By Daniel Kanu
Assistant Politics Editor
Abia State Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, is not distracted from providing good governance despite the efforts of hecklers.
The governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Enyinnaya Apollos, who gave the assurance, expressed optimism that the court travail of his boss “can never weaken him rather will strengthen him in his commitment to take the state to the next level of development.”
Apollos urged Abians to rise up to the challenge posed by detractors to destroy the peaceful state.
He told TheNiche in an interview in Lagos that “given the distinctive nature of the governor, it is not easy to distract him as a person but the state would seem to be losing greatly.
“The only snag is that, in a way, what is happening is delaying some new projects that would have been taken off before now by contractors, banks and some new investors.
“They have to wait first to see what is playing out and the state is suffering it.
“The court cases have not distracted him. No, not at all. Recently the governor said that personally it was not easy to distract him. And that’s true.
“If you know him quite well you would understand that he’s an easy going person but very focused in whatever he wants to do.
“He thinks through his programmes and actions and once he decides to go into them, it is very difficult to distract him. So he is not distracted.’’
Apollos stressed that Ikpeazu “tries to find the best hands to work with anywhere he goes. So he is not someone you can easily distract because he has his materials.”
But he explained that what is happening is costing the state in terms of delaying the progress put in motion.
“The road linking the General Assembly office, Aba (Ehere Road) is the 18th road project the governor has completed and commissioned aside others that are nearing completion.
“But when you look at where Aba is in terms of infrastructure and you juxtapose it with what the governor is doing, you will see a state that is now a construction site.
“Now the governor said that he was going to fix Aba but Abia State allocation cannot fix Aba. He requires goodwill from the private sector and other people to develop the place.
“Just before this Uche Ogah distraction, the governor flagged off Fox Road. That contract was awarded to Setraco for about N6 billion.
“There is an understanding with some banks to mobilise the construction company to site and be giving them something like N100 million every month and the government will be paying back.
“This can only be done because of the trust they have in the integrity of the governor.
“The same arrangements we had with Arab Contractors to do Aba Road in Umuahia; we came with the same arrangement to do a flyover at Osisioma. We are also coming with the same arrangement to do Eke Akpara Road.
“These were the arrangements that had been put in place with banks.
“But with these distractions the banks and investors will be affected and the state will suffer for it. By now we should have been talking about the foundation laying ceremony for Osisioma Bridge and commissioning of more roads.
”There is no doubt that he will be victorious at the end because those allegations are spurious and I know that the Court will throw all out”.