MY STEWARDSHIP AS ABIA GOVERNOR (1999-2007) – 9

(TRANSFORMATION OF ABA)

The effort our administration made in 1999 alone to transform the Enyimba City was borne out of the deep attachment we had with the city. We were moved by the close af­finity we had with the city while growing up. Aba in the pre-war era was a beau­tiful place to live: peaceful, clean and serene. It was then the melting point for people from the Old Eastern region (com­prising the present-day Anambra, Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Eb­onyi, Enugu, Imo and Rivers states). The population of the city grew in geometric progression as people fell on one another to find a place of abode in the city. That was Enyimba City in the good old days!

However, by 1998 when we commenced electioneering the city had become a shadow of its old self. Available infrastructure, es­pecially intra-city roads, had broken down irretrievably. This affected commercial life of the city known globally as the Japan of Africa.

In one of my campaign trips to the city I had promised to transform and restore its lost glory. I knew then that if we succeed­ed in transforming the city we would have achieved something that would be cherished by the people for a long time. Despite the poor revenue outlook of the government in 1999 we still went ahead to embark on a massive reconstruction of infrastructure in the city. We targeted the twin-chord that held the residents of the city together: commerce and soccer.

We had also reasoned that to boost the economic life of the city we must rebuild the roads and ensure all-round security. Then on soccer we would have to safe Enyimba from relegation and build a new stadium to play host to the numerous national and conti­nental matches involving their darling team, Enyimba F.C.

We took the bull by the horns to rebuild the city, because we knew that no govern­ment worth its salt could afford to neglect the commercial city of Aba. Past administra­tions (military and civilian) tried their best to give Aba some attention. Nevertheless, despite the little they did to lift Aba from its decadent condition much was left undone by the time our ship berthed in 1999. The entire city was overrun by refuse with many of the roads completely impassable. The residents groaned under the filthy and chaotic state of affairs, while at the same time looking up to our administration for redemption.

There was no money anywhere in the Abia State Government coffers to give the city some remedial face-lift. And so we sourced money from external sources to rehabilitate at least five roads in the first six months of the life of our government. One of our friends, the late Group Manag­ing Director of Guaranty Trust Bank, Tayo Aderinokun, came to our immediate assis­tance. With an initial loan of N500 million he approved for us we were able to rebuild five roads in Aba, which were commissioned by former President Olusegun Obasanjo on February 25, 2000, during his maiden offi­cial visit to our state. It was at the commis­sioning of the five roads that he christened me the ‘Action Governor of Nigeria’. That singular recognition fired the zeal in us to do many of the remarkable things we did to transform the city.

While rebuilding the roads in Aba, we were working at the same time to save Eny­imba F.C from relegation. The team was on the lowest rudder of the league table when we embarked on the rescue operation. By the time the league ended, the team had been saved from relegation. Residents of the city went hysteria, celebrating as never before. The magic we performed to save Enyimba from relegation was a part of a bigger plan to make the team the champions of Africa.

The plan was to win the national league back-to-back and then launch into an offen­sive to win the elusive CAF Championship for Nigeria. Both plans worked out accord­ing to schedule such that by 2004 we had won the CAF Championship trophy for the first time for Nigeria and the national league for keeps. No football club in Nigeria was able to win the CAF Championship Cup. I recall the efforts made by the indomitable Rangers F.C. of Enugu, IICC Shooting Stars of Ibadan and Stationery Stores F.C. of La­gos to win the elusive trophy failed.

After the CAF Championship we refo­cused on the roads. We rolled in the cater­pillars and bulldozers to rehabilitate all the disused roads in the City. It was an ambitious project, but we, however, were not deterred by the lack of funds prevalent at that time. The little resources we made from the fed­eration account and internally generated rev­enue were judiciously deployed to specific projects that had relevance to the lives of the people.

By the first Anniversary of our adminis­tration on May 29, 2000, we had done over 20 roads in the city. And by the end of our first term almost all the major roads in city had been given a face lift.

Of note is the 90 km Ururuka Road which crisscrosses five local government areas and terminates in Aba. It is an important road that has saved commuters from untold hard­ship caused by the dilapidated Umuahia-Aba Expressway. I am sure that all the roads the administration of Gov. Orji has claimed to have built in seven and half years are not up to Ururuka Road. The 8 kilometer Mbawsi Road which our administration did up to 4 kilometer has remained uncompleted.

Other roads our government built were Osusu, Omuma, Umule, Obohia, Ohanku, Ohuhu, Ahunanya, Nweke, Uche, Boundary Avenu, Cemetery, Ibadan, Cemetery Exten­sion, Akalanna, all in Aba, which were han­dled by Elite Construction Limited.

Bencov Construction Limited handled the following roads, also in Aba:MCC to Umule, MCC to Express, Umuojima, Eziama, St, Joseph to School Road, Old Court(Ehi to Ngwa), Okorocha, Ajagba, Nwogu, Ajigwe, Nwogu Extension, Nwankpa, Umuimo, Uchenna, Owerri, Umuoba,Uwuala, and Uruakpan.

The following roads in Aba were also built by our administration and handled by Amico Construction: Judges, Erondu, Nich­olas, I.E.A. Gate to Nweke, River Layout, Constitution, Howells and Scotland.

We also rehabilitated Cameroun Road, Ojike Lane, Ehere, Ehere Road Extension, Umuola, and All Saints’ Academy. They were handled by Grandstar Construction Company Limited?

It is also important to state at this juncture that the Confederation of African Football (CAF) directed us to expand and upgrade facilities at the Enyimba Stadium before it could give approval for us to play host to its organized matches. We swung into action, and by the first quarter of 2002, the stadium was ready. It was in the new stadium that Enyimba played all the matches that made it qualify for the finals of the CAF Cup Cham­pionship, which we won for Nigeria for the first time in 38 years in far away Egypt.

I personally led the team to the Battle of Egypt where we were almost lynched by the irate Egyptian fans. Thank God we escaped to Nigeria with the elusive trophy without any harm.

Apart from roads we also rehabilitated the Enyimba City Water Scheme and other smaller water projects, including the instal­lation of a mini-laboratory for testing wa­ter quality at the Aba River. Hundreds of schools in the city were also rehabilitated. In fact, every sector of the life of the city was touched by our massive infrastructure reha­bilitation that took place.

There is no doubt that by the time our government took its exit in 2007 Aba was a beautiful, secure city.

What is the situation today? Our succes­sor-government has abandoned Aba. The facilities we put in place have been allowed to depreciate. This was a deliberate ploy by the government to discredit us and pitch the people against us. Unfortunately the plot backfired. Today, the government of Abia State under the leadership of Chief Theodore Ahamefule Orji has estranged itself from the good people of Aba.

It is sad that almost eight years in office the government of Gov. Orji has not done any major project in the city. He has not done a single durable road in the city. All the roads he showcases in many of the advertorials sponsored by his government were roads we built and commissioned. The ‘Ukwu Mango’ Road he managed to shoddily rehabilitate was washed away by the rains less than one year after the job was done. When I heard how much was expended on the road my heart bled for Abia State. I have asked with­out anybody providing the needed answer why Gov. Orji should sits over such treach­ery and deceit? What did the people of Aba do to him to deserve this shabby treatment?

The bulk of the votes that made him win the governorship election while in prison came from Aba. Why then has he forsaken its people and left the place decrepit? No person can win the governorship election in Abia State without winning Aba? My own election in 1999 was won with the majority of the votes coming from Aba. This is the trend and it will continue for a long time.

Up till date, I am yet to fathom any reason the governor has refused blatantly to work for the people of Aba. The traders in the city operate under very difficult conditions deliberately created by the government to frustrate them. There is no single market in the sprawling city that has any access road. People who engage in commerce do so un­der very inhumane conditions, yet the gov­ernment milks the residents of the city dry through multiple taxes. The situation got to a point that women in the city protested half-clothed.

Insecurity in the city reached a point that many residents trooped out of the city for fear of being killed or kidnapped. Between 2008 and 2011 Aba was a ghost town. Com­mercial activities and life generally were par­alyzed. Some relief came when the Federal Government established an army camp in Aba and Ukwa respectively. That, however, has not made criminal elements not to oper­ate in the city.

Traffic into and out of Aba has been cha­otic in recent times due to bad roads. The Osisioma Junction is notorious for this. Travellers spend hours at the Junction be­fore exiting the city. And the government is not concerned about the plight of the peo­ple. What about refuse disposal in the city? Every turn in Aba is defaced by mountains of refuse. The situation is made worse by the rains. Port Harcourt and Faulks Roads in particular have been inaccessible for some time now. Ditto other roads. Any plans by the Abia State Government to do something soon? The answer is capital ‘No’. What the governor is interested in is how to smuggle one of his loyalists to Government House Umuahia.

I wonder how he plans to achieve this near-impossible feat. Rig election? I am sor­ry for him, because nobody can rig the 2015 elections in Abia State. We allowed the cha­rade of 2011 to happen for the sake of peace, not because of cowardice. The governor will be deluding himself if he thinks that after destroying the city of Aba and making life miserable for its residents they would turn round and vote for his candidates. I am sur­prised he could treat the people of Aba with such levity!

The governor should look at the statistics of elections in the past in order to see the central role the city plays in the life of the state. It will be impossible for any resident of Aba except those who benefit directly from the governor to throw their support behind any candidates he may sponsor in future elections. Even the army stationed in Aba will not make him have his way. The 2015 elections will be transparent and crisis-free. We will work to achieve it. The only person who is sure of the votes of the people of the City is President Goodluck Jonathan whom Ohaneze Ndigbo has endorsed. We will work hard to deliver him.

In less than 6 months Governor Orji will vacate office. For what will he be remem­bered? What legacy has he bequeathed to the state for which generations of Abians will remember him?

The only legacy he has bequeathed to us, in my assessment, is a polarized state where there is no love among our people. The peace, unity and progress enjoyed by our people when we were in office have been destroyed by the greed and egocentricity of the gover­nor. I know of some prominent residents of the city who have relocated to other places. Among them were people openly opposed to the style of leadership of the governor and were haunted out of town by the terror-squad of the governor.

When will our people enjoy the presence of their government? When will the redeem­er come? I assure our people that all will be well soon. The God we serve will soon make crooked roads straight. Evil has an expiry date. It is just a matter of time.

I am proud to state, no matter the nega­tive propaganda mounted by the government our administration sincerely worked to trans­form Aba. We made enormous sacrifices to change the face of the City. It is only poster­ity that will place our names in the proper places in the annals of our state.