I inherited a disunited Abia, but I've unified it, says Governor Orji .

Hate him or love him, one thing you can't take away is the fact that Governor Theodore Ahamefula Orji has laid the foundation for a new and united Abia State, where every Abian is a stakeholder. He has done what governors before him in God's Own State failed to do. He has not only liberated the state from the politics of family affairs, he has also united the state, and restore peace among political blocs in the state. He is busy laying foundation for the state, building infrastructures that were never existing in the state. Last week, the easygoing Governor Orji, played host to a team of THE UNION NEWSPAPER led by the Managing Director, OBI AZURU, the Managing Editor, OBED AWOWEDE and Senior Correspondent ENYINNAYA APPOLOS who were in the state. In an exclusive interview with THE UNION team, Governor Orji spoke on tropical issues in the state. The legacy projects that we have seen must be a very big dream, can you tell us how you come about them. I thank you very much. Legacy project as it is appropriately called, are projects that are foundational. They are projects that are essential. They are projects that will outlive us, projects that you and I will be remembered for. Abia State was created in 1991, and one naturally expects that as a new state, there should be foundational structures that should be on ground to enable the state to take off and rum well. Such projects like a befitting Government House, and a befitting state secretariat that will house all the civil servants and provide them with a conducive environment to do their work as the engine room of government, all these structures were lacking. But we have provided them. The hospitals and diagnostic centers, which provide service for the health of the people, these are the things that should be on ground for a state to be called state, if you go to other states, they are there, but here in Abia they're lacking, we don't have them. We have also provided them. When I came, I said; if I can lay the foundation for all these essential infrastructures that we are lacking, and put up a very solid foundation for Abia State, I will always be remembered, and that is why I embarked on laying foundation for the state by building government structures that were not here before, I call them foundational or legacy projects for the state. If I build a government house, the only thing the government after me will do will be to renovate it, same goes to the secretariat, these are the things we are doing in Abia. You've gone round and see for yourselves, the foundational projects that we are doing for Abia, not only in Umuahia the state capital, but across the entire state. So that is the dream I have which I am sure, I must achieve before I leave office in 2015. How are you able to do all these given the lean purse of Abia State, we understand that you've not taken any loan. That's a very good question. And this is one question every journalist that comes here ask me, after going round to see what we have done. They're surprise how we do it. The new market at Ubani cost the state N3.5 billion. My brothers, the magic we are doing here is prudent expenditure and managing the resources very well and use it for the welfare of the people. Get good contractors that don't charge you exorbitant prices, contractors that will do quality job, and you negotiate with them how you will lay them as the money comes, and they will do the job for you. I tried going to the bond market very early around 2008, but Abia people cried, by then I had a lot of people opposing me in the state, they opposed the idea of going to take loan, I said ok, I will not go there again, and I put a full stop to it and since then I've never tried it. So the money we have been using for the projects in the state are the resources that we get including our IGR (internally generated revenues), which have been struggling everyday for it to increase and it is increasing day by day. So the magic is due to prudent management of our resources. Tell us more about the insecurity that was a major issue that confronted the state, how did you attack it, and how have you been sustaining it? The magic we used in Abia to fight insecurity was determination, and being resolute in taking decisions. Security is a paramount duty of government, that is security of life and Property, any government that fails on this, is faced with problems. That was what we faced here, insecurity came from nowhere. Kidnaping, which we have not witnessed in Abia, became a major problem to the government especially in Aba, because of the wealth that is in Aba, the kidnappers concentrated there, and become a terror to the state. With kidnapping, all sort of criminality and armed robbery also came in, it was a major constraint to us at that time. As the governor, I am elected by the people, and it was my function to protect the live and property of my people, so I have to reorganize myself, got into partnership with the federal government, and then the job was done, today, the problem of insecurity as it were, is history. It is capitally intensive, and if I tell you how much we invested in security in Abia you will shudder. But we have to do it to make sure that my people are secured, and I am happy that the money I invested to fight insecurity is not a waste, because today you can see that Abia is one of the safest states in the country. I won't tell you that kidnapping has gone totally, but it is an occasional crime now in Abia and we are not relenting, we are still hunting after them, and it is because they know we are equal to the task, that is why it's now occasional and we are out to face them. We have done well in the area of security and that is why Abia is getting awards as one of the secured states in Nigeria today. Recently, you recalled non indigenes you sacked from the state civil services. Tell us about what informed the decision to recall them. I didn't sack them, what I did was to transfer their services to their various states of origin. Before doing that, I wrote their states executives, and told them about my constraint and what I want to do, and I didn't get any reply from any of the states executives of the affected states. Let me also put the record straight that what Abia did then, Abia was not the first to do that. There was a time the economy was bad and other neighboring states disengaged people who are not from their states but were working in the state civil service, we got our own people who were disengaged, some of them are still in services, while some have retired. I can call some of our people that were affected, some came back from Enugu, Anambra and Imo states, they're here. What those states did that time, was to cushion of the effect of the economy. People didn't know that our people in other states were also pushed to us, when our people returned to us, there was no agitation and we didn't make any noise about it, instead we took them and integrated them into the service here in Abia. Even our pension in Imo State, their files were brought to us without notification and we took their files and they are still here with us. When the federal government introduced the N18,000 minimum wage policy, we came back and calculated how much it will cost us, and we saw that we can't make it, when we looked into it, trying to find solution to the problem of minimum wage, idea came of what other states had done in the past, they said this is a period of peer review, and why not we try what others have tried and see if it will work for us, that was why we did that and in doing that we didn't sack anybody, we write their states, pleading with them to take their people into their states services and let us see how we can manage our people, and it worked for us because within that period we did it, till now, we maintained industrial harmony in the state. And don't forget that we are paying the highest minimum wage in the whole federation, we are paying N20,100 as minimum wage. Do you know that the total number of people we disengaged were 4000 workers, and we have recalled 2700 of them since the time the policy was introduced. Even at that, we have ask the remaining people who still want to come back to take advantage of this window and come back, we will take them back. What we have done is human and the right thing to do, especially when it has come to our notice that their state government have refused to take them, they should come and we are ready to take them. But one question we have continue to ask is; if when Abians were brought back to us and we took them in, why didn't the government of other states take their own people in, when they were sent to them? I can't understand whey they castigated me and played politics out of the matter. If I say look, I am saturated here, please try your state civil service let them engage you, if I have my people there, bring them back, already you've brought them back, but if there are remnant still bring them back, so that there will be equity in the whole thing. In the federation account, you get your share, we get our own, and my first priority is to take care of my people here. Now, I have called them back, who is a better person now? This is not politics and I have asked my people to out advert in the newspapers for people to see it, so that those who are willing to come back can apply, and we will take them. You talked about building an airport for Abia, considering the number of projects you have, also looking into the purse of the state, and with the fact that you don't have much time before 2015, how are you going to actualize the airport project. I will actualize the Abia Airport project the same way I have actualized others. But for the airport I want to be sincere to you, I may not finish it, considering the time factor, but my happiness will be to start it and see that the foundation has been laid. If we get the land, we will acquire it, pay compensation, clear the site and start skeletal structures, do all the paper work, get the permission and all that, that is something. But some people will argue that since there is an airport in Owerri, why do you need one in Abia. What is the basis of that argument. Do you know that majority of the people that use the Owerri airport are from Abia, and we want direct communication and contact, there many things to gain when you have an airport. It will boast the economy of the state, create employment and bring development. What is the southeast governors doing to ensure that people can fly into London, US and other parts of Europe from the Enugu International airport considering the number of our people that are in those areas. We are doing something to ensure that happens. Am you don't know what the southeast governors did for Ethiopian airline to come. We pleaded with President Jonathan to have an eye on Enugu airport to make it international and he has done it, and that is the first and foremost, that the President listened to us and paid attention to Enugu airport. All the planes will not come at once, there are rules and regulations, and we are following them one after the other. Today we have Ethiopian airline, others will come, so that people from the southeast will not go to Port Harcourt, Lagos or Abuja before traveling outside Nigeria. The southeast governors are not sleeping, we are working for the welfare of our zone. You said you had a lot of opposition in the state, which was one of the reason your attempt to take load was frustrated in your first tenure, now you appears to have the support of those you considered your opponents then, what did you do to get them to your side. The magic we did was to unify all Abians, not just the politics leaders, but every Abian, is because we ran an inclusive government. By the time I would have served out my tenure as governor, I want to be recognized by my state government, not jsut as a former governor, but as statesman. The recognition am talking about is to listen to me when I talk, to seek my opinion in things that are critical and to pay me respect. This was what we were lacking before I became governor, which annoyed a lot of Abia political stakeholders. It polarized the polity. Our people ran away, notable Abians absconded and had no interest in what was going on in the state. They were living in Abuja and Lagos and left the government and governance of the state, the consequences was grievous. I inherited that system, and I knew what I saw between 2007 to 2009, the old system in Abia affected me seriously, and it made me to rethink. I said no, Abia belong to every person, it is not my personal property, I am a governor by divine intervention and the will of the people, the longer I say her as governor is eight years, and another person will come. So I told myself that within this eight years I have to stay here, Abians must have a sense of belonging, they must know that the state belong to them, and I decided to open the doors of government to them. That I am the governor doesn't mean that I am the most intelligent person in Abia. I am intelligent, but I have to add the intelligence of others, so I seek the opinion of others, when you are taking decision about the state, you call stakeholders. It gives them joy that the governor called to seek their opinion in issue affecting the state. When you call the major stakeholders like Ike Nwachukwu, Onyema Ugochukwu, Adolph Wabara or any of them, and said this is what I want to do, what is your view, how do we do it, they will be happy that their governor is consulting them. If you want to make appointment, you don't give it to your mother or brother to write list of people you want to appoint for you, appointment is for everybody, you. You make your own input base in the antecedent of the people you want, then you give the major stakeholders the opportunity to make input. They have people that have the capacity to work, they will give suggestion about people they know will contribute to the governance of the state and you look I to that, take their candidate, and form your cabinet. But as the governor, you have the final say. You don't just because you're the governor, you write all the names of everybody that will be in the executive council, and if you look into it, you discover that most of those you brought in don't have the capacity to work, they have nothing to add, but you just put them there because you're governor, that is not how it is done. We have changed that system, what is happening in Abia now is that we consult everybody and give everybody the opportunity to make input. We running an inclusive government, that is what is happening now and that is why there is peace and unity in the state now. Go and ask those who were attacking me before, and hear what they will tell you about me now because the reality is clear and everything is now on ground. In this government, every Abian has a stake. We resolve that whatever we are doing here, we will invite our people and you will see the who is who in Abia in attendance. One of the legacy am leaving behind in Abia is the legacy of peace and unity, there will be no divide. The era of he is an Ukwa-Ngwa or old Bende man is gone, that divide I want to break it, even though it will still be there. What are the feedbacks you are getting from the youth empowerment programme you have been doing. I am getting very good feedback, wonderful feedback, and positive feedback. I want you to feel it by going into the street and ask those using the yellow taxi how they feel about our youth empowerment scheme. Not only in the area of giving out vehicles, we are training them, we have skill acquisition centres, the last time we graduated about 500 people that were trained in various skills that was in Umuahia alone, when they were graduating, money and equipments were given to them to start off. We encourage our youths to grow in their talent, your talent can die with you if you're not encouraged to grow it. That is why we are taken football very serious in the state, today Abia has two teams that will play in the Nigeria league, that is Enyimba of Aba and Warriors of Umuahia. When our youth are engaged, criminality will go, we are doing very well in youth empowerment and we shall continue with it. What are you doing in the are of encouraging investors in the state. We have an office that is in charge of helping investors in the state. If any investor comes to invest in the state, that office will help to ensure that the investors will not have problem in getting their Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) and other relevant things they need to start, so long as the investors do the right thing, because you cannot just come and say you're an investor and we listen to you. We had a nasty experience here, people came parading themselves as investors and ask for C of O we gave them they vanished. Amaokwe Housing estate and the market are typical examples, we learnt our lesson. What are you doing about the Golden Guinea breweries in Umuahia. I promised Abians that one of the things I will do is to revive Golden Guinea breweries in Umuahia, but then I hadn't gotten the details about the company. You know Golden Guinea is a Plc, is not owned solely by Abia, and for you to do anything there you have to follow due process. Somebody is there doing business, the only thing we can do as a government is to support him and we have told him that as a government, we will support him, we cannot for now, jump into it. What is your take on President Jonathan and 2015. President Jonathan has bright future in 2015. We expect that he will contest because it is his entitlement to complete his tenure. Though he has not said anything, but if he decides to run in 2015, Abia will support him for sure, I know that in the southeast he has a lot of followers and supporters. We expect him to run and complete his tenure because he has done well.

Every Nigerian born and bred in Abia State or is living and doing business in Abia and contributing in any measure is Abia State Citizen and on no account should an elected Government disengage or discriminate such a one irrespective of any circumstance.

If you want to retrench, do so with appropriate procedure that is devoid of discrimination. Example may be to retrench every civil servant that have put in so so number of years or by using age after due consultation with Labour Union.

We will no longer tolerate any action of elected Government that will create enmity between our people in the name of State Created by the military without referendum.