Abia at 31: Don’t truncate existing peace in Abia, Ikpeazu cautions politicians

From BONIFACE OKORO, Umuahia

Abia State governor, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu, has cautioned politicians in the state against truncating the relative peace exisiting in the state in the course of their electioneering for 2023.

This, according to Ikpeazu , was because “the value of peace is unquantifiable,” emphasising that nobody’s ambition was worth the disruption of the peace of the state; as he listed peace as one the enduring achievements of his administration.

The Governor, who gave the warning in a special early morning state-wide broadcast on Saturday, August 31, 2022, as part of the activities marking the 31st anniversary of the creation of Abia State, further warned that anyone who indulges in any act that would threaten the peace and harmony in the state would be decisively dealt with.

“Beloved Abians, while I am excited about the works we have done in the infrastructural sector, what I would consider to be our most enduring achievement in the course of our administration would be the enduring atmosphere of peace and harmony we have entrenched in the state since we came on board.

“Our administration has ensured that even at great provocation and unwarranted poking, we have remained calm and promoted peace and mutual coexistence among socio-political tendencies within the state.

“There can never be meaningful development in an atmosphere of rancour and strife. I have managed to remain at peace with every strata of tendencies in the State. We do not have quarrels with predecessors in Abia State.

We do not have Executive-Legislative cold war or rancour amongst arms of Government or across political divides. We do not have Abuja factions sabotaging Government efforts and internal party divides. We even work harmoniously with Abians holding Federal Appointments despite belonging to different political parties,” Ikpeazu said.

Continuing, the Governor said despite provocations arising from succession politics going in the state, government has managed to maintain peace.

“Even in the thick of succession electioneering which we are now, we have managed to maintain peace and harmony in Abia State. Not for lack of provocation, but because we understand that the value of peace is unquantifiable. We will continue to work to maintain the peace in our state until the end of our tenure,” he assured.

However, he said government would not hesitate to whip into the line, any fugitive stoking tension capable of disrupting the peace in the state., warning that government’s tolerance “should not be misinterpreted or misconstrued for weakness or laxity; but simply a disposition for the larger good of the state.”

Noting that a lot was at stake as this would be the last Abia creation celebration he would preside over as Governor, Ikpeazu said: “Any attempt to test the will of this administration and disrupt the peace in this state will be met with decisive force. The peace and harmony of this state is paramount to us and we will ensure its preservation,” he said, urging politicians to play the game by the rules.

“My Beloved Abians, it is on this basis that I call on you to ensure that even as we all participate in the ongoing electioneering process, we remember that we have no other place to call home than Abia State. We will not set our own home ablaze to spite our brethren. I therefore call on all political actors to have this at the back of their mind as they go about their political activities. Nobody’s ambition is worth the disruption of the peace of Abia State and we will work with security agencies to enforce that.”

He, therefore, warned all politicians to remain peaceful in their engagements. “Once again, I caution that all political activities should be carried out in an atmosphere of peace and unity and with respect to the tranquility and cohesion of the state. Security agencies have been put on high alert to ensure that no individual or group threatens or jeopardizes the peace and unity of this state in the name of politicking and electioneering.”

He also enjoined Abians “to come out en-masse and participate in the electioneering process next year at all levels,” adding that “the citizen still remains the strongest link in the chain of leadership enthronement and I urge you to judiciously exercise your civic responsibilities.”

According the governor, his administration has completed 150 roads in the last seven years and was currently working on another 48 roads which he vowed to complete before leaving office.

In the area of education, he said his administration has built over 600 new classroom blocks across the state with four model schools and three federal colleges, adding that primary school enrolment-figures  in the state have jumped from an initial 150,000 in 2015 to about 700,000 today.

“We have remained on the list of top performance in WAEC Exams in the country and we are currently Number Two on the list of states with the least number of out-of-school children in the country,” he stressed.

In the Health sector, Ikpeazu singled out the recently commissioned Anne-Marie Jackson Children’s Specialist Hospital in Umuahia, fully equipped with modern medical equipment, is of international standard which he described as “a novel project in the South East region,” as one his administration’s achievements.

He also disclosed that an ultra modern 150-bed Hospital with kidney and heart specialist center was being constructed at the old site of the Aba General Hospital while an ultra-modern Diagnostic Laboratory for Abia North located at Isuikwuato General Hospital would soon be inaugurated. 

According to the Governor, his administration has laid a solid foundation for the state upon which successive administrations would build.

“Today, we have in place, a long-term development plan, a futuristic document which outlines clearly our development pathway for the next 30 years. We, working together with UN-HABITAT, now have a standard and workable masterplan for Aba, Umuahia and Ohafia. We also have an industrial policy which we worked with UNIDO to produce for our state.

“These policy documents were not there before now. Undoubtedly, these will impact positively on our system of governance. When we add these to the massive investment we have made in the area of capacity building for young Abians, development of shoe and garment factories, raining of our shoemakers in China  and scholarship for our students enabling them to study abroad,” Ikpeazu said, it would be clear to all that his government has been building Abia of the future.

The Governor acknowledged some of the challenges his administration has encountered which include security and “management of our payroll, wage-bill, pensions and other emoluments.”

Promising to do his best to overcome these challenges, the Governor said “I would like to assure Ndi Abia and all those affected by these challenges that we are working with all concerned to resolve the associated issues expeditiously. I continue to implore the support and corporation of all stakeholders involved going forward.

“We have been together on this journey for the last seven years and counting. We have weathered storms and celebrated triumphs. One thing I am not in doubt of is the fact that we have taken Abia State further than we met it seven years ago,’ he asserted.

Ikpeazu paid special tribute to all founding fathers, both those departed and still living, and as well paid special homage to the Abia State Advisory Council for their tireless efforts in guiding his government on the path of sustainable development and reminding it of the ethos upon which the state was founded.

“I rededicate my abiding commitment to serving Abia State to the best of my God-given ability. I count it a privilege to have been chosen out of over five million Abians to Govern this state. This has been the honour of my life and I will never stop expressing my sincere gratitude and appreciation to Ndi Abia,” Ikpeazu said, while appealing to Abians no to relent in upholding those in authority in their prayers.