VICISSITUDES OF ORJI UZOR KALU AND HIS ENDLESS LAMENTATION

In the course of my interaction with persons from different walks of life, I have come to conclude that one of the major flaws of man is his failure to realize that there is God and that it is only God that knows not only tomorrow but the future, which includes even the next second, in man’s existence. The man that knows not God inwardly is a fool and, therefore, lives in a fool’s paradise.

It is purely by the grace of God that a child from a very wretched family background could attain the envious status of the ‘rich’, including educational, social, political and economic attainments. The Almighty God is always benevolent and merciful, especially to those that believe He exists, have faith in Him, respect Him and love their fellow human-beings.

Any man that appreciates that omnipresence, omniscience and omnipotence are incontrovertible qualities of God would, in the first instance, accept that life, in itself, is transient and that no condition can ever be permanent. Equipped with this fundamental religious background, any one that attains whatever position in life would be guided by the knowledge that such a position in life is bound to be ephemeral and that the only way he could be honoured by time is by using the position to impact positively on humanity.

But contrary to the above expectation, man on attainment of certain positions of influence in the society especially in control and management of political power, exudes arbitrariness, wickedness, discrimination, segregation, inequity, greed, kleptomania and every other trait of inhumanity. Man becomes excessively possessed by the extra-ordinary urge to become extremely materialistic and possessive. He then forgets that life is just transient and that any attainment or possession is equally temporary. In fact, the wealthier and more influential man becomes, as long as he does not know God, the more ungodly and ruthless does he become. In extreme cases, man starts to play god, having jettisoned the fact that God picked him from grass and mercifully catapulted him to grace. When the extremity of man that knows not God gets to the level as mentioned above, God manifests Himself as the jealous God and what follows is vicissitude.

For any body that knows the pedigree of the immediate past governor of Abia State; Chief Orji Uzor Kalu, his growth to power was an example of ‘grass to grace and...? For a young man whose paternity was shrouded in controversy and whose mother had to depend, in the main, on meagre income from her on-the-table wares of local gin; popularly known as Kaikai, Ogogoro, Ekpeteshi or Akpuruachia, kola-nuts, bitter kola and snuff at the bank of Aba waterside to have grown to become the governor of his state, shows that there is nothing God can not do for His creature.

Orji Uzor Kalu went through very excruciating experience in his adolescence, passing through the hills and valleys of abject poverty. Despite his very poor upbringing, Orji Kalu ended up becoming the governor of Abia State in 1999. As was captured in my preamble, some persons like playing god not quite long after fortune has smiled on them.

Quickly on assumption as governor of Abia State, Orji Kalu unveiled his agenda, which, notably but regrettably, was woven around vindictiveness and vendetta. He had deep animosity for the traditional institution and in order to announce his arrival he had to rubbish the institution by splitting the autonomous communities in the state in such a way that each kitchen could become autonomous.

As a school dropout, Orji Uzor Kalu, whose real surname is Nsiegbe but in order to deceive the unsuspecting public to believe that he is a child of the wealthy Nnanna Kalu of Abiriba, may his soul rest in peace, changed his family name to Kalu, hates the elites. Therefore, as governor, one of his principal pre-occupations was to torment and ridicule the elites of the state. In this way, he appointed his Commissioners and Special Advisers and fired them disgracefully not more than six months after their appointment. The most disheartening was not that they served only six months but that they had their appointments terminated either at Sam Mbakwe Air-Port, Owerre or the Port Harcourt International Air-Port as he was traveling out of the state. Some political appointees that served under Orji Uzor Kalu ended up developing high blood pressure as a good number of them did not know if they would be allowed to stay upto such a time when they would be able to clear the loan they obtained to pay to Orji Uzor Kalu through his mother; Eunice Nmecha Nsiegbe, for their appointment.

Orji Uzor Kalu has pathological hatred for the hard working people of Abiriba. His only grouse against the people of Abiriba; a people that stand tall among not only the Igbo but Nigeria as a whole for their extra-ordinary ingenuity and enterprise, is because Abiriba people had declared him a persona-non-gratta as he was busy dropping the name of Chief Nnanna Kalu as his father and using same to defraud unsuspecting members of the public. When he became governor, he concluded it was an opportunity to take his pound of fresh from the Abiriba community. Abiriba people are homogeneous. They have a common ancestry and had been ruled via a time-honoured dynasty; The Enachoke. In his bid to cause confusion where there should be none, Orji Uzor split the Abiriba community just to truncate the unity the people had enjoyed for centuries. This unwarranted confusion led to the loss of many lives. Thank God, with his exit as governor and eventual liberation of Abia State from his evil rule, the good people of Abiriba are once again unified and united. They may not stop expressing their gratitude to the government of Sir T.A. Orji.

I have said it severally that Orji Uzor Kalu; Nsiegbe in truth, was and remains a huge bundle of deceit. As governor, he would stop at nothing to deceive the people of Abia state. The roads he constantly claimed or claims to have built were the first set of roads to be described as Dubai or Taiwan roads in the lexicon of civil engineering in Nigeria. Orji Nsiegbe was the only governor in Nigeria who brought three different personalities to commission a particular road at three different times. The Obohia Dubai road which he claimed to have reconstructed was at different times commissioned by the then President Obasanjo, Vice-President Atiku and President of the Senate; Dr. Chuba Okadigbo. That road that gulped huge amount of money did not last more than six months before it was washed away.

Orji Uzor Nsiegbe was born and bred in Aba. He, however, has irreconcilable hatred and antagonism for the people of the Old Aba Division. As governor, he had boasted that the people of Aba zone would remain marginalized in the state for at least, twenty-four years. He arrogated to himself the powers of God. He had no programme for Aba just like he added no value to the state capital of Umuahia.

Even after leaving office after eight years as governor, Orji Uzor asserted his greed on the state for more than three years, collecting more than one hundred million naira every month. Yet in his deceitful kleptomaniac’s style, he would swear, without anybody asking him, that he was not collecting any money from Governor T.A. Orji. While Orji Uzor Nsiegbe was busy playing god, he did not know he was only living in fool’s paradise. Today, God has shown him that He is a jealous God. Orji Uzor Nsiegbe is now treated like an incurable leper. The Presidential Palace he built at Igbere, using Abia State money while the state government was squatting in a rented apartment, hardly witnesses the presence of any dignified indigene of Abia State. So the aim of diverting state fund to building a personal Presidential Palace in his village has been defeated. Orji Uzor Nsiegbe does not come into the state in the day time any more as he avoids being booed at by Abians. Orji Uzor Nsiegbe has been deserted by his former supporters whom he relentlessly deceived and exploited and he is now left alone in his moribund political party; Progressive People’s Alliance. Orji Uzor Nsiegbe’s fortune has nose-dived. He has abysmally failed elections twice in the recent past; (1) Presidential Election in 2007 under his P.P.A. and (2) Senatorial Election in 2011 on the same P.P.A. His brother; Nnanna, whom he had imposed on the people of Aba–North/Aba–South Federal Constituency for eight years in the House of Representatives and who never raised his hand on the floor of the House, not to talk of opening his month to make any contribution, equally failed election in 2011. As a leper, no Abian wants to interact with Orji Uzor Nsiegbe hence the leadership of People’s Democratic Party even in his Igbere ward has rejected his overtures to return to the Party. Orji Uzor Nsiegbe has made himself an abandoned property as another senatorial electoral mishap awaits him in 2015. These are only some of the vicissitudes of Orji Uzor Kalu nay Nsiegbe. Orji Uzor has had his cake and can not eat it. He should stop lamenting.

Chief (Sir) Don Ubani; ksc, JP
(Okwubunka of Asa)
Umuiku-Isi-Asa
Ukwa –West L.G.A

Abia: The Wolves in Sheep’s Skin

By Hilda Ifeoma Ifegwu

The classical case of betrayal chronicled in the bible in the case of Jesus Christ and Judas litter the synoptic gospels of Luke, Mark and Matthew. It equally did not escape the profuse writings of king David, the psalmist in Psalm Chapter 41, verse 9, where he said: ‘even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.’ William Shakespeare upped the tempo when he wrote Julius Caesar and portrayed Marcus Brutus as worst of all traitors and the expression, Et Tu Brute, [even you Brutus], is still in use till today and still playing out in many places on daily basis and at all levels of government, more critical in politics and business.

Such would not have been expected since Abia State has come out of the political woods, surviving political calumny, liberating the state from a stranglehold of a family oligarchy, overwhelming one of the most harrowing cases of kidnapping and armed robbery in the history of Nigeria.

Surprisingly and probably because of the insatiability of man, people keep working at counter points instead of supporting the government to improve their lots.

Well, the consolation is that in most cases of betrayal and sabotage, it has not been easy for the perpetrators of such magnitude of sabotage. Judas is still suffering till today as he is always in use as a very good example of betrayers. For instance, the names of the apostles are everyday in use with millions of namesakes, but I am yet to meet someone who answers Judas boldly. Even among our 36 governors, there are potent namesakes associated with early apostolic work- Emmanuel and Peter,for Delta and Anambra States respectively.

Chief T. A. Orji, Ochendo, in verifiable terms has turned Abia around with policy and tangible projects. More so on security and unity. It is no more news that Abia was fractious between 2007and 2009 but the governor began a re-engineering that brought Abia to a rock stabled place that has become an exemplar in case studies and reference point at home and abroad. If you can’t believe me at least you can take the words of Chief Onyema Ugochukwu, former and pioneer chairman of NDDC, PDP flag-bearer in 2007, who said in a newspaper interview that: ’Abia State PDP has never been more united than it is now. It has also never been more peaceful than it is now. And a lot of that credit goes to the governor, Chief T A Orji, who has done so well in bringing Abians together.’
Added to this testimony are the trend of firsts like the International Conference Centre, the new workers secretariat, new markets, advanced health delivery, the complexes in the courts, ASEPA, ASUBEB, JAAC houses and the new Government House. Exciting as they are to all lovers of development, not ignoring all these milestones of peace, security and policy initiatives, the monkey wrench is being so recklessly cast at work with high intent to sabotage the monumental ambience of harmony and stability in Abia.

These unyielding efforts are known, the sources of such distasteful services have been identified, especially those who lost position and have refused to be comforted but the funny and worrisome issues are those of insiders presently pretending to be with the present administration. They fund pseudo writers in the print world, energize hackers and blackmailers in the social media. Simply put, they hunt with the hounds and run with the hares. They are now warned as their nefarious activities are no more secret. It may be more honourable to quit rather than remain pretending. On a graver note, let them study the cases of Judas, Brutus in Julius Caesar and Dona Marina, a woman who betrayed her people to foreigners. In the wise words of Shakespeare: ‘How sharper than a serpent’s tooth it is to have a thankless child.

Abia State monthly IGR shores up to N500m

The Abia Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Chief Eze Chikamnayo, has said the state’s monthly Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) had increased to N500 million.
Chikamnayo said this while briefing newsmen in Umuahia on the outcome of the state Executive Council (EXCO) meeting on Wednesday.

He said that before now, the state’s IGR was between N150 million and N200 million monthly.
The commissioner attributed the increase to efforts of the government to ‘’plug all the loopholes in the revenue collection process.

He said that on account of the improved finances of the state, the government decided to recall the non indigenes who were sacked from the state civil service in 2011.
Chikamnayo said that at least 2,500 disengaged workers had so far been recalled.
He attributed the sack of the non-Abia workers to the dwindling revenue of the state government occasioned by the minimum wage policy.

The commissioner also said that plans were underway to establish pilot grazing fields in the three senatorial districts of the state.

He said that the measure was designed to check alleged menace of herdsmen and incessant crisis between some Abia communities and the herdsmen.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that some communities in the state, had at different times in the past, accused the herdsmen of destroying their farmlands while grazing.
Chikamnayo also said that EXCO resolved to establish more Liberation Farms in the agrarian communities in the state as part of the initiatives to boost food production in the area.
He said that the state government’s youth empowerment programme would also be rotated among the 17 local government areas in the state.

The commissioner said that the EXCO commended the complementary role of law makers at the state and National Assembly for the introduction of empowerment programmes in their constituents.
He said that the programme had not only created employment for the teeming unemployed youths, but also created employers of labour in the state.
Chikamnayo expressed delight that the proposed seaport in the state had received the approval of the appropriate government agencies.

He said that most of the projects, initiated by the current, administration would be completed and inaugurated this year. (NAN)

A Microcosm of Abia's Political and Developmental Macrocosm

By Ekekwe Egu
LET me confess that my choice of title for this piece, which in any case is my first in a long while, sounds weird. Having opted for a political and activity hibernation of sort, in the past few years, not a few would have expected me to debut from my self-imposed holiday, smoking with rage, and breathing furiously, vintage OTJ. But time and tide have changed with so many factors contributing to my simmering rather than combative approach in writing. I shall return to that later.

Secondly as one who even as an under-aged, cut his political teeth during the Second Republic, when such colourful politicians as Dr. K. O. Mbadiwe, Dim Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, Dr. M. I. Okpara and Chief Collins Obih (all of blessed memory), held sway in the old Imo and Anambra states, now South East geo-political zone, I underwent tutelage of sort under this great wordsmiths; men who elevated intellectual and factual politicking, laced with flowery clichés and euphemisms, that added so much colour and humor to our socio-political environment and lexicon.

In line with the above, Ochendolopment, my crazy manipulation, was coined to describe my assessment of the infrastructural and developmental progressions, given obvious economic constraints in Abia State. It is a critical evaluation of the application of the available limited funds and rates of success achieved, within a given time frame. In this piece, I will attempt an insight into the actual rate of development in Abia within this second and last segment (2011 to date), of the present Abia Government. I have also elected to ignore the period 2007-2011, variously described and rightly so, as the years of the locust. In so doing, one will draw inferences from and make comparative analysis of the earnings accruing to some of our neighboring states, alongside Abia. I shall also base my assessment on four major sectors viz: General Infrastructural Developments, Power Generation and Security.

One person whose courage I admire a lot, Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State, cried out recently that only N14billion out of about N21billion accruing to his State, has been released for the month of July. Since that assertion remained un-replied even from the appropriate quarters, it stands therefore to reason that our dear Oluwarotimi was right that his State allocation for July was about N21billion. Within this period, the total that aggregated to Abia was about N4 billion. Succinctly put, the ratio between Abia and Rivers allocation is 1:5.

We have it on good authority that Akwa Ibom State earns much higher than its Rivers counterpart. It therefore stands to reason that the developmental efforts in these two states that share common boundary with Abia, cannot be compared with the latter, given their accrued earnings overtime. Howbeit, like the saying in Igboland goes, Ana eji isii ahu amata uto nshi: (translated: You can deduce the real taste of faeces from the foul smell of a fart).

The Bible equally place faithfulness in little assignment as a sign of what one can do with bigger assignment, if and when such is given. With the much the Governor has achieved with the little resources available to him, it stand to reason that if he receives half of what is accruable to Akwa Ibom, he will perform more. Whilst not stating that Abia is today an Eldorado, as that will be unnecessarily sycophantic, but it smacks of bad faith to ascribe nothing positive to the present government, especially in the area of provision of lasting and durable infrastructures.

Umuahia Capital and the indeed the State have of recent witnessed an upswing in infrastructures, viz: The Construction of a new Government House, a new Deputy Governors Lodge, International Conference Centre , new Secretariat Complex and remodeling of the old ones, several housing estates, the Ubani Umuahia Modern Market which is 95% completed, Judiciary and New High Court Complex at both Umuahia and Aba, ASEPA New Headquarters, the Umuahia Specialist Hospital and Dialysis Centre, the reconstruction of Amachara Specialist Hospital, several urban and rural roads at the three senatorial zones of the state amongst others.

One might argue that these are basic infrastructural edifices needed for the take off of the State, but these had been lacking in the past 22 years. With a few exceptions, all other successive governments, to say the least, have been retarding development of the State.
When early last year, I wrote commending the Orji -led Government for a breakthrough checkmating the perennial power supply in the state, not a few arm-chair critics attacked me, both on phone and on the social media.
Few months after, all these areas, including my Item, Bende Local Government Area homeland were re-connected to the national grid. Abians and Nigerians can indeed attest to the fact of the further success recorded in this sector, and equally on the aptness of my prediction. When truth is self evident and facts are so glaring, one need not adumbrate. It is only a matter of weeks that the Aba project under Geometrix will be commissioned. That way the light condition in Aba, and the entire Abia will be fully restored. Yes, it can only get better and better.

Insecurity has posed the greatest challenge in the country. In recent time, the menaces of kidnappers and Boko Haram have assumed an alarming proportion. Abia was a notorious case in point. Kidnappers under the inglorious leadership of the notorious Osisikankwu, had a field day taking people hostage for ransoms. Sometimes people were killed even after huge ransoms were paid.

It reached a climax with the abduction of the kind-hearted medical and legendary generous doctor of Victory Christian Hospital, Aba, who was kidnapped and brutally murdered somewhere in Isiala Ngwa, even after huge sums of money were reportedly paid as ransom. The outrage that greeted his murder was unprecedented. It was obvious that something needed to happen.

The synergy between the Abia Governmant and the Security High Chiefs, notably the Chief of army Staff, led to the arrest and killing of the murderous OSISIKANKWU gang, and the dispersal of the few remaining ones. Abia State citizens now live in peace amongst themselves. It was in recognition of these and the above, that Governor Theodore Orji, received an International Award in October 2012, for ensuring Adequate Security in Abia.

The most unfortunate aspect of it all was that Abia was a state that produced three high level security personnel, in the Army and the Police Force. Lt General Azubuike Ihejirika, the Chief of Army Staff, Ivy Okoronkwo, the then Deputy Inspector General of Police and politically Second In Command, while Azubuko Joel Udah, the then Deputy Inspector General of Police, in Charge of Administration and Operationally Number Two, were all from Abia State. Was it a failure on their part or was it a lack of idea on how to solve the perennial Abia Security Challenge.

Given that the DIG Udah, (now retired), as the Head of the Police Zones 5 and 6, was widely believed to be behind the blueprint of the Amnesty Programme in the Niger Delta region, it was almost impossible to toe that line of thought. It took the political will and sagacity of the Ochendo led Government in Abia, coupled with the tenacity and the determination of the Security High Chiefs of Abia state extraction, to proactively restore sanity and security in Abia State.

The synergy between the Abia Governmant and the Security High Chiefs, notably the Chief of army Staff, led to the arrest and killing of the murderous OSISIKANKWU gang, and the dispersal of the few remaining ones. Abia State citizens now live in peace amongst themselves. It was in recognition of these and the above, that Governor Theodore Orji, received an International Award in October 2012, for ensuring Adequate Security in Abia.

Ekekwe Egu, a public affairs commentator sent in this piece from Abuja.

SOURCE: VANGUARD

ABIA THINK TANK MEET WITH GOV. T.A ORJI

Abia state governor, chief TA Orji says he has provided a conducive environment for investment in the state, hence the need for Abians in Diaspora to come home and partner with the state in area of economic and social development.
The governor made this declaration in Lagos in an interactive session with members of Abia Think Tank.


In a statement by his chief press secretary, Ugochukwu Emezue, Governor Orji hinted that unlike in the past when the atmosphere was characterized by fear, occasioned by the activities of kidnappers, the state is now secured more than ever, as this ugly trend has been consigned to the dust bin of history.
Chief Orji noted that with security in place, investors are now making Abia their destination point.
He specifically revealed that Shoprite; a business conglomerate is now building its outfit in Umuahia the state capital.

Chief Orji maintained that he is not regretting the huge investment he is making in securing the state.
Speaking further, the governor stated that most of the projects he is building in the state will be commissioned next year.

He stated that the equipment for the dialysis center will be installed in January 2013.
Chief Orji assured that he will strive to make Abia the envy of other states.
Earlier in his speech, the chairman of Abia Think Tank, Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa commended the governor on the infrastructural development going on in the state.
He made it clear that the leadership style of the governor is highly appreciated.While thanking chief TA Orji for the achievement he had made in terms of security, urged him not to relent in giving Abia a new face.

The Editor-in – chief of BusinessDay delivered the key note address.