Sometimes one wonders why some crop of individuals could decide to be so wicked and heartless even to the point of denying their people opportunities that will bring rapid development only for selfish gains.
Abia politics “o bu nu ahurum mbu e?”
It is shameful and heartbreaking that barely two weeks the Executive Governor of Abia State, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu put a call across to Federal Government on the urgent need to fix all federal roads in the State — a call which has started yelding positive response, opposition elements, who wishes Abia everything but good hired a novice that has no medium nor name, spent so much money that could have been channeled for youths’ empowerment to cook up an ‘attack video’ full of old pictures just to ensure that the proposed Federal Government intervention will not happen. This is how much they hate to see Abia State develop.
God forbid!!!
The worst is that, the images contained in the viral video are not only false and malicious but also misleading. The sponsors of that ‘show of shame’ have not said any thing all these while until Governor Ikpeazu took video clips and photographs of delapidated Federal roads in the State to Abuja seeking immediate intervention, having noted the embarrassing situation of the roads. All the roads mentioned in that video, including Portharcourt road, Ngwa road, Osisioma, Ugwunago (Alaojii) either fall between Aba-Ikot-Ekpene federal road or Enugu-Portharcourt express way or even Umuahia-Bende-Arochukwu road and are part of the roads the Governor captured in his complaint of the situation to the federal government.
The hirling did not video, snap or even talk about hitterto impassable roads in Aba such as Owerri road, Omni Drive, Kamalu, Umuola, Eziukwu, Ukaegbu, Ehere and so many others that have been fixed in Aba alone, even with cement pavement technology.
He did not report that Governor Okezie Ikpeazu has completed over 97 roads in Aba with many others currently under construction. He was so blind and myopic to acknowledge that recently, Governor Ikpeazu gave an ultimatum to the contractors handling federal roads in the State to resume work or the State would take over the roads. The essence of this ultimatum is because the Governor recognizes the importance of road infrastructure to commerce, industrial and entrepreneurial skills development in the State, he knows that good road network is the oxygen that drives Abia economy. The heartbeat of the Governor, which includes fixing the roads in the State to enable economic activities to thrive; this he has done satisfactorily.
It is my wish, that the “video man” and his sponsors should do two things;
1. come to Aba and visit those roads fixed and also report without bias,
2. ensure they visit Aba again to capture and broadcast the gigantic environmental cum infrastructural project attracted by Okezie Ikpeazu Ph.D to be carrried out along Portharcourt road, Ohanko road, Obohia road, Ngwa road, Ndiegoro and their environs.
The soicial media “video man” should know that no government all over the world does pay salaries of parastatals but only subvents them. In the case of Abia State Polytechnic, the Ikpeazu’s administration has not only paid over 2 billion Naira loan by Abia Poly, but also held a stakeholders meeting to tackle its financial challenges. The Governor has equally decided to even go beyond his scope of subventing other parastatals that owe salaries to begin to pay backlog of their salaries between this November and January next year.
The blackmailer and his sponsors should be told that Abia State government has never claimed to have fixed all the bad roads in the State and no one government can do that, but a lot has been done and more are ongoing. At present, the Governor has ordered all contractors to go back to sites and make good use of the dry season setting-in to complete those projects.
There is no doubt that Governor Okezie Ikpeazu has performed beyond expectations in line with his five pillars of development which include Trade & Commerce, SME, Education, Agriculture, Oil & Gas, and its enablers including infrastructure, Ease of doing Business, Security among others. There is therefore no need to blackmail the Governor in any guise. True journalism, whether of the social media or conventional media should be investive and evidence based and not sentimental, hearsay or bear parlor discussions and rumors that hold no water. Abia people and residents should discountanance the baseless viral video being circulated on the social media. Go to Aba and see things by yourself.
Ubani Newman Ubani
Senior Aide to the Governor
(NEW MEDIA AND PUBLICITY)
23/11/2020
Watch video below:
https://web.facebook.com/100001137342838/videos/3410745752306636/
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