Abia - Challenges of Delivering Democracy Dividends

Daily Independent (Lagos)

Abia - Challenges of Delivering Democracy Dividend

analysis

Umuahia — When Governor Theodore Orji defected from the Progressive Peoples Alliance, the platform upon which he won election in 2007, many saw the action as overkill. This was especially against the backdrop of what was seen as the effort of his predecessor and mentor, Orji Uzor Kalu, in actualising the dream. The governor had however listed disturbing trends that saw him taking the step. He had, for instance, alleged interference in administering the state as well as incessant monetary demand from unnamed sources, among the factors working against the growth and development of the state.

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Remarkably, a recap of the poor state of affairs in the state before the governor's defection was made during a breakfast meeting for Newsmen and Desk Officers put together by the United Nations Children's Fund and Radio Nigeria, Enugu National Station, recently.

Speakers at the forum painted pictures of how Abia was one of the two states gradually yielding to the devastating HIV/AIDS pandemic. They harped on the dangers of relapse and agony of People Living With the Virus (PLWV), majority of them unaware of their status.

The release of the figures for the 2010 National Survey on the virus set aside Benue and Abia as the worse hit. Many saw the expose as a soul searching exercise that brought to the fore the lamentations of Orji concerning governance and delivery of democracy dividends in the 17 Local Government Areas of the state before his tenure ends.

He thus vowed to make a change. With almost 163 out of the 200 health centres scattered across the 17 Local Government Areas, drilling of boreholes, employment of medical personnel and the procurement and distribution of drugs and transportation to the health centres, the administration is seen by its supporters to be on course in delivering on its promises. There is also the renovation and refurbishing of the General Hospitals in the area as well as the establishment of two diagnostic and specialist hospitals in Umuahia and Aba, the commercial cities of the area.

In the area of community development, the government has distributed not less than 1000 transformers to the rural areas to connect to the national grid, a programme intended to reduce urban/rural migration as well as encourage the people to take their destinies into their hands.

24 June 2011