INTERVIEW: ABIA IS THE MOST STABLE STATE IN NIGERIA TODAY – Governor Okezie Ikpeazu,
Sun Newspaper,
March 5th, 2019
“We want to redefine relationships, raise the interest of the common people above primordial issues, family issues, interpersonal relationship issues, etc. Some people are shocked and surprised that Abia is the most stable state in Nigeria today, no quarrel between the deputy and the governor, no quarrel between successor and predecessor, no Abuja politicians, all major stakeholders in Abia, Elders’ Council, the clergy are on the same page trying to develop Abia. It is a boat I don’t want to rock just for the purposes of, ‘yes he has quarrelled with him.’ People are waiting for it, they write it and try to stoke it up. Quarrel with him for what? They write things that are not true and I am saying, for the first time in Nigeria, can we raise the bar a little bit so that the discussion will be about the people and not about individuals?”
From the horse’s mouth:
I have raised the level of governance-
Governor Okezie Ikpeazu,
Sun Newspaper, March 5th, 2019
“First, there is no government (in Abia) before now that has done more than we have done in the same space of time. Secondly, those opponents (Alex otti and Uche Ogah) were in court with me till April 12, 2018, three good years. Their intention was to make sure I did not concentrate and that I would not have anything to show. So that mindset is what they are coming with; but they are shocked and surprised at what we have done so far in terms of achievement, and I have raised the level of governance.”
From the horse’s mouth:
Our government is vision-driven –
Governor Okezie Ikpeazu
Sun Newspaper, March 5th, 2019
“Our government, for the first time in Abia, is a vision-driven government. I have challenged those who are contending with us to discuss their vision; can they forget about what we have not been able to do and put forward their own vision? Let them do that because it was also their mistake in 2015 and they are repeating the same. They spend much time talking about what they feel I should have done and they forget to market their own vision. But for me, all I need to do is just to say to the people, can you take a peep at their antecedents? If they go back to the places they worked, can they get a reference that the place is good or better today? If they worked in the bank before, can they get reference if the bank is still alive, that, oh yes, this person did a good job and his footprints are good and they are bold. Can they? People need to note that a bank is less than a local government; no bank is as big as Obingwa, my local government.”
From the horse’s mouth:
Abia is not broke- Governor Okezie Ikpeazu
Sun Newspaper, March 5th, 2019
“First of all, no debt profile is top secret. In Nigeria, you know about the latest law in terms of government business and access to information. Secondly, there is no debt any state can go into, including borrowing N1 billion, that, firstly, the House of Assembly will not first endorse. Again, there is the Debt Management Office (DMO) in Abuja. Abia cannot borrow without DMO endorsing it, and the Bureau of Statistics is there. Why they say it is a secret is because they want to play with words. Abia’s index in terms of capacity to borrow is as green as ever. Abia is one of the states that is in green, green. So, it is not an issue at all. Abia is not broke.”
From the horse’s mouth:
I am a strong marketer- Governor Okezie Ikpeazu
Sun Newspaper, March 5th, 2019
“The Enyimba Economic City we are driving is a private sector driven thing. The leather city we’ve just done the ground-breaking is also on similar PPP model. Nibra Brazil is leading the Leather City with the Abiola family; they are coming to collaborate with our government to do a private sector-driven thing. The latest FDI report says we are the third best in Nigeria, with more than $1.2 billion coming our way because of the work we have done in marketing the state. And I have proven to the people that I am a strong marketer; remember what we have done so far with made-in-Aba.”
From the horse’s mouth:
My opponents are not firm, they lack basic sense of justice and equity – Governor Okezie Ikpeazu
Sun Newspaper, March 5th, 2019
“Recently, we started discussions with the government of Gambia to make shoes for them. That was after I took our shoemakers to Gambia. So, the thing is that our opponents can’t just comprehend the scale and scope of what we are quietly doing. They are not on the political firmament here, and they do not exist. Who are you seeing? Somebody in the social media who lacks basic sense of justice and equity, wants to run for a governor in a state. You are from Arochukwu, you go and pick your deputy from the same federal constituency, what happens to the rest 15 local governments?”
From the horse’s mouth:
My wish for Abia workers- Governor Okezie Ikpeazu
Sun Newspaper, March 5th, 2019
“For me, what I wish and hope for Abia workers is capacity-building. For now, what we should be talking about is re-tooling them, ICT-wise, getting them to become more efficient, then calibrating whatever they are doing against their output, giving them responsibility that can enable them express themselves, not just go to work, take salary, come back, play draught; no, no, no. We should be able to think beyond just paying them to plan for their development and build teaching capacity. It is necessary because the human brain is the biggest computer ever, and the only way to sustain the functionality of the computer is to use it. Any brain that is not used goes into disuse and then that is not good enough. If you do too much routine work of pushing one green file up and down, up and down, you won’t know how to handle challenges. Truth of the matter is that every worker in all the ministries took their December salary before 24th and they are more than 24,000; not part of their salaries, all, and there was no outstanding. When I said all, I did not say all minus one. All the workers in our MDAs have received December salary and most of them have already been paid January salary.”
From the horse’s mouth:
Abia is strongest in foreign direct investment-Governor Okezie Ikpeazu
Sun Newspaper, March 5th, 2019
“Today, we are one of the strongest states in Nigeria in terms of foreign direct investment, with a recent report showing that more than $1.2 billion FDI came to our state. We are also among the five states in Nigeria that enhanced the ease of doing business. There is no doubt about that. There is a deliberate attempt to improve things, if you look at the numbers in terms of ease of doing business in Abia. With the quality of infrastructure we are doing, we are speaking to the investor who is coming with $1 billion and is looking for where to go.”
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