Abia yet to fulfil aspirations of founding fathers, says Ikpeazu

Although remarkable progress has been made and still being made, Abia State is yet to fulfil all aspirations of its founding fathers, Governor Okezie Ikpeazu has declared.

Speaking in Umuahia, he said: “ I have no doubt the founding fathers would be glad to know that today, a man from the Ukwa Ngwa axis of the state is governor in keeping with their aspiration for a just and equitable distribution of political power in the state.”

According to him, he “considers this power rotation as a major milestone because by this singular action, every Abian from all axes of the state can confidently aspire to the leadership of the state in the full knowledge that they enjoy the full rights and benefits of an egalitarian state united by a shared history and confidently marching towards a shared future.”

Calling for unity and healing in the state, Ikpeazu told Abians that he was not oblivious of the fact that due to politics, “we experience some bitterness and acrimony.”

His words: “A lot of people felt aggrieved and till date, some wounds are still open. I am, therefore, taking responsibility as the governor of the state and the custodian of the mantle of this state to urge all who were aggrieved for one reason or the other to let go of the pain and let the past remain past.”

On his stewardship, Ikpeazu noted that the current harsh economic realities notwithstanding, he had been able to impact the citizenry positively through intervention on road construction, health, education, housing, agriculture, environment and other critical sectors with priority on agriculture as one of the five pillars his administration’s development document is hinged.