Bayelsa State Governor, Hon. Seriake Dickson performed its first official function of the New Year 2013 by swearing-in two new Permanent Secretaries, Mr. Suru Oyarede and Barrister Preye Agedah.

Mr. Oyarede is to serve as Permanent Secretary for Local Government, while Barrister Agedah will be posted to the Ministry of Justice as Permanent Secretary and Solicitor-General of the State.

Speaking at the swearing-in ceremony, Governor Seriake Dickson noted that, the event is a clear demonstration of his administration’s commitment to duty and consolidation of its restoration agenda.

While urging the new Permanent Secretaries to show the same commitment, Governor Dickson explained that it was the first time an official from the Local Government system would be considered for appointment as Permanent Secretary in the Public Service without formally transferring their services to the mainstream of the civil service.

He decried the situation whereby officials from the Local Government system are required to transfer their services to the Public Service before being considered for the post of a Permanent Secretary, stressing that the appointment of Mr. Oyarede was based on merit and integrity.

According to him, the gesture is to make officials in the Local Government system have a sense of belonging and assured that other worthy persons will be rewarded accordingly to support the restoration agenda in the administration.

Hon. Dickson equally charged Barrister, Preye Agedah to assist in repositioning the Ministry of Justice especially in ensuring that government cases receive the professional attention that they deserve.

He observed that the major challenge of the Ministry of Justice was the sloppiness with which government cases were handled and called on Barrister Agedah to work towards addressing the problem.

The Rivers Commissioner for Special Duties, Mr Emeka Wogu, has been relieved of his appointment.

Gov. Chibuike Amaechi who announced this in Port Harcourt on Wednesday said that Wogu would be replaced by Mr Omunakwe Dickson.

He said Dickson’s name would be sent to the Raivers State House of Assembly for confirmation.

Amaechi made the announcement while swearing in six permanent secretaries, all females, into the state’s Civil Service.

Those sworn-in are Dr Offor Nnesochi, Mrs Iragunima C. M., Clara Gogo-Princewill, Mrs Amie Nemi-Iwo, Mrs Wihioka Comfort and Dr Justina Jumbo.

The governor said they were appointed on merit, urging them to be fair and just while carrying out their duties.

“A civil servant is supposed to be a non-politician but in the Nigerian context, all Nigerians or nearly all Nigerians are politicians, nearly all and that is because the economy is not productive.

“So, the only productive part of the economy is government and that is because government takes money from oil and everybody wants to be part of the sharing.

Amaechi urged the permanent secretaries to assist government to improve the state’s economy through hard work. He warned the new permanent secretaries not to be involved in any corrupt practices.

“We looked at the civil service and there were too few women that were permanent secretaries. “We felt that we should appoint some women to balance the position and that we have done.

The governor directed the Chairman of the state’s Civil Service and the Head of Service to put measures in place to promote civil servants who performed well and punish those who did not do well. He said only those deserving promotion should be promoted.

Source: Leadership

Top UN envoy for Somalia has called for sustained international support for Somalia to consolidate gains which have been realized in the past year.

In a year-end letter to the Somalis and the international community on Tuesday, Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Somalia, Augustine Mahiga however cautioned that the road to stabilization will not be easy.

“Somalia remains a state in need of support from the international community, which will need to re-invest comprehensively and generously if it is to capitalize on its massive investment of time and resources,” Mahiga said.

He said at the beginning of the 2011, the UN Political Office for Somalia (UNPOS) and half of its staff relocated to Somalia from neighboring Kenya and continued to work alongside key Somali partners in a variety of sectors.

“The center of gravity has shifted to Mogadishu, and UNPOS is completing a major strategic review to ensure full alignment of its policies and programs with the goals and aims of the new government,” he added.

Mahiga said the mission is in the process increasing staff presence in the Somalia by 100 percent in the coming weeks as he called on other members of the international community “to come to Mogadishu”.

The UN envoy noted that, in the last year, UNPOS had closely cooperated with key regional interlocutors to ensure a unified and coordinated approach on important political issues.

According to Mahiga, initiatives included the establishment of a “joint framework” between the AU and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), 7-nation regional body that aims to encourage cooperation between its member states.

He said the framework ensured “close collaboration on issues affecting the Somali peace process”.

“This harmonized international and regional response to challenges within Somalia played a critical role in enabling the international community to speak with one voice in support of the process,” Mahiga added.

For the first time in a generation, he said, a safe, secure and prosperous Somalia at peace with itself and its neighbors seems more like a reasonable aspiration than a distant dream.

“We will work with our Somali brothers and sisters to harness this unique opportunity to transform Somalia. I take this opportunity to wish you all a Happy New Year, a new year that dawns brightly and full of promise and hope.”

Mahiga said the end of transition provided an opportunity for unprecedented female participation in Somali politics and dramatically advanced the cause of gender equality in Somalia.

In February, Principals of the Roadmap endorsed a requirement that women hold a minimum 30 percent of the positions in the National Constituency Assembly and the New Federal Parliament.

Of the 825 members of the NCA, 24 percent were women. The New Federal Parliament and the New Cabinet have 14 and 20 percent respectively and for the first time, a woman has been appointed to the position of deputy prime minister/minister of foreign affairs.

“This bold and progressive decision has opened the gates for women’s empowerment in the years to come and sets the stage for more gender parity in leadership roles,” he said.

August marked a historic political watershed for modern-day Somalia with the swearing-in of the country’s first formal parliament in more than 20 years.

The event brought to an end the so-called Somali “transition”, which had begun with the 2004 launch of a UN-backed interim government after Somalis had been without a functioning government since the overthrow of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991.

Mahiga regretted that human rights violations, including wide spread targeted killings of journalists and endemic sexual violence remain a concern, adding however, that important and tangible steps were taken to recognize the importance of human rights and justice in the context of the political transition.

“These fundamental values were eloquently underscored by President Hassan Sheikh in his inaugural statement. UNPOS supported the development of the justice system through training of judges and lawyers, technical cooperation on policies and legislation and to promote human rights in the military justice system,” he added.

Throughout the past year, the UN envoy said UNPOS walked side by side with the people of Somalia, adding that the Horn of Africa nation now has a new committed government which the UN will continue to work with its partners to consolidate international assistance and coordinate activities in order to assist the government to deliver on its priorities.

Source: XINHUA

The Nigeria Police Force had its origin in Lagos, the then federal Capital, more than a hundred and thirty years ago. The British consul charged with the Administration of the colony of Lagos, complained that he had numerous duties assigned to him amongst which was the maintenance of law and order , and in April 1861, permission was obtain from his principal in London to establish a consular guard comprising of 30 men.

Two years later in 1863, this small body of men became known as the” Hausa Guard. It was further regularized in 1879 by an ordinance creating a constabulary for the colony of Lagos. As Inspector- General of Police commended this force recruited mainly from Hausas and known as the Hausa constabulary. The force was mainly military in character, although the men performed some civil police duties.

On Ist January 1896, the Lagos police force was created and armed like the” Hausa constabulary”. A commissioner of police who was also Sheriff, Inspector of weights and measures and the officer in charge of the prisons headed it. Criminal investigation Department at Alagbon close, Ikoyi, lagos was established in 1901 a fire Brigade was added. While the developments were taking place in Lagos and part of the Yoruba heartland, the areas now known as Edo, Delta, Akwa Ibom, River and Cross River States were declared the oil Rivers protectorate in 1891 with headquarters at Calabar where an armed constabulary was formed. In 1893 the area was proclaimed the Niger Coast constabulary, modeled on the Hausa constabulary was formed. It existed for six years and featured prominently in the British expedition to Benin in 1896.

In the Northern parts of the country the Royal Niger Company, which has granted a Royal charter in 1886 by the British Government, set up the Royal Niger constabulary in 1888 with headquarters at Lokoja to protect its installations along the banks of the river Niger. It had a mounted company known as carrol s’ hoses. The Royal Niger constabulary played an important role in British campaigns against Bida and Ilorin.

When the British Government in 1990 following the transfer of administration from the Royal Niger Company proclaimed protectorates of Northern and Southern Nigeria. The Royal Niger constabulary was split into the Northern Nigeria police force and northern Regiment.

In the south, the Lagos Police force and part of the Niger Coast constabulary became the southern Nigeria police force in 1906 while the bulk of the Niger coast constabulary formed the southern Nigeria Regiments. In addition to normal police duties the new police forces were responsible for dealing with international disturbances and external aggression.

After the amalgamation of Northern and southern Nigeria in 1914 both police forces continued to operate separately until 1st April 1930 when they were merged to form the present Nigeria police force with Headquarters in Lagos, commanded by an Inspector- General of Police. The Title of Inspector- General of Police was replaced with commissioner in 1937 but the original title was reverted to in 1951 after introduction of a new constitution. The designation commissioner was assigned to the officers then in charge of the Regions.

The creation of twelve (12) states on 27th May 1967, which was used as Police commands with each headed by a commissioner of police, rose to Nineteenth (19) in 1976. On 14th October 1986. Zonal commands headed by Assistant Inspector- General of Police each was introduced to conform with the political structure of the country in 1986, 1991 and 1996 additional states were created thereby changing the federal structure to thirty- six (36) states and equally providing for thirty-seven (37) police commands including FCT, Abuja and Twelve (12) zonal commands in the country while the force Headquarters operates as a police command.

Nigerians assumed overall leadership of the force in 1964 when the late Mr. Louis Orok Edet was appointed the first indigenous Inspector- General of police since then over ten other Nigerians including the present Mr. Abubakar Mohammed, Inspector- General of police have held the office till date.

It is sad that the Nigeria Police force have been relegated to the background as a result of corruption which usually identified with police officers. The Nigeria Police force needed to be commended for its forensic security protection among its citizenry over the years. Over 70 percent of police officers in Nigeria are creditably doing their work with no blemish but corruption has enveloped the entire process. Since the sudden emergence of infamous fundamentalist called” Boko Haram” in the Northern region, many police officers and stations have been killed and burnt down. The Nigeria police are being victims of Boko Haram onslaught in recent times. If any security agencies can count of lost of police officers, then the Nigeria police force are the great victims with no amiable solution from the federal government despite its promises at any given incident of the Boko Haram members in the Northern. Even the South- south and South East where kidnappings are at geometrical progression, Police officers have been wickedly killed.

In as much as we all Nigerians continue to condemn police officers in the country, painting them as black sheep and the most corrupt security agencies in Nigeria, yet corruption being practiced in other sectors of the economy are silently being covered with dignity of other reputable professions in the country. If police is removed from Nigeria, the security lawlessness will envelop the entire country. Most of these celebrated murder cases are being investigated by the Nigeria Police force. The recent removal of the police force from the major highways across Nigeria has equally created more armed robbers and social speril in the country. It is of record that the Nigeria Police force is well trained to the core, even though they are ill- equipped in all ramifications. If all security agencies can response to security threats as the way police officers do, then Nigerians will never complain about the insecurity anymore.

One of the recent face book murder’s case of late Cynthia OSokogu was thoroughly investigated by one gritty and resolute senior police officer in Lagos, Dan Nkem Okoro who gallantly brought the perpetrators of this evil act to book and won award to his credit which was bestowed by the Inspector- General of Police, Mr. Abubakar Mohammed. Every Nigerian must be ready to commend the Nigeria police force whether we like it or not. The fact remains that the Nigerian policemen are assiduously working hard to maintain peace and order. Take away police out of the country and see the high velocity of crime in the country. Other security agencies cannot protect Nigeria. Police must be your friend because it protects lives and property. Police also settle other minor issues in Nigeria. Police are more accessible to the people than any other security agencies in Nigeria. No organization which does not have bad eggs. Raiding and illegal arrests are more pronounced in the police force and dodgy allegations of people arrested by the police but that does not mean we must discredit the first-rate works of our police officers in Nigeria. Most of the police officers are well- trained and highly educated to the core. Out of all the security agencies in Nigeria, the Nigeria Police force is more prone to gangland men. It is good that the Nigeria Police force is financially equipped by the federal government and not to be rubbished by corruption in Nigeria.

Lastly, most of the police barracks across the country are nothing to write home about and our prisoners are living in the mercy of God. Police monthly salaries are mere nothing while the government has abysmally failed to provide adequately for them. Even some other security agencies are well- paid and protected than the police. Out of the 776 recognized local governments and unrecognized LCDAs in Nigeria, every police station is sited with various police posts or units to help to maintain peace and order against lawlessness in the land. In international communities, police officers are well-equipped and fed but in Nigeria the reverse is now the case. To the extent that when a police officer died while in duty post or otherwise cannot be instantly compensated or have any insurance in his or her life.

The Nigeria police are poorly remunerated. 40 percent of the Nigeria police are being posted to sumptuous Nigerians and government officials in spite of several bans by various Inspector- Generals of Police in the country. Our police officers should be regularly undergoing trainings while their promotions should be regular. Senior police officers should be checkmated against excesses in the system. Police reforms should be the priority of the federal government while the issue of state police should be discarded. The police colleges should admit qualified people not half –baked ones into the system to avoid corruption in the long run. First class arms and ammunition should be provided by the government to meet up the day to day security challenge in Nigeria.

The Enugu Development Association (EDA) will, after the New Year celebration, hold a meeting with the state’s acting governor Sunday Onyebuchi over the whereabouts of Governor Sullivan Chime.

President of the EDA, Barrister Enechi Onyia, a senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN), said in a telephone interview in Enugu yesterday that nobody had informed the association about the whereabouts of Governor Chime since he left the shores of the country in September 2012.

Some newspapers had reported that Chime was undergoing medical treatment abroad, with some even reporting that he had passed on, a claim the state government refuted.

But Barrister Onyia said that, as elders of the state, it would be ‘irresponsible’ on their part to respond to those reports without hearing from the acting governor.

“Chime is our son, and if he is sick, and taken out of the country for medical treatment, we ought to be told as elders of the state,” said Onyia.

According to him, the IDA will take a position on calls from several quarters to declare Governor Chime incapable of performing his constitutional functions after meeting with the acting governor.

But Emeka Njoku, an Enugu-based legal practitioner, dismissed calls on the state executive council to declare the absent governor incapable of performing his functions as provided for in section 189(1)of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), as baseless, adding that the presence of an acting governor made such calls untenable.

He said that such calls could be meaningful if after the expiration of six months the governor had not returned to his seat.

Nevertheless, a former member of the Enugu State Assembly, Barrister Nwabueze Ugwu, said in a telephone interview that any citizen of the state could go to court to compel the state executive council to declare the governor incapable of performing his functions, since he had been away from office for more than three months.

He also said the state legislature could commence impeachment processes against the governor on the basis of his long absence from office.

Officials of the Enugu State government had in the last three months claimed that Governor Chime was enjoying his accumulated leave, and would return soon to resume duties.

The chairman of the House of Assembly Committee on Information, Hon. Ukuta John Kelvin, refused to pick his telephone when called several times to get the position of the legislature on the governor’s long absence from duty, and insinuations about his falling health.

Source: Leadership

The magnitude of our Projections for 2013 has been securely held to our chest, awaiting a dedicated and religious implementation when we were prevailed upon to publicly flaunt them for the appreciation of Abians.

Agreed, but not before we reiterate our well wishes to Abians and the generality of Nigerians especially as we look forward to a more prosperous and secured life in the Nigerian project, come 2013.

Abia and the huge construction site of what it has become is a healthy development for which we owe God a thousand and one gratitude.

The torrents of felicitations, trailing our sincerity of purpose at leaving incontrovertible foot prints in the body polity of Abia State will always spur us to improve on every mile-stone we have attained. In the light of this, we have therefore raised the stakes in the attainment of a better Abia, come 2013.

2013 shall be comparatively better than other years following from our articulated strategy to extensively improve on the State internally generated revenue. A far reaching improvement in that regard will bolster and give bite to practical implementation of every programme captured in the drawing board. The revenue effort of Abia State has suffered stunted growth following from the unpatriotic attitude of some Civil and Public office holders in the state, whose stock in trade is to sabotage the good intentions of government. A case in point bothers on the recent preliminary discovery of over 1727 ghost workers in our Local Government System. Government will beam its search light on other sectors with a view to replicating this cleansing.

Regardless of the fact that Golden Guinea Breweries was mindlessly abandoned before we came on board, we have been on top of the initiative to bring it back to life. It’s mass employing capacity, will positively impact on the state labour market;

Plans are at advanced stage to re-engineer the State Transport Sector in association with the Federal Government Sure P Programme. We will leverage on that window, to introduce brand new buses on the fleet of Abia State Transport Corporation. This projection has given rise to the re-organization taking place in the Corporation at the end of which spacious and more modern loading bays would have emerged.

The State Ministry of Transport will in 2013 assidiciously expedite action in streamlining the operations of Tri-cycle operators and encourage investors to develop Taxi Cabs for orderly movement of goods and persons. The proposed Mono-rail for Aba and Umuahia will hopefully move to site in 2013. Same is our expectation on the Alkamali powered Private refinery endorsed for Location at Oil producing neighbourhood of Owaza in Ukwa West Local Government Area.

The on-slaught against poverty will become fiercer in 2013 through a significantly improved youth empowerment programme and coming on stream of Liberation farms designed for location in all the 17 Local Government Areas of the State. Agriculture undoubtedly remains the Pivot of Nigeria’s economic Eldorado. Our machinery for its attainment includes the extension of a gate-way to a Malaysian firm in replacement of lack luster El-friel to revive the Moribund Abia Palm at Ohambele in Ukwa East Local Government Area. Their professional input will positively manifest in 2013. The state will strive to improve on her cocoa production status in the New Year. Introduction of improved seedlings and asphalting of roads leading to our Cocoa farms will be of immense benefit in our Cocoa Production effort.

Three General Hospitals; Okikpe in Ukwa East of Abia South, Arochukwu of Abia North and Amachara representing Abia Central have been selected for a comprehensive up-grading through our sure-P project. It is intended to power Government holistic health-care programme in all our major geo-political enclaves for the maintenance of our people’s clean bill of health. Governments desire to construct one major road in each of the 17 Local Government Areas, will hopefully come on stream in 2013 but with particular emphasis on Aba. This approach is a deliberate design aimed at enhancing the economic potentials of our commercial nerve center. It is a calculated follow up to the rehabilitation of roads in Aba, in excess of 16 numbers. The Power road Map in Abia State has recorded substantial improvement given the Jinx breaking Ohiya Power Station. Precisely in the month of February 2013, Government – Geometric Synergy will put paid to the frustrating black-out plaguing the commercial City of Aba. This illumination will hopefully inject life into every small and medium enterprise and consequently reestablish Aba in the global commercial Map as a destination of note.

Our “one stop shop” designed to weed investment hiccups and bureaucratic bottle-necks shave been yielding the desired result. Genuine investors are cashing in on this gate-way to display their wares in the state. Shop rite; a deserving beneficiary of the above module, has deployed men and machinery to their government   approved site for the construction of a state of the art shopping mall in the capital city of Umuahia. Our confident expectation is that Abia will in the coming year; join in the league of world class shopping States. This exhilarating development is equally taking place in the hospitality industry under the auspices of Protea Hotels limited which is driving the vision of re-engineering Abia Hotels Umuahia into a luxurious three star hotel.

Love Frequency Modulated Station (103:9) has stimulated a healthy competition in the air-waves since opening their shop in the state. It is our firm belief that fellow players in the industry who have also hugged and accepted our hand of friendship will live up to expectation. Knowing that security is an indispensable factor in the attainment of every set objective, we will continually encourage the beautiful combination of all the security formations in the  state with a view to forestalling any untoward activity or  relapse to what became the ugly Somali past of Abia state. Security is hugely capital intensive but we do not intend to undermine it, because it is the signal that influences the determination of investors to explore further or otherwise.

Timber market hitherto situated at the neighbourhood of World Bank Housing Estate provided the opportunity for us to taste the relocation waters. Now at the expansive land scape of Umudike, we are going to ride on that success to smoothly relocate the Umuahia main market to Ubani on or before the expiration of April 2013. Over 5000 lock up shops have been built, awaiting the asphalting of network of roads and energizing the market which in our estimation will not encroach on our deadline.

The delivery of Umuahia Modern Market will herald our season of harvest in project celebrations as the following giant leaps would have been qued for public presentation; New Workers Secretariat Umuahia, New International Conference Center, New High Court Complex at Umuahia and Aba, New kidney Dialysis and Ophthalmology Center at the Specialist Hospital Umuahia, New Children Centre and Doctors residence at Amachara Annex of Abia Specialist Hospital et al.

Never again will it be said that the Godly State of Abia is lacking in structural identity.

T.A. Orji,  Governor of Abia State wrote  from Umuahia

Twenty four hours after President Goodluck Jonathan celebrated the arrest of significant number of terrorism suspects implicated in the bombings of the Nigeria Police Force Headquarters; the United Nations building in Abuja and the Catholic Church in Madala, near Abuja which killed scores of innocent Nigerians and peaceful Christian worshippers, the Human Rights Writers Association Of Nigeria [HURIWA] has challenged the Federal Government to put these high profile terrorism suspects to effective and efficient prosecution in the competent courts of law making use of the best legal minds that Nigeria can muster through the office of the Federal Attorney General and minister of Justice so as to obtain successful convictions for these grave crimes against humanity just as the Rights group warned the Federal Government not to leave the prosecution of these terrorism suspects to the Nigeria Police Prosecution teams because of the serial incompetence and professional indiscipline among the policing institution that has compromised several high profile prosecutions in the recent times.

In a statement by the National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and the National Media Director Miss. Zainab Yusuf, Human Rights Writers Association Of Nigeria [HURIWA] said it was wrong and ill-timed for President Jonathan to publicly celebrate the arrest of these high profile terrorism suspects even before they are put to trial in the competent courts of law in compliance with several provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and particularly with sections 6 and 35[5] of the 1999 constitution as amended. Besides, the Rights group said it makes no meaning for the Federal Government to engage on phantom celebration of high profile arrest when most Nigerians know that the Nigeria Police Prosecution teams have in the past messed up several high profile cases in the court system thereby allowing these high profile crime suspects to escape the long arm of the law because of professional incompetence, corruption and compromise on the part of the prosecution teams drawn from the grossly untrained Nigeria Police Force.

Citing the case of the murder suspects involved in the dastardly assassination of the then serving Federal Attorney General Chief Bola Ige [SAN] who were discharged by the Oyo state High Court following the incompetence of the police prosecution team, Human Rights Writers Association Of Nigeria [HURIWA] pointedly told President Goodluck Joanthan that posterity will not forgive his government should he allow the prosecution of these high profile deadly terrorism suspects be compromised by the Nigeria Police Prosecution teams.

The Rights group said Nigerians have lost confidence in the ability of the Nigeria Police to professionally and successfully obtain quality convictions in the competent courts of law against these high profile terrorism suspects since even the current Inspector General of Police Mr. Abubakar Mohammed told the media recently that he is unaware of the existence of an extant anti-terrorism law and several other legal provisions against mass murder under which the now detained terrorism suspects can be successfully prosecuted.

HURIWA therefore challenged President Jonathan that rather than play to the gallery by telling Nigerians of some ‘phantom victory’ of the security forces over the armed Islamic terrorists unleashing waves of violent mass killings across the Northern Nigeria, the current Government will achieve more by reorganizing the legal mechanism at the highest level under the direct supervision of the Federal Attorney General and minister of Justice to take up the cases of the prosecution of the arrested terrorism suspects and engage the best legal minds to obtain successful conviction making use of carefully and scientifically generated body of evidence against these terrorism suspects. On the alternative, the Rights group asked that the suspects be tried at the International Crimes Court [ICC] to ensure swift, decisive and effective justice delivery.

The Rights group stated thus; “We sincerely hope that rather than regale extremely scared Nigerians with unverifiable and phantom victory over the terrorists by the security agents as revealed by President Jonathan recently with the claim that most high profile terrorism suspects are already arrested, what the Government should do is to ensure that the office of the Federal Attorney General is made to assemble good professional legal minds and internationally reputable investigators to generate scientifically based body of evidence against the terrorism suspects so as to prosecute them successfully in the competent courts of law in compliance with the due process of the law.

It makes no sense celebrating the arrest of terrorists and at the end of the day the Federal Government will allow the Nigeria Police Prosecution teams to mess up the cases as are their stock in trade in most high profile cases. The President must deliver social justice to the victims of the several serial bombings and attacks by the armed terrorists that have unleashed grave violence across Northern Nigeria. Those arrested should not be subjected to undue long detention but should be made to face the full weight of the law in line with the principle of the rule of law and due process of the law.”

I have the initial burden of either writing this piece to correct an impression by a minute section of the press and few critics of Abia state governor, Sir Theodore Ahamefule Orji that tend to stand truth on its head and present falsehood as fact or allowing the mumble jumble they come to town with in the name of criticizing the Abia chief executive to be their albatross since fact is always sacred. But some thing inside of me insisted that I must make these clarifications, having been closer to the system (since 1998) which these commentators are commenting on. Secondly, it will be unexplainable for anybody closer to the government of Abia state to maintain the studied silence when the opposite of splendid the political and social development playing out in Abia state is being forced on the unwary public.

Indeed, I appreciate the sentiments of a section of the media, and also their predicament. But what I can’t understand is the deliberate or will I say orchestrated plan to present one sided documentary of the development in Abia vis-a-vis the relationship between the two Orjis ie His Excellency, Chief T A Orji and former Governor Orji Uzor Kalu. In as much as I agree that journalists should express their opinions strongly on certain issues concerning the state of affairs in the society, I also believe in the notion that objectivity is a significant principle of journalistic professionalism.

One can easily miss the point if he or she maintains a robust interest on a particular issue only to keep a blind eye on the other side of the coin. Me thinks that journalistic objectivity can refer to fairness, disinterestedness, factuality and nonpartisanship. This is why it is appropriate to present the fact as it is no matter how strong one’s opinion on a particular issue is.

I regret to state that some of the commentators (by a section of the media though) on Abia Project is based on circumstantial evidence or hearsay and not on facts on the ground. If they could distance themselves from the evidence of a third party and come to Abia state to witness the actual happenings, their public perception of the events in Abia would be anything but prejudice; thus offering the reading public the best of their analyses on Project Abia.

Indeed, a trip to Abia will change the perception of some Lagos and Abuja based journalists who still mirror this God’s Own State from its position before 2007. It is worrisome to read that there are decaying infrastructure ie road, electricity, pipe-borne water etc in Abia when in actual fact the T A Orji’s government alone has provided more roads than all his predecessors (from 1991 when the state was created till date) put together. As at the last count, the 132KV at Ohiya substation that supplies electricity uninterruptedly to Umuahia, while the government had put up the machinery to provide pipe-borne water to the cities.

Today, every sector is being galvanized to achieve optimum result. Is it in health sector, education, agriculture, commerce and industry, housing, security etc that the government of Abia state is not prioritizing?

Time was when some people in the state particularly Aba fled the city because of the rampage of kidnappers. It took the intervention of T.A Orji with the support of the federal government and military to restore normalcy to the once dreaded city. Now that normalcy has been restored, international firms like Alkamali petroleum of Dubai, Junohermes, a South African firm, Imoniyame Holdings Ltd, Americare Inc USA are coming to do business in oil and gas, agriculture, banking and commerce etc. Today, farmers are smiling their ways to the banks courtesy of the N1 billion soft loans the government provided for them.

A trip to Abia will expose a lot. Housing estates dot the landscape. They include Amaokwe, Ehimiri, Ohiya, Ubakala, Amuzukwu, Isieke, Osisioma, etc; most of them have been completed and being occupied, while others are at various stages of completion. Or do we talk about the establishment of modern diagnostic health centres ie specialist diagnostic hospitals in Aba and Umuahia. The high courts and magistrate courts building projects in Aba and Umuahia

Just last month, Governor T A Orji flagged off 16 roads in Aba to the delight of Aba residents. And on Tuesday, 4December 2012, he went on an inspection tour on these road projects to the tumultuous welcome of Aba residents. It baffles some of us when some commentators insinuate that His Excellency is hated by Aba residents. Which Aba residents? His critics also charge that civil servants are owed monthly arrears of salaries and allowances, yet none of these critics could point out the ministry that has not received their salaries up to November 2012.

To this end, he has received several awards as a result of his quality leadership. This year alone Ochendo has been bestowed with the best Governorship Award on Security, Icon of Democracy by Champion Newspapers and Knight of John Wesley by the Methodist Church of Nigeria.

If there is a challenge in the payment of pension and gratuities of civil service, it is not as a result of government dereliction but apparently because of some bureaucratic bottlenecks. The government is addressing that issue and very soon senior citizens affected by this tailback will smile. Therefore, it is absurd to insinuate that Abia is not on the fast track of development. Actually, federal roads are in the state of disrepair. Enugu–Port Harcourt road, Aba-Ikot Ekpene, Umuahia-Ikot Ekpene etc are impassable. But critics blame Abia government for their despicable state.

They fail to acknowledge the fact that the T.A Orji’s government reconstructed the Aba-Owerri road and Aba-Port Harcourt road; all federal roads. We expect commentators on Abia to question why the federal government should shirk its responsibility in this regard in Abia state.

As a detribalized are focused leader, T A Orji sees everything that belongs to the federal government as his to keep in good shape. Arguably, a politician that is focused towards providing good governance like T A cannot descend to the level of blocking former Governor Orji Uzor Kalu from rejoining the PDP. Kalu has repeatedly said that he has no intention of joining PDP or any political party for that matter. However, instead of abiding by that vow he was reported to have applied to register at the national level against the constitution of PDP that stipulates that intending members or those that left the party and desire to rejoin should either join or rejoin from their ward.

Even at that, and assuming that he applied to register at his Onuibina-Igbere ward level, he is still cannot be regarded as a member of the party if the party at the ward level thinks otherwise. It is one thing to apply for membership of an organization and it is another for the members to accept the applicant as a member. There are determining factors. It is not automatic. Therefore, if the rules were bent to favour a particular applicant, there is nothing wrong if some stakeholders stage a protest. That is how Governor T.A Orji was involved. It is unacceptable to accuse the Governor of leading the stakeholders to Abuja to complain of the glaring case of violation of the PDP constitution while turning blind eye on the genuineness of the exercise. After all, what is good for the goose is also good for the gander.

Former Governor Orji Uzor Kalu should not be treated differently simply because he allegedly “donated $1 million to facilitate the take off and smooth running of PDP in 1998”. The theory of Kalu donating $1 million to the PDP has become a recurring decimal without any empirical evidence to back the claim. The figure keeps changing as his supporters defend him over it.

As for politicians who joined PDP from their former political parties. In as much as I wouldn’t speak for the likes of Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, who left the PDP to ANPP and back to PDP in 2003, Senator Nkechi Nwogu from ANPP to PDP and Vincent Ogbulafor who contested the governorship of Abia state under the then APP in 1999 before joining PDP in 2002, it is obvious that these politicians complied with the provision of the PDP constitution before they were re-admitted. They did not bulldoze their ways into the party. The party is supreme and therefore all joiners should be obedient to its rules.

What should concern every card-carrying party member in PDP or any other party for that matter is the insistence of the practice of internal democracy by its leaders. In underscoring the essence of internal party democracy, Lenin wrote “it means that all the affairs of the party are conducted, either directly or through representatives, by all members of the party, all of whom without exception have equal rights; moreover, all officials, all leading bodies, and all institutions of the party are subject to election, are responsible to their constituents, and are subject to recall”.

This postulation makes it mandatory for all; members or applicants to subject themselves to the rule of the party irrespective of their former or present status.