Mr. Friday Nwosu, a chieftain of the People’s Democratic
Party in Abia State, speaks on Gov. Theodore Orji’s administration and
the national conference, among other issues.
What would be your honest assessment of Gov. Theodore Orji’s administration?
For some of us who are from the state and knew how bad things were
before he assumed office, we know he has taken Abia to the next level
with his developmental projects. But before we go to the issue of the
projects, I want to emphasize that the greatest achievement of the Orji
administration is the liberation of the state from idol worship and
family domination. (is Abia really free from family domination in this administration? be sincere sir.)
Many administrations came before him yet the
state does not have a befitting Government House, no befitting state
secretariat, the ministries were scattered all over the place while
parastatals operated from rented houses. I learnt the present Government
House is a private property donated to the state. Umuahia was a
glorified state capital that had no conference centre which could
accommodate more than 500 people.
Most of the structures Gov. Orji
is putting in place now should have been done by his predecessors. Can
you imagine if his predecessors had put all these structures in place,
his administration would have begun on a solid foundation. By now, Abia
would have had its own airport and other adjunct structures. So, I
commend Gov. Orji for the projects he embarked on. Looking at the
International Conference Centre, the new state Secretariat, the High
Court Complex, the new Government House, the housing estates, the
dialysis centre and huge investments in the health sector, does it not
occur to you that his predecessors did not get their priorities right? (sincerely some of these project are still on going, but what impact do they have on the economy of the state? sir you didn't mention a single road project)
I
make bold to say that Abia has been turning round and round before Orji
came on board. The governor deserves to be commended for his vision and
supported to do more. He has laid a solid foundation for the state.(sir in what direction is Abia heading in this administration?)
But his critics insist he has done little to develop Abia?
People who hold such opinion are the missing the point. They are the
greatest enemies of the state. First, they have to find out how much
Abia receives monthly, how much is spent as wage bill, how much is left
for capital projects, how much is the monthly IGR.(Please sir can you tell Abians their monthly IGR and how much Abia generate internally?)
Any comparison
without these factors is unfair. When they say neighbouring states of
Abia, in this aspect of development, I think they refer to Rivers and
Akwa Ibom.
Have they cared to know the amount of money the two
states gets monthly? I agree they are oil producing states as we are,
but the difference is still very clear. Check the records for the
monthly federal allocations of each of the two neighbouring states; it
may be four times that of Abia. I think what is important is what the
governor does with the money he receives. If any assessment is done with
this in mind, such person would find out that from what is on ground,
the governor has lived up to expectation.
Gov. Orji is not a
profligate governor. He has managed the state’s resources well. Have
they cared to know that he has not borrowed a dime since he assumed
office? We can be proud to say that we have a befitting state capital
now with the legacy projects the governor is undertaking.(sir what do the word befitting means to you as used in the above statement?)
Another
interesting area I score Abia governor high is his partnership with the
federal government. I think the state is better for it.(this administrations highest achievement so far)
Can you tell us the gains of this partnership with the Federal Government?
They can be found in various sectors: power, security. Governors are
supposed to have cordial relationships with the president who is the
father of the nation. I am happy Gov. Orji is one of the closest state
chief executives to the president. This is why he has been nominated to
some important party and national committees including the PDP caucus.
Again, the new power station at Ohiya is one of the gains of the
partnership.(99% correct sir)
Power supply has improved in the state capital and
neighbouring communities. The era of kidnapping which brought the state
to its knees in the past is a good example. The NNPC depot at Osisioma
Ngwa which supplies petroleum products to Aba and environs was reopened
through his partnership with the Federal Government. The depot was
closed for 10 years before his intervention. However, there is room for
improvement.(Gov. Orji need commendation here)
In Abia as in any other state, challenges of
development are glaring and visible. The poor state of infrastructure is
as a result of age-long neglect by successive governments particularly
in Aba. Gov. Orji inherited it and has been doing his best to salvage
the situation. He has started by rehabilitating some roads in Aba.
Thank God, he still has some years left, more roads will be done. I urge
the people to be patient because no one administration be can solve all
the problem of any state.(solving the most beneficial ones is what the people are looking for)
What would be your advice to residents of the state, particularly those who are opposed to the governor?
One thing is that you cannot get everybody’s support no matter how good
you are. You cannot stop people from expressing their opinions. Those
who you call critics are people who never support anything good. I call
them detractors. What the governor needs is support from residents of
the state. People would readily point at Aba. We have 17 local
governments, but he knows the problems of Aba which are road and power.
Both problems are being tackled.(In power 60%, in road 5%. Abians real score card in both sector. Do you have a varying opinion sir?)
The Senator Femi Okuronmu
led advisory committee on national conference by President Goodluck
Jonathan has submitted its report but it was greeted with mixed
reactions. What is your view?
The inauguration of that
committee by the president deserves to be commended. It showed that
Jonathan has the interest of Nigeria at heart. I don’t think there is
anything wrong with somebody saying, let’s sit down and talk. Opposition
to the national conference is unfounded and highly misplaced. If you
analyze the flank from these oppositions came from, you will discover
that it is from the same people and groups who have been clamouring for a
national conference even before the advent of Jonathan’s
administration.
Is it not the same Bola Tinubu who has been
shouting himself hoarse on the issue of convening a national conference?
Does it not show double standard? For those who insist the confab is
too close to the general elections, it is mischievous for them to say it
will give the president an edge in the poll as he is entitled to
contest election in 2015. If the people of Nigeria want him, the few
disenchanted minority cannot stop him
vanguardngr
Edited
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