By Hafiz Ringim
Prof. Gregory Ikechukwu Ibe is the founder, Gregory University Uturu, Abia state. He is a legendary Nigerian Business Executive and entrepreneur par excellence. He is the moving spirit of educational transformation in Nigeria, a philanthropist and humanitarian.
As a frontline contender in the quest to take over from the outgoing governor of Abia state, Professor Ibe stands tall above others across party lines.
His 36 page manifesto tagged ‘Roadmap to a New ABIA’, is a compelling piece showcasing his strong desire to make the state a showpiece.
He told DFC News recently why he is different from every other aspirant or candidate.
“This question keeps coming. But one thing is clear, when a round peg goes to a round hole, that makes a large sense for those who do such comparison. Lets look first at my experience and experiences.
Presently I am consulting for the whole 15 countries in ECOWAS. I go from country to country to redesign their human capital development, to make sure they can frog leap from zero to grace. So this is what I do. I work for the Central African Republic, I work for the United Nations, I work for the world bank. So everything I do, I do it with the best practices of the world.
The United Nations awarded me after the Covid, the Centre for Transmotive Education. So that’s exactly what I do. I come with the best in everything, I do.
This is what I do presently. And what did I do in the past 15 years? In the past 15 years, I did all the reforms of President Obasanjo, I did the civil service reform, I am a consultant to seven ministries, I did the maritime education reform. I did education reform. And what are the benefits of what I did? You can see UBE and SUBEB across the country.
You can see the uniformity and quality in University education, Polytechnics and Colleges of Education in the study of engineering, science and technology. So every equipment that is adorning every institution of learning in Nigeria is my product.
So everything I touch my hands grows. Lets look at what I have done in the very past: 1985, 1986, 1987 in the old Imo. I built Abia state university, I built Imo airport, I built the Teaching Hospital in Abia; so what you see is not by chance, it is a product of experience.
Lets move a little bit to Abuja. In Abuja, I built the old Secretariat in Garki, I built the former Foreign Affairs, where the Federal Roads Safety Corps is, and I have served all Nigerian Presidents both military and the civilian. So Ibe is known for what governance is all about and I have never taken any government job.
I have been learning the ropes and been trying to understand the difference or do comparisons and observe the gaps of what people who are not ready or who are not prepared or who don’t have address come to do with peoples money.
Narrowing it down now, in Abia state, if you are asked to use the KPI in all the sectors, you see that we have massive failures.
The place we have small mark is between 2 to 3 percent. This is not how a state should function. I have been able to analyze this, being the director of research and development for Abia elders. I have drawn a lot of developmental plans. For Ndigbo, I have a fifty year visioning plan, through my body, World Igbo Summit. So everything about what should happen to Abia state is on my template.
I am the highest investor in Abia state. N16 billion University is hanging there, I am the highest employer of labour, over 1000 plus staff payed monthly. I don’t owe no bank, I don’t owe any individual. I manage my processes the way it ought to be managed. So if i can run a university and I am a professor of entrepreneurship, I can do it well above every score mark in all the sectors in Abia state, so that instead of having a state with the poor of the poorest, we will now have a state where everybody fends for him or herself.
How do u intend to beat candidates of other parties after APGA ticket?
My emergence cuts across party lines. All other parties will go down as soon as I emerge as APGA candidate.
I am not afraid because none of them has an address. I have an address, Gregory University Uturu where over 350 Abia youths from 17 local governments are enjoying full scholarship worth over N9 to N12m. So what am I comparing myself with people that have to see how to extort and build new houses? I don’t have time for that and then in the family circle, some of their children are…, ( I wish them all the best). To me, my last child is an Accountant, my two children are professors of medicine. You can Google them, Izuchukwu Ibe in Mississippi Teaching Hospital, you can Google Bennett Ibe, in St Mary Yale, in Connecticut. So, you keep on researching them, they are well placed, so am not coming to take public money and get exposed, you go to jail, your children go to jail. I don’t need such thing. God has helped me from the age of 20-21. As an Accountant , I did my ACA before I got to the age of 21, I got the part 2 in England and Wales, not now that…(laughs), I have learned the ropes for sure.”
Picture: Professor Gregory Ikechukwu Ibe
