By Kingsley Maduforo
Brian Tracy, a prolific writer, speaker, entrepreneur and success expert, once said that "all successful people are big dreamers. They imagine what their future could be, ideal in every respect, and then they work everyday toward their distant vision, that goal or purpose." Every successful person has a purpose that helps them in their day to day activities, whether in their business, career or even in running a government.
The governor of Abia State, Dr. Okezie Victor Ikpeazu, has remained one of the few elected governors in Nigeria today that are committed in achieving their vision and mission for their state. The new Abia agenda of the governor has brought a high degree of peace and development across the state, and has led to the increase in investments in the state. His style of governance has made him to be described as the most accessible, humble, unassuming, respectful and friendly governor Abia State has ever produced.
Abia State under Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu is running at a high speed and has witnessed meaningful development. His exceptional moral virtues and superlative performance in the discharge of his duties in line with his vision as the governor of the state are glaring. Without a dissenting voice, individuals and groups, especially members of religious and ecclesiastical bodies; the elders; the political class; the working class; the traders; the artisans and youth organizations have extolled Dr. Ikpeazu's giant strides and sterling qualities and performance.
Before now, Abia was a reference point for anything bad in the country, sitting on a keg of gun powder, waiting to explode. Everything that related to the state was in comatose. Right now, with the new Abia revolution the story is different. Infrastructural renewal, one of the five cardinal pillars of this administration, has given the state a facelift. With the developmental progress recorded, the governor of Abia State has not only done well but has secured the future of Abians by first addressing the patent needs of Abians.
Another economic strategy adopted by the governor of Abia State, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu and which was the brain child of his administration, is the Education for Employment (E4E) Programme, which has skill acquisition and vocational training in its curriculum. The idea is to prepare and engage Abia youths productively. This programme has recorded huge success by graduating thousands of students both Abians and non Abians in their different field such as ICT, Beauty therapy (Hair dressing, make-up, weaving etc), Fashion Designing (Tailoring and cloth making), Leather works ( Shoe and bags making), Welding and Fabrication, Hospitality, Waste management, Health and Social care, Carpentry works and security. While training is a good strategy for youth empowerment, the idea translates to the reduction of the unemployment rate in the state.
The Enyimba Economic City is another strategy and a success story for the new Abia. The Enyimba Economic City Project remains the most viable economic roadmap to a sustainable future for Abians. The project will not only bring economic development for the state, it will also create at least 700,000 jobs between now and the next ten years. This project also remains the most comprehensive economic development project undertaken under the public private partnership model in the country which the Africa Development Bank has keyed into because of its economic importance.
Finally, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a Global Financial Management Service Giant, recently signed an agreement with the Enyimba Economic City to market the project to the global market. This is a clear indication that the Enyimba Economic City Project has all it takes to rank among the top business deals on the African Continent and a manifestation that the visionary scheme of Gov. Ikpeazu for a new Abia is on the right footing.
Kingsley Maduforo is a Media/ Political Analyst.
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