Abia State is full of surprises. People keep wondering why. Is it because it habours arguably the largest market in Nigeria? That cannot be the case. Or because it is an oil producing state? Of course not. Afterall there are states that produce more. Must it be because it is the abode of home movie marketers? Lagos and Anambra states also have. Is it a result of the fact they are called Japan of Africa, produce the highest number of tailors in the country, serve as an important border state, produce a lot of shoes and shoemakers, produce cocoa and palm oil in quantity, are the highest shelter of fabrics, are a home of almost the whole tribes in the country, have the second largest transport system in Eastern-Nigeria after Anambra state, have the largest number of Igbos with dialectal differences, boast almost the highest number of private schools amongst other states, are the most religious, and as a result have churches scattered on every nook and cranny of the state? Those achievements cannot be the reasons!
The reason is just one. The state is united, yet divided. And the centre of the division? Chief T.A Orji, the Governor of the state. Until now, people are yet to decide on his future – do they vote him in next year or not? Yes and no, according to well-meaning Abians. Never in life has opinion been so divided like the two parallel lines, as this.
It is a clear fact that the governor’s three year reign so far has been nothing short of catastrophic. This opinion is objective, not subjective. Abia State has seriously turned from hero to zero, from grace to grass, from success to failure, and all it needs is redemption. The problem is that Abians are yet to know whom they want as a redeemer. Ordinarily, a bad first term deserves a holiday out of the Government House permanently, but the Abia case seems different.
The governor has succeeded in giving himself a nickname ‘The Liberator’. The reason, we all know. But the issue is, the dummy sold was never bought by everybody. Those who believed are drumming their support for him while those who do not, have accused him of speaking from both sides of the mouth.
Yet there are still some who do not care whether he got liberated or not. All they want is action. Listen to a political analyst
“Whether he was ever controlled by anyone or not is a case for another day. The problem is that this mantra is fast becoming a hymn to him, one used as a defence each time his non-performance is highlighted.”
The ex-deputy governor Chris Akomas was even clearer
“You see, when a man cannot do his job, he will say he is in bondage. When he fails, he will say that someone was collecting the state money or he will say that he is not getting funds like other states…”
Despite all the criticisms, almost every community in the state has endorsed him to run and his popularity, both positive and negative, is never in doubt.
The picture needs to be painted so we get the mess Abia is in. First, our roads are the worst in the country, and this is certainly no exaggeration, the streets have turned to a dumping ground, especially in the very developed Aba,the infrastructural development is at a standstill, there are no jobs in the state, all companies in the state have either packed up due to poor security or closed down as a result of neglect, pensioners are being owed, workers are sad, the buildings in the various state Ministries are an embarrassment, touts have invaded the state to give motorists hell on the road in the name of levy collection, the state schools, especially the legendary Government College Umuahia are in chaos and then we have the wrongest Commissioner for Information!!!
Chief Anthony Agbazuere sees the opposite in every similarity. When one fails, to him, it’s success. To him, one must always respond to every irrelevancies, even if it has nothing to do with one. That has always been him, too hyperactive and talkative. Such position, I dare say, should be for the level-headed and intelligent(you don’t need Cambridge certificate to be intelligent)!!
The governor clearly would do much better with the right kind of people around him. People like his wife, who has done better as a first lady than the husband.It is more likely he has a lot of work to do just to win over those who do not like him. That would ensure change and make things better for him, and all Abians. Abia must return to its former glory, but the work would be tough. The governor has a lot to do.
On what seems like a clear proof of this opinion, an area in ‘Ama Mmon’, arguably the most decrepit part of Aba, bears a tag no less sympathetic than true, yet instructive “Do not patch this road. Please plaster!” Oh dear.