On Thursday, June 25, 2015, the Abia State Economic Advancement Team (ABEAT) met for over five hours with the State Governor, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu to review the administration’s economic road map and it was an interesting session.
A no-holds-barred engagement with everyone present given free latitude to critique the document and profer alternative solutions, it was a foretaste of how Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu intends to Govern Abia State.
“Every proposed action of our government will be subjected to thorough debates and impact review by our core team and implementation will only commence after all angles have been explored” were the words of the Governor.
Indeed, it was no political talk as during the review session, proposals even by the Governor himself were turned down upon superior argument being proferred on why such projects may not be immediately viable.
The Economic Advancement Team is peopled by proven technocrats who have excelled in similar assignments who all share a passion for the harnessing of the full potentials of Abia State.
Not surprisingly, the regeneration of Aba from its current squalid state to the entrepreneurial and commercial hot bed it ought to be dominated the Economic Plan and with the policies both proposed and actuated on stream, the glory days of Aba are just by the corner.
A snippet will suffice at this point.
The most important factors affecting Aba’s greatness at the moment are the state of infrastructure in the city, the apalling environmental situation and the lack of proper coordination of what Aba does.
The first appointment made by Governor Ikpeazu in line with the Economic Blueprint is the creation of the Office of Aba Urban Renewal headed by a Special Adviser to the Governor with direct responsibility for the implementation of the policies aimed at getting Aba right.
The Office of Aba Urban Renewal headed by Engr. Solomon Ogunji has already commenced work with the agressive desilting of the drains in Aba which is a basic prerequisite for sustainable roads in the city.
The Governor also awarded contract for the immediate reconstruction of seven key arterial roads within Aba which are critical to the revival of the city’s fortunes.
The refuse situation in Aba is receiving front and centre attention as a massive operation to rid the city of refuse is in progress while measures are in place for the relocation of dumpsites on the expressway which have become eyesores to both residents, visitors and passers by.
A Bill has been sent to the Abia State House of Assembly for the creation of The Abia State Standards Board to regulate finishing of goods and merchandise produced in Aba. Minimum acceptable standards will be set for all categories of goods produced in Aba to ensure that they can compete with rival goods from other climes.
An E-Mall is coming on stream to display goods produced in Aba to the world so that desirous patrons can place their orders online and have those goods delivered to any location depending on quantity ordered.
A mechanised abattoir has been approved to come on stream in Aba to replace the deplorable system currently in place for meat processing in Aba. Refrigerated tricycles have been ordered to be used in meat distribution to phase out the current unhygienic distribution method.
Every project is infused with the elements of job-creation, economic development and long-term sustenability.
Mindful of the parlours state of finances in Abia State, government is exploring credible public private partnership models in delivery of the bulk of her vision to ensure sustenability and long term private sector best practices.
To this end, government has established a Public Private Partnership Desk manned by a Special Adviser, Austin Ufomba who has been tasked with the task of exploring all PPP proposals to recommend their viability and long term effectiveness.
Another team headed by the State Deputy Governor, Ude Oko Chukwu, a Chattered Accountant and former Speaker of the State House of Assembly has the task of engaging with the Nigerian Railway Corporation to see how Abia State can best maximise the use of the Railway tracks crisscrossing the state.
Rail tracks currently pass through Omoba, Mbawsi, Ovim, Aba, Uzuakoli, Umuahia and other locations around Abia State all the way to Enugu from Port Harcourt and government believes there has to be a way Abia State can utilise these redundant tracks for the movement of people, goods and services.
The Governor has expressed his willingness to service the moribund tracks and bring in coaches that will run specifically on those tracks if an arrangement can be reached with the Nigerian Railway Corporation.
At this point, it is necessary to point out that due to current Federal structures, a lot of policies the state government would love to embark upon are within the exclusive purview of the Federal Government to regulate. Abia State does not have the resources to expend on a project which would be caught up in Federal Government bureaucracy hence the team headed by the Deputy Governor to explore concessions and permits from relevant Federal Government agencies for projects we wish to embark upon but which are regulated by the Federal Government.
The Tinapa resort in Calabar comes to mind. A beautiful project is lying fallow because the Federal agencies in charge of permits to operate such a project have withheld approval. We cannot afford such luxuries.
Every project proposal is being thoroughly x-rayed to cut out the excess fat and white-elephant trappings to ensure that the eventual outcome is of tangible socio-economic benefit to the people of Abia State.
The Economic Team currently has the Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu as Chairman and has as members, the Deputy Governor, Ude Oko Chukwu, a Chattered Accountant, the Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Eme Okoro, an Agricultural Scientist as alternate Chairman, CEO of Nextzon, Macaulay Atasie as Lead Consultant, CEO of Goodseed Group, Raymond Aliga, Head of the PPP Desk, Austin Ufomba, a Harvard Alumni with years of experience with Diageo UK and Nigeria, Head of Office of Aba Urban Renewal, Engr. Solomon Ogunji, Economic Adviser to the Governor, Obinna Oriaku, a Senior Manager with First Bank of Nigeria on secondment to the Abia State Government, the State Accountant – General, Gabriel Onyendilefu and several other tested technocrats.
At the moment, the monthly internally generated revenue profile of the State stands at an average of N350 Million. The immediate task of the Economic Team is to raise the IGR to N1.5 Billion within the next one year with less emphasis on new taxes and all the energy channelled towards plugging existing avenues of leakages.
In furtherance of the leakage plugging agenda, the government has commenced an Integrated Payroll Verification System aimed at checking the menace of Ghost workers in Abia State.
All tax collection has been ordered stopped with the exception of the Passenger Integrated Insurance Manifest Tax for long distance road travellers and the Infrastructure Development Levy until the system of collection of taxes is automated and harmonised.
The state is implementing a Strategic Communications Masterplan which de-emphasises the Governor and seeks citizen buy-in of Government policies and projects so that the citizens will be the ones spreading the news of what government is doing.
To this end, the State-owned Media Organisations are to be opened up for private sector professional management with minimal input from government and at no cost to the government.
As we progress, more information will be made available.
All PPP enquiries can be made to Austin Ufomba, our Head, PPP Desk who is available for interface with desirous investors. He can be reached on phone number 08039600048.
Abia is open for business. Are you ready?
Sam Hart is a Member of the Abia State Economic Advancement Team (ABEAT) and can be reached on hartng@gmail.com.
The post Sam Hart: Abia Is Open For Business And Enquiries Are Welcome appeared first on Ekekeee.