FG launches change mantra in Abia, holds town hall meeting

The Federal Government Monday launched the “Change begins with me” campaign in Abia along with a town hall meeting held in Umuahia.
Out of the seven expected ministers, only five attended, and were led by the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohhamed.
The ministers were of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbe, Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chris Ngige, Industry, Trade and Investment, Okechukwu Enenamah and Minister of State for Mines and Steel, Alh. Abubakar Bawa Bwari.
Speaking while welcoming the ministers, the Abia State Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu said change is important and sees it as appropriate with what the country can do locally and also calls for sober reflection on the difficult stage of development.
“Some of us sees this difficult times as an opportunity for growth, as an opportunity to enhance productivity, especially in what we can do locally.
“It also gives us an opportunity for sober reflection to think twice about the things we used to do before and calls for change in our attitude towards the resources that God has blessed us with”, he said.
The occasion he said was apt as in the state, his administration has realized the need to do things a little different from how we used to do or carry on in the days before for the simple reason that the state cannot afford the luxury of waste at the expense of public fund.
“Therefore our aim and ambition is to get it right at cost approximation and the way to go is to be more diligent and careful and have a little more respect for our commonwealth, not only in Abia but in Nigeria as a whole”.
Abia anthem, he said calls for equity, justice and respect for one another as it is the cheapest way to achieve the cooperation of one and all.
“If we could receive the seal of the federal government today and they launch and depart, they would leave with us here, a piece of their heart, teaching us how to do things and join the rest of the nation in this march towards greatness”.
He said the occasion would aid the newly elected chairmen of the councils in the state to see what they can take home to their LGAs as he has strong belief that development should start from the bottom to the top, stating “our local governments should be the strongest drivers and pillars of development in Abia State going forward.
Speaking, the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed said the occasion is unique as it was the second time the town hall meeting is holding twice in a zone, Enugu being the first as well as being significant as the first time the ‘Change begins with me” would be launched outside Abuja.
The campaign, he said is aimed at having an important shift in the way we do things and “geared towards achieving an additional change” as one would not expect to the things the same way and achieve a different result.
“With the total breakdown of our core values in the past, it is imperative that we re-orientate ourselves with a view to installing honesty, integrity, diligence, hard work, punctuality, patriotism and avoidance of corruption amongst others”, he said describing the campaign has no political, religious or ethnic coloration.
Speaking, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Okechukwu Enenamah said the campaign means that “we can actually go beyond the rhetoric, the advertising and the publicity to talk about what we are actually doing, what is that is actually happening because, the bigger is that will keep people at the back is communication; what exactly that is going on?”
Expressed his happiness that there is a lot of overlap between what the Federal Government is doing and what the state government is doing, and that in the case of Abia, for the sake of the people had to work together to deliver the result.
The Minister of State for Mines and Steel, Alh Abubakar Bawa Bwari said the hub of the modern day Nigeria should be in Aba as the country needs to diversify agriculture and solid mineral, stating that the country is not in the class of miners in the world like China, India, South Africa, and others, even though it started mining in 1903.
He disclosed that the country lack the capacity, data and information system, hence the need to get stakeholders to produce a roadmap, which will then increase revenue and create jobs.
According to the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chris Ngige, there is the need for the south east to rediscover itself in the area of being self-sufficient.
He said the primary role of government is the security of lives and property and the security of the stomach, stating that the country is emphasizing made-in-Nigeria product, while Abia is trailing the burners of Made-in-Nigeria products.
“If we support the state, that would create employment”, he said and called on the state to embrace the “Change must begin with me” campaign.
The ministers were of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbe in his speech, extolled the virtues of late Michael Okpara over his agrarian achievements, stating that Abia is full of huge potentials and called for financial autonomy on the part of states if the states can explore the potentials “as the Federation account is getting thinner.
“The potential you have in Abia here is so huge that if we actually explore them fully, the day is not far when the federation account will be a bonus.
“I think time has come when every state should establish its own financial autonomy. You can. You should be able to earn your own forex as a state. If you buy the product, export them, pay the local people and lodge the foreign exchange in your account. There is no reason why not, because the federation account is going to get thinner and smaller.
“Every state has the capacity to survive. The point is that we have not invested well in the possibilitiesa which exists”, he said.
The occasion featured a question and answer session.