By Jude Ndukwe<\/p>\n
\u201cYouneed continuity. You need a commitment and continuity\u201d \u2013 Jeff Fisher<\/p>\n
As the 2019 general elections approach, AbiaState is agog as different
\ngroups and communities in the stat jostle amongthemselves to host and
\ncelebrate one of their brightest stars, known to some asthe \u201cScholar in
\nGovernance\u201d, to others as the \u201cSilent Achiever\u201d and, yet, tosome others,
\nas the \u201cCaterpillar Revolutionist\u201d for his many sides rolled intothe
\nsingular vision of making Abia great and prosperous.<\/p>\n
Following his sterling performance which haselicited joy and restored the
\nhope of Abians in a bright future having leftfootprints of quality
\nprojects and strategic policies in the sand of time, itis only natural,
\nand fitting, for Abians of different affiliations to send outa clarion
\ncall to the governor, first in appreciation, and then to remind himthat
\nunder no circumstance would they allow him to abandon them halfway
\nhavingbrought them thus far in the journey towards growth and evidential
\ndevelopment,hence, the dominating calls for him to respect their wish of
\nleading the Statetill 2023.<\/p>\n
Just like the American, Jeff Fisher said, Abiansknow that the State is in
\nneed of an uncommon commitment to their welfare, thetype being shown by
\ntheir governor, and have committed to support him all theway. But then,
\nwho wouldn\u2019t?<\/p>\n
Right from the day he assumed office, OkezieVictor Ikpeazu PhD, settled
\ndown to work immediately knowing full well that theexpectations of the
\npeople were high and nothing short of excellent performancewould satisfy
\ntheir sweet souls and fill their gaping hope.<\/p>\n
Ikpeazu therefore established critical areas oflife which Abians needed
\nurgent intervention in and set them as DevelopmentPillars for his
\nadministration with the corresponding Enablers to achieve theset
\nobjectives.<\/p>\n
Since no meaningful progress can be made in anatmosphere of fear and
\ninsecurity, the governor embarked on a head-on collisioncourse with
\ncriminals in the state with the aim of ridding Abia of all violentcrimes
\nthat had given the State a bad name. Before now, Abia had been known asa
\nstate where armed robbers kidnappers, rapists, cultists, ritualists etc
\nfoundcomfort. Some of these criminals even committed crimes in other
\nstates and fledto Abia to escape from the long arms of the law and or to
\nenjoy proceeds oftheir illicit activities. This did not only make Abians
\nsleep with one eye, italso made them sleep with their hearts in their
\nmouths.<\/p>\n
With Okezie Ikpeazu, this is now a thing of thepast. With the peace and
\nsecurity enjoyed in Abia today, it is very easy fornaysayers to forget
\nwhere we were before Ikpeazu came on board and where we aretoday after he
\nsuccessfully tackled those name-spoiling crimes in a novel butaggressive
\nmanner within a short time of coming to power.<\/p>\n
He invested massively in the securityarchitecture of the State, procuring
\na massive 35 number operational vehiclesfitted with modern communications
\ngadgets to further equip the securityagencies in the state. The uncommon
\nadroitness with which he has been able tointroduce and sustain synergy
\namong the several security agencies operating inthe state is another loud
\ntestimony to his human management skills.<\/p>\n
In an official release by the National Bureau ofStatistics last year for
\nviolent crime rates recorded in the country in 2016,Abia State recorded
\nthe second least rate only after Katsina. When oneconsiders that this feat
\nwas achieved in just one year of his coming to power,one would appreciate
\nthe more why Abians are stumbling over themselves to gethim to go for a
\nsecond term. Safety first, safety always!<\/p>\n
Similarly, in a widely publicized andcomprehensive report by the Vanguard
\nnewspapers on March 11, 2018, it wasrecorded that in the first ten weeks
\nof 2018, 1,351 people were murdered in oneviolent crime or the other
\nthroughout the federation. Of this sad number, Abiawas among the few
\nstates throughout the federation that recorded one death,while a state
\nlike Anambra already had 18 deaths from violent crimes at thisshort time.<\/p>\n
Abia has however since taken firm position as thesafest state in the
\ncountry following recent violent deaths in the statescompeting with her
\nfor this most coveted and enviable status while Ikpeazu hasmaintained the
\nnow impregnable security of the state.<\/p>\n
Despite his sterling performance in this sector,Dr Okezie Victor Ikpeazu
\nwas not going to rest on his oars. On his return fromRwanda where he
\nattended the 2018 Transform Africa Summit in May 2018, thegovernor
\nimmediately proceeded to hand over another set of brand newoperational
\nvehicles to the police in Umuahia, the state capital. To furtherboost the
\nmorale of the police as he continues to assist them in their duties,the
\ngovernor promised to help them complete the building of their Zone
\n9headquarters in Umuahia.<\/p>\n
The safety, peace and security Abia is enjoyingtoday are not accidental.
\nThey are the result of the continued commitment ofthe governor to the
\nwelfare of the people. That there are no political tensionsin the state
\ntoday is attributable to Ikpeazu\u2019s very large heart that hastolerated with
\nequanimity the continued bitter provocations of oppositionelements. Abians
\nare free and their rights respected to the letter by thegovernor no matter
\nhow belligerent and vitriolic the opposition has becomeagainst him in
\ntheir desperate but futile attempts to distract him.<\/p>\n
Abians cannot take for granted the fact thatproperties including radio
\nstations and houses belonging to people ofdissenting voices are being
\ndemolished with reckless abandon in other statesthereby creating undue
\npolitical tensions and giving root to crime andcriminality, Ikpeazu has
\nnever and will never embark on such actions. (To be continued)<\/p>\n