Chief Press Secretary to Abia State Governor, Sir Onyebuchi Ememanka has responded to the controversial video making the rounds on the Social media with the aim of setting some falsely made claims straight.
Below is the excerpts from the governor’s CPS:
Deji Badmus, I tried to do this on your page. It was too long.
So here it is…my response to your invite to respond to what Liborious Oshoma said
Deji Badmus My dear brother and friend, I thank you for this invitation. I had listened to this man as he sat down and lied with a straight face and I chose to ignore him but out of the huge respect I have for you, I will react.
This man said that what the Governor spends on travels in a month is enough to keep 7 parastatals running!
How do you respond to such nonsense, Deji? I am the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor and I have accompanied him on 95% of his official travels. Where do I begin to react to such barefaced lie, for God’s sake? Where on earth does Governor Ikpeazu travel to in one month that he spends funds that can run 7 parastatals?
Most of our travels are to Abuja and thus happens like once or twice in a month at most. There are usually five of us. Myself, the PA, the ADC, the Chief Detail and the orderly. No more and we sleep at the Governor’s Lodge in Abuja. At most, we spend a night or two. The other movements are mainly to Enugu for the South East Governors Meeting and we go by road. Most times, we return the same day or the next morning, depending on when the meeting ends. Last Sunday, we were in Enugu for a meeting with the Governor there. We arrived and left same day after the meeting. We went to Benin for the campaign of Governor Obaseki and returned the same day. How this fellow arrived at this conclusion shocks me. 7 parastatals? Haba, Deji. You sef think am naa.
Again, he lied about our automated shoe factory, claiming that it’s none existent. This is a wicked lie propagated by a diseased mind. The shoe factory had long been completed and has actually commenced production. After bringing in the machines from China and installing them, the Governor insisted that the factory won’t be run like a government parastatal and we entered into an agreement with a private sector organization with verifable experience in running such businesses. They are currently running the factory now. Test runs of the equipment have been concluded. As soon as I am done writing this, I shall tag you to some reports from the factory with some videos for you to see.
Deji, I challenge this fellow to come to Aba and I will personally take him on a tour of the factory and if what he said here about the place is true, I shall resign my appointment instantly.
Again, he said the Governor took a loan of 27 billion to, amongst others, set up the factory. That’s another shameless lie. The Aba Shoe Factory was funded 100% by the State Government. Not a penny of loan was taken for it.
The 27 billion he gleefully and ignorantly talked about is something different. First, the figure is 27.4 Billion and its not a loan. It’s a counterpart fund provided by the World Bank and the Abia State Government for major interventions in infrastructure in Aba under NEWMAP. As we speak, work has commenced under this project for the complete reconstruction of Ngwa Road, Uratta, Ohanku, Obohia Roads. This is a World Bank Project, Deji with our government paying in full, the required counterpart funds. You know that the World Bank will never get involved in any frivolous thing and won’t release such funds to an unserious government. I was part of the team by our Governor that worked with the World Bank to secure this funding. It is not a loan, please.
This is not the first time the World Bank is working with the Ikpeazu administration. Before now, lots of work had been down by the two parties on several projects in the State, especially, the Umuda Isingwu erosion remediation project in Umuahia North LGA, the Umuogele Ukuakwu Erosion project which completely saved a whole community from erosion threats of over two decades. The World Bank has come to trust the ability of the Ikpeazu administration and will continue to work with us. Remember that these projects are not wholly funded by the Bank but like joint venture projects where we contribute counterpart funds. And you know Deji, that in counterpart funding, the beneficiary state must raise their own share to activate the funds.
Again, he lied about Faulks Road. He did so in two ways. First, in his video, he used a completely different picture to prove his lie that the road has collapsed. The picture he used is nowhere near Faulks Road. That picture is the picture of an East Street near Ogbor Hill Bridge that suddenly caved in one Sunday morning. I accompanied the Governor to inspect the place and it was discovered that the job which was done by a previous administration wasn’t well done. There and then, the Governor mandated the Works Commissioner to fix the place in two weeks and that was done. How this fellow went and lifted a picture of another site and claimed it was Faulks Road beats my imagination.
On his next lie about Faulks Road collapsing, I tell you Deji that the road is fully intact. That road is in my village where I live and it’s shameful for this guy to lie about a road that is still standing. He said that the road collapsed two years after its commissioning. The truth, Deji, is that the road has not even been formally commissioned at any time. The reason is because the final layer of asphalt has not been applied but the road remains strong and is serving our people. For the records, Deji, Faulks Road is one of the strongest legacies of the Ikpeazu administration. For the first time in about 25 years, one can drive from the start of Faulks road to the end, end to end. This Liborious guy, ow whatever his name is doesn’t know anything about Aba. If he did or if he knows the history of that road and the impact of what Ikpeazu has done there, he would regret ever doing what he did.
Before Ikpeazu came, our largest market, the Ariaria International market was inaccessible from all fronts. From the Enugu PH expressway, it was blocked by the combined effects of Ukwu Mango and Ife Obara. Deji, if you know anyone in Aba, please ask them about these. Businesses along that flank had collapsed for over 20 years. Today, the story is different. You csn now drive into Ariaria market from the express with your eyes closed. These are verifable facts. As at today, you can access Ariaria market from several flanks, all courtesy of the interventions of Ikpeazu. Whether you choose to come through the MCC SAMEK road from the Aba Owerri Road flank, it’s a seamless experience. Or from the Tonimas express way Junction, it’s smooth. If you choose to come through the main Faulks Road or take a detour from Umule Road which is my village, it’s a smooth ride. All these were done by Ikpeazu.
Deji, when Ikpeazu came, there was no single road to enter Abia from Akwa Ibom State and that is a major trade route for our people. Today, the story is different. The Umuaro Ekwereazu Nto Edino road built by Ikpeazu is the ONLY link between Abia and Akwa Ibom States from the Aba flank. Ask anyone.
Time and space will not permit me to name all the roads done by this administration in Aba since 2015.
Anyone listening to Liborious will assume that nothing has been done in Aba since Ikpeazu came on board. Please ask him if he had ever heard of roads like Umule, Umuocham, Tonimas, Weeks Road, Umuatako, Ukaegbu, Ovom, Owerri road Aba, Kamalu, Oomne, Onyebuchi, Agharandu, Ehere, Umuola.
Ask him if he knows a road called Osusu Road and what has happened on that road under Ikpeazu.
Do you know that the Federal Road passing through the NNPC Depot at Osisioma has been bad for over 15 years. Most people don’t even know that it’s a federal road. The FG refused to do it and our people living on that flank have really suffered. Now Ikpeazu decided to enter the road and has started work using the Rigid Pavement Technology. While this project is ongoing, the Federal Ministry of Works has asked us to stop work. For no justifiable reason other than its a federal road.
Deji, anyone passing through Aba to PH who sees the roads on that flank will conclude that Ikpeazu is doing nothing without knowing that these are federal roads. Even PH road into Aba is a federal road. And when we cry out against such treatment, folks like Liborious jump out to lie through their teeth.
Have we done everything? No. There is still a lot of work to be done, just like in every state. But to insinuate like this fellow did that nothing has been done is criminal and wicked.
On salaries, Deji, as we speak, civil servants in the State who constitute 70% of the State work force, are preparing to receive their November 2020 salaries. Not a penny is owed these people. Yes, we have challenges with some parastatals. Most of them are self funding parastatals who only get subventions from the State Government. Government doesn’t pay these people directly. Subventions are paid by the government and they use their IGR which they retain to run their agencies.
Between now and the end of the current dry season, lots of roads will be delivered. The flyover and the Teaching Hospital road will be massively attended to.
Liborious’ claims about Abia being an oil producing state and comparing us with Rivers and Akwa Ibom is ridiculous. Has he bothered to find out what we get?
What we get as derivation hovers between 120 and 160m monthly while States like Rivers and Akwa Ibom get billions monthly. Indeed, in one month, Rivers and Akwa Ibom get what we get in one year or even more.
Finally Deji, Liborious is a lawyer like me. I am sure he knows the fate of any witness statement riddled with lies and factual inaccuracies. The court throws away such evidence. This is because the court cannot pick and choose which one to believe and which one not to.
Anyone relying on what this guy said is doing so at his own risk.
Thanks Deji.
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