GOV. IKPEAZU'S 65 DAYS OF UNCOMMON GOVERNANCE,
By UCHE OLEHI.
Since his inauguration as Abia's 4th Executive Governor some
65 days ago,Dr Okezie Victor Ikpeazu has chosen to carry on
with governance in uncommon ways. And the dividends of this
creative leadership approach are many...
One of the early pronouncements of
the Governor was the directive to discontinue with the
appellation of "His Excellency" as his official title.
He also went on to discourage all forms of praise-singing,
sycophancy and frivolous courtesy visits. With this distinctive
departure from the past,Dr Ikpeazu has come to the level of
ordinary Abians, adorning the toga of "a common Governor
doing things in uncommon ways."
He has also been spared the needless distraction of army of
visitors who have very little to do with developmental
governance.
Not a few have equally hailed Dr Okezie Ikpeazu's prudent
management of lean financial resources of the state. Modest
and frugal to the bones,the Governor has drastically pruned the
usually high cost of governance. And no longer business as
usual,
Dr Ikpeazu travels with few aides. He has also cut his salary by
half,while pledging to pay workers before the end of every
month after the holistic staff audit that would flush out ghost
workers and enhance an innovative revenue generation and
collection regime.
Dr Ikpeazu is also repositioning Abia as prime investment
destination with focus on Aba,the state commercial capital.
Tackling the city's infrastructural deficit through an urban
renewal initiative,the Governor is desirous of improving the
state's Internally Generated Revenue (IGR). Ikpeazu targets
N1.5 billion IGR per month.
To this end,Dr Ikpeazu established three key government
agencies:
the Aba Urban Renewal Bureau,the PPP and Abia Investment
Promotions as well as the Economic Advancement Team (EAT)
personally headed by the Governor.
These agencies have since gone to work to realize their
mandate in the over all socio-economic interest of Abians.
Also to be noted is the massive reforms silently going on in Abia
in the last 65 days.
Starting with the earth- shaking biometric staff audit which has
saved the state some N160 million,the planned automated and
harmonized revenue collection policy would also ensure
accountability.
The Governor has again sustained the momentum in the area of
road construction and allied infrastructural development. To
say the truth,Abians knew better days are here when Dr Ikpeazu
flagged off repair of some seven roads in Aba and some other
parts of the state on his first day in office. He has even added
more,all from projects earlier approved by the last State
Executive Council.
And with some of them nearing completion,more interventions
have also been initiated as quick fixes as the rains and largely
ill-maintained roads mess up Abia.
Still on the environment,
serious works have equally been going on especially in Aba and
Umuahia where the drainage systems are being cleaned up. The
Abia State Environmental Protection Agency has since
evacuated refuses in urban areas. In fact,all necessary
equipment for continuous clean up of the state are now on
ground, courtesy of the current administration.
In the area of peace and security,the Government has been
exemplary.
Peaceful and pragmatic in nature,Governor Ikpeazu has a near-
perfect working relationship with heads and members of law
enforcement agencies, traditional rulers,and other stakeholder.
The benefit of this synergy is a largely peaceful state.
Security experts have equally commended the Governor's
handling of two major security challenges in that last few days.
First was the breach of peace in Powerline,Ariaria market, Aba
after men of NDLEA allegedly killed two traders while hunting
for drug users. The Governor has since contained the situation
even as investigations into the extra-judicial killings have
commenced. He also advised NDLEA to hence, carry out their
duties with restraint and caution.
Another ugly incident which the Governor handled with
unequalled sense of responsibility was the razing of the INEC
office in Mgboko,Obingwa Local Government Area.
Governor Ikpeazu who inspected the scene of the fire which
occurred on Sunday,August 2,2015, texpressed shock at the
level of damage done to the building and charged the police and
other law enforcement agencies to ensure that the culprits are
brought to book.
According to the Chief Press Secretary,Mr Godwin Adindu, the
governor also called on the Police and the Army to beef up
security in all INEC formations in the state to forestall such
incidents.
He lamented over the tendency of some disgruntled elements in
society to vandalise public property,saying that it is a big
drawback to the effort of government in providing dividends of
democracy.
While reiterating the determination of his government to
maintain law and order and protect life and property of the Abia
citizenry,Ikpeazu used the occasion to warn perpetrators of
such acts to turn to a new leaf as the current administration will
not tolerate such deviate acts.
Governor Ikpeazu has also tasked,empowered and mobilized
security agencies to track down kidnappers and chase out
armed robbers from God's own state. And this has radically
reduced violent crime in Abia.
Generally speaking,
Dr Okezie Ikpeazu is navigating the ship of state with a great
sense of focus,passion and transparency. He's also mindful of
the fact that Abia is expected to emerge the most commercially
viable state in the next few years.
"It has been 65 days of serious and creative governance. In fact,
Dr Ikpeazu's first 100 days in office would amaze the world.
Abians should gear up for better days,having elected a
visionary leader who is determined to change the narrative of
the state,"a policy analyst predicted.
By UCHE OLEHI.
Since his inauguration as Abia's 4th Executive Governor some
65 days ago,Dr Okezie Victor Ikpeazu has chosen to carry on
with governance in uncommon ways. And the dividends of this
creative leadership approach are many...
One of the early pronouncements of
the Governor was the directive to discontinue with the
appellation of "His Excellency" as his official title.
He also went on to discourage all forms of praise-singing,
sycophancy and frivolous courtesy visits. With this distinctive
departure from the past,Dr Ikpeazu has come to the level of
ordinary Abians, adorning the toga of "a common Governor
doing things in uncommon ways."
He has also been spared the needless distraction of army of
visitors who have very little to do with developmental
governance.
Not a few have equally hailed Dr Okezie Ikpeazu's prudent
management of lean financial resources of the state. Modest
and frugal to the bones,the Governor has drastically pruned the
usually high cost of governance. And no longer business as
usual,
Dr Ikpeazu travels with few aides. He has also cut his salary by
half,while pledging to pay workers before the end of every
month after the holistic staff audit that would flush out ghost
workers and enhance an innovative revenue generation and
collection regime.
Dr Ikpeazu is also repositioning Abia as prime investment
destination with focus on Aba,the state commercial capital.
Tackling the city's infrastructural deficit through an urban
renewal initiative,the Governor is desirous of improving the
state's Internally Generated Revenue (IGR). Ikpeazu targets
N1.5 billion IGR per month.
To this end,Dr Ikpeazu established three key government
agencies:
the Aba Urban Renewal Bureau,the PPP and Abia Investment
Promotions as well as the Economic Advancement Team (EAT)
personally headed by the Governor.
These agencies have since gone to work to realize their
mandate in the over all socio-economic interest of Abians.
Also to be noted is the massive reforms silently going on in Abia
in the last 65 days.
Starting with the earth- shaking biometric staff audit which has
saved the state some N160 million,the planned automated and
harmonized revenue collection policy would also ensure
accountability.
The Governor has again sustained the momentum in the area of
road construction and allied infrastructural development. To
say the truth,Abians knew better days are here when Dr Ikpeazu
flagged off repair of some seven roads in Aba and some other
parts of the state on his first day in office. He has even added
more,all from projects earlier approved by the last State
Executive Council.
And with some of them nearing completion,more interventions
have also been initiated as quick fixes as the rains and largely
ill-maintained roads mess up Abia.
Still on the environment,
serious works have equally been going on especially in Aba and
Umuahia where the drainage systems are being cleaned up. The
Abia State Environmental Protection Agency has since
evacuated refuses in urban areas. In fact,all necessary
equipment for continuous clean up of the state are now on
ground, courtesy of the current administration.
In the area of peace and security,the Government has been
exemplary.
Peaceful and pragmatic in nature,Governor Ikpeazu has a near-
perfect working relationship with heads and members of law
enforcement agencies, traditional rulers,and other stakeholder.
The benefit of this synergy is a largely peaceful state.
Security experts have equally commended the Governor's
handling of two major security challenges in that last few days.
First was the breach of peace in Powerline,Ariaria market, Aba
after men of NDLEA allegedly killed two traders while hunting
for drug users. The Governor has since contained the situation
even as investigations into the extra-judicial killings have
commenced. He also advised NDLEA to hence, carry out their
duties with restraint and caution.
Another ugly incident which the Governor handled with
unequalled sense of responsibility was the razing of the INEC
office in Mgboko,Obingwa Local Government Area.
Governor Ikpeazu who inspected the scene of the fire which
occurred on Sunday,August 2,2015, texpressed shock at the
level of damage done to the building and charged the police and
other law enforcement agencies to ensure that the culprits are
brought to book.
According to the Chief Press Secretary,Mr Godwin Adindu, the
governor also called on the Police and the Army to beef up
security in all INEC formations in the state to forestall such
incidents.
He lamented over the tendency of some disgruntled elements in
society to vandalise public property,saying that it is a big
drawback to the effort of government in providing dividends of
democracy.
While reiterating the determination of his government to
maintain law and order and protect life and property of the Abia
citizenry,Ikpeazu used the occasion to warn perpetrators of
such acts to turn to a new leaf as the current administration will
not tolerate such deviate acts.
Governor Ikpeazu has also tasked,empowered and mobilized
security agencies to track down kidnappers and chase out
armed robbers from God's own state. And this has radically
reduced violent crime in Abia.
Generally speaking,
Dr Okezie Ikpeazu is navigating the ship of state with a great
sense of focus,passion and transparency. He's also mindful of
the fact that Abia is expected to emerge the most commercially
viable state in the next few years.
"It has been 65 days of serious and creative governance. In fact,
Dr Ikpeazu's first 100 days in office would amaze the world.
Abians should gear up for better days,having elected a
visionary leader who is determined to change the narrative of
the state,"a policy analyst predicted.
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