With the signing of the agreement between the Federal Government and the Abia State government for the construction of Enyimba Economic City (EEC), Aba, Abia State Commissioner for Information, Chief John Okiyi-Kalu in this interview with EMMANUEL IFEANYI, says the stage is set for Aba to become Africa’s economic hub
The signing of the agreement between the state government and FG on the EEC is done and dusted, what’s your take on that?
Since the end of the civil war, the Enyimba Economic City will be the biggest project to have ever taken place in Igbo land. That’s why the excitement it drew out has no boundary and no political sentiment. One of the most difficult things in life is to conceive a good idea and have it accepted by others. The conceptualization of the EEC by Governor Okezie Ikpeazu and his ability to persuade the Federal Government into seeing it as a national project should make every Igbo man proud. For sure eyes have never seen before the impact that project will have here in any part of this country.
When you talk about impact, any examples to that?
Sure, knowing how serious governance is today, there’s no way you’ll conceive a project that cannot at least solve one existing problem in the country and expect Federal Government or private investors to come and be a part of it. So, in terms of impact, the EEC as conceived by Abia State government will solve many existing problems, starting from unemployment to adding modern touches to our commercial prowess. The impact it will make are unquantifiable. I must tell you that with the Enyimba Economic City project we expect to create more than 650,000 jobs, deliver a modern version of Dubai to Ndigbo and Nigeria. More importantly, it will help to encourage our people to invest at home where their investment is safe and secure.
Looking at the location of the EEC one will see that it’s in between Aba and Port Harcourt. What are we expecting in terms of necessary infrastructures to meet up with this project?
As recently reconfirmed by Governor Ikpeazu, we will complete all our ongoing projects and add much more. The speed of execution might be hampered by availability of funds but no project will be abandoned. Most of our road contractors are back on site though we expect some of them to go on break because of the Christmas season and resume in January. For instance, Setraco staff have started their Christmas break.
It is also important to reduce construction work to allow for free flow of traffic around Aba and Umuahia as our people are returning in droves to celebrate the Yuletide. For example, if we continue serious work along Faulks (Ariaria) road this shopping season our traders will be negatively impacted. So, the Ikpeazu administration will be put everything in place to ensure that Aba is turned to the Aba of the dream of every right thinking man.
There is this talk that your government is neglecting the city of Aba following series of abandoned road projects and other important roads left untouched?
That cannot be true. We didn’t abandon any project. We know the key roads in Aba and we have touched some and will touch others. As at today, we have established four good Access roads to the very important Ariaria International Market from Brass Street, Umule, MCC/Samek and Express Junction. Until the emergence of Governor Okezie Ikpeazu it was not possible to access Brass-Faulks-Express road but today we are proud to say that after more than 20 years it is now possible. Of course there are other roads like Chima Nwafor, Tonimas, Umuatako, Umuehilegbu and Umuocham roads fixed by Governor Okezie Ikpeazu that also help our people to easily link up Ariaria market from any part of Aba.
Ariaria is one market. What about the two other big markets in Aba (Ahia-Ohuru and Cemetery) that their roads are in bad shapes right now?
We didn’t abandon Ngwa Road either. It is very key to us because it leads to Ahia Ohuru and connects a major population center. The reconstruction of the road was delayed because of the need to allow the drainage pipe evacuating water from Port Harcourt Road to Waterside to pass through it. Those drains will be established through Ngwa Road in the New Year and after that we will commence full reconstruction of Ngwa road into a modern four lane road.
Talking about the Cemetery Market, we have started work along Eziukwu Road which is its major link and will ultimately connect it to Cemetery and Omuma roads. The problems at Obioha and Ohanku roads are tied to non-performing NDDC contracts engineered by opposition politicians who previously lied to our people that they have fixed the roads. Until NDDC and their political collaborators get out of those roads we won’t be able to reconstruct them for our people to use. Otherwise the work will be mired in litigation.
Work will soon recommence at Osusu road where we have almost completed the gutter works. That project will also be delivered in the first half of 2019 and Omuma road will follow. Work will continue at Immaculate Avenue and others this dry season as we hope to continue working for Ndi-Abia through Election Day and beyond. It is eight years of nonstop work for Ndi Abia.
Our commitment is to deliver necessary infrastructure to support the emerging agricultural and industrial revolution in the state. You already know that we are promoting and supporting our small and medium scale enterprises more than ever before and now we have started the biggest industrialization project in the south east since the end of the civil war: Enyimba Economic City.
There was this high expectation about an Aba man as governor in 2015. Is it still there?
Looking at what we set out to do at Aba, obviously we are not yet where we wish to be but certainly we are not where we were in 2015. Governor Ikpeazu deployed caterpillars to Aba on his first day at work and since then there has never been a time his caterpillars were not at work at Aba. Even during the rainy seasons he was constructing gutters and drainage ways.
Governor Ikpeazu has lived up to the promise of “Nwa-Aba”(Aba brought up) fixing Aba as everyone can see. He has not fixed over 400 roads at Aba requiring attention, but he has fixed very key roads and ready to do more. It is laughable for his political opponents to share pictures and videos of the areas he is yet to fix because even if the state has limitless resources we will still need time to fix all the more than 400 roads.
So if they are saying he has not fixed all roads at Aba and Abia State, tell them they are right but should be assured that he is ready to do much more as funds and time permit. If their electioneering promise is that they will fix all Abia roads in four years also tell them I called them “Ndi Ibu Alhaji” and Aba people know how to treat Ndi Ibu Alhaji. He will complete the first ever Flyover in the state, fix Port Harcourt road and deliver many more good roads to them.
Touting is one major problem in Aba right now and it seems the government is unserious with the issue of banning them?
Indeed we are serious. We have banned touting along our roads and given necessary support to security agencies in the state to enforce the ban. Unfortunately not a lot of progress has been made in the area of enforcement by security agents. Our observations include that people blame the government when members of road transport unions collect levies from their people. The government has no hand in such activities and we have already pulled out all state revenue collection agents aside from operatives of the Board of Internal Revenue.
Of course, you know how Aba is; people want to take advantage of others as long as they can get away with it. There are reports of group of person coming together to procure the services of a Security agent and then move from place to place to harass folks for revenue. When we receive such reports we move in security agents and arrest such illegal revenue agents.
As Christmas is here, what’s the fate of Abia workers in terms of salaries?
As at today and this December 2018 we have paid all Ministries, Departments and Agencies of the state government their December 2018 salaries. They have also received their 2017 leave allowance.
But Abia Poly and ABSUTH workers recently protested about non-payment of their 11 months and 10 months arrears?
For the records, the MDAs are the people statutorily paid by the state government and we do not owe them. We don’t pay parastatals because they are permitted by relevant laws to make revenue and use same to fund their operations without remitting any portion to the state government’s account. While some parastatals are up to date with salary payment, example Abia State University, ASPIMSS, BCA etc, others like Abia Poly, Abia State University Teaching Hospital (ABSUTH), Abia State College of Education Technical Arochukwu (ACETA) and Hospital Management Board (HMB) have challenges in paying their workers.
The state government is committed to helping ailing parastatals to pay their workers but it must be noted that the long term solution is for the management of those ailing parastatals to sit and find ways to improve their revenue streams. The case of Abia Poly is particularly interesting because when this administration came on board we helped them pay off a N2b commercial loan that they claimed was responsible for their salary payment challenge. In addition to that payment we have since paid more than 30 months subventions of N90m monthly to them and yet they are unable to pay their workers.
Meanwhile, the wage bill of Abia Poly remains very high at N170m per month and indeed some of the lecturers receive more than professors at ABSU. Do you know that if we decide today to transfer all Abia Poly lecturers to ABSU where wages are paid regularly they will resist that?
Anyway, this administration will meet the challenge at Abia Poly and ACETA where we have about 500 students and more than 370 workers. We pay N28m to ACETA as subvention and recently they got approval for it to be increased to N38m to service the need of 370 workers and 500 students. Yet I have personally not seen a plan to increase the student population, possibly by collaborating with ABSU to offer degree courses in education, or thinking outside the box to make the institution self sustaining.
0 Comments