Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, the Executive Governor of Abia state is a wonderful description of a terrible Governor who runs a clueless administration in Abia state. Having held down the position of one worst Governors in Nigeria and the worst Governor in the South Eastern region for a long time, Governor Okezie Ikpeazu is no newcomer to criticism and downright denunciation and vituperations.
His government lives, feeds and operates on falsehood with nothing to show on ground as achievements since his assumption of office. Most of his so-called achievements and accomplishments are only seen on the television which show how most of his so-called projects are shams and cosmetic in nature.
Abia State which is an oil-producing State is still crawling under abysmal under-development despite the huge revenue accruing to it as an oil-producing state whilst other neighbouring oil-producing states like Rivers state and Imo state are farther advanced in terms of infrastructure. A visit to Ukwa axis of Abia, where all the oil-producing communities are situated shows how the indigenes are wallowing in poverty while sitting on wealth.
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The reasons for this are because the Governor seems not to understand anything about governance. He lacks experience, tact, prudence, morality, and creativity expected of a 21st-century leader. Furthermore, his emergence as the Governor of Abia State is hinged on fraud, manipulation, and outright selfishness of those who found in him a quality befitting of an idle slave who will bow at the beckon of his master.
Governor Okezie Ikpeazu has also been labelled as an unrepentant looter who siphons Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) funds and Federal allocations immediately they are made available to him. His recently exposed string of private companies located in China, Taiwan and his major stakes in large export establishments in the United Kingdom were funded with the Made in Aba campaign which he launched during his first tenure. And this was initiated by his numerous stooges masquerading as Aides, Special Advisers and Senior Special Assistants.
These his aides who aid in this looting and pilfering process have made a huge fortune from the fraudulent deals and have acquired choice properties all over Aba and Umuahia which have all been supervised by Governor Ikpeazu himself.
Even his junketing all over Europe and the Americas in search of foreign investors was all “a mere jamboree to fritter away Abia’s meagre resources” since no foreign dollar has been invested in Abia all through his tenure. He has also been accused of running a Government of nepotism to the detriment of the entire people of the state. Even the so-called projects which he promised to handle in his second tenure have all turned out to be a farce.
The construction of Obikabia-Umuobiakwa-Ururuka Road has been left unattended to for years, the proposed Enyimba Economic City, the non-existent Abia Shoe factory, the all-around deplorable roads in Abia, the destroyed and abandoned Abiriba-Nkporo road and the neglect of the two Ukwa East and Ukwa West LGAs as well as the oil-producing communities of Abia State.
Also, Ikpeazu’s Government has been ridiculed with contracts inflation and money laundering from all sectors of the Government. Despite the fact that he owes many months salary arrears to Abia state civil service workers, pensioners, and school teachers which has turned many public schools into markets, hemp smoking centres with some looking more like IDP Camps in war zones.
Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, has a terrible reputation for owing salaries and arrears. Different unions and organisations under the Abia state Government have come out to lament the ill-treatment being meted out to them by the Abia State Government. The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) recently sent a petition to the National Human Rights Commission over 20 months unpaid salaries by Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia. The Medical staff and health workers in Abia State University Teaching Hospital (ABSUTH) have also continued to lament the non-payment of salaries by the Okezie Ikpeazu-led government. The health workers, who had last received salary in May 2018, bemoaned the lack of willingness on the part of Ikpeazu to pay outstanding salaries.
Governor Okezie Ikpeazu is taking Abia state on a complete downward spiral, he has no control over his Government and what goes on when he’s not looking. He is being unnecessarily praised and deceived by the media. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) should make a case study of the Abia State Government and probe their numerous fraudulent remunerations and money laundering schemes. Abia state is perishing in the hands of Governor Okezie Ikpeazu.
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