I was scrolling through my twitter timeline on Sunday 9th November 2014 and one tweet caught my attention, it was a tweet from one of the twitter blogger guys who goes by the tweet handle @oddy4real, ‘Ayokunle Odekunle’ that he is in Umuahia, Abia State. On further probing I found out that he is on a ‘good governance tour’ in Abia. I ignored it as one of those twitter blogger’s joke since it’s a well-known fact that Abia State apart from the upgraded hospitals, Ubani market, new secretariat and high court building, the much celebrated conference center, and pockets of housing estates all in Umuahia. Abia state has nothing to show especially in its commercial nerve centre Aba in terms of government presence or governance apart from the huge, indiscriminate and multiple taxes imposed by Theodore Ahamefule Orji and his goons in Aba. But it wasn’t a joke as anticipated; because use on Thursday 13th November 2014 my twitter timeline was filled with the hashtag #TAOrjiFeedback. I decided to follow the hash tag only to discover that some bloggers or better put, twitter/social media influencers where imported from their different destinations probably from Lagos, Abuja and other South Western States to tour Abia state and maybe put the ‘good works’ of ‘Ochendo Umuahia’ on tweeter/social media map. I laughed and pitied the man called Theodore Orji on his desperado need for attention and acceptance in the Nigerian media. He is now trying to take it to the social media but it won’t work this time. Why hire bloggers from other parts of Nigeria to push your much touted ‘good works’ in Abia? Are there no bloggers or active twitter/social media influencers in the whole of Abia or is he scared of something, (his ineptness and mismanaging of God’s Own State for the past seven and half years). The truth is that since Orji Uzor Kalu anointed you, rigged you into power and brought you out from the prison in 2007 God has disowned Abia state while you and your family have owned it. It is better that the slogan of the state is changed to “T.A. Orji and Family Owned State”. The God in heaven would be so ashamed to own a state like Abia State especially with the way you and your household are running it like a fiefdom.
Yes, former Minister of Information Labaran Maku came on his Good Governance Tour and scored you as a performer, same with the team of PDP leaders that visited the state recently. Why would Labaran Maku or the PDP leaders score you as an underperformer, is it not the same party stalwarts, why would the kettle call the pot black, when you stashed their pockets with cash and other incentives? You still haven’t told Abians how much these two ‘good governance and media tour’ cost them or did you sponsor it from your private pocket? After all why should Abians care, the whole taxis, ticycles and buses you gave them on hire purchase are all branded with your stickers; Ochendo Global, Ikuku Ochendo Efesalam, Ochendo for Senate 2015, as if the vehicles were donated from your personal pocket and not from the hard sweats of Abians. In states like Lagos where we have an educated government and populace you can hardly see Fashola this or Fashola that. It is always Lagos state government this or that because it shows that the people are involved in governance. They know the cost of governance in their state unlike Abia where the cost and maintenance of governance is only known by the governor and his cronies. In Umuahia alone without exaggerating there are 30 times more billboards of Theodore Orji with his different propaganda and senatorial bid than the works he has done in the whole state.
In this brief exposition I will just concentrate on some of the statements from the thread #TAOrjiFeedback attributed to Governor Orji and his goons by the bloggers who attended the media tour and Q&A session.
“The bloggers are here to confirm that you are the governor that they have known you to be” – The P.A on E-Governance. I wonder what the work of a P.A in E-governance is. I won’t be surprise if he was the one that organized and invited ‘my fellow bloggers’ to Umuahia. If he is an expert on social media he would have known better ways to build a social media image for his media hungry boss. That is how our money is being wasted on extravagantness of exaggerated and unwanted portfolio offices.
“Before now, if you were invited to Abia, you won’t come because of the security situation. But we conquered that” – Gov. Orji. Yes oh, it is true. The security situation in Abia state between 2009 to 2011 especially within the Aba axis of the state, was so alarming that I and my family thought of relocating to Owerri or my hometown as we received several threat letters, text messages and calls from kidnappers. But the fact was that T.A Orji downplayed and did not do anything serious about the kidnappings to the extent that the kidnappers ordered banks and offices to close down in the city and the order was obeyed to the latter. If I remember those dark periods in Aba, I feel for those states hit by Boko Haram insurgency because the fear Aba citizens felt during that period when the state government and the police did nothing to protect its citizens was equal to what the citizens of Adamawa, Yobe, Borno etc are feeling now only that theirs have escalated to a full blown war. It wasn’t until the international media beamed its lights on Aba after the Kidnap of the 15 school children of Abayi International School on their way to school on September 2010 that Orji ran to Abuja to meet the President Jonathan to brief him about the situation in the state. If those innocent children were not kidnapped then, who would have known the state or nature in which Aba would have been till date? Thank God Osisikankwu was killed and showed no mercy by the military. If only our military men will use that vigour and vanquish Shekau, Boko Haram and free our innocent girls of Chibok and other Nigerian citizens held captives by these messengers of the devil.
“This government has been subjected to the worst propaganda and criticism, many because of anger” – Gov. Orji. He just shot himself on the foot with this words; Propaganda, criticism and anger; T.A. Orji spends almost half of Abia States budget on propaganda and media hypes, criticizing his former boss and venting his anger on those that don’t agree with his dictatorial style of leadership. If you don’t know this then it means you don’t read the paid news bars of AIT and NTA network news. Ask around for people who do. Have you heard of BCA radio and Television or about The National Ambassador Newspaper? These are the primary propaganda machine of ‘Ochendo Umuahia’ and his government. What pains me most is that the staff of these state owned media and press houses are being owed salaries of nothing less than three months. When I ask one of my friends who work with BCA radio on why they still praise this visionless man who doesn’t care about their welfare the answer I got was “K.C do want to employ me? Our prayers are that we will survive till 2015 and God will send Abia its messaiah” I was like oh, this people know the truth too and are still singing his praises. Oh pity, pity is what I feel for Abians. If you watch the type of hype they show on BCA TV for Orji even President Jonathan’s own on NTA and AIT cannot match it.
“We are ranked as one of the safest states in Nigeria” – Gov. Orji. Nice one for Abians. In terms of security maybe yes, but in term of investment and business it is a capital NO. Aba is the commercial nerve center of Abia State and generates over 60% of the IGR. Most of the companies and business in Aba have either relocated to nearby states of Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Bayelsa, Imo etc. Why? Aba is neither safe nor conducive for some businesses because of neglect, lack of roads, infrastructure, multiple and exorbitant forceful taxation with thugs. Orji should tell us what happened to the once revered Aba Textile Mill, Golden Guinea Plc and Modern Ceramics Company? Aba is a lawless city. Imagine a situation where 5 different groups will come and ask you to pay for Infrastructure tax, when you bring the receipt of the one you paid to one group another group will come and say you haven’t paid to their group same thing goes for the multiple taxes paid by individuals and residents of Aba. Sometime this year a student was shot in one of the schools in Ogbor hill Aba because he and he’s fellow students prevented this tax thugs from barging into their school to demand for their own group of an already paid tax to another group.
“If you had known this state before now, you would have been hailing me till I leave” – Gov. Orji. Hailing you my foot! That’s the kind of thing you feed on, inglorious praises, that is what those sycophants around you are always doing, praising you and wouldn’t tell you the truth about the state of the people you govern. Don’t worry me and other concerned Abia citizens will be hailing you when you go back to the dungeons where you came out from. After all like one of your campaign billboards says ‘Abuja is waiting for you’ also remember that EFCC and ICPC have their offices in Abuja.
“I didn’t meet anything or money to start off a government. I met a debt of N29billion. But I didn’t want to talk” – Gov. Orji. You didn’t want to talk? How cliché of you? Were you not part of the government that left the debt? Or do you want to tell me that you did not know about the debt before you accepted Orji Uzor Kalu’s offer to be forced on the will of Abians? I can bet that if such debt existed when you became governor that 60% of that money was used to rig you into power because you never had enough money to campaign for primaries not to talk of winning an election in 2007. Why didn’t you tell Abians that you had no money to run their government or that their state is in debt to that amount as a duty of accountability you owe them? Only a gullible fool will believe this cock and bull tale. Ehen before I forget did you declare your asset in 2007 and 2011, and how much will you be worth by the end of your tenure in 2015 courtesy of Abians sweat?
“You have seen it with your korokoro eyes” – Gov. Orji. The bloggers have seen only what you showed them with their korokoro eye but I see the rot in Abia every day. You didn’t show them the death trap bridge along the Bende-Arochukwu-Ohafia road where about 18 students all perished last year on their way for their JAMB exams; did you take them to the Ariaria International Market Aba, Ahia Ohuru Market in Ngwa road or the abattoir in Ogbor Hill Aba?
“When you hear Aba this Aba that; is there any country or state that doesn’t have its fair share of bad roads? The number of roads we have done in Aba is unprecedented. The projects we have done in Aba are unprecedented” – Gov. Orji. Please Ochendo why didn’t you name the unprecedented roads and projects you have done in Aba so far so that I can get a picture of it and show it to the whole world for them to judge you. When it comes to roads it is -70% because under your watch as the governor for the past seven and half years the roads in Aba have gone from bad to worst; is it the Aba-Owerri Umungasi Road, MCC road, Faulks road, Ukwu Mango, Porthacourt road, Asa road, Azikiwe road, Eziukwu road, Ngwa road, Ohanku road, Old express road, Ariaria road, Ahia Ohuru road, Omuma road, East road, Mosque road, Park road, St Michaels road, Umueze road, Osisioma road, Uratta road etc. just to mention a few. Just name any of the roads and I will snap it and publish it. At least Orji Uzor repaired some roads in Aba but because they were white washed roads they left with him at the end of his tenure.
“If you ask me questions, maybe some more facts would come out” – Gov. Orji. Since the bloggers did not some questions, I better ask them here? 1) Why where bloggers and social media actors based in Abia not invited to participate in this your social media assessment tour? 2) Why did you sack Igbos/Nigerians working in the state civil service without providing an alternative for them, do u know how many children you made orphans, fatherless, motherless and families you personally removed their daily bread from their mouth by that singular action? You pronounced Igbos and Nigerians non-indigenes in an Igbo/Nigerian state. God is watching you from the third heavens. 3) When last did you personally visit Aba on a tour or commissioned a project there? 4) What project(s) have your romance with the federal government brought to Abians (because the federal roads in Abia are in their worst shape)? 5) Why do you run Abia like a fiefdom and haven’t paid staff of the state civil service for the past three months? Answer these five questions first and I will shoot the rest in my next writeup.
“When I came on board, IGR was N200million, but now it is about N700million” – Gov. Orji. That’s like 250% increase. Congratulations on this feat it’s a welcome development and I hope the next administration will push it up to the N3billion target. But why has the infrastructural and social welfare of the people not increased by 250%, how is this money being spent?
“I have experienced the civil service, I have experienced the executive, and I want to experience the legislature.” – Gov. Orji. Why don’t you experience it at the state legislature or House of Representatives? What did your years in the civil service and executive add to Abians? You will also experience the judiciary soon too.
“When we started projects and governance was in 2011 when we went to PDP and liberated the government”. – Gov. Orji. Oga Orji if my data is right you decamped to PDP before 2011. And by starting projects and governance in 2011 what have you been doing with the states fund since 2007? Did Orji Uzor Kalu collect all with a gun pointed on your head? Was there no IGR or did the federal government withheld our allocation for a period of four years plus where did you get all the money to campaign and contest your reelection in 2011? Theodore Orji, you are the only one in bondage and needs liberation but it is still pity that till date you have not been liberated. I thought you said that you were democratically elected in 2007 and not handpicked and forced on Abians? So why the said bondage and need for liberation?
“No government can totally fix Aba. Unless you abandon all other areas to fix Aba, others will complain”. – Gov. Orji. Now these are the exact word of someone who got his highest vote from Aba and was voted into power by this same people. Why didn’t he tell the people of Aba that he cannot fix their city for them during his campaigns? Why the empty promises of good roads, pipe borne water, new markets and investment attraction? To show your aptest cluelessness you have no road map, manifesto or agenda when you were forced on Abians and rigged your way to power, if you have any publish it so that your administration will be accessed with it. Now you want to deceive the people of Abia central with that lying tongue of yours and move to represent them in the senate. Why zone the governorship to the people of Ukwa and Ngwa area if not to cover for your ineptness and lack of governance in Aba. When Orji Uzor handed power over to you he never said anything about zoning so why do you import it if not to politically divide Abians for your selfish gains. I weep for Abia especially Aba the land of my birth as I type this short piece on my bed. If only Abians can speak with one voice and repeat what happened in Imo in 2011 in Abia by 2015.
November 25, 2014 at 1:54 pm
Really? People would just come up with all sorts just to gain relevance. Are you trying to say T A Orji has done nothing for the people of Abia state. Mr. Man, you lie. T.A Orji has fared well in Abia state. What would you say about all the legacy projects? Please be objective.
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November 26, 2014 at 8:28 am
Do legacy projects pay staff of the civil service or have you not been to Aba of late? And besides all i did was to comment on T.A orji’s words. tell me the lies there sir?
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November 23, 2014 at 7:59 am
That poster with Jesus was never from Ochendo. It must be some maniac trying to dent his image. How can I be too sure that the other pictures are really? There floods happening in other states too. It could be anywhere except abia. Honestly, all your topics now are irrelevant ochendo has done what he could do and his tenure is almost over.let the sleeping dogs lie.
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November 26, 2014 at 9:56 am
check the address of who did the poster. Why haven’t T.A ordered that all his Illegal posters be taken down just like President Jonathan told those that put up his #BringBackJonathan2015 to take them down within 24hours. What you see is not flood but government neglect to do its primary duty of governance. I repeat Ochendo only concentrated his governance 70% in Umuahia North and Ibeku, 12% in Umuahia south and the remaining part of Abia takes the rest.
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November 23, 2014 at 7:49 am
Hmmm. Well done! You had to copy and paste articles all over and put on your wordpress blog. Lol. It is long sha! However, one against a million is bullshit! All u have said is just showing the attribute of a hater. You are too blind to see what is really happening. Ochendo DON do him work 98% stop castigating him.
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November 26, 2014 at 10:02 am
i didn’t copy and paste sir. I live in Abia state and all I wrote was from my own personal assessment and tweetfeed from the bloggers who visited the state. you can Google the hash tag #TAOrjiFeedback or search for it on twitter.
I dont hate T.A Orji, I just dont like his style of dictatorship. I merely voiced out my opinion. you are also free to do yours.
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November 21, 2014 at 3:59 pm
Wahoo!!! My brother u said hit the nail at the center.I’m from Abia Central, Umuahia South precisely. I was posted from Lagos to Aba,Abia state between 2010 to 2012. That was the only period I had connection with Abia state. Everything you have said its 150% correct,they are a lot you didn’t say. I’m sure you forgot…please, what’s your tweeter handle, I need to follow u.thank you and God bless.@ugotrice01
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November 21, 2014 at 9:57 pm
My twitter handle is @kaezydon
Thanks a lot Ugo for reading. Hope u have shared this post with your friends and all well meaning Abians.
If you have any additions to make based on what you said I miss. You can place it as a comment here so that others reading this post can see it.
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