“Ochendo Global” as he is popularly referred to is a colorful man who can easily talk up a storm. It’s easy to assume that his confidence stems from the fact that his people have posed a trust in him for two tenures and if he is to be believed, the same people want him in the Senate.
In a tour of Abia, we deliver the verdict on whether or not the Abia State Governor Theodore Orji has delivered on his many campaign promises and whether he has improved the lives of the people he talks so fondly about.
In a tour which spanned some areas of Umuahia (the state capital), Aba, Ubakala and Umuahia South, we were opportuned to see the projects the Orji administration thought worthy of boasts.
The dialysis centre is an obvious source of pride to the government with 7 dialysis machine and subsidy from the government, the fee for a dialysis is about N23,000. The Abia State specialist diagnostic center (Amachara) has facilities for CT scans as well as MRI.
There’s an admission by the governor that most of the first term of his governance was spent in political combat with his predecessor Orji Uzor Kalu and consequently, most of the projects seen in Abia are as recently commissioned as 2012.
According to the immediate past commissioner for information, there are 26 Higher institutions in Abia State as well as more than 70 model schools. (Ogbo central school).
He further contends that Ochendo has done over 10,000 projects; the Abia airport in process. Cassava procession plant, Ubani Umuahi Ultra-modern model market. Ubani and the continuation of urban expansion strategy. Urban renewal. (Uzuakoli to Umuahia). 1200 units in the housing estate. 3 bedroom flats.
He also admits that Ochendo met insecurity and addressed it. Security problems are local; all security issues have to be locally addressed. A kilometer road costs more in Aba cuz of topography. 18 roads within Aba metropolis.
Shell also has a chest clinic here, an adult Emergency Ward.
Getting away from all the rhetorics of the Abia State Government, there’s little to suggest in terms of actual physical infrastructure that the Abia state government has done anything tangible in the past seven years.
There’s always a ready excuse from the government for its inability to tackle certain issues. However, after all is said and done, maybe the citizens of Abia really deserve this government as most of the people we talked didn’t seem particularly bothered.
Perhaps, we have gone out of our way to set the bar too high for them.
BELOW ARE PHOTOS FROM DAY ONE ASSESSMENT IN ABIA STATE;
Please note that the pictures you see below are some of the projects we visited during the tour.
THE NEW UMUAHIA MARKET AND TIMBER MARKET
DAY TWO ASSESSMENT TOUR
THE NEW MARKET
THE NEW ESTATE FOR PEOPLE LIVING CLOSE TO THE MARKET I.E THOSE WHO CAN AFFORD TO LIVE THERE
PICTURE OF THE SCHOOL UNDER T.A ORJI ADMINISTRATION
THE SCHOOL BUILDING
TO LIGHTEN UP THE DAY – A VISIT TO NATIONAL WAR MUSEUM – AN HISTORY OF THE BIAFRIAN WAR
DAY 3 PICTURES
AND WE FINALLY WENT TO ABA. A CERTAIN AREA IN ABA THE PICTURES SPEAK FOR ITSELF.
AT THE GOVERNOR’S LODGE