THE 2025 Democracy Day Celebration in Abia State witnessed a mixture of celebration of the New Dawn and Fresh Air by the people of Abia State on the streets of Aba under ‘A Two Million Man March’ Road – Show organised by the Resilient Residents of Aba, the famous Enyimba City and commercial nerve centre of the South-East:
The day also witnessed a Grand Civic Reception in Honour of the Performing Governor of Abia State, His Excellency, Dr. Alex Chioma Otti, OFR by the hardworking Merchantalist people of Abiriba Enachioken, the Centre of Gravity in the Old Bende Fortress at the Enyimba International Stadium, Aba.
These epoch-making events elicited lamentations from diminished bad losers who assembled in a hideout at one remote village to audition wannabe skit makers.
The city, famous for several business activities, was shut down for the Governor by just one community, the Abiriba Enachioken, who filled the Enyimba International Stadium to the brim, beautifully and colourfully adorned in their traditional attires and regalia.
It was an organic show of Love and Followership by people who control trade and commerce in Aba but decided to sacrifice the day by closing their businesses, shops and warehouses to celebrate a Governor who has done so well in all ramifications.
Away from the activities in celebration of the new lease of life in Abia, a group of few desperate and frustrated bad losers, rejected and retired by Abia people just 2 years ago who by the way voluntarily admitted that, they stole public funds but not at the scale assumed by the people of Abia, gathered at one village square with lousy rented few as usual to lament about their current economic conditions and frustrations on how Governor Otti is doing everything they couldn’t do, including delivering the projects they normally use to deceive Abians during elections.
The choice of an obscured remote village for their lamentation meeting and skit making audition was deliberate, to hide away from the preying eyes of their erstwhile victims as they were very sure of the anger of the people against them and what they would have met if the unholy gathering was anywhere near the population centre.
A one time Commissioner for Finance under the salary and pension owing immediate past Government, who is seen at both APC and PDP gatherings was at the centre of the circus spewing out lies like he used to go round radio stations as commissioner to defend non-payment of workers salaries and blaming pensioners for not saving during their years in service.
The former Commissioner did not disappoint as expected. As a wannabe skit maker in a circus, he went back to the same lines of lies in his attempt to create contents of blames.
He admitted that they failed in Governance but blamed paucity of funds for their abysmal performance.
He left gaps in his skit but the rented few could not raise questions to avoid being asked to return the N2k day pay.
He treated Abia State in isolation as if they were the only Government that received ‘Little’ or ‘No’ FAAC and JAAC as he claimed while believing his own lies as if most of us operated from the moon.
The Commissioner refused to delve into how Ebonyi State under Engr. Dave Umahi with leaner resources was able to turn around Ebonyi State, paying salaries and pensions without excuses during the same period under review.
former commissioner could not offer explanation on how and what the Government he served did with all the intervention funds such as; Billions in bailout funds made available to them by the Federal Government, over N20 Billion Paris Club Refunds to the State, the Ecological Funds, the N2 Billion Agric Loan shared in the name of audio 10 Million tenera palm trees, and the huge Loan profile left for the State by the Government he served.
The former commissioner could not hide his and their intentions of wanting to go back to Abia Government House to continue their looting spree. He said that they have survived 2 years of Governor Alex Otti and can manage to survive the remaining 2 years but admitted that, what they cannot survive is another 4 years after the remaining 2 years. The welfare of Abians was as expected, not part of their concern. They just needed access to Abia public resources or they will all not survive the starvation. I have an advice for my friend, the former commissioner, content creating and skit making is now very lucrative, just upgrade your performance if you really want to survive because access to public resources in Abia State is permanently closed. Abia will never go back to Egypt. The feeding bottle was recycled to working bottle in 2023.
I would have questioned if the former commissioner actually worked in the bank or sat in a lecture hall where Dr. Aja-Akpuru Aja, Hearts Ofoeze, Dr. Gregory Nwizu, Dr. Obiuku, Dr. O. O. Okereke, Mr. Okike Osi etc, taught, if not that I am sure that he was just creating content and making skit in a village circus.
How can an Ex-banker question the effect of exchange rate on the economy of an import dependent consumer oriented economy? How can he measure money with its quantity and not purchasing power? How can a mammal that breath air and eat food not acknowledge that paying N70k minimum wage now and paying N21k which was less than the minimum wage as Finance commissioner while owing arrears of salaries and pensions cannot be the same expenditure envelope for the State? How can someone who was in the financial sector wish away the negative effects of inflation? The only answer is that skit making and content creating is just to entertain and make people laugh. The commissioner ended up demonstrating that he is a good entertainer than making sense and has a better future in packaging his contents better to earn a living than ranting in vain to gain access again to our common patrimony.
I read a remark where an agent of the last administration was lamenting and crying over their ejection from a public school where they had wanted to hold their circus and lamentation meeting. He forgot in a hurry that Government is a continuum and that the policy of getting authorization from the Government before using public space was introduced by the last administration and has not been repealed by the current Government. I sighted my prodigal brother and the black sheep of my community running away from the public school in the remote village when all his kinsmen including his Age Grade and League of Friends were celebrating the dawn of a New Abia. I was reliably informed that he also auditioned in the skit making circus. I know they will not select him to perform at the main stage where performers will be rewarded. Like I always tell them. Governor Otti’s projects are on ground not on billboards like in the past. They are obviously looking for them in the wrong place.
Ctz. UKOHA NJOKU UKOHA
Chief Press Secretary to the Executive Governor of Abia State.
14-06-2025.
