By Emmanuel Chukwu.
At its monthly meeting held in Owerri this month, a press group, Interstate Journalists For Democracy and Development, IJDD made sweeping steps of support for Abia state governor, Dr Alex Otti.
In the communique issued at the end of their Owerri meeting signed by the National Chairman, Mr Emmanuel Chukwu, Acting National Secretary, Comrade Edison Okereke and the International Relations Officer, Chris Newman, the group hailed Otti for his development strides barely few months in office.
IJDD in its communique and news published in Eastern LEAD Express newspaper and other online platforms commended the Abia Chief Administrative pilot for making a departure from his predecessors approach, by awarding contract to Julius Berger to reconstruct the perennially bad Port Harcourt road, Aba.
In their judgement, the group members considered the Otti approach worth commending considering the fact that his predecessors either ignored that all– important road or awarded contracts at various times for its reconstruction to ill l equipped contracting firms.
Obviously, after such ill conceived ventures the road collapsed few months after billions were earmarked for it.
In the assessment of these journalists with regional and international perssuations, it is proper to encourage Otti for awarding contract for its reconstruction to a reputable construction giant like Julius Berger to save Abia from the past waste of funds that arose from awarding such crucial road projects to ill equipped and inexperienced contactor’s.
One of the driving forces for praising Otti was his sense of expedient economic judgement in the circumstance, as doing otherwise by toeing the same line would have amounted to predictable financial waste at a crucial period when the country as a whole is facing wobbling economic fortunes.
Otti by that step escaped from the penny wise pound foolish trolling that would have followed him, if he had followed in the footsteps of his predecessors, but his own blame would have been mountainous as one with economic experience as a banker of note.
As succinctly captured by IJDD National President, “It takes a patriotic technocrat to take the kind of decision Otti took by understanding the financial waste implications of awarding such a contract to inexperienced and ill equipped companies”
It is not that road contract awards is a hard as rocket science to draw the support of an enlightened press group as IJDD, but the governor’s sense of right economic judgement, patriotism and in-depth professional exposure were taken into consideration before backing him.
Port Harcourt road Aba is considered very crucial to commerce in Aba because of its connectivity with big markets in Aba in addition to the pathetic state of the road each rainy season over the years.
The Abia governor deserves whatever unsolicited commendations given by the group as any step taken to improve commercial activities in Aba will rub on the entire country and the West African sub region. It only takes a leader with a sophisticated understanding of global commerce and its intervening variables to take such drastic step at addressing the dire communication needs of a burgeoning commercial city like Aba.
Aba is among the industrial hubs that hold the keys to Nigeria’s industrial growth in terms of raising our Gross Domestic Products, I.G.P and employment generation to absorb millions of unemployed youths in the sub region.
Of course, IJDD as an elite group of journalists would be falling in its agenda setting role, if it had failed to encourage Otti in his vision for his dear state.
Over the years, Abia governors failed to understand that Abia roads need solid construction approach because of the huge haulage influx to the commercial city. These big lorries exert much weight on these roads, but by engaging Berger the strength of the Port Harcourt road would be guaranteed for once in decades.
The press group in their communique did not hesitate to salute him for his
resolve to convert the Lokpanta cattle market into a non residential market.
The heinous criminal activities that were noticed within the cattle market vicinity before Otti came into office.and the dead bodies recovered in the bushes surrounding the market made it imperative for the group to encourage the governor.
As a matter of evidence, since the governor took the sanitizing steps on the cattle market in conjunction with security agencies, the kidnappings and rape that were rampant in that axis have disappeared.
Nigerians who made use of the roads near the area saw hell in the hands of kidnappers wielding AK 47 and other deadly weapons.
Abia indigenes and other patriotic Nigerians, including Ohaneze NdIgbo should stand behind Otti in his radical steps to safe guard the lives of Abians and Nigerians who are prone to kidnap by suspected infiltrators, who use the market vicinity to carry out their criminal activities against NdIgbo and other Nigerians.
People of good will and good conscience must resist any primitive clandestine sentiment raised by any body to create the impression that Otti is against any tribe or religion. Any such sentiment will be betraying ulterior motives by those purveying it.
Nigerians are understanding the divisive tricks of a few criminals to cause divide and rule in order to pepetuate evil and unproductive domination. Any step taken by the governor is in the interest of the state of which he is the constitutional Chief security officer.
The group also gave huge nods to the resilience, ingenuity and expertise of Prof. Barth Nnaji for seeing to the final realization of the Geometric Power Plant in Aba.
The Geometric project would revolutionize industry and commerce in Abia, South East, South South and Nigeria.
Beyond his expertise, the group honoured Nnaji for his love for fatherland and beckoned on other Nigerians to utilize their expertise and finances to achieve similar feat in their respective areas of specialization.
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