Sampson Orji is Abia State Commissioner for Commerce and Industry. He spoke on completed and on going projects in the state after the state Governor, Theodore Orji commissioned some completed road projects in Umuahia, the state capital, recently. Orji challenged critics of the governor to visit Abia and see things for themselves rather than engage in unconstructive criticisms.
What’s your quarrel with Governor Orji’s critics?
When a critic is constructive and persuasive with superior argument, I will be inclined to think along with him. But what some popular tabloids and columnists seem to celebrate these days is the corrosive, poorly investigated line of journalism that evades the cardinal principles of what, where, when and how while not situating the points of discourse in their proper perspectives. I feel irresistibly drawn to make a comparison between positive and negative criticisms, when ‘critics’ of Governor T.A. Orji in their lopsided analysis not backed by facts expose the Areal objectives of the sponsors of such criticisms.On the other hand many reporters and media chiefs who have had the opportunity to visit Abia State to see for themselves what the governor has done in the last 12 months, can attest to the proactive moves of the state government in terms of infrastructure and structural development of a state that had hitherto not witnessed any meaningful development since inception. The areas of emphasis extend to road construction in the rural areas where the farm gate culture is a way of life for the people, a huge infrastructure reclamation of the commercial city of Aba and of course re-designing Umuahia, the state capital, to wear the face of a modern state capital. The list of work in progress is simply impressive and only a discerning and willing observer can patiently take stock of this developmental pace.The governor recently asked his aides to report the truth not falsehood; why?
His Excellency Governor T.A. Orji could not have asked his aides to report falsehood. He was only making obvious what ought to be seen as the issues on ground. He has concrete achievements to showcase to everyone and these rattle those who believe the governance of the state can be assessed by pandering to falsehood in the public space. The truth is that for every claim made by the state government, the facts are verifiable and since most of the completed and on-going projects are on ground, no previous administration can lay claim to have initiated or completed any. What I am saying in effect is that the governor was right in asking his commissioners, and advisers and all key personnel of his government to report the facts at all times since facts are sacred and verifiable before the public space.
Aba needs a special attention, what is the programme of the state government for the Enyimba city?The state government has placed great emphasis on road construction and only last week, His Excellency commissioned the completion of crucial road networks that had long been an eyesore to the residents and traders.
The emphasis is to give the people an infrastructure network that can help them in their commercial activities that stretch to the sub-region of West Africa. The essential road networks long identified by government include those connected to neighbouring states such as Rivers and Akwa Ibom, who make use of them to do business in the state. With this in mind the focus extended to the Aba/Owerri Road all the way to Osisioma Junction to Motor Park and down to the Asa–Port Harcourt Road, terminating at the Ala –Oji Express Road. The works ministry in conjunction with the contractors on ground worked on the Bata Opobo Junction from the Bata–Ikot Epkene road junction and now to Ukwu Mango, commissioned by the governor two Fridays ago.There is no doubt that the Aba resident and businessman today can attest to noticeable changes in a once squalid environment whose key roads were simply impassable. The work still on ground is enormous after years of poor development and decadence. Beyond the reconstruction work going on, these streets and roads call for constant maintenance and this philosophy has helped in the reclamation of Osusu Road. This extends to the Okigwe Road by Ariaria Market as well as the dual expressway from Omme Junction down to John Udeagbala Junction, which is a five kilometre stretch situated along the Port Harcourt–Aba Road. The Eziukwu Road has also been overlaid with asphalt, and the same is true of the Aba-Agbama Road, among many others.
Aba’s drainage system has long been a source of concern to the extent the Ukwu Mango stretch was covered with garbage and stalls and houses built on it. This is history as Ukwu Mango has been reclaimed just as the need to fix the entire drainage system in Aba is a major challenge, with the construction of the Osisioma Modern Motor Park and asphalt overlay of major roads in Aba.What problems were on ground when you assumed duty as Commissioner for Commerce and Industry?One was stifling bureaucracy and lack of vision to drive the industrial and commercial setting of the state, no demographic profile of trades and traders, and a well articulated design for revamping the moribund industries. These industries include among others, the Golden Guinea Breweries, International Glass Industry, Aba, Aba textile Mills, Modern Ceramics-Umuahia, the metallurgical complex, Aba, Abia Hotels, Enyimba Hotels, Aba and many more. If these industrial complexes are revived, they will be able to absorb over 80 per cent of the unemployed people in the state. I inherited all of these and have long given them a prioritised attention.
At the commercial end, there is what we have identified as unwieldy trading activities going on at every nook and corner of Aba, the commercial city of Abia. Such activities turned the city of Aba into one large monolithic market. There was no difference between the residential and trading zones. Then there is the enormous amount of refuse generated and dumped indiscriminately at every turn both in residential and non-residential parts of the city. Naturally, these have affected drainage as the various outlets for such drainages became blocked. Notwithstanding the Governor’s directive to relocate these traders to designated markets, they were adamant, prompting him to set up the Environmental and Allied Task Force, which is being housed by my ministry.
What is your game plan for resolving these contradictions?
First the basic operation of the task force the Governor inaugurated was primarily to compel compliance to Government directives and instill sanity in the market place. This task force – the Environmental and Allied Task Force – was charged to keep Aba clean and relocate traders to designated markets. We manage the operations of this task force and this has afforded me the opportunity to record a reasonable success so far in terms of sanitising the city. It is painful to government that the obstinacy of the traders will leave it with no option. Even the governor daily laments to us that the operations of the task force must be laced with human face. It is a daily operation and it is not cheap. Except for the governor’s determination, it would have been impossible to sustain the operation beyond one month. So far the exercise itself has opened up new investment opportunities as investors are embarking on construction of new markets.
How do you intend to revive these moribund industries in the state?
First, I’m carrying out a technical evaluation of these moribund industries to enable us approach foreign investors. This evaluation extends to financial audit. The government’s investment policy will provide entry and exit plans for the investors. Yet I must admit we have a handicap here. Let me use Golden Guinea Breweries as an example. Government allocates funds to help maintain the salaries of its skeletal staff as well as keep the plant and its premises in good shape. This allocation remains constant, yet government does not have the latitude to dissolve the board and management because the brewery is a publicly quoted company (Plc). We have approached Budweiser, the Sona Group, Heineken and South Africa Breweries. We cannot just come in to turn around the fortunes of these industries. We cannot just dissolve the board by executive fiat. The situation right now is that we are talking to the management and board to agree with us on the take off plan and we are going to summon an AGM of share holders to fine tune these details.
On the Modern Ceramics, the industry was concessioned to the Catholic Church but unfortunately no major turn around has taken place since the take over deal. We are yet to know what their problems are and why the management has not gone into full production. But there are very strong plans to revamp all moribund industries in the state.
http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=83185:abias-investment-policy-will-provide-entry-and-exit-plans-for-investors&catid=31:business&Itemid=562