It was when I got to Osusu road in Aba that I realized the impact of using wheelbarrows and shovels to construct a road. Those OUK roads have further aggravated our challenges.
Ordinarily, Orji Uzor Kalu by all calculations had everything in his favour to perform very well. The mere mention of the fact that he grew up in Aba gave him an added advantage because Aba people believed that he was in a better position to understand their challenges which was in the area of infrastructural facilities.
It is on record that from 1999 till date, it was only OUK that did not suffer protracted election litigation because his opponent Prince Vin Ogbulafor avoided all the legal fireworks. He was later appointed a Minister by Chief Olusegun Obasanjo. While he had everything working for him with enormous resources at his disposal, OUK engaged into a self-made conundrum by engaging in avoidable skirmishes with his deputies even while he openly declared a fight with the then President Obasanjo. The rest is history.
The sin that was committed in 1999 is still hurting us. While Governors like Ahmed Tinubu, James Ibori, Dr.Sam Egwu …paraded good curriculum vitae with vast exposure in governance and business, OUK would later enrol as an undergraduate student of Abia State University, which till today, its still a controversy.
Instead of using the little available resources at the State’s disposal to build new roads just like the Governors of Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, Lagos, Akwaibom etc are doing, the present State Government must go back to those roads built by OUK to make sure that drainages are provided and water is properly channeled. That is the case of faulks road, Osusu road and other major roads in Aba.
Should Orji Uzor Kalu talk about Ikpeazu’s government in bad light even when Ikpeazu is working so hard to clear his mess from the history of Abia State?
Apart from road patching, what was OUK’s agenda towards Youths empowerment and employment?
After selling off Enyimba hotel (one of the Legacies of Dee Sam Mbakwe) to Aba Chamber of Commerce for sixteen million Naira (#16m) it became difficult for the Chamber to bring back the edifice to use, which could’ve created opportunity for massive employment. What was the rational for selling off the Enyimba hotels even when the State could’ve redesigned it ?
It was during OUK’s regime that one of the boilers in Golden Guinea PLC damaged. It was still a State’s property until failure to fix it led to the takeover bid that converted it to a private ownership. What was the rational for not fixing Golden Guinea breweries even when thousands of Abians were getting their meal tickets from the place?
What happened to the workers who were laid off because of failure of OUK to replace the boiler? Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu whom OUK is busy writing all sorts of long essays against has intervened. Golden Guinea is coming back alive after 15 years.
In the interest of good conscience, such character should not present himself again for election in Abia State or come close to where governance is being discussed.
I have gone through all that was listed by his handlers. The only legacy OUK has, is that Enyimba football club won Champions league for two consecutive times. Congratulations Sir, the boys must have worked out their salvation even with the condition of the Stadium with no single toilet facilities.
Abians are yet to forget how market places were decimated with shops and stalls built in every available space including car parks and drainages. Public schools and hospitals were not spared this defacing,so it became the norm all over Abia. Refuse deposal became a big business and a money Spinner for the governors family. Even when people were ‘paying through their noses’ to breaking points,they never had their refuse evacuated.
Has OUK apologized for diverting the machines procured with Government money for Abia State Newspaper ( Ambassador Newspaper ) to his personal use?
It is high time he told Abians how he started the Sun Newspaper with equipments that were procured with bank loan paid off by the government through Citizen bank that was owned by the late Abiriba born Chief Dike Udensi (Dubic.) Letter of Credit was opened for payment of the equipment to revive the Ambassador newspaper.
To be continued.
Ikechukwu Iroha is a Senior Special Assistant to the Abia State Governor on Media.
