By Okechukwu Keshi Ukegbu
Recently, Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu reiterated his commitment to rebuild Abia. It will be recalled that the governor has demonstrated consistent commitment to achieve this.
Aba, before the advent of Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu’s administration lied prostrate- infrastructure, especially road, was comatose, industrial and commerce spirit of the city collapsed.
But “a Daniel came to judgment when Ikpeazu mounted the seat of power of the state on May 29, 2015-there was a new lease of life now for the once neglected city that laid the golden egg.
On June 1that year,Ikpeazu commenced a massive roads reconstruction in the city, and the excitement that trailed the project was pervasive.
The Aba Urban Renewal Project was initiated immediately to drive the infrastructural renewal of the city .
The essence of the project was to ensure that Aba is transformed to a city of basic modern amenities; restore order and sanity in building of shops, kiosks, offices and residential buildings; drive the park reform and general rehabilitation work with the goal of making Aba the SME capital of Nigeria.
The reconstruction of roads were accompanied by de-silting of drainages to ensure free-flow of storm water that was necessary for flooding in the city;dredging of the popular Aba River to accommodate more water.
The de-silting exercise was ongoing to ensure that the drainages do not fall back to their former sorry states.
Efforts have been on top gear by Ikpeazu’s administration to reclaim the Small and Medium Scale Entrepresises status of Abia State, and Aba was the pivot, any have been driving the economic agenda of the state since then. Part of these efforts was to upgrade of markets in Aba.
Before now, Aba was noted for exporting leather works, especially shoes to the neighbouring West African countries. There have been consistent efforts for artisans from Aba to produce and provide military and paramilitary outfits, and for the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC.
This effort came with the siting of leather and garment industrial cluster. This cluster would be equipped with a resource centre that could enable businessmen to register their trademarks, do quality control and open them to markets beyond the shores on Nigeria. The mindset of Gov. Ikpeazu is to conquer the Nigerian market first and make forays into West and Central Africa.
To ensure that this dream was actualised, Gov. Ikpeazu called on the Bank of Industry [BOI] and other development partners to assist and partner with Aba shoe makers and industrialists in the city by funding their businesses.
The capacity of artisans in Aba to produce high quality products that would help in the economic development of the nation at large and the state in particularis not in doubt.
It will be recalled that Gov. Ikpeazu once told officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs who visited him that there were about 10,000 shoemakers in Aba who can produce all the boots required by the nation’s Army, Immigration and Navy and Para-military personnel.
The governor said the leather workers have the capability and capacity to produce high quality leather products, lamenting that funding has been a major challenge confronting them and other artisans. He said the shoe makers need assistance in the procurement of equipment required in quality finishing and mass production of their products.
One issue that once robbed-off negatively on the city was the refuse situation. But the incumbent administration is tackling the issue headlong. For decades, refuse in Aba did not receive attention. This caused perennial road failure as the underground tunnels were blocked and the storm water found its way on the roads.
Sometime ago,waste management in the city wasunbundled into six operating zones, and one of the operational units was at Aba-Port-Harcourt expressway, and will receive special attention to address the huge output from Ariaria International Market.
Aba is an international brand which requires reinvention, and Gov. Ikpeazu as the chief brand ambassador of made in Aba goods has embarked on an aggressive promotion of Aba products. He has setmup Marketing and Standard Regulatory Board to ensure that the Aba entrepreneur is encouraged. All Abians should partake in this effort.
Gov. Ikpeazu can be likened to the Biblical Nehemiah.Jerusalem came under serious sieges in 606, 597, and 586 B.C and was conquered and destroyed by the great Babylonian King, Nebuchadnezzar. The temple, palace, houses, and wall around the city were razed by fire. Many of the elite upper clas of the Jewish people were taken captive to live in Babylon in 606 B.B, and most of the rest of the population were either killed or taken to Babylon in 597 and 586 B.C.
Nehemiah’s story had everything to do with his vision of a preferable future for his people and their beloved city of Jerusalem.Despite strong opposition he fulfilled the vision process of vision, implementation, opposition, and completion.Nehemiah was attached to the Persian court—he had been the king’s cupbearer. He was appointed governor of Judah and authorized to rebuild its fortifications. He demonstrated his organisational skills and had the walls of Jerusalem up in 52 days. He was greatly hampered by the opposition of Sanballat, governor of Samaria. Tobiah, governor of Ammon. He divided his forces into two shifts—one to stand at arms, the other to build.
Just like Nehemiah, Ikpeazu met a state, especially Aba, the commercial nerve of the state, lying literally prostrate. But his his vision of a preferable future for the people of Abia forced him into action. This vision has converted the entire Abia into a construction site with scores of roads, bridges completed and more undergoing construction. This vision has subjected the state into an agricultural hub.
This vision has elevated Abia State to a Small and Medium Scale hub. The vision has caused revolutions in the health, education sectors of the state. The ongoing reforms, just like the reforms of Nehemiah in Jerusalem has saved fortunes that can be translated to millions from the ghost- worker syndrome that bedeviled the state all these while and eaten it up like a locust.
Furthermore, the vision has initiated the creation of the Aba Urban Renewal Agency with the mandate to drive the government’s urban renewal of power. It has demystified power in the state by de- emphasising the pomp and ceremonies that create the power mystique. The vision has communized the governor and simplified the age-long image of the man of power.
This vision has introduced the cement technology, also known as “Rigid Pavement Technology in road construction in the state. The technology ensures the mixture of crush rock-based materials and other items to achieve a thickness fill and compaction to the level of 300mm. This is followed by a concrete reinforcement cast with 8mm to10mm-high tensil (mash of wires) reinforcement bars over the stabilised base before treating it with prime coat and asphaltic concrete. Though the cost of this technology is higher than those of the conventional construction methods, Gov. Ikpeazu chooses this technology as a means of strengthening the load-bearing capacity of roads in Abia and to boost the strength and quality of the finished work.The technology has a sustainability guarantee of10 to 20 years. Cement technology is one of the technologies used in the construction of airport runways, tarmac and places with heavy loads like machines and equipment. The technology is a good solution for achieving sustainable roads in Nigeria.
Indeed, Gov. Ikpeazu is a philosopher king” as conferred on him by a catholic clergy. Plato opined that a Philosopher king is a ruler who possesses both a love of knowledge, as well as intelligence, reliability, and a willingness to live a simple life. Such are the rulers of his utopian city Kallipolis. For such a community to ever come into being, “philosophers [must] become kings…or those now called kings [must]…genuinely and adequately philosophize” (The Republic, 5.473d).
Ikpeazu as a visionary and reformer, has demonstrated that development is not deterred by funds but by lack of the spirit and courage to execute it. According to him, “The overriding import is service; we are desperate to give service to the people of Abia state. We will continue to do it as the funds are available. It is better we die serving Abia people. So, what are we keeping the money for? If money is available; we will use it to serve the people. Funding is not a barrier. The prayers of the good people of Abia will find the funds for us to do what we want to do. We are in government to serve the people and remember that in my early days, I said I was going to be common governor for the common people”.
It is indisputable that visions and reformations are strongly opposed like Sanballat and Tobias did in Nehemiah’s era. In the contemporary times opposition to visions and reformations can come in the forms of protracted litigations aimed at distracting the leader; negative media publications with spurious, unfounded and baseless allegations which only aim is to denigrate the soaring fame of the leader. But despite how intense the opposition may be, by the grace of God, the vision process must be completed. To God be the glory.
