UNLIKE what were contained in the article written by Odimegwu Onwumere titled ‘Why T.A Orji will not thank God’ which was published on Page 18 of The Sun newspaper of August 6, 2012, I strongly believe that Governor Orji, his family and the people of Abia State have every reason to be always thankful to God for His infinite mercy, protection and guidance, especially with their liberation from the clutches of political godfatherism.

This is because while the political godmother and her godsons held sway, the state suffered from lack of progress or development.

Naturally, it is expected that with the present development, not everybody will be happy with Governor Orji, his family and the people of the state, especially those who lost out in the power equation with their allies. This is because their access to the State’s treasury has since been blocked by Governor Orji for the good and development of the state.

This is why their language and feelings are now expressed through anger, frustration, hatred and puerile criticisms against the government and people of the state. But the beauty of it is that they are few and therefore in the minority.

And in democracy, the minority will have their say and the majority will have their way. This frustration was obvious in Onwumere’s illogical and unfounded tantrums embedded in his article against Governor Orji, his government and son which was published in his paymaster’s newspaper.

It is common knkowledge that the monthly allocation from Federation Account to states across the country with the attendant deductions is now published in newspapers. That of Abia has always been within the range N3.5 billion, depending on the deductions, while the Internally Generated Revenue, IGR, of the state hovers around N200 million to N250 million  monthly. With the new minimum wage of N21,000, workers salaries and allowances gulp roughly N2.5 billion monthly.

These are verifiable facts the armchair critics, including Onwumere and his paymaster, cannot dispute or disprove with contrary evidence. Inspite of this, Governor Orji has been able to execute major developmental projects such as the Amokwe Housing Estate, International Conference Centre, the Workers Secretariat, among several ongoing projects across the state.

The issue of lean resources is common among  states across the country, especially with the current deductions by the Federal Government to settle fuel subsidy payment which has prompted the Nigerian Governors Forum, NGF, to threaten to drag the Federal Government to court.

Even the super rich oil states, of which Abia is not among, are complaining of lean resources due to the shortfall from the Federation Allocation. But in the face of all the obvious challenges, Governor Orji has refused to borrow to run the affairs of the State; rather, he has prudently managed the resources available to him in developing the state at a fast pace.

Constitutionally, there is no limitation on the number of political aides to be appointed by a Governor or President. It all depends on the wisdom of the Governor, resources at his disposal, coupled with the qualities of the aides who will help him in getting good results.

The number of aides appointed by Governor Orji so far pales in comparison to the 2000 aides appointed by Governor Mallam Isa Yuguda of Bauchi State which he recently sacked. Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State on assumption office appointed 79 aides and when he was asked why he appointed them, his response was that they would help him to generate fund to run the state. I don’t know how far they have generated the fund.

Also, Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State recently appointed 50 political aides; this is apart from the Commissioners. Nyako described the appointment as a means of creating employment for the appointees. Can Onwumere tell Nigerians how many political aides were appointed by his principal when he was Governor of Abia State?

The one billion Naira agriculture loan scheme from the Federal Ministry of Agriculture for farmers in the state is a reality and is being released in phases to genuine farmers in the state just like other states across the country. Presently, nine council areas are assessing the loan.

These are facts Onwumere should try to verify before making petty and unwarranted allegations to the state government out of political malice and hatred.

The state government has not diverted it; rather, it is  trying to ensure that genuine farmers benefitted from it as Federal Ministry of Agriculture releases them.

Mr.  SOMTOCHI AWALA, a lawyer, wrote from Jabi, FCT Abuja.