By Mike Ebonugwo

Although the administration of Governor Theodore Orji of Abia State is in its second term in office, the government has in recent time been displaying a sense of urgency, as if to make up for lost time, in providing the much talked-about democracy dividends to the people of the state.

While it has many completed projects to its credit and will readily flaunt same to back up its claim to having succeeded in meeting the expectations of the people,  there are presently several on-going major projects which ordinarily should have been in place long before now, at least years after the creation of the state. The projects are being speedily executed and most of them are due for completion this year or at least before the expiration of Governor Orji’s second term tenure.

These projects include the construction of an ultra-modern State secretariat reputed to be the first of its kind in the South East, a new High Court complex with six courts, a permanent head office for the Broadcasting Corporation of Abia State, a 3000 capacity international conference centre which will come with first class facilities as well as the renovation of the Customary Court of Appeal.

Work is said to have started on the three-building secretariat complex six months ago and the project is due for completion hopefully by December this year. According to state government officials, on completion, it is expected to accommodate all the ministries in the state with the structures housing the ministries presently converted into estates or other such accommodation.

In addition to building a new state secretariat, the government is also renovating the nearby Federal Government secretariat in order to upgrade it to meet envisaged standard for workers in the state.

But the timing of these projects has raised questions among observers. It is a question the State Commissioner for Information, Eze Chikamnayo readily provided an answer to. Speaking with Vanguard in Umuahia, he had this to say: “You have to understand that in Abia State, this administration is starting from the beginning because it did not inherit any foundation on which to build on.

“Whereas in our sister states and indeed other states in the country, the governors that came into office about the same time as Governor Orji had something to build on in terms of foundations laid by their predecessors, that sadly was not the case here. Instead what we inherited was crisis, what we inherited was bad politics that led to constant friction with the Federal Government and consequently deprived us of our entitlements.

“So, this governor is the father and founder of the new Abia State because he is laying a solid foundation for the state, a foundation his successor can conveniently build on. Not only is he trying to restore the years that the cankerworm has eaten, but he is building a solid foundation for tomorrow.

“If you move around Umuahia today, you’re not likely to see any storey building left by the previous administration; not one. But right now, we have not less than 70 public building projects going on at the same time. This is beside the roads we’re constructing across different parts of the state.  And these projects are being funded through prudence; good management of scarce resources”.

This is a position shared by a publisher and  former Information Commissioner in the State, Prince Emeka Obasi, who averred that development in the state was kept in abeyance until Governor Orji came into office, a situation which forced him to start from the basics in building befitting operational offices for the executive and legislative arms of government, civil servants and judiciary workers in the state.

Speaking on this situation, Governor Orji said he could not do much of what he is doing presently during his first term “because of circumstances which many of you know about”. He did not stop there. “But if you look back, you will realise the wonders that are happening in Abia State . I mean, I met no foundation here, I’m starting afresh.

“If I had a Government House I won’t be thinking of constructing another one. All my colleagues surrounding me have foundations laid for them. Rivers State , is he talking of building a Government House? No. Akwa Ibom, Imo have secretariats. So, you see, mine is just bare, nothing is there. And you can’t compare a person who is starting afresh with someone who has gone far,” he submitted.

But remarkably, the Governor claims that in spite of the enormous challenges confronting his administration, he has done very well in other areas of infrastructure development, especially in road construction and rehabilitation in Umuahia, Aba, Arochukwu, Isikwuato and indeed across the length and breadth of the state.

In fact, he was to confess that “why we are concentrating on roads is because our people are passionate about roads. To them, road is all and all, they used it to assess governments; if you are building roads, they say you are a performing governor, they don’t look at other sectors”.

Among the roads so rehabilitated are the Federal Government-owned Bende road, the Ama-Ogbenna-Okigwe road, the Osusu- Omuma road and the Amaeke road. Others included the World Bank-Agbama Road, the Umuafai-Lodu-Ahiaeke road, the Okwuta-Isieke and Okwoyi-Iyienyi roads as well as the Nkata-Alike Umukabia-Ohuhu road.

Equally rehabilitated by the state government was the Aba-Owerri road which was complemented with the construction of a pedestrian bridge opposite the Abia State Polytechnic Aba to forestall accidents involving students of the school and other road users.