Governor Theodore Orji vows to get rid of the remaining kidnappers in Abia State.

Earlier today, Abia State Governor  Theodore Orji pledged to rid the state of kidnappers.

According to a report in the LEADERSHIP papers, His Excellency also expressed optimism that the state would not return to ”the dark days of kidnapping”, given the number of military formations established in different parts of the state.

He made the promise in Umuahia while receiving five Toyota Hilux vans donated to the state by Diamond Bank Plc to assist the government in the fight against crime.

EFCC Press Release-EFCC Arrests 20 Internet Fraudsters

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has arrested twenty suspected internet fraudsters. The arrest which was carried out in a joint operation with officers of the 4 Brigade of the Nigerian Army, Benin, followed intelligence report on their activities. They were nabbed in a surprise raid on their Cyber office tucked in an old building located on Siluko Road, Benin City.

At the point of arrest, the fraudsters had in their possession forty five (45) laptops of different make, twenty eight (28) telephone sets, eight (8) internet mobile modems and one Nissan car with registration number USL 375 AG.

The suspected fraudsters who are mostly in their twenties includes: Idehen Obabueki, Adesa Lucky, Usuagu Uche, Eloghosa Olikiabor, Larry Edomwonyi, Amowie Maike, Francis Ezegbede, Itua Samuel and Endurance John Egbeifo. Others are Amego Ovenseri, Iyen Ighodaro, Philip Agbodori, Lucky Robinson, Nnadi Obinna, Osabuohien Osahon, Chinenu Eze, Peter Sunday, Solomon Ogu, Niyi Femi and Osagie Aghedo.

The suspects have made useful statements. Most of them confessed to be engaged in online dating of foreigners particularly widows. They also confessed to using different pseudo names and faces to deceive their prospective victims. They will be charged to court as soon as investigation is concluded.

Wilson Uwujaren
Ag. Head, Media & Publicity

Nigerian Army Reshuffles, Appoints 4 GOCs, Redeploy Others

The Nigerian Army, Saturday night, released a list of new postings affecting the ranks of lieutenant-colonel to major-general. The postings also affected four General Officers Commanding (GOCs) while only the GOC 1 Division, Kaduna, Major-General Abdul Wahab, was unaffected as he retained his position.

Not unaffected in the reorganisation are Principal officers at the army headquarters.

The new postings saw Major-General A. T. Jubrin, a former Director, Military Intelligence, appointed as GOC 2 Division, while General E. B. Awala, former commander, Armoured Corps, Bauchi, was appointed GOC 3 Armoured Division.

Major-General A. A. Olaniyi,  former commander, Engineering was appointed GOC 82 Division, while Major-General Obi Umahi, former brigade commander, Benin City, became  the new GOC 81 Division.

The former GOC 2 Division, Major-General M. D. Abubakar, was transfered to Army Headquarters as Chief of Administration; former GOC 82 Division Major-General Olayinka Osinowo proceeded on retirement, while the GOC 81 Division, Major-General Kenneth Minimah, was appointed Commander Infantry Corp, Jaji.

Also, the former GOC 3 Armoured Division, Major-General Jack Nwaogbo, moved to the army headquarters as Chief of Training and Operation (CTOP).

Former Director, Army Public Relations, Major-General Mobolaji Koleoso, became the chief of military-civil relationship; Major-General Bitrus Kwaji became Managing Director, Nigerian Army Holdings Ltd; Major-General Lawrence Ngubane moved to Defence Headquarters as CTOP, while Major-General T. J. Isang became the Chief of Standard and Evaluation (CASE), among others.

U.S. New Secretary Of State Good For Africa - American Relations

he nomination of Sen. John Kerry as the new U.S. Secretary of State signifies good relations between Africa-Americans, U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton has said.

Clinton, who was speaking during interrogation before the Senate Foreign relations Committee, said this relationship has been growing stronger in the years following Kerry's role as Chairman during the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in 2004.

Kerry, as the chairman of the party, gave President Barack Obama, who then was Illinois State Senator, an opportunity to deliver the keynote address at the convention, a speech that launched Obama into national fame.

``The speech became the first time an African-American was given opportunity to deliver a keynote address at the DNC,''
Clinton said, in media reports monitored by the North America Correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

``The speech became an opportunity that Obama effectively used to launch himself into political limelight with a remarkable presentation.''

Bafana, Cape Verde Through To Q/Finals

Two stunning goals, from May Mahlangu and Siyabonga Sangweni, saw Bafana Bafana twice fight back from a goal down  to draw against Morocco in a drama-filled cracker of a game at Moses Mabhida Stadium, and send the host nation to the quarterfinals of the Africa Nations Cup.

It was a tense affair as the other game in Group A was also a see-saw affair as Angola went 1-0 ahead, before Cape Verde equalised and eventually won.

The two results mean Bafana top the group on a better goal difference than Cape Verde who also finished on five points and Morocco crash out spectacularly.

Just before kick-off there was some rain that fell on the Moses Mabida pitch, making the surface a lot greasier than when Bafana Bafana played Angola at the same venue a few days earlier.

Two minutes into the game Morocco’s Youssef Kaddioui had a strike from range when the ball spun out to him following a corner kick. But his shot went wide of goal.

Then, in the fourth minute Khune made a fantastic save on the edge of his area as he sped forward to close down Youssef Al Arabi before he could get a clear shot on goal.

Dean Furman made a great tackle inside his own penalty area in the 8th minute as he slid in to stop a square ball finding one of the Moroccan strikers.

But from the resultant corner kick Morocco scored. The corner was swung in and Issam El Adoua rose highest to head in under the crossbar as Khune was caught in no man’s land, having come out but not made contact with the ball.

In the 36th minute Tokelo Rantie showed incredible pace to burst through on the counter attack, but was tackled and Bafana won a corner. They could not make the most of it, but the signs were showing that the home side were more settled on the ball.

In the 45th minute Bafana were caught on the counter attack and Chafni beat the offside trap to run through one on one with Khune. But the keeper had come out a long way and made a fantastic tackle to avert the danger.

Thulani Serero was brought on as an early substitution, replacing Mphela in the 51st minute.

Two minutes later Phala let rip with a curling free kick, which was going top corner, but the Moroccan goalkeeper, Nadir Lamyaghri made a top draw save.

FG Asks Ezekwesili To Account For N458bn

The federal government yesterday accused former minister of education and former World Bank group for Africa vice president, Mrs. Obiageli Ezekwesili, of misappropriating a total of N458billion allocated to the country’s educational sector when she served as minister between 2006 and 2007.

It also described as factually incorrect Ezekwesili’s claim  that late President Umar Musa Yar’adua and President Goodluck Jonathan squandered $67 billion in reserves, comprising $45 billion in the external reserves and $22 billion in the Excess Crude Account left by former President Olusegun Obasanjo at the end of May 2007.

But speaking through minister of information, Mr. Labaran Maku, government argued that Ezekwesili’s made no single reference of what she did during her stay in office in such sectors.

Noting that her statements were rather self indicting, Maku said, “We also found Mrs. Ezekwesili’s interrogation of the educational system somewhat disingenuous and borderline hypocritical. During her tenure as minister of education between 2006 and 2007, she collected a total of N352.3 billion from direct budgetary releases.

“In addition, she received about N65.8 billion under the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) fund, and over N40 billion from the Education Trust Fund (ETF). In view of these humongous allocations, a few legitimate questions arise: what did she do with all these allocations? What impact did it have on the education sector? One wonders if our educational system would have been better today if these allocations were properly applied.”

According to Maku, Ezekwesili’s alleged claims during UNN’s convocation ceremony on January 24, 2013 “betray a surprisingly limited understanding of government finances.”

He said, “These statements are even more curious in the light of the fact that she has held senior positions in government, and, more recently, a position as a vice president of the World Bank. However, rather than speculate about her motives, we would focus on the facts.”

Maku further stated that the government did not intend to take her to court “but we will only explain and leave her in the court of public judgement.”

Clarifying the allegation of Ezekwesili while speaking to State House Correspondents, the minister said, “At the end of May 2007, Nigeria’s gross reserves stood at $43.13 billion - comprising the CBN’s external reserves of $31.5 billion, $9.43 billion in the Excess Crude Account and $2.18 billion in the federal government’s savings. These figures can be independently verified from the CBN’s records. The figure of $67 billion alleged in her statement is therefore clearly fictitious.

“However, since President Obasanjo left office, the reserves have experienced fluctuations, rising from $43.13 billion in May 2007, peaking at $62 billion in September 2008 during the Yar’Adua/Jonathan administration when oil prices peaked at $147 per barrel, and falling subsequently to a low of $31.7 in September 2011.

“This fall in reserves was a result of the vicissitudes of the global financial crisis which caused CBN interventions in the currency market to defend the value of the naira. The Excess Crude savings, a component of the reserves, was also used to stimulate the economy at the height of the global financial crisis to the tune of about $1 billion (or 0.5 percent of our 2009 GDP).”

This move, he said, ensured that Nigeria was one of the few countries in the world that did not seek assistance from international financial institutions. He also remarked that the fiscal stimulus used to shore up the economy during that period was shared by all three tiers of government, including commitments of about $5.5 billion made under the Obasanjo administration for power projects.

“No one disputes that Nigeria still faces challenges, most of which were built up over a long time,” the minister further stated,  “but we need to acknowledge the significant achievements of this administration in the aftermath of difficult but necessary macroeconomic and structural reforms being implemented in the country.

The minister went on to name some the achievements of the Jonathan government on the economic front, some of which have attracted international recognition.

 “This administration,” he said, “has restored macroeconomic stability against the backdrop of global economic uncertainty, slow growth in the United States and high unemployment and unsustainable debt in Europe. In the first three quarters of 2012, Nigeria’s economy grew by about 6.4 percent and is set to continue at a similar pace in 2013 according to independent forecasts. We have reduced our fiscal deficit to only 2.17 percent of GDP in the 2013 budget, while rebalancing our spending in favour of capital expenditure.

“These achievements have already received strong endorsement from international ratings agencies. At a time when many advanced and emerging markets are being downgraded, Fitch and S&P have upgraded our sovereign credit ratings. The inclusion of Nigeria’s sovereign bonds in the emerging market bond indices of JP Morgan and Barclays also testifies to the growing confidence of the international investment community in our economy.”

Maku also listed commencement of rail transport from Lagos to Kano, improved electricity supply, rehabilitation of road and aviation infrastructure and improvement in agriculture value-chain, where new jobs are being created every day, in addition to providing enabling environment for the private sector to create jobs for the youth as some of the good work done by the Jonathan.

Govt Should Respond To Demand For Accountability– Ezekwesili

But Ezekwesili has faulted the allegation of the federal government in response to her speech at the UNN convocation ceremony, saying that what she was advocating was the need for the government at the centre to give accountability over its spending from the foreign reserve and excess crude account.

The ex-minister stated this during a telephone interview with one of our correspondents while responding to Maku’s claim.

She stated that she would not be deterred from calling for accountability as it was her inalienable right to demand good governance.

She said, “I refuse to be distracted; because what I am saying in my speech is that the federal government should respond to my demand for accountability over its spending from the Excess Crude Account and foreign reserve.

“I am not in government and I have the inalienable right to demand accountability. People should read my speech and see the larger message in it.”

SEC Approves Imo’s Application On N18.5bn Balance of Bond Proceeds

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has approved an application by the Imo state government to change the use of the N18. 5 billion bond proceeds floated by the former governor of the state, Mr Ikedi Ohakim.

While disclosing this with journalists in Owerri the Imo state capital, the state’s Commissioner for Finance, Mr Chike Okafor said the approval followed the consent of all the bond subscribers and trustees at a meeting held in Lagos last year.

He added that the Okorocha led administration had earlier applied to SEC to redirect the balance of the proceeds to the “construction of 27 modern general hospitals in each of the 27 local government areas of the state as well as the construction of the 305 modern primary and secondary schools in all the 305 wards in Imo State.”

Speaking on other plans for state’s economy for 2013, the Commissioner claimed that the Okorocha led administration is planning to make industrialization a key to the economy of the state in order to increase the state’s internal generated revenue.

This he claimed will enable the state government to deliver the dividends of its campaign promises.

Source;channels television

Orji Kalu Is Parading Fake Membership Card — Abia State PDP Chairman

Senator Emma Nwaka is the chairman of the Abia State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). In this interview with James Ume, he sheds light on Orji Kalu’s ‘return’ to the party, the achievements of the Governor T A Orji-led administration in the state. Nwaka specifically declared that the former governor of the state is parading a fake membership card.

Please take us inside your chairmanship journey so far.

 

Thank you very much. I came in at a time that the major stakeholders of the party were like working at cross purposes. They needed a leadership that was acceptable to everyone. When my name cropped up, I found general acceptance from General Ike Nwachukwu, Governor Theodore Orji, Chief Onyema Ugochukwu, Senator Abaribe, among others. Since I came on board, my major concern has been to make sure that I do not let them down. My major concern was how to bring everybody together, and give them assurance that I will be fair-minded in dealing with every person. My mantra is establishing a level playing field for everybody. To a large extent, we have succeeded in doing that. One thing the leadership here has done is to gain the confidence of every person. If at the end of the day, one loses out in a political contest, it is not that the party shows favour to any person. Here we do not emphasise money which is what has been causing problems in many political parties. I am not into money politics because I’m contented. One thing that is important in life is to respect oneself if one wants others to respect one. That is one of the things helping us here.

As the PDP chairman, how have you been able to insulate the governor and the government from the regular politicking?

I did not insulate anyone. We have a wonderful man as the governor of Abia State. In the PDP hierarchy, even at the national level, there is the President as the leader of the party. There is also the chairman of the party who runs the party’s administration on the day-to-day basis. We need the cooperation of the governor. In this state, we have a governor who is disposed to working with every person. Although he is doing his last term, he works like a man who wants to do another term. The political heavyweights in Abia are pleased with him. We have realised that for the party to replicate its giant strides in the 2015 general elections, we need to maintain the momentum. What is working for us here is that we have a governor who has respect for all and sundry. He is not into this divide-and-rule thing. In some states, the bone of contention is who will succeed who. But here, the governor is maintaining an open mind. I see a situation whereby the person who succeeds the governor is the person whom various interests want. For sure, we want the best for Abia State. We don’t want charlatans here anymore. We don’t want somebody who will make Abia State a pariah state, which is what it was under Governor Orji Uzor Kalu. We don’t also want a governor who spends half of his time abusing everybody in Nigeria. Orji Kalu then would abuse Obasanjo in the morning, in the evening he would abuse another person.

In another morning, he would invite traditional rulers to plead on his behalf. That is the time a governor ought to use to attract projects to his state. Under this leadership, we enjoy a situation where the state is working in harmony with the federal government. A proof of this is the fact that people from Abia State are occupying very important positions in the federal government. It wasn’t so under Governor Kalu. For your information, I’m a close pal of Governor Kalu. In 2003 when he wanted to run for second term, (I’m from Isukwuato) we needed to embark on a campaign tour to the area. I told him there was nothing to show in Isukwuato as to the successes of the government for four years. He asked me what could be done. I told him of a road, which is so dear to our people. The road is Nunya road. When he came to campaign, there was nothing to commission.  So the day he came to campaign was the day he did the ground breaking ceremony for that road. But, under Governor T.A. Orji, there is no local government that has no state government presence.

Can we say that you joined Governor Kalu to deceive your people?

No. He was the chief executive, I was just complaining.

Did Governor Kalu complete that project?

Governor Kalu eventually did not complete that project. It is Governor TA Orji who finished the project. His failures made me leave him. I’m a lawyer and had to go back to my private practice.

Former Governor Kalu left the PDP and formed another party. Along the line he wants to come back to the PDP. What is your stance?

What is new that he is bringing to the party? He couldn’t run his party. He ran it aground. He had Imo and Abia states sometime, and lost both within the first term. Doesn’t it tell you something about Kalu? Orji Kalu is not a good politician, but a good business man, perhaps. I will ask him to concentrate on his business. He has ran a party, won two states; instead of maintaining the tempo, he is now running back to the party he left. And all he has to show for his failures is celebrating that he has been accepted into the PDP.

Has he been accepted?

Who said so? It tells you something about his person. We are becoming very wary of him. The fears expressed by some elders of the party are now justified. In fact, God has a way of doing His things. Sometime ago, the PDP chairmen of Igbere Ward A (Orji’s ward) and Ward B, returned the wards register of the party to the LG party chairman and said they had resigned from the PDP. Subsequently Orji Kalu invited them for a meeting; that was on the 10th of January; only for us to hear that on the 17th or thereabouts that the same people who resigned their membership of the party have readmitted Orji Uzo Kalu into the party. They are no longer members of the party. On what capacity did they do that? As the state chairman of the party, I issue out cards to registerd members. In every ward, we assign unique numbers to every ward, accordingly. The card Orji Uzo Kalu is parading doesn’t fall into the register we gave to Igbere Ward A, not even Igbere Ward B. He granted an interview in the Sun where he quoted his number. Our book of ‘life’ in the state PDP is the membership register. Any person can carry a card, but if your name is not in the register, you are not part of us. In sum, Orji Uzor Kalu is not a member of our party. In fact, if you know him, he won’t like to end his politics in Igbere wards A and B. One day, he will come to me and I will ask him where he got the card he is parading.

From the picture you painted, a crime has been committed already. How did he get the card?

See the interview he granted the Sun, you will see the number he quoted. Check our register whether you can find the number he quoted. The local government chairman where Orji Uzo Kalu comes from was at my recent press conference. He brought out the register, and you discover that the number doesn’t fall into that category. People print naira and dollars; he could have done same.

Why don’t you want Orji Uzor Kalu back to the party?  Is that not an infringement on his freedom of association?

Freedom of association is not the same thing as imposition. When you look at the party’s constitution, it says the ward executive can even refuse any person membership of the party based on what they know about the person. The stakeholders of the party in Abia State say from what they know about Orji Kalu, if he comes in, there will be trouble. And there is already trouble. You can see him abusing the state governor. That’s a man who wants to be a member. He is already saying the state governor will come for social justice and all that. He also says he wants to reclaim the party, instead of leaving it to ‘madmen’. Who are you calling madmen? The bifurcation in the party all this while was because of Orji Uzor Kalu.

Reasonable men like Tony Ukasanya, Ojo Maduekwe, Onyema Ugochukwu and many more said they couldn’t work under this person. We started knowing them as Abuja politicians. Then he had a free hand here. Abia paid dearly for it. Take a tour of Abia State and look for any iconic landmark that Orji Uzor Kalu left behind. He had eight years and it is just now that we are building the state secretariat and a conference centre; we are now doing those basic things that we require to show that we are a state. When the minister for information said he was coming, we were very happy because we had much to display. The minister couldn’t even see one quarter of what we are doing in Abia State. Within two years of TA Orji under the PDP, he has done much. I do not bother him as state’s party chairman. I do not say there is money, let’s share. We know that the only way I can move this party forward and redo what I did in 2011 is for him to work for the people. Then I can boast of what he did and ask the electorate to give us another chance; and that we shall improve on what he has done. This is unlike before when the issue was always ‘bring and let’s share’. Things have changed. We now consult. It is no more a situation where mother and child will sit down somewhere and take a decision, and say that is the decision of the party. We just had a meeting with all the stakeholders to brainstorm. Here I disburse money through vouchers. We have a bank account. To audit the account is the easiest thing to do. We have a picture of how the party funds are expended. That is why we have peace here. I don’t interfere with the state funds. Ask anybody. That is how I run my family.

What are the activities you are lining up for proper electioneering, which will soon start?

 We are not talking about the election yet. Our focus is to deliver the democracy dividends to the people. With that, it will be very easy for us to replicate our performance in the 2011 general elections. Right now, we want to embark on the tour of the LGAs to see their strength and know how we can make them better.

Give us a highlight of most of the projects handled by the current administration in the state?

This administration will be two years in May 2013.  If you look at TA Orji’s achievements under these years, compared to the eight years we had under Governor Kalu, we have so much to celebrate. Under the PPA, he didn’t do anything. They won’t allow him. He accepted it. These days, you don’t become anything here because you are taken to one shrine or the other. The governor assesses whoever is qualified for a position and gives to the person. You don’t pay allegiance. One thing about bribery is that once you collect money from someone, you become the person’s slave. You can’t caution the person even when he is going wrong. It doesn’t happen anymore in Abia State. We have a situation now where all the leagues in the state sit down and iron out issues. It is not a family monopoly anymore.

It is an achievement. Again there is security. Governor TA Orji has been celebrated all over the world for what he did to achieve security in Abia State. Otherwise no one would have been here. The chief of army staff commended the governor recently on his strides. Again the governor is accessible to any security man all the time. That is why we have peace. Hitherto contractors don’t go to site because of kidnappers. It is now over. When people will celebrate TA Orji is after he has left office. He has given Umuahia a facelift. Umuahia was looking like a local government headquarters before. Plans are underway to get Shoprite here. People often go to the old Umuahia and say nothing has happened in Abia. They refuse to go to the area where we have the Central Bank of Nigeria to see the secretariat we are doing. It is called Ogwurube Layout. This is just two years under the PDP government. This is also seen in every local government. Before now, because the governor was quarrelling with the hierarchy in Abuja, we didn’t have a representative in the Niger Delta Development Commission, but now we have. It is attracting a lot of projects to this area because we belong to the NDDC. Hitherto about 42 oil wells belonging to Abia State were given to Rivers State. Today the wells are back in Abia state column.

Under TA Orji, we have tranquillity returned to the state. Tell us the wrought this government inherited from the previous administration?

We had a state of insecurity and a pariah status where people feared to say they were from Abia State. Today, every person feels proud to say they are from Abia. In appointments at the national level, it is a different ball game. Under Orji Kalu, it was hard to get the military here to restore peace. Also the shakers and movers of society now sit under one umbrella to plan the way forward for the state. Like it is said, two heads are better than one.

Do you foresee the return of Orji Kalu to the PDP?

If he wants to come back, it should not be through the window. Again what is he going to add to the party? But this is a man who found a party and couldn’t run it. It died in his hands. His party won two states and lost them. He ran for a senatorial seat and lost it. In his recent interview in the Sun, he is abusing everybody. He assumes he has the magic wand. His aspiration is to become the president of Nigeria. Some day he will say he is out of politics; another time he is running in his village to rejoin a party he had left. If he has a card, its validity ends in Igbere.

What is your relationship with the national leadership of the party?

It is very cordial. As their point man here, I have not failed them. Ask Olisa Metu. I went to the Senate at 32 under Babangida. I trust my capacity to lead the state chapter of the party. And that I have been doing so very well and they are proud of our achievements in the state.

We have many political sub-camps in Abia State. The real politicking will soon start. Do you think these camps won’t conflict under your leadership?

I look up to God for everything I do. I do not have any fear. We are dealing with responsible people in Abia. I look forward to having consensus candidates. It may not be very perfect.

source;leadership

Raising The Stakes In 2013/By T.A. Orji

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

Derivation - How Oil States Shared N2.7 Trillion in 12 Years

The nine oil producing states have received a total N2.68 trillion as derivation funds in the past 12 years, official records available to Daily Trust have shown.

Based on provisions of the Constitution, states are entitled to 13 per cent of revenues derived from minerals exploited within their borders. As well as receiving the derivation fund on oil produced on their lands, littoral oil states also get the same percentage from oil derived within a certain distance offshore.

The oil states include the six South-South states of Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Delta, Cross Rivers, Bayelsa and Edo, as well as the two South East states of Imo and Abia, and the South-West state of Ondo.

Government records show that from May 1999 to December 2011, the nine states collectively received N2.68 trillion as 13 percent mineral revenue derivation.

The records show that out of this amount, the six South-South states with a combined population of 21.04 million got N2.466 trillion. Their population figure amounts to 15.13 per cent of the total Nigeria's population based on the 2006 Census records.

Rivers State has the largest chunk of the derivation funds with N777 billion, followed by Akwa Ibom with N575 billion, Delta N547 billion, Bayelsa N506 billion, Cross River N36.3 billion and Edo N23.1 billion.

The three oil-producing states outside the South-South region with a total population of 10.1 million got N214 billion within the period. The states are Ondo N134.4 billion, Imo N44.6 billion and Abia N36.2 billion.

Comparatively, findings show that the 19 northern states with total population of 73.8 million (53.13 per cent of Nigeria's population) got N1.5 million as mineral revenue derivation within the same period.

The six states of the North-Central got N1.09 million, which is the highest by any region in the North. These were shared as follows: Plateau N534,188; Nasarawa N363,486; Niger N69,430; Kogi N44,925; Benue N32,672; and Kwara N53,093.

For their part, the six North-East states got N311,000, shared as follows: Bauchi N130,691; Taraba N12,252; Adamawa N16, 336; Gombe N144, 355; while Borno and Yobe states got N4,084 each.