrating on Umuahia, the state capital.
That is what our critics would say, and they will always find something to say to bring us down. The criticism is not correct; it’s false. You know Abia has two important towns – Umuahia is the state capital and Aba is the commercial capital. There are some projects you must site at Umuahia, like the Government House and State Secretariat. Aba also will need projects that will be peculiar or beneficial to the town. The most important things in Aba are the roads, power and environment, and we are not neglecting any of them. When there was kidnapping, it was more severe in Aba than in any other place, and then we concentrated our efforts on Aba and fought kidnapping to a standstill. We gave Aba a conducive environment and people are no longer running away from the town.
We have more resources that have gone to Aba, given the nature of the town, but what many fail to understand is that the money we put in Aba does not show; it’s difficult to notice, like the one spent on Umuahia. The problems of Aba are many and we are dealing with them in the best possible way. Little money you spend in Umuahia is noticed. In Aba, for instance, there was a road we did at N1.8 billion, but if I use such amount in Umuahia, I will construct more roads that will stand out because of the topography of the area. You will be surprised on the road of N100 million you construct in Umuahia when you compare it to the road of N500 million you put up in Aba. Umuahia must look like a state capital in all ramifications. For most visitors that come to the state, their first port of call is mostly Umuahia. They may come and go without going to Aba. The impression they carry away will permanently be in their minds. So you have to make Umuahia look like a state capital.
The truth is that we have invested more money in Aba than in Umuahia or in any other town in the state, in terms of power, construction of roads, opening up of the drains, erosion control, and refuse disposal. Aba generates over 5,000 cubic metres of refuse on daily basis, and you may not know how much it costs us to cart away the refuse. No other town, even Umuahia, generates such waste. If you leave the refuse for just one day and you don’t dispose of it, there may be epidemic there.
It’s not easy to do some of these things, but we are not relenting in our efforts. Our critics are saying that we have neglected Aba just because of roads. Of course, you cannot do all the roads in Aba the same time. It’s one after another, but we are not relenting. Is road everything? If you have the best roads but with insecurity, will you still walk on such roads without fear? I have provided a conducive environment for people in the state to do their businesses and we are not resting on our oars.
For some of them that were here, what did they do to address the security problem in Aba? There were times banks were not opening in Aba, but such things have become history now because we pressed the right buttons. Before now, many people in Aba were hiding their expensive vehicles for fear of being kidnapped or fear of armed robbers; but is that still the case now? If those that claim they did a lot of roads in Aba are telling the truth, then why should the people complain just after few years? Where are the roads they claim they constructed? Abians know their propaganda antics and are not taking them serious. I am a man that came and restored security, which is very important. I came and restored the health sector to keep them healthy.
Security is first, which I have provided. I have improved the health services tremendously, so that they will be alive and healthy to do their business. It is sad that some detractors are somewhere, leaving the main issue and merely talking of roads, forgetting that roads without other sectors in place will still amount to nothing. You have to be alive to walk on the road or carry out your work or business. We are not neglecting any sector, and until I leave office, I will not neglect any sector. You have to be alive to do the roads because construction of roads is something that is continuous. You construct, it gets bad tomorrow and you fix it. It is something that every governor who comes here will do. But in the case of insecurity, it does not come every time, and when it comes, you tackle it head-on and still put surveillance on the ground. I know how much we spent when there was insecurity here. But now it is history and I am happy with what we were able to do.
What does the recent national award, CON, mean to you?
It means a lot to me. It shows I am recognised by my country; that my efforts towards uplifting my state and the country have been recognised by the federal government. So it gives me joy that my efforts to play my little part for humanity are appreciated. It is not a gift; it is not an honour for every person. Many people desire it, but they don’t get it. I got it after a thorough assessment by a group of intelligent, eminent and worthy committee members of well-respected citizens. You have to be qualified to merit it. The committee will put you on a scale of tests, including integrity; if you pass, they will mark you right, but if you fail, they will put you aside. It is not all the names sent that survive the committee’s screening. That I got the award after the screening shows that I am doing well. For me, it is a challenge to do more. I thank God and the federal government for giving me the award.
Some of your critics say you have an anointed successor.
The only process I know is through the primaries. Any anointed candidate, if there is anything like that, must come through the primaries, nothing more, nothing less because it is both the party and Abians that must be involved in the process of electing the person. I cannot impose any person on Abians. The person that will emerge as my successor must be the choice of the majority of Abians. He who passes the primaries is my anointed person.
There is this persistent call on you to represent your senatorial zone at the National Assembly. Have you decided on the demand?
The urge has been tremendous and I have seen that if you don’t answer the clarion call, you are going to fall out with your people. The urge is not only from Abia Central, it’s also from Abia North and South, urging the governor to go to the Senate. This is the first time it is happening in this state that people are calling on a sitting governor to go to the Senate. The form was bought for me. Stakeholders in the state went to buy the form for me to show how serious they are. At the appropriate time, I will speak on the issue.