-Eric Ikwuagwu
Government is a continuum and no one government can within a four year tenure or even eight years, solve all the problems of a state. Because government is a continuum, assets and liabilities are inherited by successive governments. One of the beauties of democracy is hinged on the fact that aspirants are allowed by law to canvas for votes by transversing the entire state begging voters to employ them; it therefore makes it difficult for any, who finally gets elected to act like he was ambushed. Abia’s present government is acting contrary to expectations.
Mr. Alex Otti is no stranger to this polical campaign terrain. He had begged Abians through three election cycles to employ him and only got lucky at the third attempt. Otti, hitherto was the fiercest critic of his predecessor and gave very gloomy condition of the state under Dr. Ikpeazu. Upon assumption of office, one had expected him to hit the ground running with new ideas but he is stagnated by his blame game while doing nothing. The business of government is conducted in utmost secrecy, prudence is only heard but not seen. Any who dare question is tagged opposition and threatened with law suit. Even, EXCO meetings are conducted outside government building, official meetings at dinning table with family members who didn’t take oath of office strategically seated while serious activities of government take place, if pictures they flood on social media are anything to go by . Note; It is illegal to host EXCO outside government designated building.
Abians are made to believe that, the present government needs time even to do the simplest of things. Taxing of okada riders, bus drivers and sacking poor Abia workers during this economic hardship occasioned by subsidy removal or non-payment of workers salaries, reduction of work days for junior civil servants and payment of pensions shouldn’t be rocket science. The core obligations of government shouldn’t be toyed with at this time. A government that touted so much about change has turned that to chains, their help is now h*ll as thousands of poor Abians cry for real help. The state is plunged into multi-dimensional poverty with crime rate on the rise. Daily we see Abians protest but are discarded as ghost workers and sponsored by opposition. It was Umuahia North LGA, and yesterday, Ugwunagbo LGA, constant blocking of AG’s office by supposed ghost workers, pensioners etc, government denialism is their only response.
Discerning Abians are wondering why these workers only complain of 4 months of unpaid salaries while they were lied to that workes were owed 50 months by the last administration. Every propaganda has expiration date, the truth will always prevail.
When an administration fails and decides not to acknowledge the work of their predecessor, they will continue to hide facts and will definitely have negative media. Otti is faced with this difficult task of acknowledging Dr. Ikpeazu’s feat, not after campaigning and still insisting that he met nothing on the ground.
Otti’s 100 days in office have been about preaching the liabilities of his predecessor while claiming the roads constructed under same administration. As a “smart” man, he has descended on Ikpeazu roads that were almost completed and by adding less than 100 metres and decorations, claims such roads. What else can be more hypocritical than taking credit for another’s contributions while viliying the same individual. Like I said, government is a continuum, meaning you inherit assets and liabilities.
Mr Otti has kept struggling to give impression that he never met any assets from Ikpeazu’s administration. While Otti is at this voyage of mendacity against Ikpeazu, he is still plying on Ikpeazu roads. Contrary to what he wants Abians to believe, eloquent and indelible Ikpeazu testimonials abound. The Obehie Road is an ASOPADEC project under the Ikpeazu administration that was about 80% completion with completed drainage. The Emelogu road was another of Ikpeazu’s project they have claimed. Opposition propaganda hasn’t left them, that explains the bitterness their press releases convey.
During the media briefing by the Information Commissioner after their exco meeting, the commissioner ostentatiously talked about the Itungwa, Umuoba 43km and 200 km roads, that they want to embark on but fell short of telling Abians the genesis of the funding. It will be difficult to include that aspect as their impossible mission is to delete all Ikpeazu’s assets but push only story of liabilities.
Incidentally all these roads are fall-out of Ramp of $ 50m and ADFB of $115m which Dr Okezie Ikpeazu’s administration processed and fully secured. That is a huge Ikpeazu’s contribution and asset to the state that a million lies cannot overwrite.
This administration decided to ignore and hide from Abians the source of the funding of these jobs without giving credit to Dr. Ikpeazu because it will not be consistent with their mission of negative tales about Ikpeazu’s years of stewardship.
While they are indirectly trying to give credit to their banking background, it is worthy to note that any one conversant with how these multilateral agencies operate will agree with me that it takes an average of two years to process and secure these financial mandates. Otti couldn’t have done any miracle in this regard but ought to be humble enough and devoid of politics to acknowledge Dr. Ikpeazu’s effort on this one.
Emphatically, it is impossible that Otti would have gone up the whole hill of engaging ADFB and RAMP from world bank to secure the facilities.
My advise: opposition is an integral part of democracy, we are only reminding government to make good their promises by keeping them on their toes, it will be better for Otti’s government to come out fully and acknowledge the work of those before him. This government will still leave one day and it is expected that whatever it left behind will be attributed to them accordingly.
No matter how they try to hide the truth from Abians, I will leave them with their conscience which is like an open wound, especially when they remember all their efforts to stop this particular loan. Otti personally wrote to ADFB / World bank demarkeing the then Governor Ikpeazu and insisting that Abia has no capacity for such loan, but today, Abia has the loan and no acknowlegement given to Ikpeazu that secured it for the good of Abia.
Fortunately, the loans were finally secured despite all efforts at halting them. Abia State will benefit from this effort of Dr. Ikpeazu.
-Eric Ikwuagwu writes from Umuahia
