Special Correspondent, ONWUKWE EZERU, writes on the assessment of Governor Okezie Ikpeazu administration by Abia indigenes, one year after its inauguration.
When he was sworn in as Abia State governor on May 29, 2015 at the new International Conference Centre, Ogurube Layout, Umuahia, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu pledged that his tenure would witness structured development of the state. The initiative, he said, would be anchored on five pillars, including education, agriculture, infrastructure and oil and gas.
One year down the line, reactions have been pouring in on the efforts of the Ikpeazu administration in keeping with its promise to the people.
But his critics, especially members of the opposition All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in the state, accuse the governor of not matching his 2015 pledge with actions. Led by its governorship candidate in the 2015 election, Alex Otti, APGA accuses the governor of not making tangible efforts at repositioning the state. In an advertorial in a Lagos newspaper recently, for instance, Otti literally described Ikpeazu as lacking the vision and drive to govern the state.
The governor’s former Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Godwin Adindu, however, disagrees, insisting that the administration is on course in delivering its campaign promises to the people, adding that within the first one year, it touched all sectors of economy using its five-pillar template. “As at the end of one year, we were on 65 active roads constructed simultaneously across the three (senatorial) zones of the state, with 27 fully commissioned. In the area of agriculture, the state launched the Return to Farming and Women in Fish Farming Initiative aimed at empowering the youth and women in setting up farming cooperatives which will help drive key government policy as regards agriculture,” he said.
Adindu stated that other areas the administration touched included the establishment of trade centres where artisans would add some professionalism to their trade.
Government, he added, has concluded plans to launch the construction work on the Abia industrial cluster, stressing that already the order had been placed for the procurement of the equipment, with an aim to mechanise and automate the process of leather-making and other artisanal works in the state.
Education, the immediate past CPS said, received a boost in the state. His words: “The government has started work on the construction of the permanent site of the Abia Polytechnic at Osisioma area of Aba. It has under its Universal Basic Education (UBE) provision launched a pilot arrangement to feed 30,000 primary school pupils three times a week in 10 council areas of the state.”
Chairman of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Abia State, Uchenna Obigwe, assessing the administration, stressed that its relationship with the workers in the state had been cordial. “The government of Ikpeazu has a human face, both in infrastructural development and workers’ welfare. Though workers were being owed two months’ salary arrears, efforts are being made to ensure that these arrears are paid, including pension,” he told TheNiche.
Obigwe remarked that in line with the dwindling revenue from Abuja, Abia’s allocation from the federation account has reduced drastically, making it impossible for government to meet up with other overheads, including salary. He added that despite this hiccup, Ikpeazu has managed the scarce resources at his disposal very well.
“Labour fights against unwillingness and not against unavailability. Anything that will undermine the workers’ welfare, labour will resist it. I want to use this opportunity to call on the federal government to put more thought to giving additional assistance in form of bail-out to states who managed their first bail-out fund well. The government should also bring to book states that did not manage theirs well. That is the only way Nigerians will have the face to tell the world that the APC government is fighting corruption,” Obigwe said.
The traditional ruler of Obinolu Autonomous Community in Umunneochi Local Government, Eze Luke Uche, also scored the governor high. “Despite the lean resources of the state, Ikpeazu has done very well. What he has done in Aba since he assumed office is overwhelming.”
Uche added that on the area of security, Ikpeazu has proved his mettle. “The recent security summit organised in Abia was a welcome development, especially as it was aimed at strategising to fight crime,” he stated.
Part of the government’s initiative in the area of security that excites Uche most is in the governor’s directive to the traditional rulers to nominate 10 young men to be trained into the state vigilante to complement the efforts of the military, police and other security agencies to fight crime in the state.
Chairman of the state’s Local Government Service Commission and Pension Board, Dan Egbeogu, on his own, described the Ikpeazu administration as a bench mark that cannot be compared because he has shown and exhibited the qualities of a good leader in all sectors of the economy, including health. He lauded the administration for its recent donation of ambulances to Abia State Passengers Integrated Manifest Scheme for prompt attention to accident victims on the highways.
Incidentally, while the opposition APGA criticises the governor and his administration, it counterpart, the All Progressives Congress (APC), thinks differently. To the APC, there is still time for proper assessment of things in the state.
State APC chairman, Donatus Nwamkpa, who spoke to TheNiche in Umuahia, admitted that Ikpeazu had shown some flashes of development-mindedness, especially in Aba, adding however that there is still much to be done.
“He should be given a free hand to run his government. As soon as he regains his freedom, Abians can assess his performance. I want to tell you that he has not told Abians the real state of the state’s economy when he took over. With the cabals clustering around him now, nothing should be expected,” Nwamkpa said.
Adindu added that the administration is on course, that Ikpeazu at all times is conscious of his pact with the people and will not disappoint them.