This post is Dodoh Okafor's opinion on the perceived misrule of Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State.
It is a shame that the current governor of Abia state is more of a vassal to his predecessor- Mr Theodore Orji and his son- Chinedu. Mr Ikpeazu does indeed deserve pity for rather than stamp his feet on the ground and assert himself as the governor, he has continued to answer endless summons by the Orji family over every innocuous pronouncement or action he takes.
The Abia state governor has never had a moment of respite in the 44 months since he ascended the throne of Abia governorship- albeit on a stolen mandate. He is always constantly reminded by his benefactors that he could not have had any access to the inner chambers of the government house had it not been for them.
The governor of course knows too well that he has no business being at the government house had it not been for the Orjis so he dare not argue or as much as express an opinion where a Theodore or Chinedu is present.
Abia State resources- IGR, FAAC, Intervention Funds, Loans, Grants from multilateral agencies- are butchered long in advance before Ikpeazu even gets an idea of how much has been realised from each income stream.
I understand that more than 60% of the state’s income is funnelled to the godfathers through the backdoor every month in the form of direct transfers and payment for questionable consultancy services.
It may shock you to note that project costs are highest in Abia State when compared with what obtains in other states. As against the average national average of 200million naira per kilometre for road rehabilitations, the Ikpeazu government pay over a billion naira for the fixing of 1 kilometre of road.
Abians would have had next-to-no reason to complain if the projects are executed and delivered at the humongous sum. Hell no, the Aba road in Umuahia for example has remained uncompleted in the last 40 months- despite the huge sum voted for its completion.
The average cost of building a double lane flyover in other Igbo states is 1.8 billion naira. Okezie Ikpeazu is however paying over 5 billion naira for a single lane flyover at Osisioma. Tragically- it appears all the money paid for the project has gone under as any hope of completion of the project by the administration had since been tossed aside.
How did Abia pay a whopping 5 billion naira for a one-lane flyover with practically nothing to show for it? This is a question auditors and forensic investigators will seek to find answers to as soon as a new administration takes over this May.
Mr Ikpeazu’s government has been remarkable only in its gross failure and grand incompetence. It is a shame that certain elementary demands of governance such as payment of salaries, pensions and environmental sanitation have all been completely abandoned.
Ikpeazu has made a habit of pointing accusing fingers at anyone but himself when trying to explain his woeful run as governor- the worst ever.
He has blamed Mr Alex Otti of APGA for “distracting him.” This has however proven to be a fat lie because Mr Chris Ngige today is regarded by many as a champion of Anambra liberation struggle despite the endless legal battle Mr Peter Obi (rightfully) instituted against him which ultimately cost him his seat.
In under 40 months- Mr Ngige set a new bar on development in Anambra state, reawakened the state to a new consciousness and made people realise that our development is by no means arrested by “Hausa-Fulanis” as Mr Nnamdi Kanu tries to brainwash his followers into believing.
Ngige- who like Okezie Ikpeazu rose to become governor on the strength of a stolen mandate- did demonstrate that our biggest problem in Igboland are selfish and unconscionable political rulers who do not give a damn about development.
Mr Ngige in his relatively short term opened up several access roads in Anambra, built new ones, cleared outstanding arrears of teachers, civil servants and made Anambra a place to reckon with in Nigeria once again.
Many had imagined that in Okezie Ikpeazu, Abia would have her own Chris Ngige- a man who would stand up to the godfathers to align with the people and turn the fortunes of the state around. How sad many were when it became public knowledge that Mr Ikpeazu does not possess Chris Ngige’s balls.
Theodore and Chinedu Orji are not the only forces holding Mr Ikpeazu down- matter of fact- the Orji family is only a secondary factor. Mr Ikpeazu’s biggest undoing is his lack of moral character. A leader whose moral bars are generally acknowledged to be very low is automatically open to all forms of manipulations.
It is therefore easy to understand why the Abia state governor has remained hostage to all sorts of interests- blackmailers, his kinsmen and those who insist that they too are entitled to the finest wines and spirit in the market.
Mr Ikpeazu would forever be remembered as the man who as Chinua Achebe would say- managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. This man could have been the father of a new Abia- he could have been a champion of people’s liberation who would wipe the tears of criminal leadership from our state.
Sadly- our memory of the Ikpeazu government would only be that of a failure who rather than take the yoke of bad rulership off our necks elected to perpetuate it. He will go down in infamy and his name shall forever be remembered in scorn and derision.
For Ndi Abia however, a new opportunity beckons and we all must be committed to doing whatever it takes to see the back of Mr Ikpeazu and his backers.
In the guber election billed for the 2nd of March this year- Abians will have the opportunity of electing someone who truly understands the dynamics of modern development, one whose moral character cannot be impugned and a leader who does not need to help himself with the resources of the state because he is made.
I encourage all of us to be prepared to vote and defend our votes on Saturday, 2nd of March. The PDP appataricks would attempt all sorts of tricks and intimidation to retain political control of the state but we must stop them.
Appeal to sentiments must be cast aside. We have no interest in equity or Ikpeazu’s version of “social justice.” We are only interested in development and improved standard of living. We want our children back to school and quality jobs when they graduate.
The Ikpeazu debacle must forever teach us a lesson or two. One- we must never sublet leadership recruitment process to the elites ever again. We must be prepared to hire the best at all times.
Thanks for reading- have a nice weekend and may God bless and keep you. Remember to make peace with the Creator by reconciling with His only begotten Son Jesus Christ. He knows the way.
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