I Have Run A Promise-fulfilling Administration

… Gov. Orji

Governor Theodre Orji of Abia State will soon be rounding off his two-term tenure as the helmsman of the state. But he seems not done with governance as he is currently gunning to become the Senator for Abia Central zone of Abia State. He recently kicked off his campaign for the impending polls in Umuahia at which he spoke to media men among whom was Uzo Chikere. Excerpts:

Your Excellency sir, how do you feel about the kick-off of your senatorial election campaign?

I feel very happy and I have a lot of confidence in me. I am happy that the situation has not changed. The situation is that my party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) is still in charge; it is deep-rooted in Abia, it has not changed and it will not change because the people have confidence in our ability and the ability of the PDP to deliver and keep to promises.

 The people are also happy about what the PDP government has done in Abia State in terms of uniting the state, refocusing it and by ensuring that the people of Abia can speak with one voice, move collectively and pursue a goal.

The people are happy in terms of this issue of equity-based government that supports the idea that government should move round and ensure that every zone has a feel of government so the people are happy for it. That is why when we kicked off the campaign; there was a massive turnout especially when the president came here, we had that at the Umuahia Central Stadium. And for that of my own ambition, we have done it for Abia North, we are moving to Abia South.

As a potential senator for Abia Central what is your pledge to the people of the senatorial zone?

For sure, I will represent the Abia Central Senatorial Zone well, not only in terms of speaking for their voice to be heard but in terms of attracting projects because you go to the Senate to speak and also make connections.

I have colleagues there, our former colleagues are there and we are still friends, some of my colleagues who are the incumbent governors are going to be in the Senate also, so it is going to be a network and I believe that they are going to have positions of authority from where they are going to assist.

 If you see your colleagues in a position that you can benefit from and which can benefit your people, it will be easier for you, so that is the connection that I want to build for the benefit of my primary constituency which is Abia Central, for the benefit of Abia State as a whole, the benefit of Ndigbo and Nigeria in general.

Having been in charge of Abia for the past seven and half years, are there lessons that you may want those coming behind you in governance to learn?

Yes, a lot of lessons , I am a typical example of learning, a person who has followed how I emerged up till now should be in position to learn a lot from me. One of the lessons is perseverance, you have to persevere in governance but don’t be intimidated, try to be yourself. Do those things that you know that you will be remembered for because everything is on your table, be focused, be determined and make sure that first and foremost, the unity that has been achieved in Abia is not truncated, it is very important because it is that unity that has provided the enabling environment in the state.

You heard Mr. Ojo Maduekwe said recently in Ohafia, that this issue of moving governance from Abia North to the south was what he came up with in 2007 but it wasn’t possible because the environment was not conducive.

At that time, there were people in Abuja who were singing different tunes, some people were in Lagos; there were Abuja politicians, Lagos politicians, Washington politicians and Abia politicians, but today there is harmony and because the environment has been provided, it is easy to realize unity.

The man we brought out (Dr Okezie Ikpeazu) is a result of consensus, first, it was the elders who endorsed him before the others came, so he has to learn about this issue of inclusive government, a government where every person will be a participant, this is very, very essential. These are the intangible things that are necessary for the tangible things to happen.

When there is unity and an inclusive government, when there is no unnecessary intrusion in your government, you make sure that you are in charge and carry the people along, other things will follow, and development will come.

Ikpeazu will work and we believe that the economy will improve and when the economy improves he will do very well.

You are the Chairman of South East Governors Forum, Chairman of PDP’s caucus in the South East and presidential campaign coordinator for the zone, how have you been able to cope with all these and what are the challenges?

Even though it has not been easy, it is a responsibility of trust. Those who gave me this responsibility trust me and they know that I can do it very well, therefore, I have to do everything possible to make sure that the trust is not betrayed. That it is the force that has been pushing me, being the Chairman, Governors Forum is not easy; to pilot the affair and then carry your colleagues, your peers along is not easy but we are moving on very well.

Presidential campaign in the whole of South East is also not easy especially within this period that there are some squabbles in the party; it is not easy to galvanize, reconcile and make sure that you move together; all these responsibilities are there and we are trying as much as we can to cope. We deny ourselves certain things, we have not been sleeping, so this time around, we don’t sleep at all, we don’t rest, we go from place to place, from one place to the other, from one meeting to the other and at times, it involves you staying outside your location, so you endure a lot of inconveniences to achieve positive results. It requires commitment and sacrifice that is what I have signed to do so there is no going back.

When the responsibilities come I take them on and ensure that I maintain the confidence of the people and the confidence of those who gave it to me because if they don’t have the confidence in me, they will not give it to me. So I am happy about it and I assure every person that I will not disappoint.

Your story and that of the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Umuahia surely inspires. Why did you decide to build that church in school environment or is there any message that you want to pass across?

Very serious message, I could have decided to build that church anywhere. I didn’t build it for people to eulogize me, no, if you read the history of that church, you will understand what I mean. When I was about to contest the governorship election in 2007, I said, it is God that I know that I won’t go to any other place, instead I would seek the face of God, He is the one who would lead me to success, and I started looking for Rev Fr. Ukah, the man in charge of that place.

One evening that I went there to see him, I saw him and some few students in a classroom using students chairs and I asked him, ‘Father what are you doing?’ He said that was their worship place; and it touched me, after a while, the man prayed for me and I left, that was when I made that decision that if I become a governor, I will build a church for the school.

I know that I was not building the church for Fr Ukah, I am building it for the university community, there are a lot of souls there to be won; that university has a massive population, you know that very well, so if you build such there, you gain many things, apart from the gain that you get from God, he will recognize what you have done permanently.

Those students will also not forget you, they will always remember that this man who built a church for them has the heart of gold, when it comes to canvassing for voters or saying, do this for me or do that for me, they will always remember you in prayer so that you will not have any difficulty.

Moreover, that church will enhance the aesthetics of that university environment, Secondly, the Bishop is my classmate, I said it in the church, I thought about it that if I build a church in that place, it is also a way to enable the bishop in the job of expanding his coast. As the catholic Bishop of Umuahia Diocese, he will count it as one of his achievements as the Bishop, and that the achievement is coming from his classmate so I had all these things in mind when I was doing that; when the bishop was preaching, the passion and joy in him were noticeable that his classmate was able to do that now that he is the bishop and now that I am the governor.

It will be indelible in his mind, in my own mind and in the minds of those students, the entire community and the villagers who will also be coming there to worship God. And it will be indelible in heaven.

What is your message to Abians and Nigerians as we go into the general elections?

My message to Abians is the same message that I have been giving to them; let them be steadfast and exhibit the same confidence that they have in this government of PDP that is in charge of Abia. Let them not relent because the governor has not disappointed them and will not disappoint them.

 This is a promise- keeping government; let them vote for the PDP all the way; I am sure that the next governor of PDP stock, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu will take us from where I have stopped, if there is anywhere that I had made any mistake, he should correct it, he is also to make his own impact in Abia and coming from the south, the Aba which every person is talking about now becomes his responsibility to go and fix the place from where I stopped.

 He will fix the place very well to the admiration of every person. I am confident that he will do it because the man is a grassroots person, he has been with us all long, he is not from Diaspora he has been a local government chairman, his character is known, and he is not an intruder like others. Let Abians support him and support the PDP government.

To Nigerians as a whole, well this is a critical moment in the lives of all Nigerians. We want the unity of this country, it is paramount. We want the development of this country which is also paramount and we know the character of every person who is contesting whatever he is contesting. For us here in Abia, we have made our decision, the person that we have seen, who has called us somebody; who has listened to us; who we are sure that if he wins, he will finish what he has promised us, is the person that we are following, and are calling on Nigerians to vote wisely and voting wisely means voting for Jonathan.

We don’t hide it here that is where we belong, we believe the man (Jonathan) has done well, this is not the period of experimentation, and he has done well in terms of providing infrastructure and confidence for the Igbo. We have trust in him that he will not disappoint us, that he will not kill us or kick us harshly. He has made promises to us and given the second chance he will fulfill the