Ibeku sons and daughters have expressed their displeasure with the undemocratic leadership style of Abia state governor, T. A Orji. Speaking at a community town hall meeting attended by indigenes and residents of Ibeku, a former local government Chairman of Umuahia North, Hon. Maduka Ukaegbu, explained that the goodwill the late General Aguiyi Ironsi built in six months for Ibeku people while he held sway as Head of State has been destroyed in the last eight years due to the unpopular government of Governor Orji.
The former Chairman who is also the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA) candidate for House of Representatives (Ikwuano/ Umuahia Federal Constituency) said, “People have started calling our indigenes negative names because of the likes of Governor Orji who not only betrayed his benefactor, Orji Kalu but entire Abians. It is unfortunate that a son of Ibeku is at the helm of affairs in the State and our community still lacks basic amenities”.
Earlier a community leader who spoke under anonymity said,”Governor Orji is a wicked man because he has refused to pay teachers and civil servants salaries in the past six months. With these antecedents, I wonder how Governor Orji and his son, Chinedu , will win the Senate and House of Assembly seats in Abia Central and Umuahia Central respectively. The people have lost confidence in the governor . We only hope for a change in the elections”, he added.
Meanwhile, eminent businessman and frontline politician, Dr. Orji Kalu has commended the Nigerian armed forces for their steadfastness and patriotism in protecting the country. He noted that the Nigerian Army, Navy, Air force and police have continued to play a dominant role in maintaining law and order. The former governor made the remarks on Wednesday while addressing retired soldiers from Igbere and Item communities who visited his Igbere country home, Abia State. He acknowledged the strategic role the armed forces and other security agencies are playing in the fight against terrorism facing the country. According to him, “we have every reason to celebrate the fallen military heroes that have died for Nigeria. The sovereignty of any nation is upheld by the military. We must continue to appreciate and celebrate these security personnel. In a democratic Nigeria, the military play their professional role of peace stability, thereby complementing Nigeria’s nascent democracy”. The former governor urged government at all levels to immortalise fallen military heroes by naming monuments in their names. “In order to motivate the military to work aggressively without fear, life insurance cover should be provided for them so that their families will not suffer in case of untimely death of their bread winners”, Kalu added.
