Ochiagha Reagan Ufomba has described the 29th Anniversary of Abia State creation as a call for duty for all Abians and a starting point for Abians to begin changing their thoughts and reigniting team spirit. This was contained in message sent to AFNEWS and signed by Ochiagha Reagan Ufomba himself.
In the message attached below, Reagan took time out to xray Abia State for the 29 years, revealed the challenges and proffered solution.
READ FULL MESSAGE BELOW:
Great Abians
MY MSSSGE OF HOPE @29
For forty years, the Israelites wondered in the desert in search of the land promised to them by God. For twenty nine years, we have embarked on a journey in search of a prosperous statehood.
God’s Own People, I bring you warm greetings as we commemorate our 29years as independence state of Abia.
This year’s anniversary comes amid scourge of the dreaded Covid-19 pandemic. A pandemic that has instilled fear, caused death, and ravaged the economy of the world without an exception. This anniversary therefore is a stock taking one; requiring a deep reflection, and sobered observance.
In so doing, we must remember who we are, where we are at the moment, and where we are going to.
In answer to some of the posers, we remain the ever resilient, hopeful, and courageous God’s own people who toiled for forty years before reaching the promised land.
It would be most uncharitable to deny our forefathers, past and present leadership with some level of thoughts, vision and accomplishments. Every administration comes with it’s own unique challenges. In the beginning was the challenge for the struggle of emancipation and attainment of independence and statehood; this was followed by the challenges of take off, then came the challenge of the learning curve, intermittent military incursion in politics, man made challenges of brazen corruption, and the hope for a brighter future.
In all these, we are grateful to God for the gift of life. It is often said that “where there is life, there is hope”. We are grateful that while we are not stagnant, we are moving forward in appreciation of our freedom with courage and hope. Even though views may differ, we are united in the optimism of hope and that of a brighter future. Many of life’s failures are people who did not realise how close they were to success before they gave up hope. We cannot give up on our state, as to do so would amount to abandoning our endowments and our collective destiny.
Our present challenges are hinged on two broad factors: one is that of human capital development index and the second is decayed infrastructure.
Realizing that we are not where we ought to be yet does not signify absence of movement. It is a clarion call to duty on all of us, and a starting point to begin changing our thoughts and reigniting our team spirit. As I often said, “Those who plough and look back are not fit for service”. Luke 9:62. Some versions of the bible say “they are not fit for the kingdom of God”. What then shall it profit us to look back with critical pessimism and lose the kingdom of God?
Just as it is impossible to live without failing, it is also impossible not to live at all. Those were the thoughts of JK Rowlings.
Life challenges are not supposed to retire and retard us, but to help discover who we truly are: we are the ingenious, creative, strong, wise, endowed, great God’s own people.
At creation in 1991, we shared common hope of freedom, greatness, industry, peace, united and prosperous state. We thank God Almighty for the life, peace, and unity that pervades the entirety of our land these past twenty-nine years. What we have not achieved remain a work-in-progress. It is not in our culture and character as igbos to destroy our status symbol. We take out the baby and discard bad water. We are critics of conscience, and our brothers’ keeper.
As God’s own people, much more is expected of us. We shall never lose hope. Daniel survived the lion, John the flaming oil, Israelites the Egyptians, wondering forty years in the desert before reaching the promised land. We shall survive the pandemic, attain prosperity co-authored as promised by God, and cruise into a glorious future.
It is on this score that i extend my very warm felicitations to our Governor, the government and people of God’s own state. I am particularly happy that God spared the life of the Governor for a purpose; that purpose he must attain. As we celebrate, therefore, let’s keep our hope alive.
Happy Celebration!
Ochiagha Reagan Ufomba
Abia,
26th, August 2020
