₦airaland Forum

Students’ Union of Abia state University Condemns Sun Newspaper on Report of beatings at Campus

The students’ Union Government of Abia state University, Uturu says there is no iota of truth in the recent sun newspapers report alleging that soldiers and policemen attacked and beat up students of the institution for protesting against the withdrawal of the degree certificate of the former governor of Abia state, Dr. Orji Uzor kalu.
Speaking when the students union Government of Abia state University, Uturu paid a solidarity visit to the governor at Government house, Umuahia, the SUG president, comrade Eke Obinna NathClinton said that no student of Abia state university was beaten up or attacked by soldiers or the police as purpoted by the report.
He said that Abia state University senate is a duly constituted body that has the right to revoke any students’ certificate found to have been earned through fraudulent means and commended the vice chancellor and the senate for protecting the sanctity of their certificates.
They called for an unreserved apology from the sun newspaper over the report as well as to withdraw the false report which portrayed them as lawless and rascals.
Receiving the students, Mr. Cosmos Ndukwe frowned at the situation where a national daily will target its report at maligning the students and the government and warned that government will not fold its arm and watch such act continue.
He called on the sponsors of such malicious write ups to desist or face the wrath of the law.
According to him, the government has provided the enabling environment for learning at ABSU and pledged that the government will work towards protecting the lives and property of the citizenry of the state at all times
First Bank Online.source :http://247ureports.com/students-union-of-abia-state-university-condemns-sun-newspaper-on-report-of-beatings-at-campus/

Making Abia State the japan of Nigeria

The made in Abia products exhibition has come and gone, but its accomplishment and success are still fresh in the memory of Abians and Nigerians at large, which graced the occasion or had a ghimpse of it through the broadcast station.

The exhibition which was powered by the office of her Excellency, Chief Mrs. Odochi Orji (Osinulomaranma), in collaboration with the organized private sector – under the public – private partnership initiative (PPP) has its theme: promoting made in Abia products for accelerated economic development.

The exhibition which lasted for one week, was flagged off by the amiable governor of Abia State, Sir Dr. T.A Orji (Ochendo) accompanied by the Abia first Lady and the crème – de – la – crème of Abia Politicians, amongst others. The high point of the occasion was the display of made – in Abia products ranging from solid minerals, agriculture products, artifacts, science equipment, tourism products, industrial products etc.

In her remarks, wife of the Deputy Chief of Staff office of the Deputy Governor, Chief Mrs. Vivian Ogbonnaya lauded Lady Odochi Orji for her legacies and vision of championing the first ever made in Abia Goods exhibition which also has provided manufacturers, producers, innovators, inventors, entrepreneurs, women and youths operating within Abia State the opportunity to showcase their products and services to the world.

The programme manager, Abia State Agricultural Development Programme, Sir EnyinnayaElekwachi opined that apart from the numerous charity works her Excellency is associated with, she has this time again come with this wonderful initiative of showcasing and promoting made in Abia Products for Accelerated Economic Development by way of Exhibition, which her predecessors could not achieve. In his contribution, the Hon. Commissioner, Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Engr. Emma Nwabuko, extolled the wife of the Governor, for her exemplary leadership style towards the people of Abia State as typified in upgrading the standard and general welfare of the less privileged, children and women of the State.

He also, thanked her for another milestone in her complementary effort in repositioning the State. The Hon. Commissioner of Finance, Chief Sam Onuigbo reiterated that this is the first time in her Twenty two years of existence, that the State is mounting an exhibition to showcase products made in the State. He showered encomiums on the wife of the Governor for her human and modest ingenuity to ensuring that the programme was a success. The transition committee Chairman of Umuahia North Local Government Area Hon. ChukwudiNdumele commended Chief Mrs. Mercy Odochi Orji for creating a very strategic window of opportunities for all business enterprises in the State that manufactures Local Products. “By this singular feat in the drive of industrialization of the State, your creative tendencies and technological capability have been exposed beyond boarders”.

It has now been known to the world that Abia State is the Japan of Africa. In the same vain, the transition committee Chairman, Umuahia South Local Government Area, Hon. Jerry Uzosike praised Governor T.A. Orji and his wife for lifting Abia State to an enviable height through celebrating our local manufacturers, thereby creating a platform for their markets to compete favourably with manufacturers of international repute. His colleague in the Ohafia Local Government Area, Chief Mandela Obasi saluted the wife of the Governor for her numerous goal oriented programmes in the State, and that with the exhibition, Abia Business climate will generally experience a boom that will not be forgotten.

Hon Emeka Ejiogu, the Member representing (Ohuhu constituency in Umuahia North Local Government Area), lauded Governor Orji and his wife for promoting the exhibition; thus adding to the development of the economy of Abia State. This he has exemplified through the provision of infrastructure, maintenance of security to enable industries thrive.

Also, the state coordinator of fadama III project Eziada Dr. Mrs. Ezinne F. Otuka poured encomiums on the wife of the Governor for her novel contributions to the less privileged, building of houses for widows, giving out scholarships to indigent pupils, taking care of motherless babies and empowerment of the youths through Agriculture. While showcasing various products and food items like vegetables, palm oil, plantain etc and locally made machines for the processing of Garri, yam etc.

She commended ‘Osinulo, Nne Abia’ for her good initiative for using Local solution to solve local problem. In his own contribution, the State Director of Sports, Mr. EjikemeIkwunze harped on the need for sustainability since it has to do with manufacturing and provision of local products for exhibition.

He congratulated the first family on their giant strides of provision of democracy dividends to Abians. The General Manager, Abia roads maintenance Agency, Chief Ndukwe Agwu also felicitated with the wife of the Governor for her milestone and supportive role in the onerous task of taking Abia State to the next level. He also prayed God to continue to grant her with wisdom and courage in her efforts to touch more lives.

The Executive Secretary, Secondary Education management Board (SEMB), Chief NdubuisiUmezurike opined that the exhibition will afford entrepreneurs and manufacturers, the opportunity to showcase their wares thereby assisting in Job creation and minimizing unemployment.

He thanked the Governor and his wife for the well thought, timely and innovative idea in bringing Abia State to limelight. Dr. Mrs. Queen Obioma, Director of Extension, Abia State (ADP), highlighted the importance of the exhibition by displaying made in Abia Agricultural Products, which are products of Abia (ADP).

She tasked manufacturers to always be proud to write ‘Made in Nigeria’ in their products instead of Made in Italy or China. She also praised ‘Mama Abia’ for her vision and developmental strides. All in all, the programme was a huge success worthy of emulation and should be sustained.source: http://www.naijanetworknews.com/?p=1723

A lot has been said about Aba, the commercial destination of Nigeria. I am not about to join issues with all the various positions that may have been advocated, whether for or against. But I will reiterate our avowal as publicly pledged, during the inauguration of our mandate, to the effect that we will faithfully live up to the aspiration of our people. Aba is not an exception to that pledge and this has been variously demonstrated by a glaring sincerity of purpose in addressing major challenges in Aba.

For a retrospective brief, it is a common knowledge that the gateway status of Aba is a follow up to the business adventures of our Igbo brothers. The city accommodated their strategic business interest in terms of proximity to railway and seaport through nearby Port Harcourt and accessibility to other states. Aba did well as a market town ably administered by retinue of Igbo merchants who ventured into various trades and vocations.

With the passage of time, these Igbo produce merchants flourished in their trade and consequently the British Colonial masters were attracted to designate Aba as one of their administrative enclaves.

Before the exit of the British Colonial Masters, Aba had become a household name in Nigeria and subsequently, made it to the African map as a commercial hub of note. Naturally, the status of the city compelled her to grapple with the influx of human beings who as it where came in droves. The consequence is that indecency and flagrant disregard for environmental friendliness has become a way of life in Aba.source: www.abiastate.gov.ng

ABSU students support the withdrawal of OUK's degree certificate. Demands apology from the publisher of the Sun newspaper for false reporting.
The students’ Union Government of Abia state University, Uturu says there is no iota of truth in the recent sun newspapers report alleging that soldiers and policemen attacked and beat up students of the institution for protesting against the withdrawal of the degree certificate of the former governor of Abia state, Dr. Orji Uzor kalu.
Speaking when the students union Government of Abia state University, Uturu paid a solidarity visit to the governor at Government house, Umuahia, the SUG president, comrade Eke Obinna NathClinton said that no student of Abia state university was beaten up or attacked by soldiers or the police as purpoted by the report.
He said that Abia state University senate is a duly constituted body that has the right to revoke any students’ certificate found to have been earned through fraudulent means and commended the vice chancellor and the senate for protecting the sanctity of their certificates.
They called for an unreserved apology from the sun newspaper over the report as well as to withdraw the false report which portrayed them as lawless and rascals.
Receiving the students, Mr. Cosmos Ndukwe frowned at the situation where a national daily will target its report at maligning the students and the government and warned that government will not fold its arm and watch such act continue.
He called on the sponsors of such malicious write ups to desist or face the wrath of the law.
According to him, the government has provided the enabling environment for learning at ABSU and pledged that the government will work towards protecting the lives and property of the citizenry of the state at all times.

ORJI KALU ,who was governor for 8 years ,has nothing to show for the 8 years he spent in office,he was responsible for the down fall of Abia state,he took a lot from abia,embezzle Abia state fund,what else,he made things difficult for all Abians,he introduced kidnapping in Abia state ,he brought in thieves arm robbers and put every citizen in a tight corner,people were running away for their lives......what good does he have that he should be talked of? OUK is a con man.....

Abia Governor attacks predecessor, Orji Kalu, as “political failure” who forged school certificate

The incumbent governor says his predecessor is a burden.

A former Abia State Governor, Orji Uzor Kalu, is an embattled and failed politician who lacks even basic academic qualification such as the senior school certificate; his successor, Theodore Orji, said, in a ferocious rejoinder to a week long public row between the two men.

Mr. Orji spoke to PREMIUM TIMES, Wednesday, in his first response since Mr. Kalu was stripped of a bachelors degree by the Abia State University-a decision Mr. Kalu blames the incumbent governor for.

Many also view the decision as the climax of the political confrontation between the two former allies. Mr. Orji was Mr. Kalu’s Chief of Staff for eight years during the latter’s tenure as governor.

The school said it found out the former governor’s admission and graduation, done while he held office and acted as the visitor to the school, were flawed.

In a reaction weekend, Mr. Kalu said the decision, coming six years after he left office, was induced by his successor, whom he labelled a “political neophyte”, unpopular among his people.

The incumbent governor, Mr. Orji, who spoke through his Chief Press Secretary, Ugo Emezue, said the former governor was attempting to evade a scandal he brought upon himself. He denied instigating the decision to strip Mr. Kalu of the degree.

“We are hesitant to react because that is pure blackmail. Abia State University is a full-fledged institution and its senate has the right to decide anything it likes,” the governor’s spokesperson said via phone.

“Truth is that Abia State Government has nothing to do with that. He should face his certificate scandal alone.”

Mr. Orji denied he was aware, as the Chief of Staff, of the arrangement leading to Mr. Kalu’s enrolment in the school, and his graduation.

“The chief of staff is not involved with his admission. First of all, he wouldn’t tell anybody if he is doing something bad. When you are carrying a woman, will you tell your chief of staff?” he asked.

He rejected the notion of a “neophyte”, and lambasted the former governor as the one lacking in qualification and experience.

“This is an elected governor, graduated from the University of Ibadan, seasoned civil servant for 35 years, worked at INEC, chief of staff for eight years and governor for two terms.

“Compare side by side with a man whose school certificate is even in doubt. In fact that is even the one the world will soon hear. He does not have a school certificate,” the incumbent’s spokesman said.

Mr. Kalu’s dispute with his former trusted aide, and the irony of his post-office experience, have surprised many.

As governor, Mr. Kalu founded the Progressive People Alliance, PPA, and deployed state and party machinery to install Mr. Orji as his successor; even when the new governor was detained over corruption charges.

Both men have since fallen apart, and Mr. Kalu has abandoned the party, seeking to return to the People’s Democratic Party, PDP; years after the incumbent did the same.

The distrust between the two men has been fuelled by more than is known publicly, Mr. Orji’s spokesperson said.

Part of it, he said, was Mr. Kalu’s attempt at perpetuating his influence after he left office.

“In life, when you give birth to a child, you want that child to be greater than you. But in this kind of situation, the father wants to be the greatest forever,” he said.

He said part of Mr. Kalu’s grouse, was the new governor’s refusal to fund his family and their profligate lifestyle.

Once, in the mid of the tense relationship then, Mr. Kalu, issued the current governor a query on the platform of the PPA, accusing him of non-performance.

“Can you imagine giving a sitting governor query?”

“He was more or less like a burden to the governor, milking everything. So what do you expect the man to do? When he’s pushed to the world he said no, enough is enough.

“We cannot continue to cater for your mother, cater for your brother, cater for your family, taking jet to the U.S., the state government will be paying. The people of Abia state said no, this cannot continue. So that is what happened,” he said.source :http://premiumtimesng.com/news/123419-abia-governor-attacks-predecessor-orji-kalu-as-political-failure-who-forged-school-certificate.html

Abia state governor, chief TA Orji has called on the United States government to explore opportunities for business and other collaboration with Abia state.
Governor Orji made the call when he received the United states consular General in Nigeria, Mr. Jeffrey Hawkins who was in the state on a working visit with his team.
The governor said he expects the United states to find Abia a veritable ground for direct investment in the area of agriculture,education science and technology and other areas.
According to him, US remains an important partner in trade, education, as well as a model of democracy with Nigeria and stated that appreciates the cordial relationship the country enjoys with the US.
He assured the consular General that Abia state is peaceful, adding that Abia state is eager to partner with the US.
Earlier, the US consular General in Nigeria, Mr. Jeffrey Hawkins stated that he and his team were on a one week tour of the south East states to interact and engage with the people.
He said he was impressed with what he saw and described the people of the south East as dynamic, friendly and entrepreneurial people.
Mr. Hawkins said he looks forward to many fruitful exchanges between Abia state government and the United states.

while i was writing my thesis in the UK on "corruption in Nigeria" in 2011, i came across a book that a former lecturer at ABSU wrote, claiming that OUK had paid them( Lecturers and VC) in order to attain his degree, and that he did not even have a secondary school certificate before getting into the school. so i think it is probably true....our leaders sha!

Who told him you can't withdraw school certificates? They withdraw certificates in schools here in the UK even after 30 years especially if they found out you cheated or plagiarized and are able to justify it. They withdraw doctorates self. Two well known Germans lost their doctorates of over 20 years recently due to plagiarism. The certificate remains the property of the school. It is clearly written in all University handbooks.

T.A is determined indeed to do great things...he started off in a great way this second tenure and we are very much in appreciation of his performances this season..he is doing great.......

who does not know that OUK has no degree,every graduate is better than him,he has nothing to hinge on as a certificate…he bought his degree with money,he did not graduate…he made quite a lot of mistake as a tout he is ,he was responsible for all the mess that was in Abia,the world will not forgive him…..

i think if there is fact behind the motion the governor wants to raise against OUK ,let him do so so as to teach other uprising politicians lessons becos most of them use their firm to gain a place in politics even when they are not supposed to be in contention for the post in leadership position.........the governor has got my backing in this issue...let him carry on

i think if there is fact behind the motion the governor wants to raise against OUK ,let him do so so as to teach other uprising politicians lessons becos most of them use their firm to gain a place in politics even when they are not supposed to be in contention for the post in leadership position.........the governor has got my backing in this issue...let him carry on

the introduction of biometric system has done a lot to dictate the ghost workers who are not eligible to work .....this idea is great..i love it am ha[ppy the way things are going

if APC like ,let them emerge all the parties,it makes no sense

this is something i could have said if i was to be asked to voiced my opinion.....am sure every body would like this too....

Abia State LGAs records 1,500 ghost workers

In this interview the Commissioner of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Chief Emma Nwabuko says corruption in the local government system is endemic

What has been your experience since you became the commissioner of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs in Abia state; are there challenges you would like to share with us?
The position of commissioner of local government and chieftaincy affairs is a call to duty. The job is quite challenging because your policies deal directly with the masses.
The ministry deals with issues that affect grassroots people, and of course, it is not easy to manage affairs of the grassroot. Despite all the challenges we thank God for giving us the grace and wisdom to forge ahead.
For me we have not done badly. For you to succeed in the local government system, it requires a lot of patience and sacrifice and we have done our best to achieve what we have achieved.

The local government system is the 3rd tier of government but recently, there have been calls in some quarters for the scrapping of this tier that is closest to the people. What is your take on this?
The local government system is established to fulfill certain statutory obligations to the rural populace. What the grassroots need is dividends of democracy whether from the federal state or otherwise it does not matter but the local government plays a pivotal role towards the growth and development of the country.
Again, you must agree with me that the local government system is recognized in the constitution until that is amended or changed the status quo remains.
I remain an advocate of good governance so if repelling the constitution that created the local government system would boost and enhance the workability in the local government system why not, I would support it.

Sometime last year there was this insinuation that the local government system had over bloated staff with a high wage bill as well. Then the biometric capturing machine method was introduced, is there any progress recorded in the biometric system and what are the challenges encountered so far.
We do have an over- bloated work force in the local government due largely to redundancy.The workers were not living up to expectation. As a commissioner of local government, my observation is that, in a month there are two days of attendance these two days are the day of payment and may be verification date. Even the principal officers in this local government system do not come to work.
The only day the principal officers come to work is when they are having meeting. After the meetings, they disappear. If we put up an aggregate work force in the 17 local governments in Abia state, we have about 25,000 workforce. Now with such work force how do you pay salaries of these workers with the lean resources coming from the federation account?
The resource of Abia state is not only meant for the payment of salaries of workers in the councils, there are other items requiring attention. The allocation, of course, would go to teachers, pensioners among other statutory payments.
Approximately, we have 25,000 work force and each day you go there you don’t get up to 50 workers each working day. When I came on board and introduced the biometric capturing machine, it faced a lot of resistance from NULGE and fraudulent officers gaining from the corrupt system.
The corruption in Abia state local government system did not start today but the perpetrators have now perfected it to an unbelievable level. As the saying goes, if you fight corruption, corruption would fight you back with double strength.
We discovered that the principal officers of the local governments employed their children who were undergraduates in universities and were being paid salaries even to the extent that some who were still in primary school were on the pay roll of the local governments.
We also discovered that some people went for in-service training for more than nine years ago, finished their in-service training, went for youth service, got employment in some other places but they are still collecting salaries from the local government.
When we introduced the biometric system, we discovered that no local government council in the state had up to 15% attendance every month.source :http://www.sundaytrust.com.ng/index.php/news/12157-abia-state-lgas-records-1-500-ghost-workers

The Battle Of TheTwo Orji’s And Abia PDP

The 2007 gubernatorial election in Abia State was mainly a fight between the PDP led by Chief Onyema Ugochukwu and the PPA, which had Chief T.A. Orji. While the PPA won the governorship elections, the PDP claimed majority of the National Assembly and some state Assembly seats. The situation however remained such that the Kalu family dictatorship was still in full ascent in the state. The power of dictatorship was exercised in a manner that gave them unlimited control over several organs of government and the party thus leaving Governor Orji very limited to exercise the mandate given to him by the Abia electorate.

The situation was made worse by a burgeoning security challenge that was threatening to collapse civic life especially in the urban centers of Aba and Umuahia. As if history was repeating itself, these contradictions were to generate a major crisis within the PPA, which saw the incumbent governor Chief T.A. Orji seeking for another platform to contest the 2011 general elections.Such contradictions equally brought the merging of the Chief T.A. Orji’s faction of the PPA with the opposition PDP, which led to the PDP sweeping all the seats in the 2011 general elections. It has to be noted too that Governor T. A. Orji’s level headedness and candour played a major role in unifying the mainstream Abia political elite behind the new PDP

The most significant of all the 2011 electoral events was the round rejection of the Kalu family dictatorship as symbolized by not only the rejection of all PPA candidates but also the eventual rejection of Chief Orji Uzor Kalu’s senatorial bid for the Abia North senatorial seat.

Over the past two years, this has guaranteed a quantum leap in governance in both quantitative and qualitative terms. At least democracy has finally been restored back to the people under the leadership of the current governor, Chief T.A. Orji and his PDP, which has a tested and self-effacing politician, Chief Emma Nwaka as its chairman. The evidence of such flourishing can be seen from an incident that happened some few months ago in the Arochukwu Local government area chapter of the party where the local government chairmanship position became vacant and another successor in the person of Hon. Obinna Nwankwo was freely elected by a properly convened chapter of the party. There was no interference either from the state governor or the state leadership of the party.Such a situation was impossible to imagine during the Kalu family dictatorship era. In the same way the fleecing of prospective candidates and office seekersduring the Kalu family dictatorship era is now also regarded as a thing of the past.

One other evidence of such quantum leap in governance is that the elite consensus ensured by the leadership of Chief T.A. Orji has guaranteed a synergy between the state officials and federal representatives, which has ensured the attraction of all federal projects meant for Abia State. Some of such projects include, the Abriba-Nkporo-ossoedda federal highway; the rehabilitation of Ohafia-Arochukwu Federal high way; the re-opening of Osisioma NNPC Depot; the various FERMA reconstruction works in the state, the Labour Institute at Umuahia etc. This situation is in contrast to the past during the Orji Kalu family era when the bickering between the state governor and the federal representatives meant that Abia State suffered from lack of federal projects.

Again, the achievement of elite consensus has enabled the state government to concentrate efforts at pursuing its development agenda undisturbed by unnecessary political bickering and partisanship. The most notable example of such effort at development by the state administration is the execution of its legacy projects which is currently been symbolized by the numerous construction efforts that are on-going in the state.

After the defeat of the Kalu family dictatorship and their disappearance from the Abia scene, they went underground. Some said, Chief Orji Uzor Kalu has been quietly investing his billion all over the globe while also answering to EFFC charges over acts of impropriety as the then Governor of Abia State. However, those who know Orji Kalu too well will agree that his re-appearance in the Abia scene after two years of absence to make an entry into PDP while re-organizing his PPA will only have one agenda in mind and that is, to cause confusion in Abia PDP while positioning his party the PPA to achieve power in 2015.It is for this reason that such agenda will continue to be resisted not only by the leadership of the party but by all progressive minded Abians.

http://southeastnewsonline..com/2013/02/made-in-abia-exhibition-unveils-hidden.html?spref=fb
The maiden edition of the ‘Made in Abia Products Exhibition’ ended at the weekend in Umuahia, the Abia State capital. The exhibition was targeted at showcasing the ingenuity of small and medium industrialists in the state and especially Aba, its commercial hub.

Abia is known for hosting the highest number of small and medium scale industrialists in the country. Majority of the industrialists, however, operate in isolation, which prompted the government to use the exhibition to bring them to the limelight.

This is where Abia has comparative advantage over other states in the country. So, the government wants to stamp that superiority by exposing hidden treasures in the state. Nine sectors participated in the exhibition: metal and machine fabrication, leather and allied products, garment, wood works and carpentry, food and beverages, hair stylists and cosmetologists, auto mechanics and chemical and allied sartorial group.

Majority of these industrialists lack exposure, which is not good for their businesses. Now, the administration wants to bring them out through this exhibition so they can expose their talents to the public and thereby attract patronage to themselves.

The thinking is that almost every house on Ngwa Road has a factory in it, but the operators do not come out. Even as the state government has initiated this now, some of them have not seen the reason why they should be part of it. Some see it as a waste of time, but the organisers are trying to convince them, because change is constant.

Considering the importance of this sector to the economic development of the state and country, the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) in conjunction with the Nigerian Export Promotion Council and the Abia State government established a Common Facility Centre (CFC) in Aba, to provide modern machinery to aid the leather and garment producers, first of its kind in Nigeria.

The centre, which was estimated to have gulped over $300,000 is aimed at upgrading technical skills and entrepreneurial capacities of small and medium enterprises in Aba for export production through the cluster concept.

The key strategy for the project was to establish sectoral and geographical concentration of enterprises faced with common opportunities and challenges and with the primary objective of exploiting external economies through collective effort and sharing common facilities for enhanced processing of their products.

The CFC is also to serve as a centre of excellence for capacity building and provision of cutting edge technology for competitiveness enhancement. The Aba leather products cluster was identified as having the highest density in Nigeria, which consists of over 11,000 enterprises with 23,000 regular employees and an annual turnover of $100 million.

It is similar to the Export Production Village (EPV) model of the Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC), a strong justification for the NEPC’s involvement in the programme alongside other stakeholders such as the Federal Ministry of Trade & Investment, UNIDO, and the Abia State government.

To complete the project, the Abia State government, provided the land, water and electricity, the NEPC built the structure, supplied and installed two 250 KVA stand-by generators.

This development negates the expectation of the Export Promotion Council, one of the executors of the project, that Nigeria can earn N320 billion annually from leather products, if the centre is fully utilised by the leather producing cluster group in the state.

The executive director, Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), A.M Lawal, observed at the commissioning that the leather sector in 2006 contributed well over N28 billion ($230 million), representing 22 percent of the non-oil export earnings. According to him, that amount increased in 2007, as the sector contributed N37.8 billion ($300 million) to the non-export earning of Nigeria. Consequently, he further observed that Nigeria would earn more than N320 billion from finished leather products using the CFC model.

Commending the Ministry of Trade & Investment, initiators of the cluster programme, Lawal affirmed that the initiative would definitely spur industrialisation in the leather sector of Nigeria. As a stakeholder in capacity building for small and medium scale producers of exportable non-oil products in Nigeria, the NEPC was asked to support in providing the structure for the first CFC project.

The key strategy for the project was to establish sectoral and geographical concentration of enterprises faced with common opportunities and challenges and with the primary objective of exploiting external economies through collective effort and sharing common facilities for enhanced processing of their products.

The CFC is to also serve as a centre of excellence for capacity building and provision of cutting edge technology for competitiveness enhancement. It was jointly executed by Abia State government that provided land, water and electricity, the NEPC that built the structure, supplied and installed two 250 KVA stand-by generators, the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation that supplied and installed the machines, provided training and the technical expertise required for the take-off of the centre, while the Federal Ministry of Trade & Investment provided policy guidelines and coordination for the success of the project.source http://southeastnewsonline..com/2013/02/made-in-abia-exhibition-unveils-hidden.html?spref=fb

Abia has seen change ....kudos to T.A

people are using all sort of stories to malign the governor but i tell u what,governor was not part of the whole exercize

this is not properly stated,gov.T.A never promoted such contest,people are misinforming us.....he was not part of the program,and he never promoted such contest

BREAKING NEWS!: How one family siphoned Abians N29B

How one family siphoned Abias N29B for the building of CAMP NEYA at Igbere, Ranch at Maryland; Sugarland Mansion at USA and SUN Newspapers.
1.Slok Nig LTD (OUK)
2.Slok Air (OUK)
3.Slok Gambia (OUK)
4.Slok Shipping (OUK)
5.Solar Neuz
Ent. LTD (Odiuko and Nnanna)
6.Pacific Intl LTD (Dr. Onwukwe Odiukos cousin)
7.Benergy Nig LTD (Mascot)
8.Ozbork Nig LTD (Mascot)
9.Esean Const. Co. LTD (Mascot)
10.Euzor Nig LTD (Mascot and Odiuko)

Once beaten, twice shy. Abia cannot be raped the second time. Lets say no to the return of wickedness, sabotage, witchcraft (OKIJA) politics and selfishness.

Say no to the UZOR KALU family.

Change Abia Initiative!

Abia Liberation Farm to employ 859 youths



The Abia State Liberation Farm will engage 850 youths across the 17 local government areas of the state, Chief Ike Onyenweaku, the state Commissioner for Agriculture, has said.

Onyenweaku made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Umuahia, recently.

He said 50 youths would be employed by the farm in each of the 17 local government areas of the state.

The commissioner said that the pilot phase of the farm, which would be inaugurated in March, had been sited in Okikpe, in Ukwa West Local Government.

He said the farm would be used for job creation and to ensure food security in the state.

“Government has already appointed Chief Bartho Onyema as the project manager and the aim is to have a separate structure that will run the farm as an enterprise,” he said.

The commissioner said that each local government would cultivate such crops that they had comparative advantage over others.

“That is why we have carefully chosen plantain cultivation in the pilot phase and forms are being completed by the youth in the area for the take-off,” he said.
Onyenweaku said that each of the farm produce would get value addition, adding that “we have concluded plans to site a factory that will use plantain as its major raw material.”

How we ‘re rebuilding Abia – Orji

Abia State Governor, Chief T.A Orji fielded questions from journalists on the margins of the National Good Governance Media Tour of the state. Excerpts:

There are fears about the completion of the many ongoing projects in the state before you leave, what assurance are you giving?

I am assuring Abians that I am going to finish the projects that I have started. I cannot start any project that I know that I ‘m not sure I will finish. We have the funding for most of the projects that you are seeing on ground. And as we are progressing, I know that the revenue of the state will continue to improve on a daily basis because of the machinery that we have put on ground.

One lingering question is how are you getting funds without borrowing to execute these projects?
It is by the prudent management of the one that we have. If you move around, you discover that we are not extravagant in the first instance; we are not doing showman’s business. We have all buried our ambition to make sure that we achieve these projects. We are cutting our coat according to our size.


*Gov Theodore Orji

So what drives you?
What is driving me is the determination to improve Abia because I know what we have suffered. Before now, if you compare Abia with some of the states that were created with Abia, you would see that it was lagging and people were insulting us, some of them refer to Umuahia as a glorified village. But do you hear that again? People came to Umuahia in the past and said that it was like a glorified village yet we had governors here who were having their personal agenda.

I don’t have any personal agenda. I am not a businessman, I don’t own any company. I am not interested in business because I have said it that if I go into business, I will be cheated because I don’t know anything about business. What I know is this thing that I am doing and I ‘m here to utilise any little money I get and ensure that such is invested on the people. We want to do something for which we shall be remembered.

You have relatively formed a consensus among the political class here and minimized antagonism. How were you able to do this?

If I were a cantankerous governor, we would have been fighting here everyday but we have seen those things as mere distractions and we decided to face governance and you don’t govern alone. You have to carry your people along and what we did was to bring those people that were disenchanted by what was happening before and give them a sense of belonging.

It didn’t cost us anything. What we did was to give them sense of belonging which was not given to them before now. Instead they were driven away and nobody listened to them despite their age and experience. At that stage in life if you find yourself in that position, where nobody cares about you or consults you, what you do is to relax and leave the state to drift to any situation.

I formed the Elders Council (EC) that involved all those elders that will be giving their advice on a regular basis to the government. So, that is a sense of belonging. When you go to those people that you see as pessimists or enemies or visit their houses, they will express surprise. I made Gen Ike Nwachukwu (rtd), the Chairman of the reconciliation committee and he was going from house to house reaching out to those people who were attacking us and today most of them have come together.

If people give the stakeholders a sense of belonging, and empower the youths and the masses just as we are doing, they will rally round your government. Before now what the former administration used to give the youths in the name of empowerment were shovels and head pans. You as a young man, if I give you a shovel and head pan, will you be happy? You will curse me and that was the mentality during the time of the former government because they don’t want anybody to surpass them.

But in our youth empowerment, we are giving out brand new cars and tricycles. I banned the use of Okada here and replaced them with tricycles. We gave out refrigerators and barbing equipment and other items that are tangible which can add value to the lives of the people. You can now see the difference. When you touch the youths in that positive way and give the elders the sense of belonging, you will see that all of them will rally around you. So that is the magic that we are doing.

Some people are advocating going back to the cultivation of some of those things that used to give Nigeria money in the past like palm produce, cocoa and rubber, do you have the intention of reviving that aspect of the economy of this state?

We have already gone back to that. For example, we have the rubber plantation in Ndioji that was wasting but today we have brought in investors who are currently managing that place, tapping the rubber gums, selling them, making money and also giving us our own share. As at now, they have employed 1300 youths for rubber alone. Now we are establishing liberation farms in the senatorial zones. We have started from Ukwa West.

Some assert that you are not doing much on the matter of sports development. So, what efforts are you making to promote sports development?

My brother, who told you that sports has not received an attention here? Enyimba is there. Do you know how much it cost us to keep Enyimba Football Club? Since 2007 that I came on board, they have won many laurels, nationally and internationally, and it takes us a big chunk of money to run that club and they have been in the top league all along from 2007 till now.

Apart from that, just two weeks ago, I rewarded the Paralympics, I gave to each of them N1 million. They won medals in London for Nigeria and not for Abia but we decided to encourage them. So we do encourage our sports people. We don’t come out to blow our trumpets but we are spending a lot of money in that area.

You see, it is only in Abia that we have three football clubs that we are running: Enyimba Football Club, the Comet and the Warriors. Some people are only running one club and they are shouting but we have been running three clubs in Abia since 2007.

T.A is working ,one thing with the world is there is they never get satisfied,and unless its their family member that is on that seat of power,they will never say anything good......hatred that what it is.....but such can't move us forward

gov' T.A Orji is working,na only bad belle ppl go come talk say he no dey work......check out this and more http://www.panoramio.com/user/7238079?show=all

there is no success ib Aba without T.A Orji's contributions...so if Aba is what it is tomorrow ,we shall laud T.A Orji's contributions......,so Naija Som or what u call urself,dont make mess of urself in the media....T.A is behind every success in Aba..

Former Abia State Governor Uzor Kalu got the shock of his life over the weekend as his kinsmen from Igbere practically chased him out from the village having rejected his blood money and infested 10 bags of rice. Our source said Uzor Kalu who sneaked into the village for the cult initiation of some of SUN editors in a bid to hid his mission, decided to cover up by calling the villagers to come and receive their new year gifts. Unknown to him the youths of the village who went to the bush as part of their surveillance saw him half naked during the initiation. As kalu wanted to begin the distribution of rice and paltry 50k the youths started chanting ritual ist , okija man we don't want your blood money and blood rice. It took the intervention of his aides to save him. Sensing danger kalu ran away last nite kidnapping the youth leader a situation that has thrown the village into confusion.

Abia is moving forward,we have come to terms with that

T.A is just setting the pace,am so happy with the way things are going..he is gradually taking us by storm....

if u say T.A is not doing great ,make u employ soldiers to ur own state make them do the same,abi them carry soldiers put for jupita wey ur hand no reach to bring them into ur own state,critics,make other governors carry the same idea as T.A carry am make Abia a peaceful state