Some weeks ago, in faraway United States, the Governor of Abia State, Dr. Alex Otti, in a presentation, raised an alarm of a non-existing airport and, a missing N10 billion of Abia state money. Ordinarily, an airport and such huge sum of money should be easily sighted wherever and anywhere it is kept. But not so in Abia, as according to Gov. Alex Otti, shortly after assuming power on May 29, 2023, he engaged an audit firm, KPMG to conduct a forensic audit of Abia state finances, contracts and projects during the period of his predecessor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu. The audit was done but the report came out ugly. The report revealed that billions and billions of naira were diverted into private pockets.
At the conclusion of the audit, it was revealed that there was N9.3bn paid to some fake contractors. Another N15.9bn was paid to about 63 contractors with no supporting documents anywhere backing the said contracts. It has not finished. The past government of Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu with the connivance of Hon. Chinedu Orji, the then Speaker, paid N12bn to two contractors that have no known address. And, N10 billion was said to have been used to build a non-existing airport in Abia. But it turned out that, the N10bn was shared to about 32 companies owned by the vampires then in Abia. This was the way and manner Abia was governed under Dr. Ikpeazu. With all these discoveries, the question Abians are asking the immediate past government of Dr. Ikpeazu is, where and how these monies were spent?
During the tenure of Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, he made a request for N10 billion through the State Assembly to build an airport somewhere in Abia state. The money was speedily approved by the House under the leadership of Hon. Chinedu Orji. The governor then had license to the money. But unfortunately, no land was acquired and cleared in readiness for any construction of an airport. No construction company was mobilized to site rather one Ferotex Construction Company was gotten to help in siphoning the said amount. Ferotex Construction Company is an engineering firm based in Port-Harcourt. They confessed they were duly approached by Okezie Ikpeazu and his cronies but, that they declined the job since they have no experience and have never constructed an airport since the company came to life.
The company was still engaged anyway, this time to help in the distribution of the money. The money was paid into their account. It is clear that there was already an intention, an organized selfish interest, ill-conceived plot by few elements in government led by Okezie Ikpeazu and Chinedu Orji to pocket the money, and they did just that. Today, since the looting story came to the open, Okezie Ikpeazu and his media handlers are running helter-skelter for cover up. And, because they were not or ever believed a time like this would come, they are now telling the world stories of how the money was used to build roads after some ‘traditional wise men’ visited the governor and pleaded that rather than an airport, he should build roads. We agree. But we are asking Okezie Ikpeazu and Chinedu Orji, where are the roads they built with N10 billion in Abia state? Where are they?
These men are so inhuman, wicked and insensitive that none of them blinked an eye at this monumental fraud they plotted and committed against the people of Abia state. These lootings must have killed souls, maimed lives and altered some person’s future. It was the callousness that was employed that has made and kept Abia stagnant for 24 years. While other states were developing, Abia was denied of any signs of development. For 24 years before this present government of Alex Otti came on board, civil servants and pensioners were not paid for years. There were no roads leading to anywhere in Abia. Aba became a ghetto. Umuahia served as dustbin. The whole of Abia state was in a sorry state under the past administrations especially that of Okezie Ikpeazu’s.
It is good Gov. Alex Otti have promised to make the audit report of the firm public. We hope and pray it is going to be very soon to enable public scrutiny of the report. Yet, the report of how money was shared by the men who held sway in Abia some years ago is never new. A very painful and disappointing experience. Gov. Otti must not go back in pursuing the full recovery of this fund. These billions must not go down just like that. They either refund the money or be punished stringently. Public wealth is not for private pockets but, money for social and economic development of the state. Otti should not be afraid. He must be resolute and fearless. Majority of the good people of Abia are with him, spiritually and physically. He is holding Abia in trust for us. He must ensure that these men do not go scot free. He must pursue them until they vomit all the money or possibly show us the airport or roads they claim to have built with our N10bn.
Gov. Otti must have to reset the socio-political agenda of Abia people. He has to close the door of monetary and political rascality known among our politicians in Abia since 1999 till 2023. The era of looting the treasury with impunity, governing without respect for the rules and people are gone. If Abia is ‘God’s Own State’ then, we are God’s Own People. God’s own people must set the pace with good examples. They must be good managers of resources. They must be highly disciplined. Have good conducts and transparent lifestyle. They must be decent, have personal and environmental cleanliness at all times.
Never again shall we go back to Egypt!
Uzodinma Nwaogbe
