CELEBRATING GOVERNOR OKEZIE IKPEAZU AS HE WINS 2022 SUN NEWSPAPERS GOVERNOR OF THE YEAR AWARD
The Abia State governor, His Excellency Dr. Okezie Victor Ikpeazu was on Saturday January 28, 2022 at the Convention Center of the Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos conferred with the prestigious 2022 Sun Newspapers Governor of the Year Award alongside two co-winners; Governors Duoye Diri and Umaru Fintiri of Bayelsa and Adamawa States respectively.
The Governor of the Year Award given annually over the years by the flagship of the Nigerian print media, The Sun Newspapers Limited has come to represent the finest selection of public and private office holders who despite global economic challenges have uplifted their people in very extraordinary ways even to the admiration of naysayers.
Giving reasons for the award, the Sun Newspapers said, “their capacity to excel, even in the most difficult of times, transcends the woes of the country. They have proven beyond doubt that despite political, economic and social challenges, they can go the extra mile to make the country proud”.
“Like a colossus, they bestride the world of governance, entertainment, entrepreneur, industry, philanthropy, politics, banking, hospitality etc. They are men and women of achievement. One thing that stands them out is that they are mainly unassuming and simple”.
“Their giant strides last year only reflect the footprints of a tiger. They braved the odds, surmounted obstacles and delivered results anyone can be proud of. That is why they are joint winners of the Man of the Year Award”.
“Three state governors, Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), Douye Diri (Bayelsa) and Umaru Fintiri (Adamawa) also come first in their class. Their achievements in the various States speak volumes. These are accomplishments that will stand the test of time; and for which, in a long time to come, the people will remember”.
To demonstrate the quality of the judgement of the awarding body, His Royal Majesty, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ooni of Ife who presented the award to Governor Ikpeazu said little, though with deep significance, matter of factly and pointedly that Governor Okezie Ikpeazu deserves to be celebrated and there is no better endorsement of the achievements of Governor Ikpeazu, coming from a monarch who lives as far away as Osun State but feels the reverberations of the good works of Governor Okezie Ikpeazu in Abia state.
In an emotion-laden composure, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu used the opportunity to continue to mourn and celebrate the life and times of Prof. Eleazar Uche Ikonne, the Abia PDP governorship candidate who died last week as he dedicated the award to the memory of late Prof. Uche Ikonne.
In Dr. Ikpeazu’s words, “This award I will dedicate to the memory of my brother, my friend and my compatriot, Prof. Eleazar Ikonne who departed on the 25th of this month, and to say to him wherever he is today that we will keep the fire aglow. And to say to him also that though his sun has dimmed but the Sun is on my roof today. The Sun will come to the roof of all of us someday”.
The award to Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu as the Sun Newspaper Governor of the Year 2022 came at the most auspicious time, being that his stewardship as the governor of Abia State is nearing its terminal date and the good people of Abia will naturally put his performance under review, and rightly so because it will determine how our great Party, the PDP will fare when we face the electorate in the 2023 in the general election to ask for an extension of the mandate to our Party at the governorship and other levels.
Besides, the performance appraisal will also determine how the good people of Abia South decide who represents them at the 10th Senate because the governor, Dr. Okezie Victor Ikpeazu is the PDP candidate for the Abia South senatorial contest.
All said, the award by an independent body that has no affiliation to the Abia State government is a testament to the good works of the governor in Abia State and compliments the 2022 National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, Multidimensional Poverty Index, MPI, results which placed Abia State under the watch of Governor Okezie as one of the five best States in Nigeria and the best in the South East when measured against the four key sectoral indices of education, health, standard of living and security.
In less than six months, both the NBS records and the Sun Newspapers award and others before them have shown glaringly that the Abia governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu has been on his toes and never rested in his quest to make the lives of Abians better, in fulfilment of the promise he made to Abians in 2015 when he was campaigning for the governorship, and promised that he will make their lives better if he became the governor of Abia State. He eminently delivered on his promise.
Admittedly, in the past seven years, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu invested heavily in security, human capital development and infrastructure among others to the point that even the opposition began to acknowledge the good works he is doing in Abia.
Dr. Ikpeazu prioritised security and devoted his efforts in making Abia the most peaceful State in the South East when our sister-states have become theatres of war, and one of the five most peaceful States in Nigeria in the midst of the insecurity that has enveloped the entire country.
Thankfully, the profound peace in Abia aligned strategically with other priority sectors and led to the exponential growth in the economy and resulted in a better standard of living which makes Abians the least poor people in the country ahead of other States like Anambra, Rivers, Kano and Lagos States. What more can we ask for?
Cleverly, the Okezie Ikpeazu administration concentrated efforts in building human capital as a measure to develop the innate and historical talents of the Abia youth and at the same time took away the huge unemployed population available for recruitment into the criminality that leads to insecurity.
Today, the gains of the investment in human capital development are evidenced in the accolades Abia won as the SME capital of Nigeria, and once again, we are happy to export our products to the international arena stamped with the three proud words, ‘Made-in-Aba’; a recovery of the historical recognition of Aba as the Japan of Africa; many thanks to the untiring efforts of our indefatigable governor, His Excellency Dr. Okezie Victor Ikpeazu.
In health, education and infrastructure, the performance of the PDP-led Abia government is magnificent and testimonies that bear witness to such laudable improvements abound. At the last count, the PDP-led government of Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu has deployed more than 160 economic roads across the State in the past seven years including the first-ever Flyover at the Osisioma Bypass and continues to do so to ensure that many more roads are delivered before the May 29, 2023 terminal date of his administration.
In celebrating the Sun Newspapers Award to the governor of Abia State, let us remember where we were before we started the journey eight years ago and give honour and credit to whom it is due. It is undeniably clear to everyone that Abia has made progress under the administration of Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu and what we owe ourselves as a people is to support his administration to complete the good works he started and also ensure continuity by electing him as the Senator to represent Abia South in the next Senate.
I also call on our Party members and Abians in general to support whoever wins the fresh primary election we will conduct on Saturday February 4, 2023 to replace our dear Prof. Uche Ikonne, the guber candidate of our great Party, the PDP who passed on last week.
May the soul of Prof. Ikonne continue to rest in peace and may God comfort his immediate family, the governor of Abia State His Excellency Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, the PDP and the good people of Abia State.
Written By
Hon. Elder Abraham Amah
Abia PDP Vice Chairman/Acting State Publicity Secretary