By Steve Oko

Two time Minister for Education and Health, Professor Ihechukwu Madubuike, has tasked the Abia Governor -elect, Dr Alex Otti, on some drastic measures he must take to rebuild Abia from the ruins of bad leadership.

The elder statesman in an exclusive interview with Vanguard, said that ” Abia needs a brand new change”, and charged Otti to be prepared to do things differently.

Professor Madubuike who served as Commissioner for Finance in the Old Imo State under the late De Sam Mbakwe, regretted that successive administrations in the state, had destroyed the gains of Mbakwe’s exemplary administration.

” I told Otti to begin with a mindset of a new change. Abia needs a brand new change.

” Let him take into cognisance, failures of the past leaders. They have destroyed all the achievements of our administration under Sam Mbakwe where I served as Finance Commissioner.

” Everything that we did at the time has been submerged by incompetence and carelessness.”

The former Minister suggested to the Governor-elect to engage some of the reputable grade one construction firms which built some of the roads in Aba during the Mbakwe era.

This, according to him, will guarantee the durability of road infrastructure under the incoming administration.

“The roads have to be rehabilitated if we are serious. I told previous administrations that I knew the construction firms that built those durable roads. They should be brought back to help fix roads in Abia.”

Professor Madubuike also advocated industrial revolution and revival of moribund companies in the state to help create job for the teeming youths.

” He should rehabilitate the industries like the Aba Glass Industry, Modern Ceramics Umuahia, the power stations that we built, etc, to help tackle unemployment.

“If the moribund industries are rehabilitated, crime rate will go down. The level of brigandary, unemployment and insecurity will drastically go down.

” We expect the in-coming ‘Obident’ Government in Abia State to give us a new Abia we can be proud of, and that will be a referral to the rest of the states”.

Professor Madubuike who pledged support for the Governor-elect said technocrats and distinguished Abians home and in the diaspora, were committed to the success of the in-coming administration for the good of all.