Ebere Uzoukwa, Ph.D
The conspiracy and blackmail persistently unleashed against Dr. Alex Chioma Otti (OFR), the fifth Executive Governor of Abia State, are not surprising, hence expected. The defeated and politically decimated Abia State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is overtly leaving no stone unturned in its futile bid to tarnish the hard-earned reputation the governor built overtime as a successful banker and First Class economist.
A political party, already enmeshed in notoriety, and its jobless hungry propagandists are struggling amid failure to generate negative impression and smuggle same to the public space apparently to shift attention from the huge infrastructure revolution and good governance Dr Otti has upon assumption of office embarked on in God’s Own State.
It is indisputable that Dr Otti and Labour Party came prepared to reverse the wanton damage and maladministration inflicted on Abians and the state. The governor during his campaigns detailed his Action Plans and Implementation Strategies aimed at recovering the ruined state upon his election. The Abia electorate subscribed to his vision and revolutionary template and voted massively for him and LP in the last General Elections as governor of the state.
Apparently unsettled by the excellent and superlative performance of the God-fearing and development-oriented governor in barely five months, the Abia PDP and its propagandists outrightly resorted to character assassination, propaganda, blackmail and falsification of records against Dr Otti and his visionary team driving the New Abia administration.
It is no longer news that this satanic party and its agents launched a vicious media attack wherein they falsely accused the governor of reckless spending and wrong doings.
Even when the government media team brilliantly and unambiguously released accurate figures and data on government spending in the Q3 Budget Report, the Abia PDP and her chronic propagandists are still unsatisfied.
Anyone that has closely worked with any state governor, like this writer, shall be definitely abreast of the activity-driven offices of the Governor, Deputy Governor, the Secretary to the State Government, Head of Service and other service delivery MDAs. Several government activities that are significantly welfarist and development-oriented revolve around these offices.
It is evident that the aforementioned offices and other critical and service delivery MDAs are not revenue spinners of the government. Rather, they run the government and administratively coordinate welfarist programmes as well as provide the developmental needs of the people.
This largely explains the reason the sums of 223,389,889.84 and N397,520,734. 84 were expended on Refreshments and Meals, and General Welfare by these activity sacturated offices and the entire government of the state as transparently reported in the Abia State Q3 Budget Report. It is equally important to note that welfare as a subhead, includes health issues, rehabilitation and public emergencies.
However, the overriding factor that dwarfs the orchestrated blackmail and character assassination of a governor, whose nascent administration anchors on transparency and effective cost management in governance, is his avowed determination and insistence against submitting in any manner to the distraction that may whittle down his burning desire and genuine intention of righting the wrongs in Abia.
Without any contradictions, the vicious propaganda, blackmail and campaign of calumny mounted and sponsored by the notorious and politically decimated Abia PDP are merely impotent, cheap and dead on arrival.
It is funny and laughable that Abia PDP has suddenly forgotten its inglorious 24 years reign. During the dark days of the party in power, contracts were not only inflated but conspicuously abandoned after criminally diverting the budgeted funds.
It was also this period that corruption and financial malfeasance were promoted to high heavens. Salaries and pensions were never paid as Abia workers groaned in extreme hardship.
The party and its government engaged incompetent contractors and proxies used for money laundering. The LGA funds were diverted and shared to a few corrupt “stakeholders”, thus denying the rural communities development and other essential amenities that could have made life better at the grassroots.
For instance, a visit to Obingwa, where the last PDP governor, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu comes from, will undoubtedly present an elaborate picture of the ruins the present administration inherited.
Remember, Dr Ikpeazu left government only six months ago. Ikpeazu’s Umuobiakwa country-home of to Ohanze, the country-home of his wife, to Ntighauzor the countryhome of the member representing Obingwa East State Constituency and the immediate past Majority Leader of the Abia State House of Assembly, Hon. Solomon Akpulonu, the entire Obingwa East, known as Agalaba and Obingwa West, also known as Uhie, shamefully present the most deplorable and unaccessible roads in Abia. This entirely mirrors the level of delapidation and decay in Abia before Dr Otti assumed office as the governor on May 29.
As they continue to throw stones and daggers at Dr Otti, Abians on the other hand have continued to support the good intentions of the governor to recover and reposition God’s Own State on the path of development and economic prosperity.
This further explains why Dr Otti has remained resolute and focused in executing and implementing his projects and programmes for a prosperous state.
It is a thing of joy that Abia workers and pensioners are no longer owed as their salaries and pensions are paid promptly and as at when due.
The primary, secondary and tertiary health institutions are speedily revived and sufficiently equipped with modern equipment to provide quality healthcare services to the people.
The dilapidated roads of Aba, Umuahia and other parts of the state are massively reconstructed using competent construction companies. The audacious Aba-Portharcout Road project presently handled by Julius Berger and Ossah-Umuahia six-lane also handled by Craneburg Construction Company could only be possible via the visionary and development-oriented Dr Alex Otti and his government.
The Abia Industrial and Innovative Park (AIIP), strategically sited at Owaza, Ukwa West, also envisioned by Dr Otti to create economic fortunes and jobs for the state, is no doubt unsettling the Abia PDP.
After all, the Enyimba Economic City project, which fraudulently existed only on paper for years, was a conduit pipe deployed to launder and siphon public funds by the timid and last PDP-controlled administration.
With the coming on board of the carefully appointed capacity-loaded Transition Committee Chairmen and Mayors of the 17 LGAs, the governor is poised to activate and accelerate massive infrastructural and socio-economic activities at the grassroots.
This is unarguably the first time Abia State Government shows maximum commitment to drive development through the LGA administrations down to the rural communities.
Summarily, Abia under the visionary leadership of His Excellency, Dr Alex Chioma Otti (OFR) is secure and remains secure, despite failed but cheap propaganda and blackmail of the weeping Abia PDP.
Dr. Ebere Uzoukwa, a policy analyst and media consultant, writes from Obingwa.