The hot air regarding ‘collapsing health infrastructure’ is another parody of constructive criticism. A simple fact check reveals that upon assumption of office, Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, released funds for the total rehabilitation, reconstruction and upgrading of all the Schools of Nursing in Abia State. Consequently, the School of Midwifery Abiriba and the Schools of Nursing at Aba, Umuahia and Amachara were upgraded leading to their re-accreditation by the Midwifery and Nursing Council of Nigeria. Admission into these institutions have since resumed. Okezie’s administration went into partnership with the MTN Foundation to fund the reduction of maternal and infant mortality and morbidity in the state. Under this arrangement, the maternal wards of 4 General Hospitals were equipped and upgraded. They are Abia State Specialist and Diagnostic Centre, Umuahia, Abia State University Teaching Hospital, Aba, General Hospital Okpuala Ngwa and Cottage Hospital, Owaza. The infrastructural upgrade at the Abia State University. The icing on the cake is the Abia State Tele Health Support Centre commissioned by Vice President. Prof Yemi Osinbanjo.

The state-of-art, geriatric medical outreaches established by His Excellency, Dr Ikpeazu is a free, service run in situ that caters for elderly and senior citizens who are treated, in their homes.The Abia state Emergency health service is linked to a dedicated call centre and ambulances.
Talking of industries, the mealy mouthed, defrocked banker raised posers on the quantum of foreign direct investments attracted by the present administration. We got good news for him. Turkey and China are here on ground with groundbreaking multinationals.-a product of Dr Okezie’s tireless investment drives. And as we speak Enyimba Economic City , a global business hub in the southeast region of Nigeria which is a brainchild of the Governor Okezie Ikpeazu administration has landed.


It is an audacious and ambitious project conceived with the intention of connecting South-East states and four out of the six states in the south south of Nigeria.The beauty of it all is it has been designated as a Special Economic Zone by the Federal Government and will have Free Trade Zone status. Abia state under Ikpeazu is the new economic frontier of Nigeria.


The motive force is to leverage Abia into the global matrix of trade, finance and production ipso facto south east. In brass tacks the mission is to create a nerve centre to the nine southeast and south south, states linked with high grade access roads, rails, airport and seaports that will transform the region into a manufacturing and industrial powerhouse, with ancillary drivers of commerce, logistics, entertainment, education, health and lifestyle living.


The beauty of it is it will be developed through a public-private-partnership (PPP) company of private sector investors, Abia State Government, and Federal Government of Nigeria but will be solely managed by the private sector. And the Chairman of the advisory board is Dr Paschal Dozie, erstwhile boss of Alex Otti at Diamond Bank. Other members of the board include: Mr. C. Darl Uzu Vice Chairman/CEO, Prof Barth Nnaji, Dr. Abraham Nwankwo , Elder Emmanuel Adaelu Senator Adolphus Wabara , Mr. Chidi Ajaegbu , Prof. Anya O. Anya , Chief Sam Nwaogu Dr. Paul Ananaba, SAN, Ambassador Empire Kanu, Amb. Tom Aguiyi Ironsi , Mr. Ugochukwu Okoroafor, Mr. Austin Ufomba , Mr. Chibuzor Ekwekwuo. Enyimba Economic City will be developed over an area of approximately 9,803ha, spanning three local government areas of Ukwa West, Ukwa East and Ugwunagbo in Abia State. Because of the foresight of Governor Ikpeazu in attracting attention to Aba, the city is receiving special attention for the provision of uninterrupted power.


The Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing, through the Rural Electrification Agency, has commissioned the construction of a 5 Megawatt Power Plant to provide over 37, 000 shops at the Ariaria International Market with uninterrupted power supply. This was after a pilot test-run with 1,000 shops over an uninterrupted period of 6 months. Upon completion in 2019, Ariaria Market traders, shoemakers, fabricators and inventors will have uninterrupted power supply. One can only imagine the opportunities that will be unlocked for creativity and inventions.

The imminence of uninterrupted has leveraged Geometric Power, the pace setting private licensee of a Power Project in Nigeria with a new lease of life. Some few months ago, in Beijing, China, it signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ruyi Group of China for equity investment in Geometric Power which will enable it reinforce its energy grid trajectory. In the same breath is the signed a Memorandum of Understanding for a multi billion dollars investment by the Ruyi Group in the Economic City. The Ruyi Group is the World's largest producer of garments and allied products and they are set to invest at the Enyimba Economic City.


Present at the signing were the Nigerian Ambassador to China, Amb. Baba Ahmed Jidda, Minister of State for Trade and Investment, Hajiya Aisha Abubakar, Economic Adviser to the President, Dr. Adeola Dipeolu, Chairman of the Board of Geometric/Enyimba Economic City, Dr. Pascal Dozie, CEO of Geometrics, Prof. Barth Nnaji, Management of the Nigerian Export Processing Zone Authority (NEPZA)
The Ruyi Group already has Power Plants in China, Pakistan and Ethiopia and are looking to become the dominant players in the world in the energy sector.

This investment in Geometrics will lead to the activation of not just the already completed power plant at Osisioma, but also ensure speedy work at new plants at Ugwunagbo and Ukwa West.
Dr Okezie Ikpeazu is diversifying the economy through agriculture and diversifying vide technology. Sampler: mushroom production and training programs are already yielding great results: a venture which young Abians have keyed to. Ditto for rice farmers, who have boosted production with the target of producing enough to feed all Abians in 2019. His administration has established a massive palm plantation with over 4,000,000 tenera specie seedlings grown and sold across the state. The target is 7.5m seedlings at the end of 2019. It is expected that by 2022 Abia State will no longer depend on FAAC as cash crops and other programs are expected to diversify the economy of the state.

Grants and soft loans are available to farmers who have the facilities of mechanized farming equipment across the state through leasing at affordable rates; less than 50% of the previous lease cost.Commercial production of cocoa and cashew have been boosted through deliberate investment by the government. The objective is to ultimately establish processing plants for the primary products to further enhance benefits within the value chain for the cash crops.The administration is directly providing fertilizers to farmers at subsidized rates alongside other free extension services.

The administration embarked on enhanced poultry and fish production with phase 1 of 100 poultry pens of 2000 birds executed. By the same token it constructed a 165,000 birds capacity poultry processing plant at Umuosu Nsulu in Abia central senatorial zone. Additional two units for Abia North and South are currently under construction. Following the provision of counterpart funding for FADAMA III projects, 300 young Abia farmers benefitted from N2.5m per person grant as part of the Farmpreneur project of the world bank (FADAMA).Also in partnership with the world bank, Abia commenced reactivation of the long moribund Igu Dam to ensure all year round rice production in the state.Abia State is currently in partnership with Bank of Agriculture and the federal government in the enhanced eggs production project.

As part of the administration’s capacity building agenda, the state launched the Education for Employment (E4E) scheme that has already produced 472 graduates with relevant skills in ICT, at Phase 1. Phase 2 of the program which is aimed at training 36,000 unemployed Abians in different skills has commenced at the Multi Skill acquisition facility at Umuobiakwa in Obingwa LGA.
For the first time in Abia state, a database of unemployed Abians has been compiled and the government is taking verifiable actions to provide them with jobs, using the recently launched Abia state job portal.In partnership with Dangote group, a modern job center is under construction at Isiala Ngwa.

To further enhance the capacity and productivity of Abia teachers, the administration is partnering with Australian education solution providers to retrain them and enhance teaching efficiency. More than 800 teachers have benefited from this program. A new teachers training facility has been opened at Umuahia to ensure continuous training of primary and secondary school teachers.
Under Ikpeazu’s watch, Abia State has maintained 1st position in WAEC and NECO examinations for consecutive 3 years as a result of increased monitoring and enhancement of private and public sector educational resources.

To motivate our teachers for better performance in our schools, Governor Ikpeazu donated cars to best performing teachers from the 3 zones and also built staff quarters at Umuahia.In consideration of the current socio-economic situation in the country, the government reduced tuition fees at ABSU, Abiapoly and College of Education Arochukwu to support Abia parents and guardians. Abia’s homegrown free school feeding program was launched in 2015 and currently ongoing across the state. Abia State, under Ikpeazu, is the only state in the federation providing food for primary one to six school pupils.
Also Ikpeazu’s administration partnered with the private sector to provide free Made in Aba school sandals to over 2000 school children in the state. More will benefit from this program which also supports Governor Ikpeazu’s Made in Aba promotion agenda.

In order to boost ICT education and stimulate interest in that area in our children from early age, Abia State launched Free ICT and Coding training for primary and secondary schools in the state using the e-library at Umuahia as hub.For the first time in Abia state, the ministry of education launched and deployed a unified education platform for all schools in the state. Results and activities of all Abia school children can be monitored from one platform for private and public schools.

In fulfillment of the Governor’s electoral promise, Abia State is constructing 4 model schools (Abayi Aba, Obingwa, Umuahia and Ohafia) with nursery, primary and secondary schools in one location alongside sports facilities and teachers quarters. This we are able to execute because we paid our UBE counterpart fund of N2.8b.359 new school classroom blocks are currently under construction in the state with more than 100 completed and ready for Commissioning. In addition, the state ministry of education renovated/constructed 67 classroom blocks across the 3 Senatorial zones of the state, sank 9 Boreholes and reticulated water supply to 43 school toilets.

To support regular monitoring of schools in rural and urban areas of the state Governor Ikpeazu launched a new statewide education inspectors scheme and provided 42 motorcycles to enhance efficiency. The administration has reconstituted the state scholarship board and awarded tertiary education scholarships to best performing WASCE students in all the LGAs for 2 years.

A new education hub is emerging around the Owerrinta area with the government providing necessary infrastructure support to ensure the development of the biggest education cluster in Africa.