By Foster Obi

“Our youths are in revolt against the cant and hypocrisy of contemporary times.” Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe…My Odyssey

In Hosea 4:16 (of the Holy Bible), it was rightly emphasized that Ephraim is joined to idols, and God’s verdict was let him alone.

In Abia state, I see that harmer of justice falling on brood of hypocrites that have turned modern day critics, that have decided to call kettle black just for filthy lucre.

Until Dr Alex Otti came to power, I have never been proud to answer an indigene of Abia state in any gathering I find myself. A man once asked me why our state has remained backwards for many years despite the men “of timbre and calibre,” that come from the area. In that discussion I could not utter more than two lines.

Imagine if PDP had won the state again. Abia state would have been totally buried. Before the last election the grave was already dug. But God intervened.

In five months, Governor Alex Otti has done what all the Governors put together could not do since the creation of the state.

I was in Abia recently and I saw that the atmosphere was breathing. Before now I use to see mourning and deadness everywhere. Now you can see that the people are happy and they exude so much hope. God delivered the state from the hand of PDP that were simply undertakers.

I use to wonder, is it that when they receive allocation, they just gather together and share it. I have never seen a government that is so backward, without a vision, indulging in so much revelry and corruption.

From isuikwuato to Umunneochi to Ohafia, Arochukwu and the likes you will never see a thing that the government did. Yet they were in power for over two decades. Under the party, Abia became the scum of the earth. What a tragedy.!

Recently I saw one or two articles written by some former commissioners in Governor Okezie Ikpeazu government, pouring venoms on Governor Alex Otti and I couldn’t help but laugh.

One, the articles were poorly written and lacked the basic tenets of reporting. Two, It was too toxic for any sane mind to read, so I dropped it.

Just by picking it, you will see so much hatred from a people who felt that food have been taken from their mouth. They are yet to wake up to reality that Abia had moved on from depravity to duty, from gloom to glory.

Again I heard one man who claimed he was from one of this obscure party on Arise television criticizing Dr Otti. He was talking about inflated contracts and all that. Why I switch off when I see such people is because they are all sounding alike which shows that they are all playing the same script, crying wolf where there is none.

But the Governor has remained resolute, not distracted by the rantings of disgruntled elements seeking to be noticed for the sake of stomach infrastructure.

Until Alex Otti came, Abia had been under seige. Isuikwuato Umunneochi has been a zone of terror. People sleep with one of their eyes open.

But Otti has been decisive about security. Just this morning we were woken with the news by the Abia State Government that it has discovered over 50 decomposed dead bodies, over 20 headless bodies and countless human skeletons all around Lokpanta Cattle Market in Umunneochi LGA of the State.

But the Governor, assured that his government is committed to tackling the issues of insecurity headlong not minding the calibre of culprits.

He revealed that prostitution, narcotics trade and other criminal vices around the Lokpanta Cattle Market necessitated the raid of the market as some brothels were recently brought down and there is now calmness in Umunneochi.

The Governor with an eagle eye had insisted that the Lokpanta market would become a daily market that would open at 6am and closes at 6pm and would now become a general market as sections are alloted to the cattle dealers and other businesses too. He made it public that his administration is equally fencing the market all in an effort to ensure adequate security.

He said that gadgets would be deployed at strategic places to ensure the security of lives and property in the State. He also said that his administration is poised to ensure Abians enjoy a great Christmas this year and maintained that, “This government will not get involved in supporting insecurity. Our devices will be installed in strategic places.”

This scenario of kidnapping and killings has taken over Abia while PDP was in power, yet the government was known for the “Ogbasara unu,” style of governance. Again What a tragedy that befell us as a people. How did we open our doors to a people that came to dehumanize us in the name of government.

But the God we serve does not sleep.

You could also see that Governor Otti stands tall far above others before him in less than six months. Imagine giving this man with so much urgency, two terms. No Abia son would dare travel outside the state. To do what?

You could see that Governor Otti is purely for the restoration of the dignity of the average Igbo.

While responding to questions from newsmen, Governor Otti informed that his administration was deploying a different approach to secure the release of the incarcerated leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. He added that such approach is not for public consumption.

“But I believe in result rather than media hype. We do not want the media noise. We are working very hard to ensure his release and the truth of the matter is that its not the present government that incarcerated Nnamdi Kanu . My personal position is that the new government does not need to inherit wrong thing of the previous administration.”

The Governor expressed optimism that his own approach would yield the needed result, and it is only when the result has been achieved that the public would be informed about it.

Again in the area of infrastructure, Governor Alex Otti, who said his administration is committed to infrastructure development of the State, disclosed that he has awarded the Ohafia-Abam–Okobo-Arochukwu road for construction. He also stated that construction work would soon commence in Nunya road in Isuikwuato LGA while informing that the Federal government would soon commence work on the Ohafia-Ututu-Ihechiowa-Amuvi.

All these are happening in just five months. We have not talked about the seaport that the government is working hard on. Now the average Igbo importer is forced to go to Lagos to clear his goods. This government is about to end all that.

Before he came, the state was a huge refuse dump especially Aba, the commercial city. All that is gone now. The people can now breathe.

The roads in Aba and Umuahia are getting worked on with the best of contractors instead of the “gbo gbo tigbo”, style of the last government. No wonder we got where we found ourselves. We have not talked about the governor’s incursion into health care, the deathblow on corruption in civil service and wait for it, in the local governments. The people there did not expect that the lid will be blown open so soon and they are crying foul.

What I see is that it is too early to cry. It doesn’t matter how far the failed government wants to go in covering it’s tracks by getting men in the media space to keep doing hatchet jobs.

Their evil deeds will surely be uncovered. Abia can never, and I am using this word advisedly, Abia can never go the way of darkness again.

No wonder Governor Alex Chioma Otti had been declared the Best Governor in four months. “What God cannot do does not exist,” so says our Abia born televangelist.