state was in public domain and how it was spent was also made public. That is accountability.
I remember the first time I saw the publication and somebody commenting said the administration would not sustain the publication by the time they start stealing money. But the monthly publication of the Accounts of Abia State was sustained till the last month of May 2007 when the administration winded up.
Dr. Chibuzo by this his recent posting actually opened my eyes and cured my Amnesia syndrome making me able to think back. My thoughts rushed down to the then administration and some of the other policies that are worth remembering. Had such policies been sustained by subsequent administrations, the state I strongly believe would have gone far in development and would have been copied by other states and by now the south east would have gone beyond what we see presently.
Let me quickly take you through memory lane to briefly enumerate some of the policy achievements of that administration sector by sector as I could remember now that my amnesia is gone. Though I was not a part of the administration but as a citizen of Abia State I saw first-hand those policies and projects being implemented. My training as a policy advisor and social activist also equipped me enough to analytically decipher the positive impact of these policies on our people.
ON EDUCATION:
Orji Uzor Kalu realized that education is the most powerful weapon with which the world can be changed. He knew it is the key to unlock the golden door of freedom if his people must excel I life. He understood education is the greatest empowerment he can give to Abians, so he made it one of the major policy mission of his administration.
There was FREE Education in both the Primary and Secondary Schools. During this period people from neighboring Enugu, Anambra, Ebonyi, Imo and other States brought their wards without discrimination to study in Abia. Student enrollment within Abia kept going up each year throughout the administration.
Free Writing Materials were always distributed in the primary schools. This brought about the eradication of “ wooden slate boards” in primary schools as pupils started writing on exercise and work books provided by the administration through the Abia State Universal Basic Education Board (ASUBEB).
There was subsidized payment of both junior and senior west African Examination Certificate fees by the government. Most parents never knew how expensive those examinations were until the exit of the administration.
The States prompt payment of her matching fund to the Universal Basic Education Program brought about many new school buildings in communities that were almost forgotten in the State. Infact it was during the administration that school buildings started wearing aluminum roofing.
Teachers salaries were promptly paid on or before the 25th of every month which motivated them to give their best.
Many graduates were employed into the state school system and Since 2001 till date Abia State have been among the best five performing states when it comes to WAEC, the record is there to be verified. The Orji Kalu administration is the foundation of that excellence in Education today.
In Abia State University, apart from the usually monthly subvention from the state which grew up to about two hundred million naira by the time the administration ended, the government under Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu was paying N93,000 as subsidy per student admitted into the school, while the students paid the balance of N7,000. This was what was believed to be the cost of a good education according to international standard and Kalu insisted he wanted the best for Abians thereby opting to subsidize each student to that tune. The result is that ABSU was able to attract the best brains in the academic world. From 2000 until the end of the administration, ABSU maintained the best results in law and in medicine.
In order to get accreditation for the school of medicine in ABSU, the Orji Kalu administration took up the big task of providing a University teaching Hospital for the medical students. The Aba General Hospital was transformed within few months into ABSU University Teaching Hospital, equipped to world standard. That Hospital recently was an eye sour due to negligence by the subsequent administration and management. I hope the present administration is paying attention to it. Therefore, that ABSU medical school got accreditation was Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu.
Bursary was paid regularly to Abia state students in various institutions across the country on a regular basis. This was sustained till the end of the administration. In some cases there were confusion as students from other states were registering as abians in the various institutions but they were usually resolved and bursary released .
The Abia State Polytechnic came into existence under the administration and given a class of its own. The siting of that institution in the metropolitan city of aba became a great motivation among the youths towards education
To be Continued
Dr Frank Osita-Chuks is a Public Policy Advisor and a Chartered Public & Local Administrator.
frakchuks73@gmail.com
