It is no longer news that the wave of change has indeed come to Abia and her people since after the inauguration of the Governor of Abia State, His Excellency, Dr. Alex Chioma Otti OFR, on May 29th, 2023.
Those who are yet to wake up to this reality, must have realised on Thursday, June 29th, 2023, that the number one citizen of Abia State, has fortified himself to effect pleasant and unpleasant changes in Abia not minding whose ox is gored.
Those who have refused to be committal to the hitherto sanitization of Abia, may argue that the Chief Executive of the State has not actually effected positive changes a month after his inauguration but is on a vendetta mission to clip the wings of discordant voices.
While everyone is entitled to his/her opinion, especially as it relates stateism, the truth therefore is that the Chief Executive of the State has all the right(s) to take decisions just as he is also duty bound to take such in relation to the laid down rules as embedded in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Amid the arguments, what is paramount is for the Governor to be fair, objective in his dealings with Abians. If he is not, many discordant voices will view him as favouring or compensating some people and their accusations will hold water.
A case in hand, is the recent event that played out in the emergence of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the 8th Abia House of Assembly, where Labour Party produced the Speaker and Deputy. The result of that exercise have kept tongues wagging as to why the Clerk of the Abia State House of Assembly, Sir John Pedro Irokansi, refused the likes of Hon. Solomon Akpulonu, Mandela Egburuonu Obasi, from nominating their preferred choices for the post.
Same discordant voices have also linked the Thursday sparing of Sir John Pedro Irokansi, who has been a Permanent Secretary in the House of Assembly for close to 12 years to his action on the floor of the Abia State House of Assembly on the day of the inauguration of the Abia 8th Assembly wherein he deliberately pretended that he didn’t notice Hon. Akpulonu and Hon. Obasi, raise their hands and voices to make further nomination for position of Deputy Speaker of the House.
Again, sparing the Solicitor General of Abia State, Mrs. U.G Uche Ikonne, is also understandable to every sensible Abian. but still discordant voices have disagreed with the Governor, saying all should be served suspension notices, after all, they served under same PDP administration accused of reaping the state.
In as much as discordant voices are entitled to their opinions, what is important, is that the right thing is done towards reclaiming and restoring Abia. Restoration of Abia is of utmost importance.
It is therefore in the light of the above, that the incumbent Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, should not spare anyone in his plans to recover all property assets and liabilities mismanaged by previous administration. Oh yes, present administration should include PDP’s 24 year old rule in Abia all together, after all, during the campaigns, the backwardness of the State was attributed to PDP’s 24 year old rule in the State, so why narrowing down to only 8 years of Dr Okezie Ikpeazu’s administration?
It is pertinent, to holistically go down memory lane, unearth shady deals by previous administration if only the present administration will not be distracted in the course of the exercise and there should not be exceptions.
Abia State has all it takes to be great only if the present administration will fairly treat all. But if exceptions in certain decisions like that of suspension of Permanent Secretaries continue to be the order of the day, then, the much celebrated new Abia, may not last till the morning.
Izuchukwu Nwokoma is a Journalist and a Public Affairs Analyst
Tags: Abia Government, Gov Alex Otti