AT 21 ABIA SOLDIERS ON WITH T. A. ORJI
In my adventurous mannerism of probing into people's mind and thinking process, I have had cause to imagine how boisterously proud General Ibrahim Babangida (rtd) will be, recalling that posterity nay Abia owe him the gratitude of midwifing the birth of already grown Abia State brought into existence 21 years ago into the month when distinguished personalities go visiting.
Our gap toothed General will also agree that he appended his signature to a document that was neatly and intelligently packaged by an assemblage of Abia egg-heads proudly known by the acronym; Founding Fathers of Abia State. Irrespective of the truth that some are of blessed memory, the tripod of equity, justice and fair play which they bequeathed the State are gallantly ruling over the skirmishes of ineptitude, favouritism and inequity which initially struggled to hold sway.
My constant regard for the vitality of stock-taking will not permit me to ignore past stewards of Abia State civilian or otherwise. This position will illuminate the position earlier made which bothered on the eventual defeat of ineptitude as was the case hitherto.
The story of Abia's beginning is littered with ruffling and tumbling given that some Military administrators who instituted the administrative compass of the State weren't particularly friendly and dedicated. It was an unfortunate state that left the young Abia with a weak framework and identity crisis.
Consequently, while her contemporaries were taking-off from a decent government house with cozy environment, Abia State took off from rented apartments and primary school.
I am constrained to talk about this because successive military and civilian administrations did not think it was befitting enough to nurture the now grown Abia from a deserving environment. At best they resorted to the introduction of funny looking architectural columns to serve make-shift purpose at the rented neighbourhood.
Governor T. A. Orji, I must admit is practically growing Abia afresh. He is dealing with the strategic importance of identity creation, which has eluded Abia since her 21 years of creation. At the successful end of that exercise Abia can boldly celebrate a befitting government house built by reputable expatriate engineers. I have had cause to interact with some ignorant friends who are oblivious of several intimidating structures sprouting up at the new Umuahia Layout on which the new government house is being crafted. Not a few later swallowed their words discovering that Governor T. A. Orji is miles apart from past stewards who had adjudicated over the affairs of the State. “We never knew that such a thing is taking place here” had often been the refrain. A volcano waiting to sweep people off their feet.
Civil Servants in Abia State will gleefully partake in this identity vista in no distant time. Governor T. A. Orji would have triumphed over twenty years shame of running some strategic Civil Service office from primary school, occupied shortly after some civil servants of Abia origin expectantly came to surpass what they did in Imo State. The Governor's motivational inclination will yield the desired result given that the now dignified and motivated Abia workers will grine from both sides of the mouth as he or she swivels on every corner of a cozy office structured into an imposing four storey building of twin structures. What a transformation. I have had cause to wonder what in this world our past leaders were thinking about before Governor T. A. Orji came to write his name in gold.
I can understand why the uninformed are wallowing in the illusion that much is not happening in the state. I think is a case of being used to a short-lived status-quo of politicizing every little effort made in the past whether real or imagined. We now have a Governor who is real and frank about how he is and what the position in the State is. A departure from the pathetic past of building castles on billboards and media channels.
That is the sincerity Abians have been yearning for. Out-side the soon to be commissioned Workers' Secretariat, and ultra-modern Government House, is a state-of-the-art International Conference Centre which is nearing completion.
Governor T. A. Orji had earlier stood on this sincerity to attain the feat of calming every frayed nerve in the State leaving in its wake, the institution of clannish sense of belonging. Every geo-political enclave in Abia State is proud to be a partner in project Abia.
Not even the suppressing challenge of inheriting a whooping twenty-nine billion naira debt burden is deterring enough for the Governor to renege in his inaugural pledge to leave the Godly State of Abia better than he met it.
Our health care sector, which presently boasts of over 210 health centres and the icing of Abia State Specialist Hospital and Diagnostic Centre, has perfected plans for the new Kidney Dialysis centre.
The Judiciary in Abia State has never had it this good. One would think that government was going to end it with the on-going new office block at Umuahia High Court, but the government of Chief T. A. Orji considered it essential to raise the stakes.
I dare to say that Ministry of Justice Umuahia now parades the most beautiful office complex amongst the ministries in Abia State. This is the new face Abians have been yearning for.
Having begun from the basics, the Governor is tackling decades of negligence from succeeding administrations to make the State structurally receptive.
This initiative is praiseworthy in the sense that before long, when stocks will be taken, you hardly can talk about monumental legacies in the State without acknowledging Chief T. A. Orji.
Abia State Environmental Protection Agency, currently operating from a rented apartment is now counting days, within which the imposing ASEPA building would have been completed and occupied.
In compliance with regulatory requirements, Abia State Broadcasting Corporation is witnessing the construction of new office blocks necessary for digital broadcasting which the Federal Supervisory Body (NBC) has detailed every State to comply with.
In Housing, the Senate President, Senator David Mark was on hand few weeks behind to commission the prestigious Amokwe Ugba Housing Estate. This is beside the Amoba Phase II Housing Estate and the almost completed Isieke Housing Estate.
The Governor has provided the recipe for curing the hitherto incurable madness at Club Road and Okpara Square axis of the State Capital. The certainty is that Umuahia market will emphatically move to the spacious down town of Ubani Ibeku, where over 4,000 shops have been constructed and still counting. Auto technicians were the first to move to Ohiya Mechanic village, awaiting completion of work at Umudike for the relocation of Timber Industrial Market dealers.
Having vowed to check the indiscriminate packing of luxury and commercial buses, construction work is rounding up at the modern terminal for luxury and allied buses.
The Governor's road construction effort is in itself largely voluminous and I have confined its discussion to a sectorized part two of this endeavour. But suffice to say that the three geo-political zones are adequately accommodated.
Abia has the most amazing Government–Labour relationship and this has practically manifested in the faithful implementation of CONMESS, CONHESS USS, TSS and new minimum wage.
Abians have variously excelled in different fields of endeavour, without a pat on the back. The instrumentality of Ochendo has confined that insensitivity to the dust bin, thus setting the stage for a periodic celebration of her illustrious sons and daughters. Greetings to a senior colleague; Ijeoma Nwogwugwu for being a deserving recipient
The ongoing gubernatorial dedication of Chief T. A. Orji is associated with innumerable milestones, never thought of in Abia State.
The Governor will require adequate latitude and co-operation of Abians to soldier on with the State.
In my estimation, that is the only card we can put on the table for Abia to remain on course. Let us give it to him.