The regime of projects and road
constructions has continued unabated despite the distractions of the Appeal
Court Ruling. For the Governor, his covenant with the Abia people remains
constant. So this period has been largely a time of consolidation of the
gains attained in the first 200 days and a time of opening up of new
frontiers.
Just yesterday, the Governor
inaugurated the committee for the Inland Dry Port at Ntigha, Isiala
Ngwa North, and last week he flagged off the construction of
four roads in Aba – six-kilometer Ohazu-Ibere-Ozumba Ring Road which
terminates at 72 Port Harcourt Road and the Umuokahia Road, and will soon
match on to Bende Local Government where three roads have been earmarked for
construction. The newly flagged-off roads in Aba will also be constructed
with cement technology.
So it has been a regime of work
and projects in the midst of what should have been a huge distraction or
a psychological setback for other people. What should have been a
threat arerather a motivation and a source of inspiration for Governor
Ikpeazu. He is being fired on by a seeming challenge. He is in full control
of his environment, displaying doggedness and showing courage in the face of an
obvious threat. He is inspiring everyone and this is the hallmark of a
leader.
A roll-call
1. Road Construction
We are on 47 active sites and 2
bridges are under construction in the state today. Three of such roads
were commissioned in Aba by the former President Olusegun Obasanjo. These roads
cut across the 3 geopolitical zones of the state.
There are plans between the state
and its neighbour, Akwa Ibom to jointly rehabilitate the shared federal
Roads.
Abia State is also pioneering the
use of cement technology or what experts call rigid pavement technology
in road construction which means we have to cast with concrete over a mass of
iron before asphalting the road. The idea is to extend the lifespan of the
roads, to ensure durability so we don’t come back to them very soon.
Bridges
We have completed the
construction of a brand new bridge at Okonu Afia, Ohafia and done a
realighnment of a the bridge at Umunneochie. And we are erecting solar light at
the both sides of the bridges.
2. Zero Tolerance to
Potholes
Abia is running a programme we
call Zero tolerance to potholes. By this, the old roads are constantly being
asphalted and resurfaced. This programme is being executed by the state
road management agency and it is taking place simultaneously in the two cities
of Umuahia and Aba.
Under this project, 5 roads have
been asphalted in Umuahia and completely resurfaced St Micheals Road , Park
Road, Kent, Ube and many others all in Aba city.
3. Establishment of Trade
Centers
Abia is establishing trade
centres where the old professions are to be revived. This will be supervised
and handled by some Mexicans and Philipinos. The idea is for them to begin to
teach Abia children the rudiments of the old craft works like capentry,
masonry, House Wring so that we can produce our own household items without
going abroad to import them.
To teach such handiwork as
carpentry, plumbing, electrical, Tiling etc. The idea is to help the artisans
add some professionalism and education to their trade. We expect that the trade
centres will create jobs and empower people with skills
4. Friends of Abia
Schools Adoption Initiative (FASAI)
1. The Governor used
the occasion of his 51th birthday to launch this pet project to mobilize
funds to renovate the worst primary schools in the 17 Local Government Areas of
the State.
2. Calling on friends to
help him give a facelift to primary schools in serious state of dilapidation
3. The aim is to turn around
the fortunes of such schools to give the pupils real sense of belonging. Change
the environment of the schools.
4. Calling on well to do
Abians to assist him own pupils of the schools and make the world a better
place for them, through sponsorship and infrastructural development of the
schools.
5. Under this also, the
Governor decided to maintain direct contact with the headmasters of the primary
schools to enable him oversee the academic standard of pupils in the state.
6. The idea also is to revert
the trend of drift to private schools.
7. Noted that most of
us were products of public schools
5. Aba Industrial
Clusters.
Government is concluding
plans to launch the construction work on the Abia Industrial
Clusters starting with Aba.
The Govt is currently procuring
equipments needed for the clusters and for the appropriate equipment that
can match our standard of technological development.
The aim is to mechanize and
automate the process of leather-making and othe artisanship works in
Abia State.
The Aba Industrial Cluster would
involve 40,000 shoemakers who are capable of producing 1000 shoes daily.
6. Skill Acquisition Programme
Government has resuscitated
three moribund technical schools in the state to run the skills
acquisition programme. Others will follow soon.
Our goal is to develop the trade
sector in Abia so that the State could make all the shoes
for school children, the military and the paramilitary in Nigeria
instead of us having to import them. Other countries, particularly African
countries will be buying shoes and belts from Aba.
7. Education
Started work on the construction of the permanent site of Abia
Polytechnic at Osisioma area of Aba.
8. Foreign
Partnership
- Planned collaboration with
the state of Georgia in agriculture
- Especially in the area of
Green House farming and poultry because Georgia State is the poultry
headquarters of the world.
- We will soon unveil our
initiative in terms of poultry farming in which the American technology and
expertise will be brought to bear in Abia State.
- This will have positive
effect in the economy and the productive capacity of our agricultural sector
9. Market Development
Establishment of the Abia State Markets Dev.
Committee (ASMDC)
A Special Purpose Initiative to restore
sanity to all markets in the state.
There is an ongoing War Against Street Trading in
Aba and relocation of Traders to new sites.
New markets to be provided with modern
conveniences, covered roofs, Police Post, Motor Parks, Fire Service Posts,
among others to bring them to international standards
9. NDE
Programme
The Govt gave adequate
support for the development of the NDE ICT SKILL Acquisition Centre at Osieke
in Ugwunagbo LGA of the state. The Governor also followed up by promising to
place the first 125 intakes into the scheme on N25,000 monthly stipend. The
centre has commenced full traning of youths on different skills.
10. Feeding of 30,000 Pupils Weekly Programme/
Stomach Infrastructure
Under its Universal Basic
Education Provisions, the Abia State Government has launched a pilot
arrangement to feed 30,000 primary school pupils three times in a week in 10
local council Areas. Pupils are to be feed on Mondays, Wednesdays and
Fridays.
11. Revitalization of 52 Water Schemes and
Installation of Streetlights along roads in Umuahia, Aba and Ohafia.
12. Powering of the new
government house and new workers secretariat premises with solar energy.
13. Launch of First Lady’s Pet
Project, the Vicar Hope Foundation. Under which she attending to
the needs of the handicapped persons in our community. She built and opened 7
bungalows for 6 indigent widows and one blind man from Osisioma.
14. Inauguration of the
EXCO. We now have full compliments of commissioners. The state
EXCO has been dully inaugurated and they are all up and running.
15. Establishment of
agencies – (1) Traffic Management Agency. Captures the personality of
the new government. We have atleast 200 youngmen working in this agency
right now. A replay of LASTMA in Lagos. A collaboration between the
state and the Federal Roads Safety Corp. (2 ) There is also the Public
Infrastructure Management Agency. A strategy to make sure that touts and those
who abuse Government Infrastructure are checkmated. Those who go to remove
batteries of the solar lights, steal the armoured cables with which the street
lights are being empowered are combated by this agency. Also checkmate the
cases of abandoned projects.
16. Salaries and Pensions
We are happy to announce that
despite our constraints in the fact that the federal allocation was postponed,
the Governor was able to pay workers before Christmas as he promised.
Currently, the backlog of salary arrears and pension arrears which
the Governor inherited has been cleared.
And the government moved
into the new year fresh and free from any burden of salary complaints
Signed :Godwin
Adindu (Chief Press Secretary to Abia State Governor)
FOR MORE STORIES VISIT
CKN NEWS SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS:
Twitter: @CKNNigeria
Facebook: CKNNigeria
CKN NEWS Hotline:
08080054001
Whatsapp: 08099677755
BBM : 2BE329DF