The Reign of Terror by Abia Triumvirate, The Chameleon in Gov. Theodore Orji, Theodore Endless Lies and Gov. Orji lies like leopard gecko shedding her skin were four-piece sequel in Kalu Leadership Series that the former Abia State Governor used to ventilate some of his deepest concerns for the state in recent weeks. But need I remind the ex-governor that the piece did not only hit the bull’s eye but also did help to position him as a fearless pro-people warrior who stood up to be counted when it mattered most, even when the state’s so called statesmen had hid their tales in-between their legs out of cowardice, and dis-ennobling pecuniary gains. That the sequel birthed now is consoling than if it did not come at all because history would have been most harsh and uncharitable to the ex-governor if he had not done it.  Figuratively, it is better that it was late than it was not contemplated – It is better late than be the late!
And on no account, should the relevance and validity of the ex-governor’s intervention through the sequel be examined by his previous actions as a former helmsman of the state, nor interrogated by the circumstantial inhered tiffs between him and incumbent but rather Chief T. A. Orji’s government should be sifted by the avowed deliverables which the incumbent swore to provide when he took Oath of Office in May 2007. Notwithstanding that the two Abia top politicians – figuratively speaking, one a father and the other the son – have somewhat taken themselves to the cleaners in the media while trying to state their own side of the story, the incontrovertible fact, to me, remains that validation of Kalu’s sequel finds its anchor, and most importantly, its rationale on whether Chief T. A. Orji has indeed, justified the mandate given to him by Abians since 2007.
After all there still exist, even if we feign ignorance, a subsisting overdose sponsor of benevolence trappings from the benefactor, in this case, the ex-governor to the incumbent, to the extent that the latter, as an unknown electoral political quantity and liability, and imprisoned for judicial unrequited misdemeanors, was catapulted to Executive Office of Abia State Government House through an election that he neither funded, participated actively as an aspirant, nor voted in – a veritable legal underpinning sufficient to annul his victory – as it is seldom proclaimed of a unique scenario globally where an electoral candidate did not cast vote for himself yet he emerged victor and was sworn in as a substantive winner. An uncommon occurrence indeed!
Electing to pen this missive, therefore, is guided by the need to determine performance of Chief. T. A. Orji in the light of the sequels’ intervention, on one hand, and on another, on the growing dissatisfaction in Abia, which has reached combustible level, over non-performance of the incumbent, who has continued to score himself high.
Truth must be told: Abia State is laid waste on account of a macabre dance of bad governance, which is being trumped up as dividend of democracy but in actual sense is an unbridled display of institutional ineptitude by a troika bent on forcefully railroading themselves into the hallowed realm of statesmanship against a glaring display of failure anchored on unproductive anti-people centered leadership.  What we have in that state is more than a reign of a triumvirate but an evil axis of despotic trinity in feisty caustic rampage to destroy what Abia State had stood for. Simply put, it is government of the FATHER, government of the WIFE, and government of the SON; indeed, an uncanny adoption,  reconstruction and adaptation of what democracy is all about … government of the PEOPLE, for the PEOPLE, and by the PEOPLE. But need we ask ourselves, is what we have in Abia State a government that for almost eight years the fortunes of the state has retarded in form and substance as to question its continued existence? Why would a state blessed with huge abundant human and material resources be this unfortunate?
If a democracy can this be so ignobly demeaned in character and form as to strap it an ounce of human face and to the benefit of the electorate, then the Abia example under Chief T. A. Orji offers a classical model that suits further investigation and study by government and leadership scholars in Harvard, Yale and Oxford universities? The brief military era in the state under a most dictatorial regime in the past, which was reminiscent across the country during military rule remains incomparable to the high level of citizens’ rights abridgement currently ongoing. And yet Federal authority turns a blind eye to what is happening in the state!
Need we restate that a performance driven government is adjudged by the way and manner it utilizes the resources it generates and receives, the way and manner it secures the lives and properties of citizens within its jurisdiction, how it develops the state economically, socially and politically, how it improves the people’s welfare, especially ensuring that the physical, social, and financial conditions under which people live are satisfactory. Anything other than this amount to governmentese as the whole essence of governance is to make people happy. If the people then are not happy, it demonstrates that something is inherently wrong with the government as an institution, and more wrong with the person or body of persons that oversees the institution: the people have in history been content with good and humane government. Abia people are not happy!
To the first – the way and manner it utilizes the resources it generates and receives – that should engage our appraisal for now. Aside, year-in and year-in incremental financial windfall that is released to the state over the past seven years by Federal Government through Federal Allocation, Abia State remains a financially comatose enclave as the state government constantly, and at every given opportunity decry monies that it receives, even when comparatively it is significantly bigger than what previous administrations in the state had received all combined together. Is it the huge Security Vote and other monies that are disbursed to the state without official receipt, and which has not been equitably and transparently utilized that we should talk about or the improved Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) amounting to several billions of naira? Which one should we talk about, and which one should we discountenance? For example, between January and December 2012, the State received Federal Allocation estimated at 54 billion naira; Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) above 48 billion naira, and another 64 billion, which is beside other allocations like Derivation (for oil producing states), Excess Crude Account, and Domestic Crude Account, Subsidy Reinvestment Programme (SURE-P), Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) refund and Foreign Exchange differentials.
Indeed, management of Subsidy Reinvestment Programme (SURE-P) monies that accrue to the state is a closely guarded secret, yet the money amounts to billions of Naira. The issue of Security Vote use, which has been upped regularly, defies comprehension. The state receives several billions of naira annually as Security Vote, yet life is nasty, brutish and short. Abia State owes more than $35.9 million as debt.
The State House of Assembly that is content at carrying out the governor’s bidding, no matter how preposterous it is, moved to increase Chief T. A. Orjis’ monthly Security Vote from N450 million to N700 million many months back. At N700 million per month, the Governor takes a handsome N8.4 billion per annum as Security Vote.
Note that in March 2013, the Technical Sub-committee of the Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) stated that Abia State shared among other states a total of N117,942 billion (26.72%) as against N106,442 billion received for the month of February. Its local governments were among the councils that shared N90,928 billion (20.60%) against N82,062 billion received for same month of February. It should be borne in mind that it was only recently that Transition Council Chairmen were sworn-in in the state after several months. Local government areas had been without elected leadership – and we aware that local government election in the state is a taboo. Where these monies go into is a matter of conjuncture. Salaries of workers in many government establishments have not been paid for months now – and this is a usual occurrence. Yet people are cowed not to speak out for fear of being whisked away or eliminated.
Has the way and manner Chief T.A. Orji’s administration secured the lives and properties of Abians since his ascension to power been satisfactory?  Residents of Umuahia, who are bold enough to speak out, would tell you that armed robbery attacks are frequent in the state capital. This is beside activities of overzealous party thugs, quasi-state security outfits and Bakassi Boys that are tutored to deal with citizens considered stubborn by the government’s definition and precepts.  The situation has deteriorated in Aba. There is hardly nightlife in any of these two major cities in the state as people do everything possible to get home before it is dusk.
On another hand, how has the state been developed economically, socially and politically over these seven years?  Every indicator paints bleak picture economically and politically. Aside unavailability of a virile opposition party, non-partisan dissenting voices are systemically hounded, chased or  eliminated. While neighboring states are excelling development wise, with good network of roads, potable pipe borne water, and modern equipped schools at all levels of education, what we see in Abia is complete collapse of roads in all the 17 local government areas; heaps of refuse and decomposing corpses especially in Aba, the commercial nerve-centre of the state; dilapidated school buildings and sparsely decorated but uncompleted projects.
The governor’s spin doctors prefer to call these sparsely decorated; some uncompleted and many economically unviable, politically inspired, pocket-warming and unbefitting projects as Legacy Projects. One of these projects is the Umuahia Ultra-Modern International Market – a market that has now turned into a cash cow of some sort for the government, its proxies, cronies and the governor’s family members.
It will interest the world to know that the owners of the land where this market is situated have not been paid any form of compensation years after the government forcefully annexed the vast land. Vociferous members from the community have been silenced. The most disheartening aspect of this forceful takeover is that the community, which has the larger chunk of the site where the market is located, was not consulted before its land was taken over forcefully. Chief T. A. Orji’s government did not stop here, it went further to erect a most ingenious debilitating precedent which indiscernibly it designed to incite the lead community land donor against the small donors by ascribing the market, and naming it after the smaller community, that culturally, historically and traditionally are guests hosted by lead community Land donor. The community, helpless as it is turning out to be now, repeatedly has asked whether it is proper that a land be named after a tenant or the landlord.
Furthermore, aside brazen disregard to the community’s tradition and cultural practices regarding land management and upkeep which confers high respect for its land, Chief T. A. Orji’s government, seeing availability of vast land, unabashedly continued unbridled acquisition and encroachment without limit. It has exceeded acceptable limits in its acquisition spree to the extent that almost all the community’s’ common land for farm have forcefully been taken by the state government. This community is at the mercy of government even as compensation is yet to be paid to it.
Abains have not also forgotten in a hurry the scam that attended same market relocation forms sold to both old stall owners in the old market and prospective new stall owners who bought the forms for relocation to the new market.  The state government made millions of naira through the forms sale but at the last minute it jettisoned the forms and did not refund the monies to the applicants. A large chunk of old traders who owned stalls at the old destroyed market and who lost out have now relocated to Imo State markets raining cursing on Chief T. A. Orji’s government. Only negligible numbers of fresh applicants were able to obtain stalls through well-knit connection while the very large number of stalls in the new market went to politicians and their cronies under different guises. The market itself was developed by the stall owners, so, effectively, Chief T. A. Orji’s government secured the land for the market free of charge as well as the stalls built free of charge by stall owners for the government.
Equally, ownership of another project, Dialysis and Ophthalmology Centre, Umuahia (former Aloma Hospital), said to have been bought by the government from a renowned but retired medical practitioner, is being discussed in hushed tones. The expiration of the incumbents’ tenure will reveal whether it is one of the Legacy Projects as well or owned by an individual.
Has Chief T. A. Orji’s government improved Abia citizens welfare, especially ensuring that the physical, social, and financial conditions under which people live are satisfactory? Indian Tricycle (Keke Marwa) and Inter-State Bus Leasing Support Programs that have groomed a large number of unskilled motor park touts and drivers are only source of financial empowerment in the state. Even at this, recipients double as party thugs as the vehicles are distributed by politicians under a neckbreaking leasing refund arrangement.
It is difficult to pinpoint any government owned industry functioning in Abia State. Thousands of youths have not had anywhere to go for years. The much talked about Golden Guinea Brewery Company resuscitation that would have mopped up many unemployed youths has remained a political talkshow for years. Unemployed youths, traders, technocrats, business people are migrating out of Abia in droves to Lagos, Abuja, Onitsha, etc. on account of inclement economic environment. The state has not had it this bad!  Aba, the commercial nerve center is in a sorry state. A trip there when it rains will draw out tears from even a man with stone heart.
Indeed, what obtains in Abia State today is catastrophic: unimaginable high proportion of migration of notable and unknown Abians fleeing the state, exacting economic hardship, witch hunting and political intimidation, resort to equate the state as a personal property, excessive use of the military for clear civil matters, acute dearth of basic and public infrastructure, abandonment of Aba, destruction of properties of people deemed as enemies, revocation of Certificates of Occupancy of opponents, appropriation of duly allocated stalls and lands, high taxation, emasculation of artisans and petty traders through intimidation, relocation and confiscation of their goods, etc.
It, therefore, is ironic that this renewed fire of discord between the incumbent and Kalu is stoked by same sets of recipients of the latter’s goodwill, who were hungry and penniless when they were engaged by the ex-Abia helmsman and rewarded immensely with material wealth during his tenure, and who now have congregated themselves around the incumbent to egg him on to square up with his benefactor, thereby distracting him to focus on the onerous task of effectively governing the state. To them, colloquially, they are in business!
Chief T. A. Orji can still reflect the growing resentment against his person and his government in the last days of his tenure by befriending the people, dismissing brigade of sycophants and glorified thugs masquerading as technocrats in his government and ensure that real dividend of democracy are delivered to the people.

Unyielding grip of a despotic inspired trinity in Abia