The invitation to visit Aba, the celebrated Enyimba city in Abia State, came from a friend and former journalism colleague Ralph Egbu. He had served in many roles in past Abia governments as Chief Press Secretary, Commissioner for Information and Secretary to the State Government (SSG). But he has no role whatsoever in the current government.
I paid my way for the journey to Aba via a Sienna vehicle I boarded at Awka, the capital city of Anambra State. Getting to Aba well before noon, it was my first time of seeing the newly constructed Osisioma flyover. When my friend, Ralph Egbu, came to pick me up in front of the CKC Catholic Church, I told him of my surprise at seeing cool tarred roads in Aba in contrast to reports of a totally dilapidated road network I read of in the press and the social media.
A drive through Eziukwu Road, Osusu Road, Faulks Road, Azikiwe Road, Ogbor Hill etc. was smooth. It would have been such a delight if Port Harcourt Road had been completed to join up with the bustling Ariaria Market.
The surprise included the reconstruction of the previously intractable portion of the road at Ama Ikonne which some superstitious people had claimed was under a curse from the legendary Eze Ikonne nwver ever to be reconstructed.
Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State stated that with his background as an academic and scientist he is more interested in having his works speak for him instead of blowing his own trumpet.
“The purpose of leadership is to change things,” he says. “Forget the vicious propaganda, over 200 roads have been constructed. I met no green areas. There was not a single street light in Aba. We have constructed over 200 roads across the state. Travel time in most places have been cut from 45 minutes to ten minutes at the most. Trees have been planted and they are growing. Abia State has the best security in the Southeast. There has been no bank robbery in the past 8 years.”
Given that his background is teaching, he stresses that the success of the state in the field of education can stand the test of time.
“Abia took first in WASC examination for four years,” he informs.
On the charge that salaries are being owed, he states that no genuine worker is owed any monthly salary under his watch save for the present danger of the state’s 27 bank accounts being frozen surreptitiously.
According to him, he has kept up with his subvention to Abia State University and Abia Polytechnic, but the drawback is that the authorities of the institutions keep undertaking large employments they cannot cater for.
He describes himself as not being a textbook man, arguing that the idea of banning street trading does not sit well with him. For him, the street traders are crucial to the survival of many families such that it would be inhuman of him to deny them their means of livelihood.
“Abia State is the confluence of the Southeast and South-South,” Governor Ikpeazu intones. “The roads to Akwa Ibom, Rivers and so on can boost enormously the trading in the well over 15 markets across Abia, notably Ariaria and Cemetery markets in Aba. I wear my shirt with the inscription: Proudly Made in Aba. There is no escaping the responsibility that Aba has a historical role to play for the survival of the Igbo man and indeed the Nigerian nation.”
Projects such as Enyimba Automated Shoe Factory and the Garment Factory gladden his heart no end. He recalls that the state sent out some 30 shoemakers to China for automation training in shoe manufacturing only for the Chinese to promptly employ two of them because of their expertise! Imagine the Abia shoemaker beating the China man in his own game!
When the Nigeria Army asked Governor Ikpeazu how many days it would take for the Abia shoemakers to manufacture 50 military boots, the governor did the groundwork to ensure that it can be manufactured in 10 days.
“As a scientist, I look at things from the First Principle,” said Governor Ikpeazu. “I work with strategy which is the challenge of leadership. In my Hall of Fame is a leader like Indira Gandhi who made the Indian cotton popular through personal example.”
In or out of office, Ikpeazu is determined to put into prominence the Enyimba Economic City that is poised to create 600,000 jobs. His support for the Aba Business School cannot be gainsaid, and his promotion of the Igbo Apprenticeship Scheme is deserving of support across board.
In is words, “The only thing that can outlive all of us comes through strategy. Everybody thinks of what is on the table, not who is in the kitchen.”
It is noteworthy that he undertook the dredging of the Ndiegoro Waterside twice which solved for good the monumental flooding akin to the disastrous Ogunpa in Ibadan.
His roads are done with the rigid technology laden with dual drainage, and he says matter-of-factly: “Governor Wike of Rivers learnt how to do roads from Abia.”
Governor Ikpeazu still has so much works in his hands which he promises to deliver before leaving office on May 29. Harping that he has followed through his Five Pillars, he informs that every inch of Abia is on Google.
“The traffic lights have CCTV cameras,” he assures.
A legacy project dear to him is the completion of a purpose-built Government House. “We shall have dinner there,” he vows.
Another landmark project is the Mother and Child Hospital that is facing a frenetic month of completion. The Governor stresses: “The Scan Machine we imported from Japan is the best in the Southeast and South-South. Every child conceived in Abia must be given a chance to live.”
He is particularly inspired by developments in the health sector as he asserts: “The Federal Government and the World Health Organisation (WHO) are keeping faith with us. We promptly pay our counterpart funding. No fees are paid for pre-natal, delivery and post-natal care. There has been no polio here for the past seven years. We are the first to develop Telemedicine. The Tele-health Database is the first of its kind. WhatsApp and video calls on health issues are undertaken seamlessly. We have built capacity for our nurses. We linked up with our Diasporeans to build the Specialist Hospital in Umuahia. The Abia Emergency Services can go far with five ultra-modern ambulances, each costing more than N100 million. The ambulance can be better than a hospital.”
As I left and beheld the bustle of trading all over town, I could not but agree that Aba boasts of the best traders in the world.
– Uzor Maxim Uzoatu is a renowned poet, journalist and author