THE NEED TO REPEAT GOV. IKPEAZU AGAIN.
By Kingsley Maduforo
The increasing complexities and requirements arising from the constant change in society, coupled with the constant push for higher levels of productivity require effective and ethical leadership. Good governance and effective-ethical leadership are the essential or basic requirements for a state or any organization to be considered successful in the eyes of its citizens or stakeholders. To achieve and sustain goals,to deliver first-rate services to the people, effective leadership is paramount. In its most basic form, the anatomy of leadership is a matter of character and competence. A leader must therefore be seen by followers as an expert in the field.
Abia state today is witnessing perfect leadership under Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu. The man called Ikpeazu has remained one of the few elected governors in Nigeria today who have demonstrated a high level of prudence in the management of the affairs of their states. He is someone that believes in the provision of adequate infrastructure along with macro-economic stability and a long-term development strategy all of which are part of the necessary conditions that lead to sustainable socioeconomic development. Gov. Ikpeazu opines that infrastructural development remain the key to fast track economic growth and regional economic co-operation and this happens to be one of the pillars of his administration.
Right now, the governor has put in place the basic essential infrastructural amenities that enable development. This has facilitated ad accelerated socio-economic development in Abia state. The achievements of Gov. Ikpeazu with regard to social infrastructure is enormous and this is a combination of human development/empowerment, health, housing and education. In Healthcare for instance, Gov. Ikpeazu has decentralized health care service to enable the improvement of the primary health care service in the state. Under Gov. Ikpeazu, the health sector has received a drastic boost. The governor identified two tertiary health centres in each of the senatorial zones in the state and liaised with a public private hospital management firm that took over these hospitals and run them. All these was geared towards reactivating and strengthening the health sector for greater efficiency.
It’s not surprising that the outstanding performance of Gov. Ikpeazu as the Governor of Abia State has given him a harvest of endorsements for a second term in office. The shower of endorsements is not only from his political zone, Abia South, but from the entire state of Abia. The resolution was reached due to his outstanding performance in transforming the economic and infrastructural decay in the state and re-affirmation of the call for justice and equity in power distribution in the state.
Gov. Ikpeazu’s achievement speak loud for him and people are wondering how the magic is being done. Before now, Abia was sitting on a keg of gunpowder, waiting to explode. Our roads were in a very bad condition, but right now the story is different. His superlative performance has already put his name on a springboard and has sent the opposition into coma. In Abia today, the citizens and visitors have not seen it like this before in the state.
The atmosphere is filled with songs of joy. Abians have rolled out their drums once again, both men, women, youths and the elderly to repeat Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu as governor of Abia State for second term in office because of his great performance and gaint strides across the state.
Kingsley Maduforo, a Media/Political Analyst, writes from Aba.