By Faith Ukanwa
The Abia state Governor, Dr. Okezie Victor Ikpeazu PhD, has lamented that the teachers in the State have Kidnapped him.
This statement was made during the program tagged “Abia Social Media Converge” held on February 14, at the Michael Okpara auditorium Umuahia.
The governor while answering a question on why the Abia teachers are still on strike and the government’s effort to bring them back to the classroom, said that the teachers commenced strike after they were paid 3 months arrears.
In his word; ” if you put yourself in my position, you will also be as confused as I am.
” Last December, there was no strike anywhere.
” I called the Commissioner for finance, and asked him to pay 3 months arrears to teachers and he paid 3 months arrears.
” this January, the thank you I got is that they are on strike.
” So I feel like somebody that have been Kidnapped by NUT.
” I have been Kidnapped because I paid 3 months.
“As I speak, I have also paid 2 months now” the governor said.
Ikpeazu also mentioned that the teachers strike is an effort to drag the government back on it’s actions towards improving public schools and also help parents who spend a large percentage of their income on school fees to pay less by enrolling them in public schools.
He mentioned that the Abia government extended the FG’s school feeding program from primary 1-3 to primary 1-6 in the state.
Gov. Ikpeazu lamented that the teachers are trying to push back to private schools, the six hundred thousand pupils the government brought back to public schools. He said this effort are made to subject parents to unnecessary suffering.
Reacting to a question raised on unemployment of youths, the governor mentioned that his administration is doing all it can to ensure that the youths are engaged, adding that he can not do everything.
Ikpeazu traced some of the establishments created by the current administration which has youths working .
He mentioned agencies like; Traffic and Indiscipline Management Agency of Abia State (TIMAAS), Signage’s, Abia State Public Utility Management Agency (APUMA). He also mentioned two proposed poultry farms which has one currently functioning including various entrepreneurial programmes.
Gov. Ikpeazu also responded to a question on the current insecurity in Isuikwuato.
He said that the government is using various measures to arrest insecurity in the area.
The governor blamed the hike on kidnapping and killings in the area on the movement of the police Area command from Ohafia as a result of the assault meted out on the police facility by the #EndSARS protesters.
He also said;” we have charged security agencies to embrace routine patrol around that area.
” Such patrol led to the foiling of an attempted kidnap episode.
” Three suspects were arrested and has given useful information. Unfortunately, two of them are not indigenes of Abia, but their armourer resides in Isuikwuato”.
The governor also mentioned that the government has charged traditional rulers to hold regular town hall meetings , adding that the spot that serves as a breeding ground for kidnappers along Akara is under construction and would be finished in the next 15 days.
