At creation in 1991 by the military, Abia State adopted ‘God’s Own State’ as its payoff line just like other states in Nigeria have their unique brand names that distinguish them in the comity of states. Regrettably, in the first 16 years of democratic governance after the exit of the military in 1999, the state literarily turned into what some people re-branded as ‘God forsaken State’. This was ostensibly due to the huge backwardness suffered by the state in various spheres of governance under two successive administrations that governed for two terms each between 1999 and 2015.
When Dr. Okezie Victor Ikpeazu was elected as Governor in 2015, there were indications from the outset that he has come to change the narrative, even though members of the opposition in the state have not been happy with the pace of his developmental strides for some selfish reasons. In this no-holds-bare interview with our Editor-in-Chief, IKECHI ENWEREJI in Umuahia, Abia State Capital; the Honourable Commissioner for Information, Chief John Okiyi Kalu, tells the story with such finesse that easily dismisses the vague posturing of the opposition as he provides facts and figures in clarifying Ikpeazu administration’s position on any of the issues raised. The Governor has largely changed the narrative as Abia is on the threshold of achieving economic greatness that would reposition it in the world map. Kalu speaks more on this and other issues. Excerpts:
Some time ago, a commission of inquiry was set up to investigate the alleged dehumanizing treatment of Inner Galaxy Company workers. What was the outcome of the inquiry and what is government doing to stop further damage on the lives of Abians working in the company?
With respect to Inner Galaxy, I need to put it in perspective for the reading public to understand. During the most ferocious days of Covid-19 pandemic lockdown especially during the early period of the outbreak in Nigeria; a lot of individuals, governments and organisations did a few things that ordinarily would not have been done at normal times. We had received the report of the committee and also reviewed the operations of Inner Galaxy and where they are right now. We found out that some of the infractions happened circumstantially with respect to the period that we were in. Let me explain it simply. The organization decided that for them to safely continue production during the lockdown, workers should remain inside the facility rather than going home and coming back. The company was particularly very vulnerable, because it’s a Chinese organization. If you have the outbreak of the pandemic there, the news reporting would have been different we would have heard about a Chinese company that’s distributing Covid-19. So they were mindful of the circumstance and the environment they were operating in and would prefer the workers to stay inside with special allowance paid for doing so. They also made provision for those who would not like to stay but go and remain at home until after the pandemic. They were also promised some payment.
First, they did not have ready accommodation before that happened because they were not accommodating workers in the premises prior to the pandemic. So they had to resort to make-shift-accommodation for workers. They never had that number of workers living inside. Even the canteen facilities were make-shift and of course, in an environment where you have human beings, a lot of challenges will erupt. Toilet facilities were terribly bad; some of the workers were living in containerized structures the same containers used as shops in trading in Aba and elsewhere. You know some of our people use those containers as shop as well as living in it. It was not optimal, but the moment we stepped in as a State government, they quickly did the needful. They constructed new accommodation for the workers. Today you will not see those containers there again.
Secondly, the workers confirmed to us that they decided to stay voluntarily. We even received evidence from some of the staff who were impacted. One particular man who was wounded from the operations said the company took care of him and they have continued to take care of him. We have also looked at the general conditions of service and said to the management of the company that it could not have so many people as casuals in the organization and as such, must streamline its tax payment system because there was a waiver given to them. It is a common practice that when a company is a pioneer in any particular field or a government wants to attract investors it gives waivers.
But even with the waivers, there were some payments that they were supposed to make to the government. They brought documentations showing the ones they have made and the ones they did not make. What we did was to tell them what to pay. If you go to Inner Galaxy now you will see improvement across board. What we tried to do with that investigation was to find an avenue to hear from our own people without the expatriates being around them. And we succeeded in doing that, so they highlighted to us the areas of problem and I can assure you that the government dived into those areas decisively.
This is not a hot-headed government; we react to issues based on facts and of course, the over-riding interest of the people of Abia State. In that wise, we were also aware that they were some people who were orchestrating the campaign to force the company out of Abia State. If we do that, the more than 1,000 staff that are working there who are mainly Abians, will lose and if they become jobless who knows whether they will go into crime, banditry and other things. So we found a solution that protects the rights and privileges of our people and at the same time keep the organization in Abia. And that’s where we are right now. All the recommendations of the committee are being implemented one by one. I encourage you to go back to Inner Galaxy, you will see the new buildings there, you will see improvement in staff relationships and you will also ask the staff whether there have been improvement in wages or not. It is that duty we owe them as a government to protect them using local and international law and we are happy that we are doing that.
There was a young man in Inner Galaxy who was badly wounded while on duty and that incident triggered the protest that was carried out against the company; what did they do to compensate him?
I do not know which particular young man you are talking about because it appears they are two individuals now you are talking about. The one that testified before the panel clearly said, that he was well treated. He even told us the hospital where he was taken to, how much was given and we have him on tape and you can publish what he said. He was recorded during the public hearing. Now, I strongly suspect there was another person who was wounded and did not come forward but we cannot work on the basis of rumour. This is a government. We do not depend on Twitter and Facebook for information but depend on information given directly by our own people. We would have gone any length and indeed we will still go any length to protect them; so they have no reason to be afraid of sack or anything. They can come forward, they can meet the Commissioner for Industry and relate anything rather than mass hysteria.
If you allow me to digress a little, today protests are holding nationally to end SARS. But how many people have asked themselves the social consequences of suddenly ending SARS as against calling for changes of what some people call reform or change in operating guidelines? Because the men of SARS have gone beyond their brief in so many ways by harassing our people which was unacceptable, people called for outright scrapping of the Squad. But one thing is that, in so many other ways they have been able to help us bring down armed robbery. So we ought to seek for a balance. If you go with the mass hysteria; the same people asking to end SARS would in a few week’s time ask for reinstatement of SARS.
I will give you my experience as Commissioner for Information. In Abia State there was a time a Soldier shaved somebody’s hair in Aba and then another Soldier killed an innocent Abian in Ohanze area of Obingwa. There was agitation that soldiers were not needed again. We tried to talk to our people via the radio but they insisted that the soldiers must go. This is a listening government, so we told the Soldiers, to please go back to their barracks and stay and stop killing our people. In fact, the man who killed our person was forced to leave the army by our people following which police commenced his prosecution.
When the Army stayed at home for about two weeks, calls started coming in everyday, asking us to bring back the soldiers. In fact, my personal doctor left his office and came to my office for the first time and expressed disgust with a story of how a doctor was shot on the buttocks and another doctor was robbed. He wondered why government should listen to the people in that manner. And I said no, that’s what our people wanted and he said which people? Did you sample the opinion of majority of Abians? And I said, no, we did not sample. When they were saying end Soldiers as they were saying end SARS in recent time, you did not speak out and if you had said something that time, there would have been alternative. I told him that he and others like him would have had the courage to speak out.
Similarly, a crowd of about 50,000 Nigerians have shouted #EndSARS, but have we asked about 200 million other Nigerians, what they think SARS? I have just read a report that some of the Northern states even wanted SARS back because of banditry; but in the South here, there was this noise about ending SARS.
So, for a government you do not depend on that alone. You take hard decisions but what your guiding principle will remain, is the protection of the people of Abia State.
As you have rightly said that part of the responsibility of the state government is to protect lives and properties of her citizens; some time ago there were killings in some part of the state and other places which caused serious protest by the community even to the point of burning down a Police station and their operational vehicles in Ohafia. Have the culprits been brought to book?
We are concerned about the slow pace of prosecution. I am sure you are aware that such prosecution will rest with the Police and as at today, Nigerian Police Force is controlled by the Federal Government and not the State government. We do not have State Police. What we have done is to make sure as much as possible those who are responsible are brought to the Police and then evidences, records are made and those people are taken to the court. Now, if the prosecution process is slow as it is the case with some of those matters; what we are doing as a state government is to put pressure to expedite actions. But Covid-19 happened and most courts were shut down and because of the shut down as many cases as possible are literally adjourned to “post-Covid-19” era. In essence, those trials are ongoing.
(Cuts in) Has there been any follow up on the matter?
Yes, we have been following up. Even recently I spoke about that on radio that we have continued to contact the Police authorities. Now, looking at Ohafia, it was anarchy taken too far. Sadly, an armed officer who supposed to protect the people got drunk killed a citizen of Abia State; we cannot be happy about that. It’s a sad situation and we will make sure that the process kicks in but at the same time, it is sad when you see people taking the laws into their hands. We thank God that things are stable in Ohafia now, fairly stable and as stable as it can be. What we assure the people of Abia State is that we will continue to go after anybody who kills an Abian, who illegally harasses an Abian. It is the priority of this government to protect the lives and properties of Abians.
Now, for an armed official who’s supposed to protect an Abian to kill that Abian is double jeopardy and double crime in our eyes. That is why we did not take it likely when a Nigerian Security & Civil Defence Corp (NSCDC) member shot an Abian in his own compound because he could not access a federal road. A federal road has been bad, that is, Aba/Ikot Ekpene Highway and we have been shouting as a state government and they told us that contract has been awarded. The Minister of Works, Babatunde Raji Fashola, came here and told us that contract for the road has been awarded and in two years it will be completed but nothing has happened. We have been shouting for their attention. As a state government we have to go and do Ekwereazu Road so that people can divert through Ekwereazu and link up with Akwa Ibom.
Then this NSCDC man did not feel that he should go and link up through Akwa Ibom, he wanted to use an illegal road driving through someone’s compound and when he was challenged, he shot the person and they were telling cock and bull story. The governor was very angry and he summoned the heads of security agencies in the state and expressed his displeasure with a warning against a reoccurrence.
Just like the NSCDC killed another Abian at Umuika, a man was carrying tomatoes and they said he was struggling for gun. And when we looked at the scenario, this man was seated in his car when you shot him, how could he have been struggling for your gun? The authorities of the NSCDC should actually look at the way their operatives managed weapons; because in those two instances what I can see is recklessness and disrespect for human lives. And the statement that came from NSCDC compounded it by telling us that everybody knows how that area is. How is the area like, what?
With all these do you not think there is need for state police and community vigilante groups in the state?
I am a strong advocate of state police but the truth is that there is a hurdle and the hurdle is the 1999 Constitution. It is a hurdle one cannot overcome alone. To amend the constitution you will need two-third majority of the Nigerian states to vote, two-third majority in both houses and then you need presidential assent to it. If we overcome that hurdle it will be a glorious day for Nigeria. But as a state government, what we have done is to establish the Department of Homeland Security; it is the first of its kind. As we speak now, the new batch of recruits are undergoing training at Ibeku High School premises. We had finished the vetting process, and those recruited are undergoing training. What we want them to do is basically what you call Community Policing. We are going to deploy them to their own areas, they will work with others. We will also ask the traditional rulers to set up their own security teams, such as Vigilante group that will also report to this Homeland Security personnel and work with them.
The idea is that if you see any strange face, like you Enwereji, if you enter Abiriba now without telling me, you will not spend five minutes before I get a call that there is one man they have seen in Abiriba, and that he did not come for wedding or burial; he is just roaming around or they are seeing him smoking Indian hemp and whatever. And I will say to them, arrest and get him. And that is what we have been doing to protect our people.
Will such polices and engagements be replicated in other communities in the state?
Exactly, that is the directive from the governor. All traditional rulers must set up their own security structure which will work with the Police and men of the Homeland Security. And we are hopeful it will solve two problems; first, keep rampaging herdsmen in check, clear out any kind of camp that anybody is erecting in our forests; end the era of criminals coming to a particular location to rob and leaving without being identified. We have also established other security structures that I am not very much at liberty to discuss. See, you can kidnap an Abian, no doubt, but we will get you.
Talking about roads in the state; they are gradually deteriorating in the face of the present administration. Take for instance, Faulks Road leading to Ariaria market that was done, commissioned and delivered; what’s going on?
At no time did this administration commission Faulks Road, because Faulks Road is still an ongoing project. I need to make clarification because if we commissioned Faulks Road which is a major project for this government; you would have witnessed the ceremonies involved in commissioning theRoad but we never did any. What we had with Faulks Road was that, the contractors delivered what we called the binding cost of a road without Asphalt. Asphalt is the wearing cost when you do your mixed materials that is the binding cost, you use a level of black materials coat it and seal it to the ground; that is binding cost. And we opened it so that President Muhammadu Buhari could use it to access Ariaria when he came to commission the Independent Power project there. That was how Faulks road was opened. We wanted to close it down but the Ariaria International Traders Union came to us and said “it is already Christmas, allow us to do our business this season and after that you can now close it back.” That was how Faulks Road was allowed to open since then.
What we are going to do is that we are heading to dry season, once the season approaches we will resume our work on Faulks Road, complete it and then walk away. Now, that leads me to your comment on Abia roads, I like to dwell on specifics. I agreed that we have not done all the roads in Abia but the fact is that, an administration that has completed 94 road projects must have been doing some roads.
How about some other keys roads like Omuma, Port Harcourt Roads and others?
I do not know if you have been following us very closely. On these key roads, the State Executive Council at its last meeting approved the award of Omuma Road project. We delayed Omuma Road because we wanted to see the water tangent from Osusu knowing well enough that if you do a road without managing storm water properly you have wasted the time and money of the people. So, we said let us see the tangent that will come from construction work and so. Again tomorrow someone will say we have completed Osusu. Osusu is still an ongoing project, what they have done is the cement technology concrete mixed. We have not asphalted and we have not commissioned. I can assure you that we have awarded Omuma and work will soon commence there. What is delaying the Omuma work right now is the rain; again when they start that work, expect they will start with the gutters because we understand Aba. Any road done in Aba without channeling the water flow properly is a waste of the people’s money.
We have not done any road in Aba without doing drainage first. Port Harcourt Road, Aba, this is the first administration to do 100 per cent gutters on Port Harcourt Road. We delayed Port Harcourt Road because we wanted to take our tangent from Ngwa Road knowing that Ngwa Road is going to have a major underground drainage that will carry water to the Waterside. That is the N27.4 billion contract that we partnered with World Bank to award. That project has started, they have gone to Obohia to clear Obohia so that they can access Umuagbai Pond because they are to channel water from Umuagbai Pond. This will go through Ngwa Road and they will channel water from Uratta through Ngwa Road, channel water from Port Harcourt Road through Ngwa Road. The size of the drainage planned for Ngwa Road is massive. It is an underground drainage and they are going to work there.
What we have done is to integrate those projects around there. If you mean Aba/Port Harcourt Highway, it is not our project but a federal government project. I am surprised that the people of Abia State are not complaining that the Federal government abandoned their roads in the state. Why? Just that I am surprised that the people are not complaining that the federal government abandoned Aba/Ikot Ekpene Road. Are we not Nigerians, are we not contributing to Nigeria?
Please note that when people say roads are bad let them also say, yes, we have done some roads. Today, you can use Eziukwu Road and you can be proud of it; we know that Eziukwu Road was impassable before we came in. Are you aware we have reclaimed Ojike Lane; are you aware that we are about delivering Milverton and we were working on this road during the Covid-19 lockdown. Are you aware of what we have done with Aba Road in Umuahia? The last time you came here, how was Aba Road in Umuahia? Today, you have seen. We are taking that road to Ubakala Junction. Now, if you look at the roads we have done, completed and commissioned, none of them has gone bad, not even one.
There is something we do, as a contractor finishes his road contract, we will be watching and one will think that government is wasting time in commissioning. Please note that we are not in a hurry to commission because the contract terms usually specify that this road must be good for a certain number of years. We watch after one year and we can come back and say Oga contractor, we want to commission the road. That was what we did with the roads that we commissioned. If the road is good, we commission it and if it is bad you rework it. Do you know that Ukaegbu Road has not been commissioned because we saw one fault that the people have not seen yet Ukaegbu Road has been very good. Just water channeling at one point, the governor said, no… no… no… I won’t commission it. But we commissioned Ehere and Umuola because we are satisfied with the works done those places.
Are you aware that we have not commissioned Ovom Road? We are not going there until we have laid the water properly. That is the way we work; it might not be the conventional thing that people know before now where government can come into a road and within two weeks you have finished grading, you have poured asphalt, just what we called ozigbo… ozigbo road, magic road; and then you have gone and the next administration will carry problem. We will not do that. It is wickedness to the people of Abia State to deliver roads that will not outlast our regime. We do not want to be that wayo… wayo… administration.
Governor Ikpeazu came here to change the narrative not to be like others. Everything that he’s doing will have his quality signature. We could have completed flyover earlier than now this year but once they told him that with the rains, if it is allowed to step down the bridge, that in less than one year it might have a crack. He said no way; instead of us doing that let me wait and let the people continue to insult him, call him despicable names but during the dry season he will go and complete that project by December.
We are set to complete and commission that project by December. And those who said he has taken so long to do one flyover, I asked them the simple question, was Abia created in 2015? Where are the flyovers done by others because development is additive? It is additive because if you do the government house, our administration will not need to build another one. If you build a flyover in Umuahia, we will not need to build one. If you go to Igbere, Ohafia, Abiriba and so on to construct good roads around there, we will not need to go to Abiriba to do Ugwueze Road, we will not need to do Abiriba and Nkporo Roads. We are the one doing these projects, we are everywhere.
It will shock you to find out that the good people of Ozitem and Item have never had pipe born water since God created this earth. We have just completed Item water project and now they will say why did it take you so long? And I’m still asking, was Abia created in 2015? Come to Umuahia now, soon we are commissioning Umuahia Urban Water project. Go to Azikiwe, Ojike, Herbert Macaulay and so on, you will open tape and water will run. When was the last time, was in 1979 to 1983, I was in primary school the last time Umuahia had water. I was in Primary four at Umuahia Road Primary School in Umuahia when they had water.
Ikpeazu has done it; nobody will acknowledge that and not only has he done it, he is heading to Aba to do Ariaria Water Scheme and CKC Water Scheme. CKC is due for commissioning mid next year and Ariaria will be commissioned by March. That’s the Ikpeazu that people do not know. He is not the kind of governor that hugs the media, No! He is not that kind of person. He wants to do things in a thorough manner because he is conscious of history. First, he is the most educated person to ever govern Abia. Second, he is the first person from Ngwa nation to govern Abia. He understands the need to put down some legacies; he understands the need to ensure that whatever your hands find to do, you should do it very well. We are saying that this administration has done at least, 410 new classroom blocks; what did others before do?
Government is progressive; there is no need to recall what others did not do. The truth is that, others failed Abians. I mean whatever they claimed to have done, posterity will judge them.
Yes, I agree but it is additive. You know what I mean by government being additive; for many years, Aba Road in Umuahia was being reconstructed every year; nobody identified that the problem was water management, around where you have Eastern Comfort. Water management was ruining that road year in year out. You must know that water is powerful; it dissolves everything on its start. And where was this water coming from, it was coming from this my house where we are now. It is the same water that passes through Ehimiri. This Ehimiri, do you know why they called it Ehimiri, it is a body of water known to the people of Umuahia. Nobody bothered about that Ehimiri water. And that water that passes also through Ikot Ekpene Road destroyed that road every year around Winners. Still people were not concerned about what moved from there all the way to Aba Road and hits Aba Road every year.
So what our predecessors did was that, every year they will come and grade and patch and the road will go bad. Ikpeazu came, studied that road carefully, did a brand new culvert to carry the water. Now the water is properly channeled for three years that road has not gone bad. Remember, we have not commissioned it, we are still watching the road. Three years after we have done that road, it has not gone bad. What does that say to you? There is quality leadership and there is quantity leadership. Ikpeazu is engaged in quality leadership.
On the financial charts of states resources, Abia State is running on deficit. Does it mean that the state’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) and federal allocations are ending in private pockets; when compared with other states doing capital projects even higher than Abia?
You are talking about IGR and not financial chart. When you talk about financial chart, it is a whole gamut of things and when you say Abia is behind, well, among the states seemingly in red with regards to IGR and the capacity to meet the current obligations. Well, immediately you stop seeing green, Abia is next before you go down to see those who are really bad. And among those who are really bad are states like Lagos where IGR is very high. I hope you know, did you notice that Lagos is below Abia. I am trying to explain.
You see, there is really no room for comparison between Lagos and Abia, let’s focus on our region?
You can pick and choose; facts are sacred. It is my job to present you with facts not propaganda. If you look at Lagos state, it is way below Abia. So, it speaks to something. The IGR of Lagos is more than the federal allocation of South-east states combined; all of them combined every month, yet they are somewhere in red. So, when you analyse finance and financing you need to be very careful not to make straight line analysis and comments. Regarding the IGR in Abia, yes, the collection system is not satisfactory. We tried to rigid it once or twice and yet it is not working. But we are coming out with additional layer to see how we can ensure that all those in the tax net pay as regularly as possible. Beyond the direct collection, there are some institutions in the state that we are not capturing their payee inside the tax net and it’s affecting the report from Abia.
Why they are not captured?
It is what we are now doing to regularize those lapses. Some of those things are institutional challenges. Some of the problems you see in Abia are problems from our ancestors.
Can they not be corrected?
That’s what we are doing now. In the coming months you will see improved IGR records for Abia State.
Some people are saying that the government of Abia State is in a box; that the template the governor is working with is outdated template which does not give him room to really express himself and exercise his executive powers. How true is this?
You know the problem, some of those people who are saying that were allowed to manage the finances of Abia State for four years. Who boxed them? Which template did they use? Why did they not change the narrative? You know, talk is cheap. It is like me leaving this office and I will be telling you, oh I could have done this if not because of template. Where is the template? Who is the one stopping me from doing the work of information communication properly? I did not treat you well the last time we met. Was there a template that caused it or my personal failure? May be, I forgot it was not important to me. Whatever was the reason and then tomorrow I will now say, oh I would have done better as Commissioner for Information if not that I was put in a box. I was working with other people’s template and then some fools would come and say, John Okiyi Kalu is a very good man, he would have done well if not for the template. If I fail, I fail as John Okiyi Kalu and if I succeed, I succeed because I am working with great governor.
Let me be frank with you, people find convenient reasons for their personal failures. For four years, somebody had the privilege and opportunity to handle the finances of Abia State, he failed and say oh, it is because of template. Meanwhile, the person that appointed you approved everything you asked him to approve for you. Is the governor supposed to be the one on the street chasing tax payers? You have asked the governor to bring in a consultant for X, Y, Z who did X, Y, Z in another state, he approved for you. Let me be sincere with you, Ikpeazu is running this government alone with his cabinet as Governor Okezie Ikpeazu. Nobody is circumstancing him anywhere and you can quote me on that; no body.
Ikpeazu has respect for his predecessors, all of them including Senator Theodore Orji and Senator Orji Uzo Kalu. He has respect for Abia leaders but he has a mind of his own. You can go and ask those people they will tell you he does what he wants to do. It is something that people must realize. Governor Ikpeazu is not the kind of person you can tell you must do this or that, no sir. He is not that kind of person. He did not have any agreement with any person to do something in a particular way. He does what he wants to do but he respects his predecessors and respects the good people of Abia state including their leaders.
The truth is that there is no template. What has happened is that, when people are in government they begin to see ‘we against them’ and stop seeing themselves as part of the people. So they are not able to make the changes they promised when they were part of the people. Once they are out of government they start looking for whom to blame for their personal failures.
Since I started doing this work, I have had that consciousness that one day I will be asked questions by the people. Secondly, I am part of the people, I am not part of the government because I came here as an Abian. When we say construct road, it is because I know I will use the road. When we say pay your taxes and levies, it is because I know when we do that we can develop our state better. No template, there are human weaknesses and failures; those who managed these systems, were they able to do the right thing? If you are faced with institutional challenges because there are institutional hedges everywhere including Abia, for instance, our wage bill is quite high but what did you do to bring it down? It is simple to say that workers resisted restructuring or they resisted retrenching; you do not need to retrench anybody.
…To be Continued! (Watch out for part 2 of the interview)
https://any.peopleandpowermag.com/ikpeazu-has-changed-the-narrative-in-governance-says-information-commissioner/
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