As reactions continue to trail, Governor Okezie Ikpeazu’s, broadcast on Saturday to mark celebration of Abia state at 31, the All Progressive Grand Alliance ( APGA), has said that Abia state led by the People’s Democratic party ( PDP) was celebrating failure at 31.
Abia state chairman of APGA, Rev. Augusine Ehiemere made his feelings known in a press release he signed and made available to our reporter in Umuahia on Sunday.
Ehiemere, expressed regret that when on the 27th, August 1991, Abia state was created and people thronged the streets to celebrate the birth of a new state with expectations, little did they know that 31years after, Abia state will be a crawling baby, courtesy of the PDP led government in the state.
According to him, “Wrong drivers and opportunists, who have driven the state craft and leadership wheel of God’s own state have rather taken us back instead of moving us forward.”
He said that the PDP led administration which has remained in power since 1999 to date has supervised the dilapidation, economic strangulation and near collapse of Abia state.
Ehiemere, who described the Okezie Ikpeazu led PDP administration as the worst of all governments so far witnessed in Abia state, wondered what the government will be celebrating as its achievement at 31.
“It is disheartening that at 31 years, Abia state is celebrating 25 months of unpaid salary arrears of doctors and other health workers in the state; de-accreditation of Abia Polytechnic Aba, following 30 months of unpaid wages of staff, de-accreditation of Abia state University Teaching Hospital Aba (ABSUTH) and 10 months’ salary arrears of Abia state University Uturu staff.
“At 31, Abia pensioners are still being owed four years of gratuities and 28 months of pension arrears, primary and secondary school teachers are being owed five months salary arrears and promotion allowances, many workers are being paid incomplete salaries.
“At 31, Abia roads are still impassable, especially Ukwa land, our oil producing area of Abia state,at 31 Arochukwu land is still being accessed through Akwa Ibom state,” APGA chairman lamented.
He equally described as sad and embarrassing that at 31, Abia state has no permanent Government House, but still operates from donated take-off apartments, despite billions of Naira the PDP led administration claimed to have sunk into the new Government House project, which site has been abandoned for the past eight years.
