* Waste litres Umuahia streets
By Our Special Correspondent

 Abians had never had it so bad. Inevitably, Abians are now going through the rigours of a failed State. A visit to Umuahia, Abia State capital would convince doubting Thomases that undisputably, Abia is collapsing. 

 Give or take, in Abia, a civil service and semi-urban State, the people could, with minimal  creativity, cooperating with nature, keep body and soul together. But not so under Governor Okezie Ikpeazu.
* Ikpeazu 




For the first time since 1999, Gov Ikpeazu has resorting  to fleecing  Abia civil servants of the peanuts that belongs to them - their salary. If Abia is described as a civil State, the implication is that government - Federal, State and Local Government Areas, LGAs employ over 50% of the population. The State and LGAs may account for 45%.

 Abia is not one of the poorest in the Nigeria's 36 federating states. With its enormous human capital potential and geo-political positioning, Abia should rank in the top ten rich States in Nigeria. Lest one forgets, Abia is even one of the oil-producing States. But under Gov Ikpeazu, Abia has become the poorest of the poor. 

 Gov Ikpeazu, since May 2015, every month collects allocations from the Federal Governement for the State and 17 LGAs. Recently, in November, 2016,  Gov Ikpeazu collected N10 billion, being the Paris refund, plus Novembber's allocation for the State and 17 LGAs, all running into several billions.

 Ironically, Gov Ikpeazu despite receiving and collecting allocations for Abia and 17 LGAs for 18 months, plus salary bailout fund, Paris Club refund, persists in owing Abia civil servants their due salary for over eight months. Pensioners are being owed much more.

 Gradually, the pains of working and earning nothing is seeping into the soul of Abians. Beyond the economic devastation, other effects are becoming evident. Environmental sanitation for instance. Umuahia, home to less than 500,000 has  long standing reputation for cleanliness, quietness, serenity, orderliness and discipline. Today, under Gov Ikpeazu,  the threat to the health of Abians looms larger than that that of any wild rampaging monster.

 Nigeria may be in recession, but Abians are trapped in a a doldrum, courtesy of Ikpeazu

 While a less economically viable State like Ebonyi under prudent and proactive leadership are in a progressive metamorphosis, Abia, under Ikpeazu, teleguided by a greedy, insatiable clique is retrogressing, and suffering from self-imposed lack of self-confidence.

 Like Ebonyi, Enugu and Anambra having espoused modern ways of waste management and even going ahead to embrace the global standards of turning waste to wealth.

 The sad reality has dawned on Abians that leadership and prudent management of resources has nothing to do with education. Gov. Ikpeazu parading the bogus claims of a PhD holder, an academician and a former environmental sanitation executive won Abians over. But today Abia appears to be under the control of a a barbarian. Refuse dumps are sprouting all over the urban centres like  mushroom. Rather than embark on any santitation drive, under the watch of this former Environmental Sanitation Executive, these refuse dumps are indiscrminately set on fire. Abians are therefore subjected to the double jeopardy of stench and smoke. No one is safe in Umuahia from a looming epidemic, Day and night stench and smoke fills  residential buildings, hospitals, motor parks, schools, markets, churches, offices, name it. How long will long-suffering Abians bear this?

 Why  has Abia State Environmental Protection Agency, ASEPA abandoned its duty? A senior ASEPA staff revealled  that the Agency has not received its monthly allocation from the State Government for the past 5 months.

 He further explained  that the Ecological Fund is what the agency relies on majorly for its operations, and that the funds which amounts to billions of naira comes quarterly from United Nations through the Ministry of Finance and flows directly to the State governments accounts. According to him, Gov Ikpeazu has  refused  to release the funds to the Ministry of Environment and ASEPA to use in the maintenance and protection of the environment.  He expressed regrets that Gov. Ikpeazu, immediate past  ASEPA Deputy General Manager prefers to use the money for the cleanliness of Umuahia and Aba for other selfish purposes other than what it was originally meant for and this has resulted in the degradation and stench that is threatening the health of all Abia residents.

 Another   staff of the Ministry of Environment revealed that the major cause of the problems being faced in the State today is the Gov. Ikpeazu' inability to release funds for the payment of workers of the Ministry of Environment and ASEPA. Their salaries had accrued to 5 months in arrears and counting despite directing and receiving all taxes and charges due to ASEPA and other environmental taxes through the Board of Internal Revenue (BIR).  He explained  that it is impossible for ASEPA to function without funds and that all appeals from all the stake holders in the industry to make Gov Ikpeazu  release money to ASEPA for the cleaning of Umuahia the State capital in preparation of the Xmas season was not heeded and today the result is the catastrophe we are facing.

 He predicts  that the heaps of refuse will grow bigger and the situation get worse in the nearest future as Gov. Ikpeazu has not shown any commitment towards environmental hygiene ever since he assumed office.

 That our environment and health of the children, women and the entire Abia residents has been exposed to the greatest danger of all times is an understatement, and to think that the man incharge of the environmental decay and rot in Abia is no other than the one who should have been the champion of a clean Abia, is another unanticipated disappointment. That greed and mindless acquisition of wealth is the cause of the dirt that has taken over the streets and threatening epidemic outbreak is a quiz yet to be unraveled by the best of professors in our state. That Abia is today competing and cruising seriously into the position of the dirtiest state in the world is an undisputable fact, and that Okezie Ikpeazu is a misfit in governance is to say the mind of an average Abian.

 Abians, not known for challenging even terrible governments of the day has resorted to prayers like the Jews of old. And their prayer? God in heaven, Ominiscient and Omnipotent God, hear our cry! Intervene in our situation!! Do not allow Abians be taken captive  by greedy, thieving evil rulers!!! Send us a Moses to take us to the Promisedland O God!!!