The Abia State governor, Okezie
Ikpeazu, has ruled out the conduct of local government elections in the state
in due course.
Speaking at a town hall meeting in
Aba on Tuesday, Mr. Ikpeazu, who became governor in May 2015, said the election
would consume about N800 million which the state could not afford at the
moment.
“It has been three months since I
asked the Abia Independent Electoral Commission to give me the estimate for
local government elections and what they gave me was almost N800 million,” he
said.
“And there is no way that the
expenses will not be closer to N800 million than to N500 million because if you
take up ad-hoc staff and you refuse to pay them, they will knock on your door.
“If I am given N1.8 billion, it will
not be wise for me to take N800 million for local government elections. We must
find a way out.”
Mr. Okezie directed the 17 local
government transition committees to employ two physically-challenged persons
each as special advisers.
He said the employment was to ensure
that the interest of physically-challenged persons in the state was protected
in governance.
The governor lamented the deplorable
condition of Port Harcourt road in Aba, which he noted was stalling the productivity
of local companies in the area.
He said : When I think of Port
Harcourt road, it will take a drainage system of about 13 kilometers which may
involve breaking down some houses but I will not fold my hands and watch the road
remain like that
“ The World Bank and the State had
entered into an agreement to reconstruct the road before I became governor,
so, I hope that work will start on the road
before December”
Mr. Ikpeazu promised to give youth
with skills the opportunity to be part in the N2 billion funds for primary
schools refurbishment to empower them.
NAN
PHOTO: GOV OKEZIE IKPEAZU
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