The new Abia mindset

Before now, several issues bore negative testimonies on Abia , especially Aba, the state’s commercial heart beat. The refuse situation of Aba got to a point that a celebrated columnist, named the refuse dumps the flower pot of a former governor of the state.

Aba was also seen as a disorderly city and a metaphor for chaotic traffic system where motorists, indiscriminately park and pick passengers at random.

Not only that the ugly refuse situation has since been addressed during Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu’s tenure as the Deputy General Manager of the state environmental protection agency, ASEPA, Ikpeazu’s administration has also sustained and improved the refuse situation and the negative narrative of the commercial hub has since disappeared.

On the same measure, Ikpeazu’s government has stepped up efforts to delete every negative attribute previously associated with Aba in particular and Abia in general .The latest effort is the inauguration of a-12 man technical committee on the harmonisation of motor parks and mechanic villages in the state.

The mandate of the committee chaired by a renowned lawyer St.Moses Ogbonna is to create motor/ trailer parks and mechanic villages at the outskirt of the metropolitan cities.

Others are the establishment of a data bank for vehicle operators to check crime, to suggest locations for citing of mega motor parks and mechanic villages in the three senatorial zones;  to harmonise effective routes of vehicle operation; and to initiate any other action that will help realise the objectives for which they were constituted.

Surely, if the committee delivers on its mandate, in the next six months Abia,especially Aba will be the envy of other cities across the country. From my brief interaction with St. Moses Ogbonna, my assessment is that he has very bright ideas of his responsibilities and possesses the requisite capacity to deliver. His words:”My committee will do all within its ability to turn Abia cities around to the envy of other states and people who hitherto thought that Abia will continue to lag behind. The beauty of Abia will manifest through the Transport Ministry”.

It will be recalled that prior to the inauguration of the12-man technical committee, the state had established the Traffic & Indiscipline Management Agency of Abia State (TIMAAS). The mandate of the agency include traffic the control & enforcement of state and national laws that govern the safe use of vehicles on roads in Abia State; to deter and apprehend road traffic offenders; to conduct highly visible day & night traffic patrols ; to enforce traffic rules and regulations; and to rid the highways of obstruction, among others.

The agency which is backed by Abia State Road Traffic and Safety Management Law No 2 of 2010 and Law No 12 (amended) of 2015 had the Passing out Parade (POP) of its personnel on 27th January, 2016

The establishment of the agency has not only improved the employment situation in the state- over 200 graduates, National Diploma and School Certificate holders were employed.

Unarguably, Abia under Ikpeazu’s administration is on the speed lane to achieve many hubs- the Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SME) hub of the country; the poultry hub of the country. With these achievements, the state is an investors’ destination.

It is on the above premise that the state government recently banned all forms of touting.

The ban has been in force since the State House of Assembly passed a law to that effect. Unfortunately, these touts have always defied the directive. But the state government has stamped its feet this time around and has directed security agencies to arrest anyone found touting. The state Commissioner for Information, Comrade Bonnie Iwuoha said it was the decision of State Executive Council.

Indeed, there is need to revolutionise the Abia mindset. Despite the huge efforts of the current administration, some residents are still sabotaging these efforts. For a couple of days now, announcements by the state environmental agency,ASEPA have rented the air through local radio stations, drawing attentions of the public to some negative practices.

One, despite huge sums invested in construction of roads and drainages, some residents are of the habit of dumping refuse in these drainages with the intentions of disposing through the aid of storm water.

Second, some individuals who run car wash operations along some reconstructed major roads in Aba such as St. Michael’s and Ochefu have defied directives by ASEPA to vacate the places. Their activies constitute major threats as some corrosive materials they use could fast-track the erosion of these roads.

Gov. Ikpeazu has reiterated that the new Abia philosophy is “quality” and his poised to deliver to Abians roads that would outlast his administration.

On this note, my appeal is that ASEPA should go beyond media announcements to adopt other measures to ensure strict compliance. Residents should know that the duty of recovering Abia from huge infrastructural deficit and restoring its dignity is a collective responsibility.

***Ukegbu is the Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to Gov. Ikpeazu on media.