By Anayo Okoli

UMUAHIA—TWENTY THREE years after its creation, Governor Theodore Orji yesterday said that Abia State remained a major work in progress in terms of development.
According to him, there are still enormous work to be done and many new hurdles to cross in the concerted effort to develop the state.

Orji, in a 15-minute radio and television broadcast to mark the weeklong celebration of Abia’s 23rd anniversary, said, however, that his administration had succeeded in laying a solid foundation for the development of the state.
He said: “We have certainly tackled the hard task of laying the foundation for the sustainable development of Abia State, through our legacy projects that address the myriads of problems that confront our state.

“We have successfully advanced the building and strengthening of the various institutions that support statehood and created a viable democracy in our state, and these are visible in our many completed legacy projects and other works in progress.”
Reminding whoever would succeed him that there was still a lot to do, the governor urged him not to be intimidated with the challenges he might meet on ground whenever the new administration came into place.

“Our Administration was not deterred by the challenges we faced and what we inherited, instead we sought every opportunity to overcome our challenges and have created enduring legacies that we will be remembered for.
“This is the challenge of leadership which future Administrations of Abia State and our citizens need to embrace.”