IKPEAZU ENSURING PEACE, DEVELOPMENT IN ABIA STATE.

BY KALU OKPO.

The governor of Abia Ikpeazu can be defined as a man of faith in God with compassion, peacefulness, vision and forbearance and also a citizen of high discipline.

Okezie Ikpeazu (PhD) has carved an enviable niche for himself as an outstanding leader with a unique governance philosophy.

The governor, fondly known as “OVI” habitually appreciates and acknowledges his beloved God of the Seventh Day Adventist faith for the bold statement the God Almighty has decreed in his life as a leader and his peers readily acknowledge this striking humble trait.

A leader who stresses consensus, widely recognized by all for his commitment to peace development especially the lowly and less privileged. Gov. Ikpeazu has gone down in history as a phenomenon that stands tall among his contemporaries and tells the story that life is better enjoyed on the side of the above attributes.

On assumption of office in 2015, at a time when the State’s resources were growing leaner because of the nation’s adverse economic realities, Gov. Ikpeazu was undaunted and resolute to build Abia State of the founding father’s dreams, where peace, harmony, inclusive governance and rapid development hold sway.

His sheer determination to alleviate the sufferings of the people and make life more meaningful for them against all odds, gave birth to his administrations KINETIC ABIA PROJECT, a rural department policy aimed at taking democracy dividends to the doorstep of the rural dwellers.

Ikpeazu’s driving focus remains remembering the long neglected. Reconnecting rural dwellers with the realities of governance and addressing the imbalance between the Urban and Rural populace in terms of distribution of infrastructure and other basic amenities.

The nation’s economic melt-down aside, the governor when he assumed office also inherited a huge debt profile and other wage bills to be serviced. At that time 26 states or more including Abia could not pay workers’ salaries, let alone embark on capital projects.

Governors resorted to bail out funds to meet the high demands of governance and what was more challenging was their inability to access the nation’s excess crude oil funds which enabled their predecessors to execute capital projects and address other sundry public needs.

In spite of all these, Gov. Ikpeazu has been able to lead Abia State out of the woods and attain enviable heights as one of the most peaceful states in the country that could survive with the little resources within its ambit.

Abia State with little or no internally generated revenue is one of the advanced States in Nigeria in the ease of doing business.

Historically, Governor Ikpeazu is the only Chief Executive of Abia State to witness two economic recession in less than five years of his administration, the past “END SARS protest and a Pandemic (COVID-19) that has brought a serious setback to the entire world in terms of growth and development with other challenges.

The Construction of Osisioma Flyover in Aba City, a landmark project has reached an advanced stage at the intractable Abayi Portharcourt Express Junction to ease traffic gridlock in the area.

The present administration in Abia State has also made huge investment in other sectors of development such as health, education, security, investment promotion, Agriculture, workers welfare and empowerment.

Furthermore, Gov. Ikpeazu’s administration has constructed and commissioned many roads especially in the rural areas of the state linking the capital city of Umuahia to mention but few.

In his peacefulness, despite the avalanche of challenges, Ikpeazu has continued to spearhead and advance peace in Abia State in a rare dignified manner.

The peace in Abia State which is largely responsible for the milestone achievements recorded by Governor Ikpeazu’s administration, in spite of various challenges has also engendered real estate development in the state and increased the state’s internally generated revenue (IGR)