* Ikpeazu

By Tony Icheku

 Having followed closely Abia’s governor Dr Okezie Ikpeazu’s  wobbly performance in office and the swarm of sycophantic aides goading him on, his  2nd term ambition remains like the morning dew certain to evaporate as the sun rises. Unfortunately, the ruling APC may not be the darling of Abians, but unless Gov Ikpeazu mends his ways, he will definitely join the likes of Kachalla, Fayemi, Mbadinuju as one term governors. Perhaps,  APGA which claims they were cheated out of the governorship in 2015 may be smarter in 2019. 

 Begging the question, one bears no ill against the young man, but his performance, like a sour grape had set the teeth of Abians on edge. Yes,  my position and headline appears harsh, but it was coined it after reading American president, John Quincy Jones’ take on leadership: ‘’If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader''.

 To really understand the pains of Abians, go spend considerable time in Abia, and interact closely with Abians, you must arrive at the sad conclusion that Abia is in dire need of leadership rescue and if not rescued will nose dive into an abyss of economic calamity. Yes,   there is an elected governor, Okezie Ikpeazu in place, but what is really on ground is a shadow of nothingness. Not only are dreams dead in Abia, the people eke a miserable existence from the thread of their will power.

 The significance of state governors is that they are like captains of a ship. The chances of the ship not being storm wrecked, arriving safely at harbour or crashing into a rock depends on the captain.
State governors sign off the monthly revenue allocations due the state and its local government areas, plus other monetary income. They spearhead the drive for internally generated revenue, IGR, and they set the tone for the development of the State.

 For instance, Lagos State took off on its current dizzying heights of revenue generation and massive development under former Governor Babatunde Fashola. Cross River became Nigeria's tourist capital under former Governor Donald Duke, and former governor Godswill Akpabio transformed Uyo from a rustic town to a city of international status. In all these scenarios, the governor invariably inspires its citizens to dream more, to learn more, to do more and become more!

 Now what is happening in Abia? We have a governor, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu, whose tendency to whiffle-whaffle is assuming legendary proportions. He does not pretend to indeed have what it takes to move Abia to the next level, but what is appalling is his apparent indifference to his incompetence.

 Twenty-four months plus, Gov. Ikpeazu has received allocations and other monies in excess of N177.77 billion according to the calculations by former banker and APGA Abia governorship candidate, Dr Alex Otti.

  What has Gov Ikpeazu  done with this huge sum? Has he been paying salaries regularly like nearby Anambra State? 

 I bring in one of the insiders in the Ikpeazu administration, Don  Ubani, the PDP Abia Publicity Secretary to answer that question. 

 Ubani, in a recent statement to Abians alleged that salaries are not being paid because Gov Ikpeazu and his aides are feeding fat and buying SUVs. In other words, like Nero, Ikpeazu is fiddling while Abia degenerates.
Not done, Ubani had further revealed  that the misery of  unjustifiable several months of salary arrears also affects some serving and former political appointees. 

 ‘’I disagree with all those who strongly and convincingly believe that Abia is so cursed that the labourer is not entitled to his wage. God of equity and justice will surely intervene. Whoever that says or supports that the labourer is not entitled to his wage shall never have his loots secured in life. 

 ‘’His family shall be in perpetual agony. Every plan and effort our exploiters, debtors and suppressors clandestinely make to assassinate us for demanding and insisting that our wages be paid shall end up as a boomerang against them and the blood suckers they would pay to execute their evil mission. 

 ‘’Sorry, I am compelled to make one request from your mother; let her spirit help us ask God to intervene in our pitiable plight so that our money could be paid. Once again, my condolences'' lamented Ubani at the graveside of the mother of his friend recently.

 So is Gov Ikpeazu pooling all the funds towards the much publicised Aba renewal and road construction? Has any major road being commissioned so far? The Ebonyi flyover was done within 24 months, but we are talking of any major road in Abia?

 Another political player, also an insider in the workings of government, Hon Acho Obioma describes the claims to road construction as a tale of fraud and bribery

 Querying the state of one of the rehabilitated roads in Umuahia, he asked: ‘’Is there anything that can justify two hundred million naira within that space of 300 hundred meters? Look at it! When you go there, is like you are swimming. That is something any serious contractor can do within a space of 2-3 weeks. You see that place is not motorable, and that is what they are doing everywhere. They will go and take one gigantic project and they will advance them maybe one billion naira or two billion naira and they will turn around and go and collect about 80% from them and the contractor can’t do anything. When this happens, they can’t challenge the contractor because they have already taken money from the contractor. That is what is going on. That thing is fraud; it is an open day robbery''

 To emphasise his point that Gov Ikpeazu is stealing Abia blind and claiming to be constructing roads, Hon Obioma challenged the governor thus:

 ‘’Has Ikpeazu awarded a contract before? Abians should ask him, how many contractors have you paid 100% and they didn’t do the job? He should list them and let us see. This one only came out because he is being challenged of mis-governance. So, other people who are not challenging you, he should publish how many contracts he has awarded and how much he has paid the contractor so that Abians can read. This thing is not something you will stay somewhere and one little boy will be abusing and accusing.  To me, it was just being childish and personal. The issue I raised, they could not answer  them and they are talking about blackmail when they know very well that if people start talking about his person, his person as a governor, it will be like the Abians are fools for electing such person as the governor. But we don’t want to go into personal things''

 How is Gov Ikpeazu making life better for Abians? Is there any tangible evidence to show? The Governor shuts down the state capital Umuahia by 7pm, forcing struggling Abians  to go to bed like chickens. In Uyo, barely one hour away, life goes on round the clock, the same in Enugu    and Owerri.. 

 During the day, ordinary Abians are tormented and harassed by over twelve different groups of armed gangs parading as revenue task force. These groups which are independent of each other operate with the same song of ‘kill, mangle, trample, strangle and obliterate'. Even a house wife carrying a bag of rice from the market to her house is harassed and subjected to all kinds of indignities. Why Ikpeazu, why?

 Umuahia, a city that can be traversed in under two hours is gradually being overtaken by refuse and garbage. Let’s not even mention the thriving commercial city of Aba which has since collapsed under infrastructural decay and lack of environmental maintenance and sanitation.

 Yet, the other day some one opened his mouth wide to describe  Abia state as a  new investment haven in the southeast. The statement was attributed to the newly appointed state Commissioner for Information, Mr John Okiyi Kalu. What are the indices? To what extent has the Ikpeazu administration laid the foundation for this to happen in the last 24 months plus?

 How can this be? Has propaganda, that high art of political deception now a game for  kindergarten playing ‘lie and tell?’ Would Abians indeed return such tomfoolery for a second term? 2019 beckons, and the grains will be sieved from the chaff