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Tag: Gov Okezie Ikpeazu

  • Salary Arrears: I won’t join issues with my predecessors –Ikpeazu

    Salary Arrears: I won’t join issues with my predecessors –Ikpeazu

    Abia State governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, has vowed not to join issues with his  immediate predecessor, Senator Theodore Orji, on the plight of the workers in the state

    The governor while  reacting to a statement credited to Orji, said he is proudly carrying the cross of the governance of Abia State and will continue to carry it till his last day in office.

    Recently, Senator Orji,  has asked Ikpeazu to stop blaming him for his failure to pay the salary areears owed workers in the state.

    But the incumbent Governor while reacting in a press statement, signed by his chief press secretary Onyebuchi Ememanka, said as a personal policy, his principal will not join issues with any of his predecessors in office.

    According to Ememanka, for the almost 8 years Ikpeazu held office as Governor, he has not engaged any of his predecessors in any kind of untoward exchange, even when it seemed politically expedient to do so.

    He said: “This policy is largely responsible for the sociopolitical stability we have enjoyed in Abia State since 2015 by intends to sustain this personal policy going forward.

    ” Finally, Governor Okezie Ikpeazu is of the firm view that as in all matters, history and posterity will, over time, put all things in proper perspective,” he said.

  • 2023: G-5 Gov Ikpeazu floored in Senatorial Election in Abia

    2023: G-5 Gov Ikpeazu floored in Senatorial Election in Abia

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Tuesday declared the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Enyinnaya Abaribe, the winner of Saturday’s senatorial election in Abia South District.

    The Returning Officer for Abia South National Assembly elections, Georgina Ugwuanyi, announced this before party agents at the collation centre in Aba

    Mrs Ugwuanyi, a professor of Banking and Finance at the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, said she had to return to declare results for the election because she was asked by INEC office in Abuja to announce winners in the election.

    Earlier, Mrs Ugwuanyi had told party agents that a substantial number of polling units, totaling about 108, had irregularities requiring a reschedule of the Abia South elections

    She said Mr Abaribe got the highest number of votes in the election, having scored 49,903 votes.

    She further announced that the Labour Party (LP) candidate, Chinedu Onyeizu, scored 43,903, while Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of the Peoples Democratic Party scored 28,422 votes to come third.

    The returning officer also announced the results of the Aba South and North Federal Constituency, with the LP candidate Emeka Nnamani polled 35,502 to clinch the seat.

    She said that Alex Ikwecheghi of APGA polled 22,465 votes, while the incumbent Representative, Chimaobi Ebisike, of the PDP scored 13,388 votes

    Mrs Ugwuanyi, therefore, declared Mr Nnamani the winner of the House of Representatives election.

  • Ikpeazu mourns Ikonne, suspends all PDP activities

    Ikpeazu mourns Ikonne, suspends all PDP activities

    Governor Victor Ikpeazu of Abia State has mourned the passage of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Gubernatorial candidate in the State, Prof Eleazar Ikonne.

    Ikpeazu in a statement he personally signed said that Ikonne died after a brief illness.

    He commiserated with the family of the late Professor of Optometry, the PDP family and Abians.

    Ikpeazu also directed that all flags in Abia State PDP offices be lowered and flown at half mast

    ”We pray God to have mercy on his soul, grant him eternal rest and give everyone affected by his unfortunate demise the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.

    As a mark of honour to our dear departed brother, I hereby direct that all flags in Abia State PDP offices be lowered and flown at half mast while all campaign activities for the party at all levels be suspended until Monday, 30th January, 2023” he said.

    The Governor urged all PDP leaders and members to remain calm “as they navigate through this difficult period together.”

  • PDP Governors’ Forum felicitates Gov. Ikpeazu at 58

    PDP Governors’ Forum felicitates Gov. Ikpeazu at 58

    The Peoples Democratic Party Governors’ Forum (PDP-GF) on Tuesday felicitated its Vice Chairman, Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia, on his 58th birth anniversary.

    Gov.Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State and chairman of the forum congratulated Ikpeazu in a statement issued by C.I.D Mabuabum,Director-General of the forum in Abuja

    Tambuwal described Ikpeazu as a man with vision, who had redefined the dynamics of governance.

    “As the Governor of Abia State in the past seven years, he has brought his vast experience in human resource management and reorientation, to build a vibrant workforce to re-develop Abia State.

    “Under road infrastructure and urban renewal, the first- ever flyover in Abia State at Osisioma on Aba-Owerri Road and numerous roads inaugurated by his administration have indeed set the pace for others to follow.

    “His Initiative, Kinetic Abia Programme, has yielded dividends through the reactivation of industries, foreign direct investment, SME funding, commerce and cooperatives”,he said.

    Tambuwal added that Ikpeazu had also done well in the area of power generation, water provision, housing, rural electrification, education, health, youth and women empowerment, agriculture and other critical areas.

    The forum’s chairman also congratulated Ikpeazu on his emergence as the PDP Senatorial candidate for Abia South zone.

    He said that the forum appreciated the dedication Ikpeazu exhibited at the PDP 2021 National Convention as member of the National Organising Convention Committee .

    Tambuwal said Ikpeazu also acquitted himself remarkably well as Vice Chairman of the Venue and Protocol Committee at the 2022 Special Convention.

    “He has stood for the cause of many and equally maintained a veritable balance in the polity, while also boosting the future of our party, PDP and the forum.

    “We pray that the Almighty Father grant Ikpeazu good health, more foresight and grace to lead his people, as they join him in today’s celebration.

    “We wish him more fruitful years ahead and pledge our brotherly cooperation and unalloyed support to him at all times.

    “We give gratitude to the Almighty God for the unreserved love and care in his life, and for the wisdom in his public life ,where he has rendered dedicated service to Abia State and the country in general.”he said

  • Flood: Ikpeazu assures Abia residents of emergency intervention

    Flood: Ikpeazu assures Abia residents of emergency intervention

    Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia, has assured residents of Aba of government’s determination to embark on emergency remedial works at the gully erosion site when the rains recede.

    Ikpeazu said the Abia government would not wait for the Federal Government’s intervention through the Ecological office to save the people from perishing in the erosion.

    The governor made the promise on Friday when he visited the site of the gully erosion menacing the residents of Ovom Street, in Ogbor Hill, Aba.

    Ikpeazu, while inspecting the erosion site, expressed deep concern at the extent of the destruction and thanked God that no life was lost in the landslide that developed into the gully erosion.

    The governor expressed regrets that natural water paths in the area had been converted and houses built on them thereby subjecting the areas to additional pressure.

    Ikpeazu noted that the scale of the incident was clearly beyond what the state government could handle effectively.

    He pledged to send a definite emergency request to the Federal Government through the Ecological Office in the Presidency which was established to deal with such issues.

    The governor advised the people living around the area to relocate to avoid aggravating the situation.

    Ikpeazu was met at the site and taken round by the Member representing Aba Central State Constituency at the House of Assembly, Mr Abraham Oba.

    Abia Commissioner for Environment, Mr Sam Nwogu, a lawyer and Prince Ogbonna, a former Executive Chairman of Aba North LGA, were among those who accompanied the governor to the site.

  • Gov Ikpeazu to release N30m for Asa Electricity Project

    Gov Ikpeazu to release N30m for Asa Electricity Project

    Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia on Wednesday said he would immediately release N30 million to Ukwa West Local Government Area for Asa Electricity Project he earlier promised.

    Newsmen reports that this was contained in a statement signed by the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Onyebuchi Ememanka, issued in Aba.
    The governor disclosed this during a meeting with leaders of Ukwa West LGA who paid him a solidarity visit in Aba.

    Ikpeazu said the money would hit their bank account immediately the meeting ended on Wednesday.
    He challenged them to ensure the project’s delivery before the end of September, to ensure Ukwa West LGA residents have their own dedicated source of electricity.

    Ikpeazu also announced that he had released funds to the contractor handling the Uratta – Umuozuo – Umuekechi – Obokwe – Ugwati road.
    The governor told them that the first phase of the project, which covered Uratta to Umuekechi, had been completed.

    He said the second phase of the project from Umuekechi to Ugwati would commence from Aug. 22, promising that the work would not stop until completion.

    He, therefore, tasked the people of the area to own the project and cooperate with the contractor.
    Ikpeazu also assured the LGA that government would soon announce the appointment of its indigene as the substantive Chairman of Abia State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (ASOPADEC).

    He told the delegation that he delayed the appointment to ensure that all issues surrounding the matter were properly addressed before the announcement.

    He reiterated that Asa sons and daughters must be the only ones to be appointed Chairman of ASOPADEC and tasked them to support whoever is eventually appointed.

    Ikpeazu told them that Enyimba Economic City Project remained the most audacious economic development project in the entire South East of Nigeria.

    He said that Afrexim Bank had invested $150 million into the project while the Federal Government handed the management of its 20 per cent equity holding in the project through the Sovereign Wealth Fund.

    The governor said another crucial meeting on the project would hold in Barbados soon where he would require an indigene of Ukwa West to accompany him.

    He urged the leaders and people of Ukwa West to remain steadfast in their support for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and vote for the it in 2023 elections.

    The leader of the delegation, Chief Don Ubani, told the governor that the people of Ukwa West LGA were fully behind the PDP in the 2023 elections.

    He thanked Ikpeazu for the release of the funds for the Asa Electricity Project and assured him that the funds would be judiciously used for quick completion of the project.

    He told the governor that Asa people had adopted him as their sole candidate for the Senatorial seat in 2023.
    He also said a motion for that was moved by the member representing Ukwa West State Constituency at the State Assembly, Mr Goddy Adiele.

    Those present at the meeting were the Executive Chairman of Ukwa West LGA, Chief Okey Kanu, Commissioner for Environment, Mr Sam Nwogu, and Mr Chinedum Elechi.

    Others who were part of the delegation includes Mr Ralph Egbu, Mr Tony Mezie – Nwaubani and Mr Henry Chilaka.

  • Ikpeazu approves N450m as salary support for Abia Polytechnic workers

    Ikpeazu approves N450m as salary support for Abia Polytechnic workers

    Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia has approved the release of N450 million as salary support to the State Polytechnic for immediate payment of four months salary arrears.

    This is contained in a statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary of the governor, Onyebuchi Ememanka in Aba.

    This, followed the withdrawal of Abia Polytechnic’s accreditation by the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) over non payment of 30 months salaries.

    The governor gave the approval on Wednesday while hosting a delegation of Student Leaders from the tertiary institutions in Abia who paid him a visit at the Governor’s Lodge in Aba.

    The governor said although the government is not responsible for the payment of salaries of tertiary institution workers in Abia including the polytechnic, his administration will not abandon them “What the State Government owes the institution is a monthly subvention of N90million and this administration has so far paid N7.1 Billion to the Polytechnic since I assumed office in 2015.

    “This translates to N92 million every month for the 78 months I have been in office as governor.
    “With this N450million additional support, the polytechnic has received over N7.5billion from this administration.

    “One wonders why the institution is unable to manage their internal financial issues since they collect and retain all manner of fees from their students”, they said.

    Ikpeazu insisted that the polytechnic must manage funds available.
    On NBTE’s withdrawal of the polytechnic’s accreditation, Ikpeazu said the mandate of the NBTE does not extend to shutting down an institution on account of labour-related issues since it is not the National Industrial Court.

    The governor wondered why NBTE has not withdrawn the accreditation of tertiary institutions in some parts of the country where insecurity had stopped academic activities for over two years.

    He said the government and Abia State University management will meet on Friday, to resolve labour issues at the University, assuring of government’s commitment to all state-owned higher institutions.

    He expressed happiness that the student leaders have risen to the occasion by refusing to be used as agents of destabilization on account of the challenge at Abia Poly.

    The student leaders who spoke earlier, were drawn from the Students Union Government’s of all tertiary institutions in the state.

    They told the governor that those who claimed to be student leaders who passed a vote of “No Confidence” on the governor were fake and were not students of any institution in Abia.

    This, according to them, led them to swiftly address a news conference where they passed a resounding Vote of Confidence on the Governor.

    The students whose names were not given were made up of members of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) and the National Association of Abia State Students (NAAS).

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    The Abia State Government has said the administration of Governor Okezie Ikpeazu has so far remitted a total of N7.1 billion to the Abia State Polytechnic since the inception of the administration in 2015.

    The National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) had withdrawn the accreditation of the polytechnic, prompting the state government to dissolve the school’s governing council.

    But the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Dr Eze Chikamnayo, who disclosed this at a press briefing on the outcome of the executive council meeting at Government House, Umuahia, said that the Ikpeazu-led government had consistently remitted about N92 million monthly in the past 78 months of his administration, adding that the problem of the institution was poor management and self-inflicted.

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    According to Chikamnayo, the polytechnic was an autonomous body set up by law as the government neither recruited workers for the institution nor received funds from it.

    He explained that the board and management of the school failed to uphold best practices.

    He, however, assured that the government was engaging all stakeholders to ensure that the polytechnic regained full accreditation within the next one month as a high-powered committee had been set up in that regard.

    Chikamnayo further disclosed that the government was leaving no stone unturned to sanitise the Abia State Polytechnic and other parastatals in the state and urged all managers of parastatals and other semi-autonomous boards in the state to buckle down, warning that the government would not hesitate to sanction any board whose activities brought embarrassment to the government.

    He also advised the National Board for Technical Education not to take up the job of trade unions as issues of welfare are within the purview of the union leaders.

  • Ikpeazu directs company to employ host community youths

    Gov Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia has directed the management of the International Equitable Association (IEA) to ensure youths of its host community, Umuokeyibe Umungasi, Aba, are given employment.

    This directive is contained in a statement signed by Abia Commissioner for Trade and Investment, Chief Okiyi Kalu and made available to newsmen on Thursday.

    Ikpeazu gave the directive during a meeting to settle a long-standing rift between the company and their host community in Aba on Wednesday.

    The governor urged the company to abide by terms of the settlement which included ensuring that youths of the community were employed at management and other levels within the organization.

    Ikpeazu’s intervention and settlement of the rift has paved the way for the resumption of production at the hitherto moribund factory of the industrial giants.

    The governor at the meeting applauded members of the community and their forebears for their foresight in donating their land in 1952 for the establishment of the factory.

    He also thanked them for peaceful renegotiations which started in 2018 and led to the agreement to settle all the lingering issues in June 2022.

    “We are happy that our collective efforts to reinvigorate this company is yielding positive results and I am optimistic that production activities will soon start again at the factory which is one of the landmark organizations that made Aba an industrial hub,” Ikpeazu said.

    Mr Sola Ajayi, the Managing Director of IEA, expressed appreciation to the governor for modifying the settlement process.

    He assured that the company was ready to resume production as soon as preliminary works were completed.
    He also thanked the governor for fulfilling his promise to fix Nicholas Road, Aba, which leads to the factory and pledged the company’s willingness to be a good corporate citizen.

    Mr Chris Ubani, the Chairman of the Community and Mr Enyinnaya Ubani, their spokesman, thanked Ikpeazu for his development strides and pursuit of industrialization in Abia.

    They pledged to abide by the terms of the agreement reached by both parties.

    Newsmen reports that IEA commenced operations in 1954, manufacturing popular detergents and soap brands before the ownership crises that led to its closure in 2009.

    The meeting, held in Governor’s Lodge, Aba, had in attendance the Trade and Investment Commissioner, Chief John Okiyi Kalu and other top government officials.