Has Elechi fared well? On assumption of office in 2007, Governor Martin Elechi reeled out his focal points anchored on a trip of Civil Service Reform, attitudinal Change and infrastructural development. Ever since he assumed office, Ebonyi people are still moping and waiting anxiously for the practical realization of the sweet songs of his tripartite agenda. Though welcomed as the only priority of the young salt of the nation, the vision is still a mirage. On attitudinal change, Elechi has implored “point and kill” as being dictated by his few political buccaneers to punish perceived enemies. This was critics have accused Elechi of high handedness, which he has not rebutted. This laudable dream instead of being used as an instrument of value re-orientation, especially in the public sector, it was rather used to cover government inadequacies by continually in a bid to stand unchallenged. The bulk of the crux of the people was the massive projects embarked upon by Elechi’s administration, which are still burdening the minds of the people that the huge of amount of money dunk in the projects may become a waste since; it is obvious that the projects will not be completed. Even as none of the projects targeted with the 2010 Bond of N16.5 billion, Elechi has again approached the Capital Market for another bond Of N15 billion which is currently brewing crisis and overheating the polity in the state. Many people have questioned the rationale behind borrowing at the twilight of Elechi’s administration even when the previous one has not been adequately accounted for. Elechi had said that the bond was to help complete the existing projects in the state and repayment of existing bond facility. They contended that since the governor said that government is continuity, he should allowed those projects he thinks he can not finish for another administration to complete, whether they chose to complete them with another bond issuance. It is left for them since the will stay in office till it is repaid. Not borrowing money that will be repaid in the next seven years. Opinion in some quarters had it that Elechi has burdened the state with debt which the next administration would battle with for 88 months, if the recent bond scales through. The bond is now subject of political controversy, even within the PDP fold. Members of Ebonyi state House of assembly has openly petitioned President Goodluck Jonathan to withdraw his assent on the proposed Bond because of the inability of the Governor to brief the lawmakers on the utilization and implementation of the first Bond, which was targeted for the same projects, for which the second one is expected to finance. In a letter signed by the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Chukwuma Nwazunku, the lawmakers noted that they have not been briefed on the outcome of the first bond, worst of which was that the projects meant for the money may not be completed in the next one year. But judging from the melodrama shortly after the proposal was read for consideration by the Leader of the House, Hon. Sam Nwali, as the Minority Leader and member representing Ezza North West, Hon Enyi C Enyi stage a walk out, it therefore means that not every members of the house was in support of the approval. Enyi, who was shock that his colleagues would approve the proposal, had opposed the vote of confidence on Elechi for being timely and unripe since he has not completed any of the projects he embarked upon since assumption of office in 2007. He said my brother, I had to walk out after all attempts to dissuade other members of the house not to consider the proposal. What is the reason in approaching the capital market for another bond of N15 billion, just in September 2010, the State Governor Chief Elechi approached the capital market and collected N16.5billion which he said would be used for the construction of various projects in the State. Today all the projects that the money was meant for, none is nearing completion, we raised alarm that the money was for the execution of his second term in office, today again, just few months to the election period, he is also approaching the capital market for another bond of N15billion. Already, The All Progressives Congress, APC has warned the Nigeria Stock Exchange that the next administration will have nothing to do with the bond. It believed that the bond was meant to execute 2015 general election in favour of the PDP. In a communiqué signed by the former interim Chairman of the party, Chief Emerike Orji, the party argued that taking another loan in the twilight of this administration, with barely a year to end was an attempt to strangle the state financially and economically. It noted no identifiable achievement in the last seven years yet the debt owed by this government is unprecedented in the history of this state and any further loan will simply mortgage the future of Ebonyians. We wish to serve notice to the Nigerian Stock Exchange and the banks that should they go ahead and execute this loan facility, the incoming administration will not bear the burden of repayment because Ebonyians are tired of being in perpetual bondage. The party therefore bemoaned that it was in the name of the same white elephant projects in which the first N16.5billion bond was procured in 2010 that the new bond is being targeted. Not only that Elechi is accustomed of borrowing, none of the projects initiated since 2007 is nearing completion. In spite of the much acclaimed the paucity of funds, often attributed to one and only source of income- the federal allocation, Elechi has not cut his cloth according to his sizes, by drawing a blueprint for his administration. On a stretch, Elechi embarked on the construction of 34 unity bridges, though with much progress; Oferkepe water scheme; Ukawu water scheme; Ochoudo city; International market; Ebonyi state international University; dualization of some federal roads; Rice clusters, the troubled 5-star hotel, ring roads and equally imposing himself the burdens of dualizing major federal roads. The first proposal for Oferkepe water scheme was one Billion naira but the project has gulfed about N10billion without hope in sight for its completion. Now, the people are tired of Elechi’s continuous promises that water will run from Oferkepe since last year. To further burden the burden of the state government, Elechi has began the construction of N200 million pipe factory, which was expected to have been completed as early as December 2013 but the project is dead on arrival. The former Commissioner for Information and state Orientation, Mr Chike Onwe had said that the project when completed would produce pipes for the reticulation of the two mega water schemes. He said it will equally boast the internally generated revenue of the state as it will now be selling the pipes to across the country, with the raw materials being imported from Bayelsa state. Other dead dreams of the state government are the construction of flyover at the Speradeo junction, the airport, among others. One is equally watching the reality of the international university being proposed from the state university. The controversy which the bond has generated so far cannot out weight the general condemnation, trailing the termination of the ongoing reconstruction of Abakaliki- Enugu expressway. The project was awarded by the Federal government to SETRACO Engineering and Construction Company but the moment works reached the university gate of the state, purported order from the state government came that the project should stop to enable the state government finishing the dualization of the road to join the secretariat of the PDP, already dualized. If there is any costly mistake in Elechis administration, the stoppage of work and re-awarding same to another firm, could be regarded as one because it has generated a lot of public outcry from all road users. However, the inability to complete the projects with the initial N16.5billion, even when he had apple time, was perceived in some quarters to have been shared among his “buoyant sons and family members”. The poor performance and continuous borrowing of the present administration have ignited questions from Concerned Ebonyi Youths, which is a Coalition of Youths Supporters for All Governorship Aspirants in the state. In the previous administration, which was part of their question, Nkalagu cement factory, NIGERCEM, was operation but immediately stopped functioning because of the parochial interest Elechi has in running the factory and ceding same to “family members”, and this has result to the demand, that the Directors of the factory should be known. Most of the projects in the state are been done by M and J, a company rumoured to be owned by the Governor, which came into existence, just few year after assumption office and currently oversee by one of Elechi’s sons. But one funny thing is that Elechi has continued to award contract for the construction of federal roads in the state, including the termination of the expressway, already awarded by the FG, but state government has been lobbying and lamenting on one side that the FG has not refunded the monies expended on these federal projects. First, Elechi awarded the construction of Abakaliki- Oferekpe federal road with the original contract sum of N4.8 billion and the project was completed before 2011 and regrettably one billion naira, the state government lamented was paid off since 2009 and since then, nothing has come again.
Posted on: Mon, 08 Dec 2014 04:10:53 +0000
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