APC fights dirty; drags Ebonyi Governor, Umahi to the muds

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APC

APC

In 2007, 29th May to be precise, Dr. Chief Martin N. Elechi MFR, CON, Ochudo took over the baton of leadership as the Governor of Ebonyi state from Sam Egwu. Egwu had eventful eight years within which he laid foundation for the basic infrastructure needs of the state with special emphasis on human development as evident in the educational programs of the administration. As the first indigenous governor elected by the people in a democratic dispensation, Egwu administration pushed Ebonyi people to leap out of the ocean of the underdevelopment, poverty and educational backwardness we were drowned in during our long regrettable years of neocolonialism and criminal marginalization in the hands of our sister states prior to our liberation in1996 by the then Military Head of State, Gen Sani Abacha.

Egwu achieved the above feat through the establishment of educational institutions, empowerment of the people by sourcing the government’s needs from the local markets, patronising local traders and artisans and creating wealth. Local contractors were engaged in construction works and the administration has reputation for their massive recruitment into the state workforce. These are direct opposites of the Dave administration where everything is done by himself and for himself leaving the people out of government business without any known employment since he assumed office. It’s on record that Egwu left Ebonyians happier and richer than he met them when he took over in 1999.

APC
APC

Then came the man of peace, a foremost founding father of the state, a man who wore the shoe and knew where it pinched, who ran his campaign enroute the government house on the platform of peace. Elechi came in peace, but unfortunately the man he brought into his government and later made his deputy vowed that he wouldn’t leave in peace. You know the story as much as I do, but let’s leave it a topic for another day.

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Needless boring you with the plethora of the colossal and monumental achievements of the elder statesman, but the blueprints and programs of the Ochudo administration in education, human empowerment, revolution of the infrastructure needs of the people, human capital development and institutional reforms for effective and efficient transaction of government businesses ensured that Elechi consolidated on the achievements and gains of the Egwu administration, and will ever remain a valued veritable working tool in the hands of any selfless leader who desires the happiness of Ebonyi people and infrastructure development that will meaningfully impact on the lives of the people in a most positive way. These superstructures and infrastructures scattered around the state in addition to the remarkable human development and empowerment witnessed under the administration helped us to regain our lost voices in commity of states and took the joy and happiness of Ebonyians to the next level as we grew richer in wealth.

Beyond the giant strides of the Ochudo administration in all sectors, as a first class graduate of economics, Elechi was outstanding and resolute in his determined efforts to reposition and rejig the state’s economy. In this direction, the administration built and gifted Ebonyi people five companies namely, three rice processing companies at Iboko, Oso Edda and Ikwo, pipe production company at Ishieke and an electricity generating plant at Ochudo city with a quarry industrial cluster at Umuoghara. At the time of Elechi, Ebonyi was supplying over fifty percent of the nation’s quarry needs. Like Emene Enugu when the NNPC depot was functional, Umuoghara became economically viable. The pipe production company built with the latest technology in pipe production was to comfortably supply the pipe needs of the Eastern Nigeria. The electricity generating plant was meant to power the streetlights and solve the electricity problems of the state capital. These companies were built to create jobs, boost trade and economic activities in the state and attract investment into the state to lift the state’s internally generated revenue. It’s worthy to note that these companies along with Ebonyi hotels were handed over to Dave in good conditions and functioning well as at the time he took over power.

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On 29th May 2015, Abakaliki township Stadium was agog as Ebonyi people welcomed the iron gate government of the present administration with joy and high hopes in expectation of the fulfilment of the mouth-watering campaign promises that preceded the election that birthed the excess power government. Five years down the line, it’s regrettably unfortunate that Ebonyians are no more demanding for the fulfilment of the campaign promises, rather, they’re begging the governor to give them back the Ebonyi he took away from them in 2015. The Ebonyi where civil servants, market women, artisans, contractors were all happy. The people have helplessly watched the gains of the previous administrations especially the industrialization program of the Ochudo administration that gifted Ebonyi the earlier mentioned companies eroded back into the ocean of our dark past years of a state without a functional industry.

Worst among the atrocities of the economic clueless government of Umahi is the destruction of the industries he inherited from the last administration. The expected economic boom these companies were meant bring to the young state was sacrificed and dashed out to the goddess of greed and selfishness. Suffice it to say that the five years of Dave’s administration has drifted us thirteen years backward to 2007 when Elechi took over without a functional state owned company. The pipe production company has been cannibalized and abandoned, Umuoghara quarry industrial cluster has been destroyed, investors and customers chased away with excessive taxation. The electricity generating plant has been abandoned and may have possibly been sold off. These companies would’ve been treasures in the hands of economically foresighted governor, but the economic insensitivity of the Dave administration has turned these gold handed over to him into ordinary stones as those companies are left to waste away. The demolition of Ebonyi hotels to make way for his hotel to thrive was shouted down by Ebonyi people. The hotel that gave employment to many people and was generating revenue for the state was at the end of his failed attempt to demolish it given to thugs as their official quarters. Indeed, Ebonyi has been economically taken thirteen years backward within the five years of the Umahi administration.

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The recent figures from National Bureau of Statistics, speak volume of the damage the Dave administration has done to our individual and collective economic lives and the state economy. Consequently, Ebonyi has won and been designated the poverty headquarters of the southern Nigeria deservedly. The people he met in celebration mood in 2015 are today thrown into mourning because of the economic hardship the present administration forced us into. It’s most glaringly clear to even a day old child, that Dave unlike his predecessors will leave Ebonyi and Ebonyians obviously poorer than he met us at the end of his infamous administration.

While Egwu led us out of Egypt, Elechi took us to the promised land but it’s unfortunate that Dave is determined to take us back to Egypt at the end of his eight years of inglorious government. In all, we leave our fate in the hands of God, as we pray God to gitf us a leader that will recover for us the lost eight years of the Umahi administration.

Hon. Kizito Nwankwo, fcai.
State Secretary, APC Media Link
Ebonyi state.

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