In a piece captioned “A Governor Who Knows What He Is Doing”, the Spokesman of former Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, Onyebuchi Ememanka made a failed and fatal attempt to dismiss the achievements of the Alex Otti led-government in the education sector through a funny comparison with the achievements of Otti’s brother-Governor of Enugu State, His Excellency, Mr. Peter Mba.
Because there is a good working relationship between Governor Otti and Governor Mba geared towards driving the economic well-being of the South East, we would not fall prey to the antics of the former officials of the failed Abia PDP government by engaging in unhealthy and unnecessary social media comparison between Governor Otti and Governor Mba.
Now to the main issue. Ikpeazu’s present Spokesman, Onyebuchi Ememanka alleged that Governor Otti has done nothing in the education sector, and said this on the basis of what Governor Mba announced that his government was going to do in the education sector.
He alleged that the schools being reconstructed by the Otti led-government don’t exist, unlike Mba’s own which he claimed that the pictures are all over the Internet, even though he didn’t attach any of those pictures to be able to make a reasonable comparison.
The Ikpeazu team has also repeatedly asked why Governor Otti has not gone to ABSU to deliver a lecture?
As watery, mischievous and misleading as their claims have been, yet, as citizens, we believe they reserve the right to be told what the Otti led-government is doing or has achieved, even though they know and yet pretend not to know.
It’s on record that the Abia State Education System was in a broken and shambolic state before Governor Otti came on board, which necessitated his declaration of State of Emergency in the Education Sector.
Since after that, Governor Otti didn’t just go ahead to allocate 20% of the budget to the Education Sector in the 2024 budget, he followed it up with policies and practical actions designed to change the face of our education sector.
He gave an approval for the construction of 220 Primary and Secondary schools across the 17 LGAs of the state.
This was followed with needs assessment that was carried out across the 184 wards of the state to ascertain the schools that required renovation or complete reconstruction.
The schools are to have all the components of model schools.
The Governor also gave approval for the reconstruction of Six Technical Schools, two per Senatorial District. The Technical schools are not part of the 220 schools, of course, work is nearing completion in each of the six schools.
I had shared the pictures of some of these Technical Schools recently, of course they got our people excited, except for the agents of the previous government who created the rot in the education sector.
The question is, should we be showing the pictures of Alex Otti’s achievements on a daily basis to prove a point to those who destroyed our state over the years, even when our people can see and acknowledge the achievements of this government? We believe we shouldn’t.
Just recently, a Very Reputable Consultancy firm hired by the government was in Abia for several weeks during which 200 Master Trainers were trained to retrain our teachers, as part of the ongoing reform and skills upgrade in our education sector.
It’s no longer news that Governor Otti had some months ago approved that the retirement age of Abia Teachers be moved from 60 to 65 years, and subsequently gave an approval for a discriminatory welfare packages/incentives to be rolled out for all the teachers in Abia schools as a way of encouraging them to put in their best, while encouraging those who abandoned the classrooms because of nonpayment of salaries under the last regime to return.
Just two weeks ago, the Governor also gave an approval that an annual running cost be provided for Heads of Schools. That’s to say that every head of school will henceforth receive at least the sum of Hundred Thousand Naira (100, 000) every month which will amounts to an annual sum of One Million Two Hundred Thousand Naira (1,200,000) as running cost. This does not in any way take away all the responsibilities the government presently carries out in these schools. This initiative was nonexistent prior to now.
Unlike Governor Peter Mba who inherited zero salary arrears in any of the Enugu State-owned academic institutions, Ikpeazu left humongous salaries arrears of 11 Months at ABSU, 27 momths at Abia State College of Education and Technical Arochukwu and 32 months at the Ogbonnaya Onu Polytechnic Aba(Former Abia Poly). Governor Otti has since started clearing these arrears without reminding Ikpeazu that it was atrocious for him to have done what he did in these institutions.
Ogbonnaya Onu Polytechnic and ABSU respectively lost over 40% and 30% of their student population respectively, while ARCETA was overgrown with weeds due to irresponsible politics which laid the foundations for poor management.
ABSU was being run aground with hundreds of Law Graduates unable to go to law school more than two years after successful graduation, because the institution was so politicised that it admited much more than they should admit, thus making students’ eligibility to go to Law School an exercise for the highest bidder.
Today, Governor Otti has abolished the criminal practice called “Government House Admission List” and also directed for a stop in the over admission being done in the Faculties of Law, Medicine and others.
The three aforementioned institutions are recovering speedly, courtesy of Governor Otti’s practical and altruistic interventions.
The illegal levies that were used to compensate Election riggers and Critical Political Stakeholders in our schools have been abolished by Governor Otti.
ASUBEB that couldn’t access any grant for some years because of alleged fraud perpetrated by the former government has begun receiving huge grants, because of the visible education friendly policies and initiatives of the present government.
Expecting Governor Alex Otti to have by now reconstructed and retrofitted all the schools that were left in a state of dilapidation over the years by the same people that created the problem, is a clear admittance that the last administration was truly a disaster in the area of education like it was in many other areas.
While we commend the Ikpeazu team for their high expectations, given their conviction of Governor Otti’s capacity to deliver, there’s the urgent need for them to desist from malice-induced propaganda and mischievous comparison based on half truth and false information. If however they must compare, we would be glad to see them make reference to their visible and verifiable record of excellence in comparison with what Governor Otti has done.
Abia has already become a positive reference point under Governor Alex Otti, and it can only get better for Ndi Abia.
Ferdinand Ekeoma
Special Adviser to the Governor
(Media and Publicity)
November 24, 2024.p
