Chibuike Nwokeukwu, lawyer and former Commissioner for Rural Development and Environment in Abia State, in this encounter with Assistant Politics Editor, DANIEL KANU, speaks on Abia politics, Governor Theodore Orji, the recent national conference, among other issues.
Propriety of national conference
Chibuike Nwokeukwu,I endorse what the president did, because there are gaps in our constitution. There’s need to close the gap. And what he had done was an opportunity for all areas in Nigeria to bring out their grievances, table them and find solution and live harmoniously as one nation.
I agree with the president completely. But the only area I didn’t agree was in the composition of members of the national conference. There were so many old men in the conference and I do not think we needed as much old men there. About eight or 10 of them would have been enough.
Assessing Abia in the last 23 years in terms of development
Abia was created out of the old Imo State. Imo was created out of the old East Central State, while East Central State was created out of the old Eastern Region. When Dr. Michael Okpara was in charge of Eastern Nigeria, a lot happened in this part of the country. But when the Civil War was declared in 1967, the area now known as Abia, which was part of Eastern Nigeria, became a theatre of war. So everything done in terms of infrastructure was destroyed during that war. After the war, we started from the scratch again. We did not get much from the military.
Then came the government of Orji Uzor Kalu. In fairness to him, he met Abia in ruins. There was need, therefore, to lay a solid foundation for the development of Abia.
The resources available to him in terms of allocation were not big enough to confront the challenges we had at that time. In addition to that, his style of administration did not really appeal to the people of Abia, and I don’t think he got all the cooperation he needed from the people, because his style was different. So, Abians didn’t get much of the solution we ought to have gotten from his administration in terms of laying solid foundation for the development of Abia.
Then came the present administration led by Governor Theodore Orji that also met the state in ruins. Before you erect any structure, you need a solid foundation. So, the present administration could not build effectively on a non-foundation, not to talk of a weak foundation.
The foundation Governor Theodore Orji inherited was so weak and he has gone on now to lay the foundation. In the last seven years, going to the eighth, the administration has been involved in laying the foundation for a real practical take-off of a modern Abia State. That he has done. He has also started the infrastructural development of Abia, by what the administration termed “Legacy Projects”. We are beginning to see light at the end of that tunnel. We are beginning to see that with concentration and focus, Abia is meeting other states formerly ahead of it. In no distant time, it will overtake them.
Abia Central politicians against zoning the governorship seat to Abia South
They should support the governor. We have been here for 23 years and this is the nearest we have had a promise fulfilled. When, in 2003, we wanted to be governor, the Ukwa-Ngwa area produced our son, who ran for us. By the time we were campaigning for him, elder statesmen of Abia origin appealed to us, because I was at the forefront of that struggle that an Ukwa-Ngwa man should become the next governor then. They told us not to worry, that we should allow Orji Uzo Kalu to complete his term after which it would be our turn. It is fair and justifiable to give it to Ukwa-Ngwa.
Now, this is the time. The governor has said: “I will hand over to an Ngwa man, but my focus will be on the area that has not tested it; and I agree with that. So, my advice to my brothers from Abia Central and other parts of the state that are interested in running for the office is that it is a turn-by-turn thing. Let us exercise patience and cooperate with the governor. Let us not make the governor to change his mind, though it is not the governor that will select his successor, but the party.
Abia youth empowerment programme
It is a wonderful programme. If you were here in 2009 to 2010 and part of 2011, you would have noticed that it was a near civil war. Kidnapping, armed robbery and murder were perpetuated by countless number of youths.
Most of them who had the luck of not dying in the process, but were arrested by the police and had the opportunity to speak before the law took its turn, said they went into such heinous crime because they didn’t have anything doing. Those of them who were students or ex-students, who came out, said they studied and passed out, but there was no job. Artisans said they learnt their trades, wanted to establish, but no money and devil came in. However, the youth empowerment scheme as introduced by Governor Orji has started tackling that problem and we are no longer witnessing youth restiveness. The governor’s empowerment programme is highly commendable.
Qualities expected of the next Abia governor
I will want an Ukwa-Ngwa man to succeed him. I will want someone who is intelligent, focused, good-spirited, God-fearing person and, above all, one who has the interest of Abians and Nigeria at heart, to succeed him. These are my expectations and I believe that God will give us such a person. Governor Orji has laid a solid foundation. I want the next governor to be a good vessel that will build upon this foundation, so that we will continue to witness a better Abia.