Abia @ 31; Gov. Ikpeazu Laments High Poverty Level Under APC Administration
Abia State Governor Okezie Ikpeazu has called on the government at the centre to lead the discuss on security and fast track socio-economic development, national cohesion and inclusiveness in order to give the South East Zone a pride of place in the governance of the country.
Governor Ikpeazu who was speaking at the International Conference Center, Umuahia, venue of the Grand finale of a week long activity to mark the celebration of Abia @31,said the South East Geopolitical zone has suffered total neglect from the APC led adminstration of President Mohammadu Buhari since 2015.
Ikpeazu further lamented that since the inception of the adminstration of President Buhari, the South East has been excluded from the governance and top echelon positions in decision making of the country.
He said: “We have suffered under the present APC government where no Igbo man is in the top echelon of decision making, no Igbo man is anywhere.
“I recall that on the day decisions was made by the Federal Government to host “Operation Python Dance”, here in the South East, no Igbo man was there to take decisions and come to explain to us that this Python dance is just a joke. No Igbo man was there and we are saying that in the Nigeria of tomorrow, we need to be at the table, not outside the table.
“As a leader of Ndi Igbo, I only want to draw the attention of my party to the fact that there are three things the leadership of this country needs going forward. One of them is Security. we need to arrest the slide in terms of security in Nigeria.
” We also need to fast track socio economic development and National Cohesion and inclusiveness. Of all these three, the most important is National Cohesion and inclusiveness.
“Every part of Nigeria including the South Eastern part needs a voice in the PDP and if the call for our party to be sensitive to the yearnings of my people makes me look like the cry of a child, so be it.
“I will keep saying it that today, as we board the train of PDP, we need to know what is on the table for Abians and Igbos in general, that is the way to go”.
Ikpeazu who is a staunch member of the Peoples’ Democratic Party, said he is not in a hurry to leave the PDP as the Party has made modest efforts in the development of Abia State.
Acting Chairman of Abia State Advisory Council, Sir Chikezie Wachukwu in his address called on the collective efforts of all to a secure and safe Abia by being their brother’s keeper as security he maintained remains everyone’s business and should not be taken for granted. He used the forum to commend the State Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu for his human and infrastructural development in the last 7 years especially the provision of a Long Term Development Plan which spans from 2020-2050, which he said is the first comprehensive plan towards a systematic development of the state for the next 30 years. Sir Wachukwu called on successive administrations to ensure optimal utilization of the plan for the greater good of the state.
He also called on the State House of Assembly and the State Government to work towards making the Abia Charter of Equity, a working document while praying for a better Abia in the days ahead.