Already, the Abia State government in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike Microfinance Bank Limited has flagged off creation of 3000 jobs through agriculture.
Packaged as Abia Youths in Agriculture Programme, the economic empowerment scheme will see Abia youths engage in different areas of agriculture. About 10,000 hectares of land are said to have been made available for the programme, ranging from crop production, fish farming, poultry, and food processing, among others.
Still on Ikpeazu’s economic blue print, conversations and engagements to facilitate remodeling and repositioning of Abia markets and parks have begun in earnest. Few days back, the Abia State Markets Development Committee (ASMDC) had a workshop/ engagement with stakeholders who brainstormed over untapped revenue and tourist potentials of Ariaria, Aba International Market, as well as other urban and sub-urban markets in the state. With innovation and international best practices as operational mantra, appropriate structures have been put in place by government to achieve this for economic advancement of the state.
Government’s plan to improve heath facilities in Abia also makes economic sense.It is true health is wealth, but the business side of upgrading health infrastructure is medical tourism. This explains why experts are applauding the planned Abia Super Tertiary Health Facility (STHF). To be cited at Obuaku City, a shouting distance from Port Harcourt, Rivers state, the multi-million dollar STHF run by Abia medical professionals at home and in the Diaspora would boost the state economy.
The STHF project is one direct way of arresting the current capital flight occasioned by medical trips to Europe, American and India, which is draining the nation’s scarce and rapidly depleting foreign exchange. When the ultra-modern health facility is completed, critical cardiovascular and organ transplant cases will no longer be handled outside our shores. Report says Nigeria spends over N1 trillion per annum in medical tourism. And just a fraction of this humongous sum could fix Abia.
In ‘Ikpeazunomics’, education for its own case is a taboo! Little wonder Dr Ikpeazu sounded it loud and clear upon assumption in office he would reform the sector. And going forward, he believes proper education must address the socio- economic needs of the people. The Governor is really pained and worried by the state of schools in Abia. He is also particularly not comfortable with the warped school curriculum largely producing economic misfits and unemployable students and university graduates.
His response is objective, solution-driven an clear headed. The Governor’s genuine concern has metamorphosed to the Education for Employment (E-4-E) project. Here certification is relegated to the background. What matters and counts is the relevance of education to one’s economic well-being. Government also appreciates that adequate funding of schools is key to achieving their desired goals and state economic policy direction. From the private sector -driven school adoption initiative to provision of free meals and educational materials to rural and less privileged pupils, the people’s Governor has indeed identified with the plight of Abia students.
The state -owned tertiary institutions have enjoyed Ikpeazu’s funding largesse. And they are now better positioned to fast track Abia’s economic development as they churn out property skilled and employable graduates. Also in the months ahead, model schools would be established in some parts of the state, according to the Governor, to set the minimum standard for secondary schools in Abia
At a time where tourism and entertainment have gone beyond ‘nkwa’ (dance) and ‘egwuruegwu’ (entertainment), Ikpeazu’s economic policy also comes handy. Acknowledged and indoctrinated as one of the facilitators of the pillars of the current regime, Abia is beckoning on investors to key into the money-spinning sector before its too late. On its part, the state government is giving massive support to operators in this critical sector, while assiduously improving on the ease of doing business in this side of the world.
In Abia, the prevailing national economic crisis occasioned by the drastic fall in oil price is not a curse but blessing. Instead of setting the state back, it’s rather promoting efficiency and enlarging the state’s revenue frontiers. Since he assumed office on May 29, 2016,the state has saved over N200 million. Unconfirmed sources also squealed that the No -BVN No- Salary Government directive has uncovered more fraudulent activities that saved the state more millions of naira. This way, Abia has recovered huge amount of money from suspected ghost workers. And to reward genuine workers, their salaries are no longer denied or delayed. This ensures higher productivity and unshakeable loyalty to the government.
It is undisputable fact that security guarantees economic boom. In case you are in the league of those asking why the state is expending its scarce financial resources on funding federal security agencies, you are really behind the times because the nexus between security and economic prosperity has long been established. Since the donation of operational vehicles by the state government to security agencies in Abia, violent crime has drastically reduced.
And the conducive environment for business has been firmly planted. With the establishment of Abia Security Trust Fund recently lunched by the Inspector General of Police, Mr Solomon Arase, criminals well know their days are numbered, while business operators, residents and citizens now sleep with both eyes closed. Recall there was a time the state, particularly Aba, was deserted as a result of crime upsurge. Abians under Ikpeazu are basking in the euphoria of appealing narrative of proactive crime control, which naturally favours business activities.
Thus said, it should be noted that revamping Abia’s critically dilapidated infrastructure, renewed government interest in entrepreneurship, trade, commerce, Agriculture, oil and gas, government staff verification exercise, up-grading challenging security structures and even more, all form an economic superstructure deliberately installed to advance the economic interest of Abians, which is the major policy thrust of the current administration. This is what economic experts tagged ‘Ikpeazunomics’.
It is the force driving the Governor’s policy in the past ten months of purposeful leadership anchored on critical values of performance, ownership, innovation, commitment, and integrity, and deeply rooted in work, service and accountability.
Uche Olehi is a Senior Media Assistant to Abia State Governor.
