In this exclusive Press Conference release sent to Abia Facts
Newspapers, APGA Abia State 2015 gubernatorial candidate Dr. Alex Otti
expressed deep displeasure at the way Abia State Government led by Dr.
Okezie Ikpeazu is mismanaging the commonwealth of the state. Otti was of
the opinion that Governor Okezie Ikpeazu and his team do not mean well
for the state because of the consistent negativity of the government, he
queried the government’s inability to offset salary of workers after
receiving billions in terms Bailout Fund, Paris Club Refunds and
Monthly Federal Allocation from the federal government. Dr. Otti went
ahead to call on men of good conscience to collectively raise their
voices in saving the state.
“Gentlemen of the press, from the aforementioned developments, the
facts of which can be verified, there is absolutely no doubt that the
Ikpeazu/PDP led government does not mean well for Abia State and its
people as the consistency of negativity of the government, especially in
the management of the peoples’ commonwealth has assumed a provocative
and insulting dimension, hence the need for all men of good conscience
to collectively raise their voices in saving state by calling Dr. Okezie
Ikpeazu and his collaborators to order so that they don’t plunge Abia
and Abians into long term financial and economic chaos”.
In this same Press Release, Dr. Alex Otti made 6 demands which
includes the National Assembly reviewing their decision of approving
$200m for the Ikpeazu led government.
READ FULL PRESS RELEASE:
Text of a Press Conference Organized by the 2015 APGA Abia
Governorship Candidate, Dr. Alex Otti over the 200 million Dollar Loan
Approved for Abia State Government by the National Assembly.
Gentlemen of the press, good afternoon and welcome to this important Press Conference convened by my humble self, Alex Otti. Permit me to start by informing you that I convened this press
conference, in my capacity as Alex Otti, and as the leader of the main
opposition political party, the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA)
Abia State.
Recall that when the ugly developments which bothered on nationally
acclaimed misgovernance in Abia assumed a frightening dimension and
became an intolerable embarrassment to some of us, I took an audacious
decision of quitting my plumb job in the bank, a decision which many
informed Nigerians, including many of you gentlemen of the press
considered unNigerian through your analysis then. I took that decision
because I knew that the pathetic Abia situation required uncommon
altruism if the anti-people statusquo must be challenged and defeated.
Though the Abia cabal dwelled on unimaginable brigandage and
barbarism to deny Abians their choice and remain in power at the expense
of the people, you were witnesses to the people inspired giant strides
we made which ended their reign of absolutism and proved to Abians that
their oppressors are not invisible after all.
Regrettably, the continuous existence of the same people, the same
system of government and governance, and the tragedy it has continued to
bring upon the people precipitated this press conference.
On assumption of office, the present Abia State government led by Dr.
Okezie Ikpeazu began dishing out figures of funds it required to clear
arrears of salaries owed Abia workers. After initially claiming that it
required six billion Naira (N6B) to clear the salary arrears owed Abia
workers, the governor later approached the Abia State House of Assembly
seeking approval for a loan of Thirty Billion naira (N30B) from a local
bank. My party APGA did challenge that request after the state
government contradicted the then speaker who had informed his House
members that the said loan was for infrastructural development, only for
the state government to turn back and claim that it was meant to clear
different debts owed by the state. The objection raised by my party led
to an unjust suspension slammed on the APGA minority leader for months.
Alarmed by the suspicious claims and moves of the government
regarding state financial matters I sought clarification from the
government through my Media Aides and my party on the specific amount
required to clear arrears of salaries owed Abia workers, unfortunately
the government remained dodgy until it received N14.150 billion Naira
Bailout fund from the Federal Government. Shortly after receiving the
14.150 Billion naira bailout fund, the governor, through his then SSA on
public communications, Sam Hart announced the inauguration of a
committee charged with the responsibility of disbursing the funds and
promised to clear all outstanding arrears owed workers by October 30,
2015.
Gentlemen of the press, what this specific promise by Dr. Ikpeazu
meant was that the government had its record intact and accurate, and
knew that the bailout fund would be enough to offset the salary arrears.
Unfortunately, that promise turned out a dangerous political gimmick
that got Abians bamboozled, and workers seriously hurt.
While the groaning of Abia workers and Abians as a whole continued
unabated as a result of mounting debts owed workers and general absence
of good governance in the state, the state government again received the
first tranche of the Paris Club refund totaling N5.3 Billion. Once
again, the government went on air this time around through the
Commissioner for finance, Obinna Oriaku claiming that it needed extra
N700 million to augment the N5.3 billion to be able to clear all arrears
owed Abia workers. Unfortunately, again, this turned out another
humiliating trick, leaving unpaid arrears of workers pilling up
unchecked.
Just about a month ago, the Ikpeazu government once again occupied
the Abia radio airwaves with endless jingles of how the government was
going to clear the same salary arrears immediately the second tranche of
the Paris Club refund arrived. Sadly, immediately the N5.7 billion
arrived, the government came up with another atrocious story this time
around, which was that it got less than what it expected.
Gentlemen of the press, this primitive and callous administrative
ineptitude has left many Abia workers being owed up to 8 months salary
arrears, making their lives and those of their wards miserable. Mind you, the above mentioned funds and other funds secured by the
Ikpeazu/PDP led government has nothing to do with the tens of billions
of naira gotten by the government as statutory monthly allocations and
internally generated revenues.
While many Abians are still mourning and yet to recover from the
numerous deceits of the present Abia State government, we got the sad
news of the approval of the sum of 200 million United States Dollars
loan for Abia State by the National Assembly. This loan which is
supposed to come from the African Development Bank has a tenure of about
20 years with a 7 year moratorium. As observed by the House of
Representatives, while the President had by a memo dated May 25, 2017,
recommended $100million for approval, the Ministry Of Finance by its
memo dated July 18, 2017 sent In a request for $200million which was
approved. This contradiction, coupled with the lack of clarity on the
repayment source of the loan were enough reason not to approve this huge
loan request, but unfortunately, the National Assembly went ahead to
approve the loan.
Gentlemen of the press, from the aforementioned developments, the
facts of which can be verified, there is absolutely no doubt that the
Ikpeazu/PDP led government does not mean well for Abia State and its
people as the consistency of negativity of the government, especially in
the management of the peoples’ commonwealth has assumed a provocative
and insulting dimension, hence the need for all men of good conscience
to collectively raise their voices in saving state by calling Dr. Okezie
Ikpeazu and his collaborators to order so that they don’t plunge Abia
and Abians into long term financial and economic chaos.
Bearing in mind the huge burden of expectation placed on my shoulders
by millions of less privileged Abians whose voices cannot be heard
beyond their abodes, I am compelled to on behalf of myself, the All
Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), the suffering Abia masses and
indeed, the entire good people of Abia state to make the following
demands:
1. That the National Assembly should review its decision taken a few
weeks ago and quickly withdraw or reverse its approval of the 200
Million Dollar loan, as any money given to the Abia State government by
the issuing body is bound to disappear going by its crazy record of
financial recklessness. Besides, the capacity to repay this humongous
loan has not been demonstrated in any way or form, irrespective of the
outdated document titled “Abia State Integrated Infrastructure
Development Project” dated October 2015.
2. That the state government should tell Abians where the billions
given to it so far for the development of the state have gone to.
3. That the Abia state house of Assembly should without further delay
set up an investigative panel to investigate the financial activities
of the Okezie Ikpeazu led government and ensure that anyone found
culpable in the obvious financial crimes halting the development of the
state is made to pay the prize, so as to prevent the state from being
plunged into long term financial and economic chaos.
4. That the federal government should henceforth prevent Abia state
government from assessing any form of loan from within or outside the
country until it accounts for the ones already gotten.
5. That the EFCC, ICPC and other anti corruption agencies should beam
its searchlight on Abia and commence urgent investigation of the
activities of the past and present governments so as to unravel the
mystery behind the disappearance of billions of naira accrued to the
state as allocations, internally generated revenues, loans etc, and for
which the state has remained in a state of ruins and underdevelopment.
6. Finally, that the state government should immediately pay up all
salary areas for which it had received bailout funds and two tranches of
Paris Club funds.
May we also advise the Federal Government to pay attention to how
funds are used by the states more so, when they are bailouts and other
loans that future generations would be made to repay.
Dr. Alex Otti, OFR.
Source: Abia Facts News
