By Tony Udemba

Hon. Barr. Orji Uchenna Orji is the Commissioner for Information and State Orientation in Ebonyi State. In an exclusive interview in Lagos recently he spoke glowingly on the uncommon developments and transformations taking place in his state under the administration of Gov. Dave Umahi.  He stated that the Umahi’s administration has open up the economy of the state, recorded landmark achievements beyond previous governments in the state, even as he noted that the governor has transformed Ebonyi State into the Dubai of Africa. Orji spoke on other topical issues concerning the state, Ndigbo and the nation.

How would you describe the level of development in Ebonyi State before the coming of the government of Engr. Dave Umahi as the governor of the state?

I would say that it is a providence of creation that with one man a nation can be transformed. Before 2015,  we had successive governments in the state, both military and civilian, that did their bests for the development of Ebonyi State.  But their best was not good enough. Then, the state had no voice, no human capital, infrastructures were in shambles. Then, the state was like a glorified village. In 2015, talking about almost 20 years after the creation of  Ebonyi State, a man came from the most populous salt community in Nigeria, Uburu community. His coming was at the point of economic recession in Nigeria, the time his party was not at the centre. He contested for the governorship of the state and won overwhelmingly, and became the first deputy governor in the history of the entire world, to become a governor at the stiffest opposition of his boss. He rolled out development programmes, indentifying and prioritizing the critical needs of the state, including infrastructures and facilities for socio-economic development, human capital development to give the sense of self worth and esteem, and of course, ethical orientation and revolution.  In doing all of these, Gov. Dave Umahi connected the entire Local Government Areas through solid roads constructions, with each LGA having not less than 25 KM roads.  He connected various cities and towns through federal roads which he constructed; and which is about  800KM roads, including dualization of not less than 23 spans, 23 KM connecting every major road junctions of the highways.    In addition to these he embarked on the construction of 13 fly-overs, majority of which are already completed and in use, while work on others are almost completed. Today, we celebrate about 13 water-fountains, which are the biggest in Africa. Today, we celebrate the biggest glass light tunnel in Africa, which links to the biggest shopping mall, which also links to the biggest ecumenical center ever built by any government in Africa, and which also links to the biggest international market, located along the trans- Sahara highway  ever built by any government, in Nigeria. Today, under the able leadership of Gov. Dave Umahi, we nowj have an international airport, whose construction is progressively on-going. It is modeled after the international airports in Lagos, Abuja and others in different parts of the world. Today, work is on-going in a modern stadium being constructed by our dear governor, and which when completed is going to be one of the 3 best stadia in the country. The governor also rehabilitated the State’s stadium into a glass stadium. Other infrastructural projects put in place by our amiable governor, Engr. Dave Umahi, include the installations of street lights across the state; every LGA got about 20Km street lights. In the capital of the state, Abakaliki, almost 100% of all the streets benefited from the street light programme. This no doubt has significantly improved economic activities and night life in the metropolis, and adjoining LGAs. Also, the roads network and  other sectors in the state, has been witnessing wonderful attention from the state governor, including the construction of a ring of a road linking 8 LGAs across the state.

What is the government’s plan towards the development of the solid minerals and agricultural sectors in the state, including the industrialization of Ebonyi?

Our dear governor, Engr. Dave Umahi, believes that the industrial development of the state is quite critical to the overall socio-economic development of the state, that is why he has always given his attention in that direction. Apart from the construction of access roads and the development of other critical sectors, he ensured that all the legislations were put in place in order to attract both foreign and local investors to the state. In order to boost food production in the state, the governor introduced commercialization and mechanization of agriculture in the state, thereby making it compulsory for public office holders, civil servants and others, to access at least a hectare of Land for farming. And to encourage and stimulate them to go into farming, he supported them wih  modern farming tools such as tractors, bulldozers, planters and harvesters, as well as seedlings, fertilizers, best farming practices, technologies and others. Our dear governor also created programmes and provided funding for agro businesses, aimed at encouraging young people school leavers to venture into agro businesses. Today, agro business is the way to go, and very popular among the old and the young in Ebonyi State.         The governor ensured that adequate funding are made available for primary production, secondary production and tertiary production in agriculture. Every year the governor turns out about  50,000 farmers in the state that are funded with not less than N250,000 per person to go into farming.

The multiplier effect is that jobs will be created and wealth will also be created. It is expected that in every year each farmer will be earning not less than half a million naira as the outcome of the farming season. In addition to this, our hard working governor is carrying out a lot of empowerment programmes most of which are related to youths and women empowerment. To this end, he released N750 million for the empowerment of 3000 youths and women, and another N500.8 million for the empowerment of the clergies in the state, to enable them to participate in any agro business of their choice. Governor Dave Umahi, further provided N4 billion loan facility to civil servants to enable anyone of them to access loan facilities of between N250,000 and N1million,to embark on agricultural project of their choice. These funds are to be repaid by them either during their service years or retirement. This has gone a long way in re-establishing our wonderful civil servants, who ordinarily would have relied  on white collar jobs, but today they have  a second address through “green collar jobs”. Our governor strongly believes that the poorest of the poor widows should also be proud beneficiaries of the empowerment programmes. Of the government, so he rolled out the sum of N400.3 million to empower 4,300 widows selected across the wards in the state. Again, the governor also procured 400 units of tricycles and distributed them to 400 youths and women, citizens of Ebonyi State ; 260 within the state, and 140 to Ebonyi State indigenes at Onitsha, Anambra State. He felt that Ebonyi State citizens, consisting of indigenes and non-indigenes, as well as the indigenes of the state living outside the shores of the state, were also empowered by the government.  Under the Street- to- Skill Empowerment Programme, our able governor went to Lagos and empowered a total of 520 youths and women who were hawking in the streets of Lagos. They were made to undertook a thorough skills acquisition training, after which they were empowered with the sum of N150 million; with each of them going home with the sum of N250,000 to start up a new business of their choice. This the governor did  in order to ensure that our youths and women were properly developed.  It would be recalled that after the End- Sars protests, Governor Umahi rolled out N3Billion for the empowerment  of all persons who are interested in starting new businesses, especially agric related businesses, as long as they develop and package wonderful business plans, in respect of the businesses they want to go into. The targeted persons for this programme include, the End-Sars protesters, victims of the End-Sars protests, civil servants and other persons.

Again, it will be interested to know that our able governor, Engr. Dave Umahi, has created a robust programme for the quarry and mining industries to boost rapid development in the sector, through the opening up of access roads and giving proper orientations to rural communities where these industries are located.  The aim is to attract and create enabling environment  to encourage companies to set up their businesses in any part of Ebonyi State without any hiccups, with the over all aim of making every part of the state an industrial hub and industrial free zone. With these industries springing up at different parts of Ebonyi State, the state will no doubt become a major investment destination in Nigeria, and in Africa. By so doing, jobs will be created in the rural communities for both skilled labour, semi skilled labour and unskilled labour. And given the special seriousness our governor has for this sector, he has facilitated the state into three zones or industrial clusters.  For example in Uburu, we have the industrial cluster where all forms of trades, both vocational, agric based, etc, are thriving. It is one of the biggest in the South East and South South,Nigeria.  We also have the rice milling plant, which has the capacity of feeding the entire South East and South South. The rice milling plant, owned by the Ebonyi State, has a total of 24 metric tons capacity per hour. Similarly the government-l owned ammonia plant  has a total capacity of 3 MT per hour. This is in addition to numerous rice milling clusters owned by individuals, organisations  and co-operatives. In the whole, with over 1,500 rice milling clusters, Ebonyi State no doubt has the highest number of rice clusters in Nigeria, just as we have a 200 MT  capacity per day pulverization plant, which aids farmers in the state to sell agric wastes to them and earn income under the waste-to-wealth programme.

Again, our dear governor is doing a lot to make civil servants and public servants very comfortable through the establishment estates in the state.  Today, there is on-going construction of Federal Housing  Estate for civil servants in Uburu, as well as the King David Town Estate, designed  to be the best in Africa. These are some of the developments and transformations taking place in Ebonyi State because the state is opportune to have a man with the 3Es of leadership; quality education, sound exposure, and vast experience, as the governor of the state

What incentives does the government have in order to attract local and foreign investments to the state?      

In Ebonyi State, we have well packaged investors-friendly incentives and policies, aimed at easy-of-doing business in the state, and some of them include; tax holidays, good roads network, improved security, attractive opportunities, friendly host communities and others. The governor has made the entire Ebonyi State to be a global village, and even sensitized the entire communities on how best to host investors who would want to establish in their various communities, especially in the quarry and mining sector. That is why the state is playing hosts to so many mining organisations who have come to mine our lead ore, zinc ore and other solid minerals. This has further created so much empowerment opportunities for our citizens, as well as continue to generate revenues to the government. Again, in the mining sector the government has created a mining artisan scheme, which is aimed at assisting our local artisan miners to have access to CBN/ Bank of Industry funding facilities, necessary to boost their mining businesses.  Most importantly, our able governor has put in place legislations on investment promotions, which will protect investments in the state, and assist investors to carry on with their lawful businesses, even during successive governments.  The investment laws are essentially for the protection of corporate investors and their businesses in the state, taking into consideration issues of conflict resolutions and related issues. To further open up the economy of the state, the government is constructing a world class international airport, aimed at making Ebonyi State a major destination and hub in Nigeria. By this project, our hardworking governor, is determined on raising about 60,000 millionaires amongst our citizens, who would be involved in importation and exportation businesses. Again, it is pertinent to mention that our dear governor, through his ingenuity  has put in place critical infrastructures necessary to stimulate and promote tourism and global businesses in Ebonyi State. Today, courtesy of the efforts of Gov. Dave Umahi, the state is blessed with quality roads network, flyovers, beautiful water-fountains dotted  roundabouts, illuminating street lights, modern markets, international shopping malls, light tunnels, stadia and others too numerous to be contained here. Sincerely speaking, Gov. Dave Umahi has been a source of unimaginable blessings to the State since he came into office in 2015, as he has clearly transformed Ebonyi State into the Dubai of Nigeria, and indeed Africa. The light tunnel, named after President Mohammadu Buhari, is the face of Ebonyi State, and when you get there, you will begin to wonder whether you are in Dubai or somewhere in the western world.

As a leading member of PDP, why did Gov. Dave Umahi switch over to APC, the ruling party in the country?       

The very reason behind his movement to APC is to enable Ndigbo to mainstream, to have a merger with the party at the centre, as that has always being the political strategy of Ndigbo.  We cannot afford to be in double jeopardy of being a hated tribe, and as well as in opposition party. God forbid.  Gov.Dave Umahi believes that there is the need for Ndigbo to re-establish our merger, our mainstreaming disposition with the party at the centre, with all the advantages, including giving us the propensity, the leverage and the latitude to ask for the presidency come 2023. He said that it was not about him, rather it is about the opportunity for the presidency to come to Ndigbo in 2023.

Our governor want Ndigbo to be part of the ruling government in order to have a voice on issues affecting Ndigbo. Looking at the numerous transformational achievements Gov. Dave Umahi was able to make, even as a PDP governor then, since his party, PDP, does not have a say at the centre, you could imagine what he will achieve now as a member of the ruling party, APC.   

This is a man who became governor when his party then, PDP, was not at the centre, but he was determined in promise and commitment to transform the state to glorious heights. Looking at what he has accomplished since that time, you would wonder how he was able to achieve that..

It would be recalled that pre-1960, Ndigbo through NCNC,  mainstreamed with the party at the centre then, NPC, and became relevant at the centre, and were able to accomplish so much in the Eastern Region.  In 1999, same was applied as both the federal government and most of the state governors were under the control of PDP.

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What is your take on the security situation in your state?

Firstly, the issues of insecurity and cult wars in the state is basically an artificial creation by desperate politicians who want to give the impression that there is crime and insecurity in the state, so as to drive their cheap and wicked political objectives. In doing this, they have gotten different cult fraternities to be at war with one another, but the governor in his political will to ensure that the culture and tradition of peace and security, which our state is well known for under his administration, has taken the bull by the horns by declaring those concerned wanted.  Ebonyi State is the safest haven for investors, and has the lowest security profile in Nigeria, according to the Inspector General of Police’s crime records. Apart from that the security architecture in the state is well fortified, in addition to a robust social security mechanism put in place by the governor. That is the reason why the governor, apart from  providing mobility gadgets, social amenities to motivate the conventional federal government security outfits, has also made Ebonyi State a huge construction site, whereby both the youths and women are gainfully engaged to fend for a living for themselves. Likewise, every Local Government Area has clusters where construction works are going on, thereby offering opportunities for unskilled labour, semi-skilled labour and skilled labour to be gainfully employed. That has really helped the state in jobs creation, and with many people being empowered, everyone is busy, thereby ensuring that peace reigns in Ebonyi State. Again, as the chairman of the South East Governors Forum, Gov. Dave Umahi, is interfacing with other governors in the zone, to ensure that the entire South East is well secured