Group accuses PDP of stagnating Abia for 23 years, seeks better leadership

Abia Freedom Alliance (AFA), an association of concerned Abia technocrats, professionals, businessmen and religious leaders, yesterday, said the state has stagnated and regressed for 23 years under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government.

To reverse the situation, AFA in a communiqué after its third quarterly meeting in Umuahia, the state capital, maintained that the state needed someone equipped with the necessary socio-economic and leadership skills, training and intellect to drive its growth and development in 2023 and beyond.

The communiqué, which was signed by five members namely: Uzor Nwachukwu (Convener), Caleb Ajagba, Joe Ezearu, Bernard Nwaogu and Okey Kanu, stated that AFA, during the meeting, discussed various issues affecting the state and entire country.

Among other challenges, the group condemned insecurity, exacerbated by killings, rape, arson and kidnappings for ransom of innocent citizens of the state and security agents, which it said, were often blamed on unknown gunmen and urged the perpetrators to stop their dastardly acts.

AFA also commiserated with families and individuals, who lost their loved ones or have been victims of the heinous acts and called on the security agencies, especially the Nigeria Armed Forces and the police, to restrain their personnel from brutality and torture unleashed on Abia youths, as they seek to contain insecurity in the state.

It, however, cautioned Abia youths to be law abiding and refrain from acts that could put them at loggerheads with the security agencies and condemned the abuse of hard substances, especially Methamphetamine or Mkpuru Mmiri.

The group charged the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to unravel the source and suppliers of hard drugs with a view to cutting off the supply and rehabilitating abusers.

AFA queried outstanding salary arrears, pensions and non-payment of workers’ salaries as and when due adding: “Despite the various grants and Paris Club Refund running into billions of Naira the state received from the Federal Government, meant for such and other development projects in the state, the state government failed to deliver the goods.”

While it frowned on the dilapidated state of infrastructure in the state, especially Aba, it noted that the amount of money purportedly spent on road projects in the state far outweighed the results.

It, therefore, charged Governor Okezie Ikpeazu to be mindful of the kind of legacy he would leave behind after his eight years in office.