…Says after Orji Kalu’s administration, Abia treasury was always empty until Gov Otti came in
From Okey Sampson, Umuahia
Mazi Jones Nnanna Ike is the general manager/editor-in-chief of Abia Newspaper and Publishing Corporation.
He was the former executive chairman of Arochukwu Local Government Area from 1997 to 1998.
He equally served under the former governor of Abia State, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, as the Special Adviser, National Assembly matters.
In this interview, he spoke about how Governor Alex Otti has turned the fortunes of the state around for good and how what he has achieved in office so far will be the launching pad for his re-election in 2027.
He also spoke about Senator Orji Uzor Kalu’s complimentary role in Abia North through the attraction of numerous infrastructure.
The Alex Otti administration in Abia will be clocking two years in a matter of days, how do you assess it?
The administration is doing very well and everybody knows that. Even the self-appointed critics, when they criticize, you go to their comment page, you will discover that 97 per cent are condemning their criticisms. Anywhere you see criticism against Governor Otti, go to that person’s Facebook, scroll it, see the comments coming from that person’s handle, that’s how you know what the people think about the present government in the state. It is very clear to every resident and visitor to Abia, it is not something that is hidden, it is not voodoo, it’s not newspaper or billboard projects. It’s something that everybody can feel, even first time visitor to Abia can feel the impact. But as an insider, I know that the governor is doing much more better than so many people can ever realise. If you imagine the hard work, the sacrifices, and the commitment that goes towards what we are enjoying today, you will have no other reason order than to respect the governor as being God-given particularly at this time.
In which specific areas do you think the governor has excelled most?
The most important area is retrieving the machinery of government, making sure that government is restored as an instrument for development. Before that power for government as power for development was grossly undermined. For instance, if you encourage corruption in government, you undermine it, if you undermine rules holding government processes, you employ people arbitrarily without passing through all the processes, you are undermining the machinery of government to deliver. When money comes in, you steal it, then you are undermining the ability of government to deliver. So, this and other things the eyes cannot see that are changing the face of Abia are the most important things His Excellency has done. Those intrinsic things that he is doing to strengthen the machinery of government is the area he has done most well. There is now stability in the running of government in the state, moreover when workers know that at every 28th day of the month, they will receive their salary. Another great thing Governor Otti has done is to allow fund float in the treasury. There is no time you get to the treasury there will be no money, unless you were not given approval, there must be money to pay you at any point in time. This is only so in the state during the time of Senator Orji Uzor Kalu as governor. You know as an aide to the governor then, I was some how part of that government, there was always money in the treasury to settle bills at any point in time. But after that administration till Governor Otti came in, the state treasury was always empty. Before the state allocation could hit the treasury from Abuja, it had been shared. Governor Otti has changed that and no wonder his administration is working efficiently.
You have mentioned areas you said the governor has done well which people do not see, what are those things hands can touch which the present administration has done?
When the governor came into power, he declared emergency in about seven areas: sanitation, payment of wages, education, power and so on. By May 29, 2023, the state was enveloped by dirt, Aba was about the most dirtiest city in Nigeria, the same with Umuahia. He started by cleaning up the state. Right now, that war has been won and Abia is presently rated as one of the cleanest states in the country. He is doing something that has not been done in the state before, bringing in big contractors in the country like Julius Berger and Cranburg to reconstruction of roads in the state. And the good thing is that roads being built by this administration come with certain specifications and they are delivered according to timelines. If you go to Port Harcourt Road in Aba and see what Julius Berger has done, you will not believe you are still in Aba of all cities. Most of the projects that have been given, have been delivered, a lot are still ongoing. Another area the governor has done very well is on security. Of course, you know that Abia was one of the bad areas in terms of security. He has tackled that frontally and insecurity is at its lowest ebb in the state. In other sectors including health, education, housing, sports and what have you, I think Governor Otti has surpassed people’s expectations. You need to visit some of the health centres and public schools in the state to know what I’m talking about. You might be confused which area he has done much.
There is this insinuation in certain quarters that the cost of the projects being executed by the government are relatively on the high side. How do you react to this?
You cannot talk about cost of projects being high because if you talk about that, I will say it is in relative terms because what you bought last year, is not the same cost you are buying this year.
Government’s critics specifically mentioned Port Harcourt Road that was said to have been awarded at the cost of N9 billion in 2017 by the previous administration, but now given to Julius Berger at over N30 billion…?
The contract of N9 billion given in 2017, was for a single lane and at that time, dollar was about N300 and something to naira. The cost of doing that job at that time, if you convert it to naira, was N2.5 billion per kilometre. Now, because of the extension done on the road, the cost per kilometre is about N1.8 billion. The previous administration awarded that road at N9 billion, not a meter was done and nobody is asking them a question of what happened to the money allocated for the project. The worst part of it was that they destroyed people’s homes, demolished multi-storey buildings without paying compensation to owners of those buildings and at the end, abandoned the project. This is not funny, it is the same people who destroyed houses, pulled down multi-storey buildings without paying the owners compensation and at the end did not do a meter of the road, are the same people complaining about the cost of the contract. Whom do we believe? As we speak, the road has been completed and it’s one of the most modern roads in the country now.
The order day at Atan Abam, during an event which you also attended, the people eulogized Governor Otti and Senator Kalu for doing well particularly in the area of roads infrastructure. Are you elated that those you served and still serve are being so applauded?
Yes, I am happy that my former boss now a Senator, is complimenting the efforts of the governor in roads infrastructure in Abia North. Senator Kalu has attracted quite a good number of roads in Abia North and you already know what the governor is doing in that direction. I think the people of Atan Abam are happy with both men and they exhibited this on the day you talked about.
Despite all you have reeled out Governor Otti has done, yet the opposition in the state is unrelenting in criticizing his administration. Are you worried about that?
Those people are funny. First of all, before you become an opposition figure, you must have the moral bearing. If you now as a journalist you come to criticize our government, I will take you more seriously, I will take you have more credibility than somebody who was given opportunity for eight years, did not do any single thing, ate all the money, coming now to accuse people who have done that work they were unable to do. That is not opposition, all of them should be taken to psychiatric clinic to examine whether their brain is working or not because some people can be mental and you won’t know. Instead of staying in shame, that what you were not able to do, somebody is doing it, you are now coming to criticize that person, this is sheer madness. They treated our people badly I must tell you this and they know people are not listening to them. Go to the Facebook comment box of those criticizing the governor and see how they are being lambasted by people. Over 97 per cent of the responses they get like I said earlier, are in the very negative and I know they are ashamed of this.
Some people are of the view that with the wave of defections in the country, that Governor Otti may be moving over to APC in order to retain his seat in 2027.
I don’t think there is any truth in that. The governor himself deflected that when he said everybody cannot be in APC and I concur with him. Let me tell you one simple truth, Governor Otti does not need to be in APC to win election for a second term. He told the so-called opposition in the state recently that he will only be replying them with his works. In like manner, his works and not party will win election for him in 2027. If there is a party in the country that goes by the name BBB and he joins it, he will win election because Abians love him as a result of his good performance.