Abia is poor but prudent, says Ndukwe

The administration of Governor Theodore Orji of Abia State has been under fire for embarking on elephant projects in the midst of scarce resources. But the governor’s Chief of Staff, Mr. Cosmos Ndukwe, debunks the claim that the state government is recklessness with its finances. He also spoke to GORDI UDEAJAH in Umuahia on other issues in the state polity. 

THE time lag in reconstituting the State Executive Council that Governor Orji disbanded some months ago is raising concerns in many quarters. When will this exercise be done?
  The appointment of members of the cabinet is at the discretion of the governor. Despite the delay, the governor appreciates the fact that nature abhors a vacuum.

  As it is, permanent secretaries, who are seasoned administrators, are manning the various ministries. I am sure that very soon, the governor will announce other members of the new cabinet.
  At the moment, there is no need for people to be wary or express concerns because the governor is doing well to fashion out a team that would be formidable and capable of implementing the people-oriented programmes he has for the state.

  The governor had said many times that he would put together the very best to do justice to a comprehensive programme of action that would make Abia the envy of other states.

Excerpts:

If you assess the mid-term performance of the government, do you think it is in a position to fulfill its promises before 2015?

  So far, there is no reason to imagine that this government will not deliver on its promises. Previous governments may have dwelt on performing on the front pages of newspapers but the incumbent government is doing its best to lift the people from life of penury and hardship.
  Today, there is provision of primary health care across all the communities and access roads to ease transportation in the rural areas of Abia. There is an amazing balance in the provision of amenities and infrastructure in the state.

  The governor’s foundational projects are elating. From the health sector to education, agriculture, roads, environment, rural and urban development, T.A Orji is leaving indelible footprints. The investment in agriculture is capable of making Abia the new food basket of the nation.
  By 2015, he would be delivering a state with a strong foundation for development to his successor. The next dispensation would be concerned with consolidating on what is already on ground.

Ahead of the 2015 elections, would you vouch that the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would retain Abia State, especially in the face of the crises ravaging the party?

  The PDP is on top of all political activities in the country and challenges are ingredients of a rewarding struggle. What people are seeing as crises would turn around to the advantage of the party.
  The party has overcome more testing situations and came out stronger. Whatever the present situation is will surely come to pass. Any one who dares can only write off the ruling party at his own peril; the PDP will come out stronger, better and more focused.

  I wonder which party will take over from the PDP in Abia; there is none. No party is strong enough to present a challenge in 2015. The party has the performance of Governor T.A Orji as testimony to ward off any challenge.
  The opposition can thrive where there are verifiable cases of maladministration or poor performance. Orji is leaving behind very big shoes for the next dispensation.

What is your understanding of the face-off between Governor Orji and his predecessor, Chief Orji Uzor Kalu?

  The incumbent governor is focusing on his responsibility of delivering democracy dividends to the people of Abia. The former governor’s antics are known. Recently in an interview, he noted that his aides could reply Orji and that he would wait till 2015 before talking to T.A Orji. But why wait till 2015?

  It is sad that one could set out to play God even when we know that all powers come from the Almighty God. I expect Kalu to take a cue from other former governors in respect of their relationship with their successors.

  It is important to remind him that repeatedly, he is undermining the power of the people and he is at cross-purposes with the tenets of true democracy. He takes pleasure in castigating his successor while he pretends not to be doing so. His so-called aides inundate us with tantrums in reports in newspapers and online publications.

  Whereas Kalu wants to wait till 2015 before he could give whatever reply, it will help him to know the limit he could go in ascribing wrong cause to effect. It is important we remind him that Abia has since moved forward since he left office and the incumbent governor is concentrating on cleaning up the Augean stable he met.
  When one talks too much, one depletes whatever respect left for one. Every Igboman knows the implication of abusing elders, more so those in positions of authority.

Is there any move to call a truce?

  I do not know what you mean by truce. T.A Orji is the governor and has a responsibility to cater for the needs of every citizen of the state. He is not at war with anybody and would not think of a truce as it is.

  May be those who imagine a war with him would do posterity a lot of good by telling us what caused the feud.

There have been talks that the probe panels set up by the government are programmed to witch hunt certain people, isn’t so?

  Such fears would never undermine the truth. Abia is doing everything to strengthen development and that includes but not limited to taking stock of what transpired in the past, to forestall future occurrence where negatives are discovered. It would also prompt sustaining those activities that were worthwhile.

  If by looking into what transpired in various sectors of the state socio-economic activities, between 1999 and 2012, is what somebody calls witch-hunting, then I wish the person luck. The probe panels are legally constituted and peopled by men of proven integrity.

The state claims that it has inadequate or poor resources and yet, it embarks on multi-billion naira projects. Where do these funds come from?

  The administration pursues sound fiscal discipline. Regulatory agencies and ministries did confirm this in their reports. States cannot borrow without these agencies knowing. So, it is easy to confirm the state claim that it has not borrowed.
  The government prudently manages whatever accrues to the state. To that extent, only those projects that are critically useful to the development have been embarked upon. The multi-billion naira projects were made possible through consistent and painstaking investment in strings of millions monthly.

What would you say about complaints by companies of multiple levies and taxations on them?

  The state government has long streamlined the collection of taxes and levies to bring sanity and save the citizens from dubious agents and by extension increase the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR). Any company that complains of multiple-taxation is either not used to paying taxes and levies or is a victim of some kind of fake tax collectors is spreading falsehood.
Government made things easy by insisting that all levies and taxes are paid into designated IGR accounts. Those we are going to take serious are those who could provide evidence of multiple taxations paid into the government IGR accounts.
  We have intensified efforts to fish out fraudsters, who masquerade as government agents. Unfortunately, this campaign has suffered setbacks, as most of the citizens, including some corporate organisations, have this penchant for evading taxes and easily fall victims of those fraudsters.

As the chairman of the Ghost Workers Identification Committee, how far has it gone with its assignment?

  That exercise was really for the physical verification of local council workers and the review of the biometric data collection technique. It has been concluded and the report submitted.
 The committee had the primary objective of identifying those who were actually genuine council workers. At the end of the exercise, we discovered that about 2,000 of such persons were simply receiving salaries for not working.

  We also looked at the challenges of the biometric data collection technique and found that those who complained were not ready to work.
  The exercise yielded positive results because apart from stoppage of the payment of the salaries of ghost workers, far-reaching recommendations were suggested, including but not limited to disciplinary measures against treasurers who delay the submission of payment certificates to strengthen the councils.

Is the idea of presenting free vehicles to the unemployed in the name of youth employment scheme a well-thought out policy?

  The government is conscious of the dangers in obliging any person a free lunch. But on this score, it is adopting a different strategy.
  We know that often, people do not value free items. Before giving out the vehicles, the government conducted a thorough screening to ensure that those who got the vehicles were those who could not satisfy the stringent conditions of a hire purchase and who were facing a bleak future. 
  We have an understanding with the beneficiaries to empower others in turn. This is already yielding fruits, as some beneficiaries have engaged the services of others.

We did not want a programme where established transport owners would buy off the vehicles with the intention of making profit; this will defeat the aim of the scheme. The aim was for the vehicles to get to those who were targeted, to serve the purpose of job creation with all the multiplier effects.