We listened with sadness to Governor Okezie Ikpeazu as he gave discomfiting and monotonous answers to the developmental challenges bedevilling Abia State on Magic FM, Monday morning.
His prosaic responses showed that he assumed leadership with a tabula rasa and was unprepared like his predecessors. These explain his Kafkaesque leadership style, replete with trial and error.
The governor’s disclosure that his government has released an additional sum of N2.5 billion to the same contractor that delivered a poorly constructed Faulks road, Aba, after the initial payment of N4.5 billion is proof that the PDP government is culpable.
A serious-minded government would have ensured the arrest and prosecution of the contractor and even asked for a refund. But here in Abia, the irresponsible and clueless PDP government is making excuses for the company.
We dare ask, whose interests are they protecting? The contractor or the masses who they short-changed? Anyways, we are not surprised by the action of the government. Antecedents have shown that they are the enemies of the people.
It cost N350 million to construct a standard kilometre road with streetlights, drainages and walkways. Abia State government has ended up spending a whopping sum of N7 billion to build a five-kilometre road that ordinarily would have cost N1.750 billion.
The entire scenario is an indictment to the PDP-led government. They favour boondoggles and omnishambles more than the development of the state and the wellbeing of the residents.
The past administration of Governor Orji claimed that it spent N5 billion to rehabilitate the same Port Harcourt road Ikpeazu bragged about and two other federal roads (Amangwu-Achara, Arochukwu, and Bende Road, Umuahia).
The then PDP government even claimed that they rehabilitated many federal roads to the tune of N14.7 billion and were awaiting the Federal Government’s refund for the commitment.
The claim, however, turned out to be a lie as the investigation then proved the federal government was not aware of such commitment.
Watching Ikpeazu speak as if his government was elected last year was pathetic. A government that racked in N614.292 billion in revenues and loans from June 2015 to December 31, 2020 – N525.092 from FAAC, JAAC, IGR, bailout/Paris refund and loan of N89.2 billion.
Without corresponding infrastructural development, the Ikpeazu government has increased the external/domestic debts of N39.021 billion inherited from the present government to N128.8 billion as of December 31, 2020. Yet he spoke as if his government is building the Osisioma flyover with a personal fund.
Thanks to the federal government that loaned them N18 billion last year. Only God would have known the fate of our civil servants and the few roads they are rehabilitating.
We demand the judicious utilization of the loan to avoid it developing wings and disappearing like the N4 billion loan the last administration collected to build a new government house. It must not disappear like the elevators purchased for the twin workers’ secretariat.
We, therefore, urge all Abians to get their PVCs ready as we move to end the 24-years of the PDP insidious government that raped and enslaved civil servants, engineered the death of over 600 pensioners and hundreds of thousands of Abia residents.
Signed
Hon. Don Norman Obinna
Abia State ADC Chairman
