By Obike Ukoh
Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, sparked a debate recently when he said he was following Sen. Orji Uzor Kalu’s template in the development of Abia. He said that Kalu initiated heavy infrastructural development in Aba when he was governor, before expanding to other areas.
Under Otti’s current administration, numerous heavy infrastructural projects, including roads, have been completed, while many others are ongoing in Aba, popularly known as Enyimba City.
Uzor Kalu, now representing Abia North in the National Assembly, was governor of Abia from 1999 to 2007.
The governor spoke when Kalu paid him a courtesy call. Kalu, during the visit, also praised Otti for doing a good job in Abia.
There was a mixed reaction to the good compliments by both Abia political leaders to each other, especially when they belong to different political parties, and are currently occupying elective political offices.
Orji Kalu, a former Senate Chief Whip, is of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), while Otti is of the Labour Party (LP).
The controversy and debate were heightened because Otti did not make any mention of the two governors that presided over the affairs of Abia State after Uzor Kalu: Theodore Orji and Okezie Ikpeazu.
However, during his last monthly media parley tagged: “Gov. Alex Otti speaks to Abians,” held at the Government House, Umuahia, the governor clarified his position.
“Sometimes when news is reported, it’s taken out of context. If you understand the context of that statement, what I said was that when former Governor Orji Uzor Kalu started in 1999, he faced Aba and tried to build a lot of roads in that place.
“The idea is that if you get Aba right, then the rest of the state can easily be fixed.
“Because Aba is a place that can generate enough internally generated revenue to help and support and fix other parts of the state and that is exactly what we are doing.”
On whether he deliberately ignored the templates of the two former governors, Otti replied: “When the press asks about the templates of the other two former governors, I am sure that you are going somewhere and I will let you land.
“ And it’s for me to choose what template I want to choose, so when you become governor, you pick all of them and put them together.
“I can assure you that the template is not wrong. You fix the place that generates the revenue, the revenue will come and you use it to fix other places,” he insisted.
Otti’s acknowledgement of the infrastructural development of Aba during Uzor Kalu’s administration was indeed reciprocal.
Kalu, as governor of Abia, usually emphasizes that he desires to work like late Sam Mbakwe, who was governor of old Imo State from August 1979 to December 1983,
Like Mbakwe, Uzor Kalu opened up many vital road arteries in Aba, especially in the Ngwa, Ohanku, and Ibadan roads axis, among others, reputed to be among the most densely populated areas in the South-East.
Like a man of history, Otti had followed the foot path of visionary leaders by giving a facelift to Aba, which is not just a town, but the centerpiece of Igbo enterprise and resilience.
The story was told of how Igbo captains of industry, who lost their life investments in Port Harcourt as a result of the Abandoned Property Policy of Gowon`s administration after the Nigerian-Biafran civil war ended in 1970, resolved to develop Aba.
It was clear after consultations that they cannot reclaim their investments as a result of hostile political climate.
They were advised not to go back to Port Harcourt, but to make Aba their base.
Today that decision is evident. Unarguably, Aba has the largest spread of Igbo people from across Igbo speaking areas, unlike Onitsha and other Igbo towns.
In Aba, almost all the known Igbo communities have their town union halls, and other common investments.
Generally speaking, analysts describe Aba as the economic powerhouse of Igboland.
A commentator, Ozi Ikoro, wrote inter alia: “The Aba economy is a real gem in the South-East. Trade, manufacturing, and business are what make the place bubble.
Ariaria has more than 37,000 shops and over 50,000 traders. They make shoes, clothes, bags and many other things.
“Aba fashion and garment industry is growing very fast.
“Aba influences politics in Abia State and the South-East, as they always voice their concerns to the Federal Government.
“Aba is not just a city, it is the heartbeat of Igboland. From its Ngwa roots to the Women’s War and Biafra War, Aba has shown strength.
“The hustle spirit in Aba is a true example of the Igbo way: Nkeiruka (better things are still coming).
As the “Japan of Africa,” Aba creates a future that’s full of hope and big dreams.
Chief Abia Onyike, Secretary-General of Ala Igbo Development Foundation (ADF),
described Aba as the potpourri of Igbo social-cultural ferment.
“Aba, the Enyimba City, has evolved as a major commercial nerve centre in Igboland. Aba is synonymous with Igbo nationalism, the potpourri of Igbo socio-cultural ferment.
“ It is not only an economic and industrial hub; it is the epicentre of Igbo nationalism and cultural mosaic.
“While Onitsha was a product of the assiduous planning of the Azikiwe-Okpara era in Igbo development praxis, Aba was more like a child of necessity,’’ Onyike noted.
Onyike, a former Commissioner for Information in Ebonyi State, opined that the planned state strangulation of the economy of Igbo people after the Nigeria-Biafra war gave rise to the rapid development of Aba.
After the civil war, when Igbos were greeted with the obnoxious policy of economic strangulation and abandoned property in Port Harcourt, many pioneer Igbo business moguls relocated their businesses to Aba.
“The city became the new industrial hub of Igbo business acumen, where survivalism and creative ingenuity combined to get the best out of the Igbo spirit.
“Many areas of life in Aba became a spectre of the symbolic Igbo spirit of success. From the Ariaria Market to the Enyimba Football Club, Ndigbo showcased their legendary staying power.
“ That same Igbo spirit continued to glow until little-minded and self-serving political leaders came to the fore and destroyed those great legacies.’’
Onyike said that Orji Uzor Kalu, who grew up in Aba and knew the importance of Aba during his eight-year tenure as governor of Abia State, embarked on massive infrastructural development of Aba.
He regretted that T.A. Orji and Okezie Ikpeazu, Orji Uzor Kalu’s successors, failed to follow the tempo of their predecessor, adding that they “betrayed their people, while Aba became a rotten city or even an eyesore.’’
Onyike said that the coming of Governor Alex Otti, the incumbent Abia State Governor, has brought back the original Igbo spirit for which Aba was known.
He commended Otti for toeing the line and adopting the templates of Orji Uzor Kalu, stressing that the restoration of Aba, the Enyimba City, is on course.
All in all, the practice of developing areas of high economic importance with the potential of generating revenue is usually adopted by pragmatic and forward-looking leaders.
When Sen. Adams Oshiomhole was Edo Governor, and there were heavy investments in Benin City, the state capital, to address the infrastructural deficit, his explanation was similar to that of Uzor Kalu and Alex Otti.
The former President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) stressed that a man must first furnish and decorate his parlour before moving to the bedroom.
The attention being given to Aba is desirable, as Enyimba City is already on the world map and represents Igbo industry, doggedness, hard work and resilience.
Obike Ukoh, ex-Deputy Editor-In-Chief, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
