The Honorable member representing Bende North State Constituency, Chijioke chukwu, has reacted to a statement credited to the Abia state governor, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu.

Recall that Governor Ikpeazu in a media conference in Aba on Wednesday, alleged that there is a deliberate plan and conspiracy by some forces within the federal Government of Nigeria to stifle the good people of Abia state and their economy.

Reacting, Hon. Chukwu described the statement as misleading and unfortunate, noting that the Federal government has made interventions in Abia State than other states in the south east.

“I think that the governor got it totally wrong, because of all the states in the south east, I can confidently tell you that no state in the south east has benefited from the magnanimity of the Federal Government led All Progressives Congress administration like Abia state.

The APC chieftain said the problem with Abia state is owed to the bad management of resources, alleging that the state government officials have diverted funds released by the FG for Abia into other illegal things.

According to him, funds are being channeled out of the state through the state electoral body (ABSIEC)

“I think the challenge with Abia is that, Abia resources have been badly managed. A lot of fraudulent avenues have been deliberately created to short-change Abians as funds released by the Federal Government, have been diverted by the state government officials to either purchase houses or deliberately launder these resources out of the country”.

Chukwu stated that the governors statement was meant to divert attention from the main issues and failures of the PDP led government in Abia state, also alleging that the governor isn’t sincere with Abians with what the federal government has done for Abia state.

“The governor is not sincere with Abians with what the federal government has done in the state. In Abia. For the over 6 years government of PDP administration, there is no totally home made, home grown welfarist intervention to Abians except that led by the Federal Government.

“If you look at the past 6 years in Abia the Federal Government has either constructed or renovated over 80 percent of Abia Primary and Junior Secondary Schools through ASUBEB intervention. 75percent of funds used for either the construction of these schools or renovation of these schools come from the Federal Government- state government only pay 25 percent counterpart fund.

“The school feeding programme is totally Federal Government’s intervention to Primary and Junior Secondary School feeding programme; state government is not contributing one kobo”.

“In Abia, due to the intervention of the federal government by giving Abia State a special attention in the areas of integration control and road construction, our federal lawmakers have done more roads than the government”.

Hon. Chukwu described the state government’s palliative intervention on some of the federal roads in Abia as a scam.

He cited some PDP led states who have done well on federal road construction and had received a re imbursement from the federal government because the roads are of standard while the case of Abia is different.

According to him, the federal government has quality control and standard and will do more to help the state if the state government utilize the fund already released to them.

“you don’t expect to go and carry blocks and stone and put on federal roads and you expect the federal government to pay you. Federal Governement is not father Christmas; they have quality control they have standards.

“most of these federal roads in Abia that the state government are claiming to have intervened in, is a scam because you cannot paddle roads after 2 months and by the time they tender their bills and the federal government comes for inspection;  federal government won’t find anything and will say they will not pay if they have not found a quality work.

“nobody is sabotaging either the governor or the PDP led administration. President Buhari does not segregate, he has no regard for party administration as long as you are doing well, you belong to president Buhari; as long as you think you can deal with him in deceit, you are deceiving yourself; the PDP government has deceived Abains.

Speaking further on the Federal forces allegedly hampering infrastructural development in Abia state, Hon. Chukwu queried;

“Is it the federal forces that is preventing the governor and the PDP government from doing the utilization of the $56m world bank loan meant to take care of Aba infrastructure?

He said Abians are frustrated, adding that the $56m loan is supposed to take care of the total infrastructure in Abia state as a whole.

The honourable member also stated that Faulks road, Abia College of Education, Arochukwu, Abia State University, Abia State Polytechnic have totally collapsed without the FG’s intervention.

“in the past 4 years, in Abia State University, in College of Education Arochukwu, Abia Polytechnic, the federal government has supported these state government owned institution with over N16bn. According to him, these institutions would have been in more terrible situation without the interventions of the FG through Tetfund. 

Chukwu also noted that in the past 6 years governor Ikpeazu has received over N23billion paris club refund from the FG, querying what the APC led administration has done wrong to Abia.

He affirmed that the governor has done well in SME’s, however, “the power stability in Ariaria Int’l market in Aba, is the initiative of the FG not the state government”.

He called on Governor Ikpeazu to apologize to President Buhari and the APC, and shun blackmail as the administration has supported the state in all ramification.

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