Chikamnayo: Governor Orji Has an Excellent Mid-term Record

                                            Chikamnayo

The immediate past Commissioner for Information and Strategy in Abia State, Mr. Eze Chikamnayo, in this interview with journalists in Lagos, gives interesting insights into the achievements of Governor Theodore Orji in the second year of his second term in office. Charles Ajunwa captures the discussion. Excerpts:

Governor Theodore Orji recently marked the second year of his second term in office. What is your assessment of the governor’s midterm performance?

Governor Orji is a man that is blessed with Midas touch, everything he touches turns to gold and all his life, by the grace of God, he has been able to achieve what many people hitherto thought was impossible. Before he became governor in 2007, Abia State had wallowed in what I will call an era of stagnation. Abia State is over 20 years old but you find out that it is under the era of Chief T.A Orji that the foundation of the state is being laid afresh. And you ask yourself why it is so. May be the people who were there before will answer that question, but suffice it to say that Governor Orji is the one that is currently laying fresh foundations for Abia State. He has taken Abia so far that if one is asked to chronicle his achievements, it is a bit difficult to do that in just one interview.
For us to understand the great quantum leap that Orji has made in terms of Abia’s development, we have to look at the four major flanks of his administration: the first is security, the second is empowerment, the third is infrastructural revolution, and the fourth is value re- orientation. One may say there are other sectors in the government but in the way and creative manner that the governor has handled Abia, you will see that all the different sectors are covered by these four major flanks.

Can you give some explanation on what the governor has done in these four areas?
You cannot make adequate critical analysis without making some form of comparative analysis. That is to say that if you look at what the security situation in Abia was before and what it is after the advent of Orji’s government. All of us in Nigeria knew when Abia was always in the news for the wrong reasons of kidnapping and other criminalities. It was an era where investment and infrastructural development were impossible because no contractor will like to go to any site when even his own life is not guaranteed. Today, the situation has changed contractors now fall over each other trying to work for Abia State.

There is security in Aba, Umuahia and other parts of Abia State. As you all know, Abia has become a destination of choice for major national events. The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), and other national organisations are all coming to Abia to hold their conferences and retreats. This is a testimonial to the success of Orji’s commitment and policy in the area of security. From being a pariah state, Abia is now a destination of choice.

The governor did not resort to self-help or creation of one group or the other but he showed faith in the legally constituted security agencies by equipping them adequately with the materials that they need to work. Just some few months ago, Orji was voted the Best Governor in Security in Nigeria by independent analysts all the way from Ghana. Now, remember that the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria emphasised that it is the responsibility of every government to provide security and welfare for the citizens. Security comes first.

Very close to security is the issue of peaceful coexistence of different individuals and groups in the state. Remember that before Orji came on board, Abia was polarised up till 2007. Because of the bad politics of his predecessor, prominent Abians went on exile and constituted themselves into different groups to fight the injustice of that time.
When the Abba Gana committee came to Umuahia, it voted Orji as the Ambassador of Peace in Nigeria. Few weeks ago, the Speaker of House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, was in Abia to commission some projects.

But in the area of infrastructure, some allege that the governor has abandoned Aba?
Governor Orji has not abandoned Aba. In Aba, in the last two years Orji has commissioned 22 roads, 18 of them given out at the same time, including Milverton Avenue, where these transporters normally take off to Lagos. Azikiwe Avenue which is the major tributary in the road networks in Aba, the Geometric Road is a brand new road delivered by Governor Orji for the purpose of catalysing industrial growth.

You know the Geometric Power Plant embarked upon by the former Minister of Power, Prof Barth Nnaji, is unique and the first of its kind in the whole of Nigeria. In fact, a few weeks from now the first independent power plant will start in Nigeria at Aba, and with that Abia will witness a complete turn-around in power because what the Geometric Power Plant promises is uninterruptible power supply. Even with the type of technology that they are applying, there will be two phases of light simultaneously on stream such that if one is going out, the other one in a thermostatic manner will come on stream.

In Aba also, our governor has facilitated the kind of development we call the Clean and Green. Formerly between Osisioma Park and Alaoji, if you have any reason to go to Port Harcourt from Aba, you will be confronted with the sight of waste dumps, that ugly scenario persisted for eight years before Governor Orji came on board. Today, those garbage have been cleared, in its place we have a beautiful arcade surrounding the landscape, to the glory of God and to the joy of Abia residents.

Governor Orji has been able to reopen the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation depot in Osisioma. For the past 15 years or so that depot was completely closed down as a result of vandalism of pipelines connecting the depot to Port Harcourt. The presence of the NNPC depot has facilitated all kinds of opportunities and trickledown effect that has positively affected the economy of that area.
Similarly, Ukwu Mango at Ariaria which nobody had ever imagined that would one day become accessible because of the challenge posed by flood and refuse dumping, the governor has been able to bring sanity to the place. He has also opened up other interior roads in Ariaria. Governor Orji constructed the overhead bridge around the Abia Polytechnic which is the first of its kind in the whole of Abia State.
If you talk about the second year of the second term of Governor Orji, he has given Aba a new lease of life.

What would you say of the governor’s attention to Umuahia?
Umuahia is not just a location in Abia, it is a common heritage among Abia people, just like most state capitals in Nigeria which are symbolic locations that showcase the common heritage of the people of those states. It may interest you to know that for the past 20 years of its creation, Abia had no single outstanding building that was constructed in Umuahia by all the previous administrations. I had challenged some journalists to prove me wrong on this, I have said it before that if any journalist should provide a photograph of a structure built by the previous government after eight years in the saddle I would resign my position as a commissioner. Between 1999 and 2007, the basic administrative structures needed for the running of government were absent in Umuahia.

Today, Umuahia is completely renewed. There is a wonderful edifice, first of its kind, standing to the glory of God. There is now a fresh foundation in Abia. The former governor ran Abia in a rented apartment, it is Governor Orji that is now building a secretariat and other symbolic architectures in the state capital.

When you go to the old Ikot Ekpene Road, you see the type of change that has taken place in the judiciary quarters that is in addition to the new buildings at the Ministry of Justice, the police quarters and the new Industrial Market. Before Governor Orji came on board, what we had was a timber shed somewhere around the World Bank and the presence of that timber shed in that narrow location made it impossible for the residents to enjoy a fresh lease of life. It was also impossible for any expansion because the place was already congested. But today we now have a new industrial market, the biggest of its kind around, well planned with fire service station, good toilet facilities, halls, security offices and hospitals.

Governor Orji did that market in 12 months and it was commissioned by Tambuwal when he came to Umuahia. We also have the New Urban Market as well as the Mechanic Village. Similarly, when you talk of housing estates, you are talking about a government that has within two years done a total of seven housing estates, namely, the Amoba Housing Estate, the Amokwe Housing Estate, among others.

In every sector, you see a lot of developments. Of course, the central thing in these developments is the construction of a brand new International Conference Centre. What the present government inherited was the Michael Okpara Auditorium which is just like a community hall. But the International Conference Centre in Abia today can only be compared to the International Conference Centre Abuja, even though that of Abia has more meeting halls and facilities. In Umuahia, we have commissioned more than 36 roads at the last count.

Governor Orji has done exceedingly well, he has become known as the legacy governor that is building legacy projects and running a legacy government. He is brazing the trail on how to strike a balance between scarce resources and prudent management for the general good of the people.